TOMBSTONE - Crazy line?
Thomas A. Hereford
Detroit, MI
Watching Tombstone I was confused over what Doc Holiday meant at the end
just before his gun fight when said, "I'll be your huckleberry..."
What did he mean?
TH
MEOW
Earlier, when Ringo wanted to kill the Earps, he asked if anyone had the guts
to play for blood....Holiday happened to be getting a shave and took Ringo up
by saying "I'm your huckleberry" but Curly Bill prevents this fight
It is repeated in the end because the audience is supposed to think that
Wyatt is going to fight Ringo, it was implied that Doc was dying, the line
lets the audience know that it is not Wyatt who has come to fight Ringo.
Otherwise, I don't really know why they chose that particular phrase...
I hope that helps...
Jenn
Suzanne M. Thebaut
> In article <3fmg7b$7...@b8news.b8.ingr.com>, ther...@ingr.com (Thomas A. Hereford) writes:
> > Thomas Hereford
> > Detroit, MI
> >
> > Watching Tombstone I was confused over what Doc Holiday meant at the end
> > just before his gun fight when said, "I'll be your huckleberry..."
> >
> > What did he mean?
>
>
possibly false assumption that huckleberries are not good to eat, that
they might even be poisonous.
So, to say "I'm your huckleberry" is to say something like
"I'm taking you on, and you're going to go down."
It's kind of a threat.
By contrast, Doc. also says "Isn't that a daisy?" from time to
time-- meaning "Isn't that dandy?" (My assumption here is that
daisies are dandy.) :)
That's what I think.
-Suz.
--
--------------------------------------------------------
Be a Hero Today.
--------------------------------------------------------
Suzanne Thebaut voice: (603) 337-7601
Cabletron Systems, Inc. email: the...@ctron.com
NightMare
>
> In article <3fmg7b$7...@b8news.b8.ingr.com>, ther...@ingr.com (Thomas A. Hereford) writes:
>>
>> Watching Tombstone I was confused over what Doc Holiday meant at the end
>> just before his gun fight when said, "I'll be your huckleberry..."
>>
>> What did he mean?
>
>on Huckleberry."
It's I'm your huckleberry!
Geeez!
Your worst,
NightMare
John R. Swaney
mi...@sugar-land.anadrill.slb.com (NightMare) writes:
Amen and ditto! NightMare is absolutely correct: the line (which
appears in two different scenes in the film) is "I'm your huckleberry."
Like the rest of y'all, I'm clueless as to its derivation. But it
clearly means something like, "I'm the one who'll do this deadly dance with
you," or "I'm the one you should choose for this encounter." Remember, in
the scene on the street in Tombstone, when he speaks the line for the first
time, Ringo is trying to goad Wyatt into a gunfight, but Wyatt won't be
baited. At that point, Doc says to Ringo (from the sidewalk), "I'm your
huckleberry. That's just my game!"
John Swaney
Los Angeles
-Mammel,L.H.
Suzanne M. Thebaut <the...@aspen.NoSubdomain.NoDomain> wrote:
>Caveat: My whole assumption about what this means is based on the
>possibly false assumption that huckleberries are not good to eat, that
>they might even be poisonous.
>
>So, to say "I'm your huckleberry" is to say something like
>"I'm taking you on, and you're going to go down."
>It's kind of a threat.
No. It just means, "I'm your man." or "I'm the one you want."
Chapman's Dictionary of American slang even has this phrase
as an example under the entry for "huckleberry". The word
meant a guy or fellow starting in the early 1800's.
>By contrast, Doc. also says "Isn't that a daisy?" from time to
>time-- meaning "Isn't that dandy?" (My assumption here is that
>daisies are dandy.) :)
He also says "You're a daisy if you do." to a gunman who tells
him "I've got you now." or something like that.
Lew Mammel, Jr.
Rogelio Antonio Padilla
No it's not. It's "I'm here, Huckleberry" just like earlier in the
story when he and Ringo almost went at it in the street. Doc called
Ringo Huckleberry as a form of derision. Just like the, "You're a
daisy if you do." (meaning if Ringo does kill Doc) and then says, at
the end, "You're no daisy. You're no daisy!"
I think Doc's kind of fond of giving people other names, like he calls
that one guy from Wings music-lover. Calling Ringo huckleberry is a
form of disrespect in a sense, and I get the feeling it means something
like hick or rube. Like the cartoon, Huckleberry Hound. Maybe I'm all
wrong, and just watch too many cartoons, but I think this is what Doc
meant.
Anthony
rpad...@princeton.edu
Paul Kunkel
John R. Swaney <swa...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> Amen and ditto! NightMare is absolutely correct:
This has been my mantra for the past week. Don't ask.
>the line (which
>appears in two different scenes in the film) is "I'm your huckleberry."
About ten years ago, some schmoe told me that he thought dictionaries
were worthless because he could infer the meaning of any word from its
context. I have no doubt that this imbecile has been beaten to death by
now, but he did have a point. The meaning of "I'm your huckleberry"
should be implicitly clear to anyone who watched the movie.
Kunkel
NightMare
>
>In <3gbush$n...@sndsu1.sedalia.sinet.slb.com>
>mi...@sugar-land.anadrill.slb.com (NightMare) writes:
>
>>
>>In article <3ga6vk$o...@falcon.ccs.uwo.ca>, jsl...@julian.uwo.ca (j.a.
>slator) says:
>>>
>>>> Watching Tombstone I was confused over what Doc Holiday meant at the end
>>>> just before his gun fight when said, "I'll be your huckleberry..."
>>>> What did he mean?
>>>
>>> I'm pretty sure he said "I'm here Huckleberry." As in, "I'll take you
>>
>>
>>
>>It's I'm your huckleberry!
>>
>>
>>Geeez!
> Amen and ditto! NightMare is absolutely correct: the line (which
>appears in two different scenes in the film) is "I'm your huckleberry."
>
> Like the rest of y'all, I'm clueless as to its derivation. But it
>clearly means something like, "I'm the one who'll do this deadly dance with
>you," or "I'm the one you should choose for this encounter." Remember, in
>the scene on the street in Tombstone, when he speaks the line for the first
>time, Ringo is trying to goad Wyatt into a gunfight, but Wyatt won't be
>baited. At that point, Doc says to Ringo (from the sidewalk), "I'm your
>huckleberry. That's just my game!"
>
>
>John Swaney
>Los Angeles
Hi John,
At last, someone who knows the movie. Phew... Who could ever forget the
first time Doc says this to Johnny! Johnny gets that wonderful spark in
his eyes and we know they both mean business! Yup! I'm sure of it.
FYI: Jenn, posted about this same subject with complete competence about
a week ago.
Just one more thing, a friend of mine (who's quite up on his old west-
era) said the only thing that bothered him in Tombstone was the fact that
Doc didn't really kill Johnny Ringo. Thanks, Kunkel! ;-)
As always,
NightMare
o o
~
\___/
uarb...@cc.memphis.edu
You are WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!! It is "I'm your Huckleberry." A couple of
posts back someone stated a definition of Huckleberry in this sense proving it.
If you don't want to believe this then rent the movie and pay careful
attention. I've seen it three times and can positively guarantee every one out
there that Doc says "I'm your Huckleberry."
Adam
John R. Swaney
writes:
>
>In article <1995Jan28....@Princeton.EDU>,
rpad...@flagstaff.princeton.edu (Rogelio Antonio Padilla) writes:
>> In article <3gbush$n...@sndsu1.sedalia.sinet.slb.com>,
>> NightMare <mi...@sugar-land.anadrill.slb.com> wrote:
>>>In article <3ga6vk$o...@falcon.ccs.uwo.ca>, jsl...@julian.uwo.ca (j.a.
slator) says:
>>>>
>>>> In article <3fmg7b$7...@b8news.b8.ingr.com>, ther...@ingr.com (Thomas
A. Hereford) writes:
>>>>>
>>>>> Watching Tombstone I was confused over what Doc Holiday meant at the
end
>>>>> just before his gun fight when said, "I'll be your huckleberry..."
>>>>>
>>>>> What did he mean?
>>>>
>>>> I'm pretty sure he said "I'm here Huckleberry." As in, "I'll take you
>>>>on Huckleberry."
>>>
>>>It's I'm your huckleberry!
>>>
>>>Geeez!
>>
>>
>> No it's not. It's "I'm here, Huckleberry" just like earlier in the
>> story when he and Ringo almost went at it in the street.
>>
>> Anthony
>> rpad...@princeton.edu
>
>You are WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!! It is "I'm your Huckleberry." A couple of
>posts back someone stated a definition of Huckleberry in this sense proving
it.
>If you don't want to believe this then rent the movie and pay careful
>attention. I've seen it three times and can positively guarantee every one
out
>there that Doc says "I'm your Huckleberry."
>
>Adam
>
Adam is absolutely correct. I just watched the film again tonight
and, because of this exchange, played that scene back about five times on
the VCR. There is no question that the line is: "I'm your huckleberry."
Besides, if Mare says so.....that settles the issue anyway!
John Swaney
Los Angeles
Rodney Fuller
: era) said the only thing that bothered him in Tombstone was the fact that
: Doc didn't really kill Johnny Ringo. Thanks, Kunkel! ;-)
Um... In the version I saw he did.
Rodney Fuller
ful...@csulb.edu
: o o
: ~
: \___/
mi...@aslvx1.sugar-land.anadrill.slb.com
>: Just one more thing, a friend of mine (who's quite up on his old west-
>: era) said the only thing that bothered him in Tombstone was the fact that
>: Doc didn't really kill Johnny Ringo. Thanks, Kunkel! ;-)
>
>Um... In the version I saw he did.
>Rodney Fuller
Grrrrrrrrr! What's with you guys? I'm passing along true info here
and you're going by a movie? Give me a break! ;-) I promise, even
movies with Val Kilmer, aren't necessarily the truth....really. I
hate to be the one to break it to you. Movies do take factual occurences
and add a little fictional license to make it to the writer's liking.
DAH! Sure Kevin Jarre did one hell of a job in writing Tombstone, but
that doesn't mean he was telling the absolute truth. C'mon, grow up!
NightMare
PS Join in anytime, Kunkel! After all, you are the expert! ;-) Just
ask yourself. Don't leave me here to defend your ideas! :)
mi...@aslvx1.sugar-land.anadrill.slb.com
>NightMare <mi...@sugar-land.anadrill.slb.com> wrote:
>>It's I'm your huckleberry!
>>
>>Geeez!
>
>
>No it's not. It's "I'm here, Huckleberry" just like earlier in the
>story when he and Ringo almost went at it in the street. Doc called
>Ringo Huckleberry as a form of derision. Just like the, "You're a
>daisy if you do." (meaning if Ringo does kill Doc) and then says, at
>the end, "You're no daisy. You're no daisy!"
>
>I think Doc's kind of fond of giving people other names, like he calls
>that one guy from Wings music-lover. Calling Ringo huckleberry is a
>form of disrespect in a sense, and I get the feeling it means something
>like hick or rube. Like the cartoon, Huckleberry Hound. Maybe I'm all
>wrong, and just watch too many cartoons, but I think this is what Doc
>meant.
>
>Anthony
>rpad...@princeton.edu
My dear sweet, Anthony!
Are you crazy? Doc isn't giving anybody a nickname. Please watch the
movie again, dear. Huckleberry, isn't even a form of disrespect, sweetie!
;-) This is the first scene:
Johnny: I want your blood and I want your soul...and I want them
both - right now!
Wyatt: I'm not going to fight you. (Showing he doesn't even have
a gun on. Then continues on, "There's no money in it."
Johnny: Doesn't anybody have the guts to play for blood! (with that
wonderful spark that only Michael Biehn can get in his eyes!)
DOC: (Pulling a gun, and putting it behind his back.) I'm your
huckleberry. That's just my game!
Johnny: Alright, lunger! etc, etc, etc, in the words of a wonderful King
I love to quote.
Go rent it! Please! I am your huckleberry and you are no daisy! No daisy,
at all! :)
NightMare
Brian Robert Cicco
line? by MI...@SUGAR-LAND.ANA@asl
> >: era) said the only thing that bothered him in Tombstone was the fact that
> >: Doc didn't really kill Johnny Ringo. Thanks, Kunkel! ;-)
> >
> >Um... In the version I saw he did.
> >Rodney Fuller
>
> Grrrrrrrrr! What's with you guys? I'm passing along true info here
> and you're going by a movie? Give me a break! ;-) I promise, even
> movies with Val Kilmer, aren't necessarily the truth....really. I
> hate to be the one to break it to you. Movies do take factual occurences
> and add a little fictional license to make it to the writer's liking.
> DAH! Sure Kevin Jarre did one hell of a job in writing Tombstone, but
> that doesn't mean he was telling the absolute truth. C'mon, grow up!
>
ringo was, in fact, killed by a man known as 'johnny behind-the duece',
a man wyatt saved from a lynch mob, and who subsequently found ringo
passed out drunk beneath a tree and put a bullet through his skull.
dramatic, eh? behind-the-duece is mentioned at the end of 'wyatt earp'
with kevin costner, in a flashback as wyatt and josephene are on a ship
to alaska. this information is courtesy of 'wyatt earp-frontier
marshall' by stuart n lake (good bio of wyatt, but undeniably slanted
towards the earp faction, so take it with a grain of salt.)
brian cicco
department of art
carnegie mellon university
Rogelio Antonio Padilla
Okay, okay. Everyone keeps correcting me. Actually, I have seen the
movie like four times, but always with other people, so the background
noise must have blocked it out.
Still, even though Huckleberry is supposed to mean "hot stuff" or something,
I thought Doc was just egging him on. Like that "Look darlin', it's
Johnny Ringo, the fastest pistolier since blah, blah, blah..." although
that's not how I thought of it before. The "Im *here*, Huckelberry"
interpretation that I made was because that's what I heard through his
drawl. I guess I didn't listen closely enough. And I thought the way he
emphasized the words (at leat how I remember it) was more conducive to
this interpretation.
I didn't say that my interpretation was *definitive*. And all I had to
go on was my memory and the faulty interpretation that I enforced in my
mind over repeated viewings of the movie.
Thanks for taking such care in correcting me.
Anthony
rpad...@princeton.edu
Scott Brigham, meas
> In article <3gjvfj$k...@garuda.csulb.edu>, ful...@csulb.edu (Rodney Fuller) writes:
>>: Just one more thing, a friend of mine (who's quite up on his old west-
>>: era) said the only thing that bothered him in Tombstone was the fact that
>>: Doc didn't really kill Johnny Ringo. Thanks, Kunkel! ;-)
>>
>>Um... In the version I saw he did.
>>Rodney Fuller
>
> Grrrrrrrrr! What's with you guys? I'm passing along true info here
> and you're going by a movie? Give me a break! ;-) I promise, even
> movies with Val Kilmer, aren't necessarily the truth....really. I
> hate to be the one to break it to you. Movies do take factual occurences
> and add a little fictional license to make it to the writer's liking.
> DAH! Sure Kevin Jarre did one hell of a job in writing Tombstone, but
> that doesn't mean he was telling the absolute truth. C'mon, grow up!
>
reason. Besides _Tombstone_, it occurs in _Wyatt Earp_ and the old
_Gunfight at the OK Corral_. In each movie it takes place a little
differently, though. In Tombstone it's at the end as a final
showdown. In WE Doc kills JR as part of the process of tracking down
and killing all the Cowboys. In GFATOKC Doc actually kills JR during
the title gunfight.
Even if it didn't happen that way, it made for great theatre in Tombstone.
--
============================================================================
sco...@rosemount.com
Scott Brigham (AA0HU) "When you start to feel you've been
Rosemount, Inc. bit by an eel -- that's a moray..."
Eden Prairie, MN USA
============================================================================
WOULD YOU BE PREPARED IF GRAVITY REVERSED ITSELF?
>
> FYI: Jenn, posted about this same subject with complete competence about
> a week ago.
>
> Just one more thing, a friend of mine (who's quite up on his old west-
> era) said the only thing that bothered him in Tombstone was the fact that
> Doc didn't really kill Johnny Ringo. Thanks, Kunkel! ;-)
>
>
> As always,
>
> NightMare
Mare:
Thanks for noticing :)
Jenn
Paul Kunkel
MI...@SUGAR-LAND.ANADRILL.SLB.COM
<mi...@aslvx1.sugar-land.anadrill.slb.com> wrote:
My ideas? The only good idea I ever had was the monogram toaster,
and it got nowhere.
Okay, having read 106 pages of one book on the subject, it appears
that I am the authority in this thread. Here's another nitpick. Wyatt's
first wife died before he moved to Tombstone. I can understand tweaking
history a bit to make a long story shorter, but why was that character
added to the movie? All she did was get the jitters. She added nothing
to the story or to the atmosphere. Maybe her presence was to make
Wyatt's other relationship look impossible yet inevitable. Thanks,
Kunkel. That answers my question. Hey, don't mention it, Kunkel.
Kunkel
WOULD YOU BE PREPARED IF GRAVITY REVERSED ITSELF?
> story when he and Ringo almost went at it in the street. Doc called
> Ringo Huckleberry as a form of derision. Just like the, "You're a
> daisy if you do." (meaning if Ringo does kill Doc) and then says, at
> the end, "You're no daisy. You're no daisy!"
> rpad...@princeton.edu
Anthony:
First, let me pity you for crossing Mare. Second, I own Tombstone, and
have watched it well into the number 70. Doc does _not_ say
I'm here Huckleberry. He says "I'm your huckleberry"
Also, he doesn't say "you're a daisy if you do" to Ringo...he says it to
one of the cowboys involved the the OK Corral fight, which Ringo wasn't a
part of. My opinion is that Doc considers anyone a daisy who has the
gual to challenge him in a gun fight. I could be wrong, but I KNOW
I am right about "I'm your huckleberry"
Hope Mare doesn't see you challenge her Val-awareness,
Jenn
"Crowhorse.....F*ck you"
Michael Crawford
Well, I didn't go all the way back on this thread, so I'm not sure just
how much you have already discussed the historical inaccuricies of this
movie - but I'll add a few of the most glaring of my own.
The whole 'Wyatt doesn't want to be involved in local politics' routine
was way off. Wyatt was running for office against the sheriff, and that
started the feuding between the two. It didn't help that Wyatt did take
the sheriff's girl away from him. Other notable accuracies are Wyatt's
ownership of the Oriental Saloon, and the fate of Morgan and Virgil.
Michael
cra...@aa.wl.com
NightMare
>
>In article <3gkdab$s...@sndsu1.sedalia.sinet.slb.com>,
>MI...@SUGAR-LAND.ANADRILL.SLB.COM <mi...@aslvx1.sugar-land.anadrill.slb.com> wrote:
>>In article <1995Jan28....@Princeton.EDU>, rpad...@flagstaff.princeton.edu (Rogelio Antonio Padilla) writes:,
>>>NightMare <mi...@sugar-land.anadrill.slb.com> wrote:
>>>>It's I'm your huckleberry!
Hey Anthony,
Are we cross? I don't think I could bear it if you weren't my friend. ;-)
Maybe, I was too harsh. Naw! :^) I loved the fact that you've given me
a great chance to rant and rave about my favorite movie. Gee, I almost wish
you'd say something else we could all trash you for and keep the wonderful
thread going. Do you think you could? Just for me? ;-)
Gee, nobody's asked what peach means. hehehe Maybe, Doc just liked fruit!
The NightMarish one...
It's been fun!
:^)
NightMare
>
>From article <3gkef0$s...@sndsu1.sedalia.sinet.slb.com>, by mi...@aslvx1.sugar-land.anadrill.slb.com (MI...@SUGAR-LAND.ANADRILL.SLB.COM):
>> In article <3gjvfj$k...@garuda.csulb.edu>, ful...@csulb.edu (Rodney Fuller) writes:
>
>>>: Just one more thing, a friend of mine (who's quite up on his old west-
>>>: era) said the only thing that bothered him in Tombstone was the fact that
>>>: Doc didn't really kill Johnny Ringo. Thanks, Kunkel! ;-)
>>>
>>>Um... In the version I saw he did.
>>>Rodney Fuller
>>
>> Grrrrrrrrr! What's with you guys? I'm passing along true info here
>> and you're going by a movie? Give me a break! ;-) I promise, even
>> movies with Val Kilmer, aren't necessarily the truth....really. I
>> hate to be the one to break it to you. Movies do take factual occurences
>> and add a little fictional license to make it to the writer's liking.
>> DAH! Sure Kevin Jarre did one hell of a job in writing Tombstone, but
>> that doesn't mean he was telling the absolute truth. C'mon, grow up!
>>
>Having Doc kill Johnny Ringo is real popular in the movies for some
>reason. Besides _Tombstone_, it occurs in _Wyatt Earp_ and the old
>_Gunfight at the OK Corral_. In each movie it takes place a little
>differently, though. In Tombstone it's at the end as a final
>showdown. In WE Doc kills JR as part of the process of tracking down
>and killing all the Cowboys. In GFATOKC Doc actually kills JR during
>the title gunfight.
>
>Even if it didn't happen that way, it made for great theatre in Tombstone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey Scott,
Yep! Now, let's get Kevin Jarre to write the Doc Holiday Story!
Wouldn't that be fun?
NightMare
;^)
jmi...@uwyo.edu
> Okay, having read 106 pages of one book on the subject, it appears
>that I am the authority in this thread. Here's another nitpick. Wyatt's
>first wife died before he moved to Tombstone. I can understand tweaking
>history a bit to make a long story shorter, but why was that character
>added to the movie? All she did was get the jitters. She added nothing
>to the story or to the atmosphere. Maybe her presence was to make
>Wyatt's other relationship look impossible yet inevitable. Thanks,
>Kunkel. That answers my question. Hey, don't mention it, Kunkel.
>
> Kunkel
I'm no expert, but I don't believe that woman he was with at the beginning
of his Tombstone days in both "Wyatt Earp" and "Tombstone" was supposed
to be his first wife. Her name was Mattie (or Maddie) and she was a woman
he took up with after his first wife died. I'm think there's some historical
disagreement as to whether they were actually married or not. He then left
her for Josephine Marcus. This brings me to one of my problems with
"Tombstone" which is the casting of Dana Delaney as Josephine. "Josie"
was only 18 years old when Wyatt met her. Although Dana is an attractive
woman, she's no 18 years old. I also kind of felt that the Earps clothes
were a little too sparkling clean and pressed all the time. Ooops, sorry,
I'm nitpicking, I know.
Jeff M.
jmi...@uwyo.edu
NightMare
>
>In article <3gp8rm$2...@nntp1.u.washington.edu>, kun...@u.washington.edu
>(Paul Kunkel) writes:
>
>> Okay, having read 106 pages of one book on the subject, it appears
>>that I am the authority in this thread. Here's another nitpick. Wyatt's
>>first wife died before he moved to Tombstone. I can understand tweaking
>>history a bit to make a long story shorter, but why was that character
>>added to the movie? All she did was get the jitters. She added nothing
>>to the story or to the atmosphere. Maybe her presence was to make
>>Wyatt's other relationship look impossible yet inevitable. Thanks,
>>Kunkel. That answers my question. Hey, don't mention it, Kunkel.
>>
>> Kunkel
:I'm no expert, but I don't believe that woman he was with at the beginning
:of his Tombstone days in both "Wyatt Earp" and "Tombstone" wa supposed
:to be his first wife. Her name was Mattie (or Maddie) and she was a woman
:he took up with after his first wife died. I'm think there's some
:historical
:disagreement as to whether they were actually married or not. He then left
:her for Josephine Marcus. This brings me to one of my problems with
:"Tombstone" which is the casting of Dana Delaney as Josephine. "Josie"
:was only 18 years old when Wyatt met her. Although Dana is an attractive
:woman, she's no 18 years old. I also kind of felt that the Earps clothes
:were a little too sparkling clean and pressed all the time. Ooops, sorry,
:I'm nitpicking, I know.
:Jeff M.
:jmi...@uwyo.edu
>
Jeff, you little nitpicker you. Didn't you notice how Tony they
all dressed around Tombstone? ;-)
I'll let you experts discuss Wyatt's wives and 18 year olds, and
I'll just sit back and learn from you all.
NightMare
Rogelio Antonio Padilla
NightMare <mi...@sugar-land.anadrill.slb.com> wrote:
>Hey Anthony,
>
>Are we cross? I don't think I could bear it if you weren't my friend. ;-)
>
>Maybe, I was too harsh. Naw! :^) I loved the fact that you've given me
>a great chance to rant and rave about my favorite movie.
Yeah, I have some friends who feel the same way. Go around quoting
lines at eachother, trying to put them in anywhere they might be applicable.
It seems you may be one who does the same. I'm not at all "cross".
I hope you didn't get that impression. I was just trying to explain
my reasoning for my *cough*, terrible blunder.
Sorry I can't think of anything else that you can correct me on.
Oh, I'm sure there's lots to correct, just nothing that comes to mind.
Later,
Anthony
rpad...@princeton.edu
Frank Peters
>Watching Tombstone I was confused over what Doc Holiday meant at the end
>just before his gun fight when said, "I'll be your huckleberry..."
>
>What did he mean?
The expression became popular in the 19th century after the publication
of Mark Twain's stories about Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. In
those stories the boys got involved in various adventures...often
started by ideas that were probably not the wisest to begin with.
When someone suggests a course of action, to respond "I'm your
Huckleberry" is to say, in essence, "that's probably a bad/silly/crazy
idea but I'll go along with it." As in "that's the sort of silly and
dangerous idea Tom Saywer would come up with...but I'll accept the part
of Huckleberry and go along with it anyway."
Anyone who has ever agreed to a sudden road trip to New Orleans at 1 in
the morning when s/he had a test on Monday should be able to understand
the concept. :-)
--
Frank Peters - UNIX Systems Group Leader - Mississippi State University
Internet: f...@CC.MsState.Edu - Phone: 601-325-7030 - FAX: 601-325-8921
WWW Home Page: http://www.msstate.edu/~fwp/
Frank Peters
>He also says "You're a daisy if you do." to a gunman who tells
>him "I've got you now." or something like that.
As in "pushing up daisies". As in "your decaying corpse will be
the fertilizer from which daisy will grow."
Note that it used to be quite common to use "daisy" in a collective
sense. So one might say "pushing up daisy" or "a field of daisy"
instead of "pushing up daisies" or "a field of daisies".
Andrew McElroy
Someone who likes both the King and I AND Tombstone has my respect... The
movie really has gotten better with time. In fact, I went and bought the vid..
NightMare
>
>-Mammel,L.H. <l...@usgp3.ih.att.com> says:
>>He also says "You're a daisy if you do." to a gunman who tells
>>him "I've got you now." or something like that.
>
>As in "pushing up daisies". As in "your decaying corpse will be
>the fertilizer from which daisy will grow."
I really enjoyed your information on "I'm your huckleberry.", I
believe it to the best explanation, yet. Thanks!
However, on the daisy info above; I BEG TO DIFFER.... ;-)
I can see where it is logical to think along these lines,
but I still think Doc meant when saying "You're a daisy, if
ya do!" that if this Cowboy shot him - he would, indeed, be
excellent. As the term daisy was old slang for excellent.
Just my two cents!
NightMare
NightMare
rpad...@flagstaff.princeton.edu says...
Anthony, madcap! What ever do you mean? Me quote Tombstone?
I beg to differ. That is a hellava thing for you to say to me!
Maybe, you're just drunk; you're probably seeing double.
I know! Let's have a spellin' contest. However, I can't spell,
and that's the damnedable misery of it! ;-) Wretched slug!
Dahlin' looks like we'll have to redefine the nature of our
association. Yes. you are a good poster, or maybe you are the
anti-Christ.
We started a game we never got to finish. For posts, remember?
Now, you're saying you don't have anymore. You're no daisy.
You're no daisy at all! :^)
I was just foolin' about!
NightMare
:^)
NightMare
Thanks! I just recently received The King and I as a gift
from my girlfriend. Is't it great!
NightMare
Frank Peters
>In article <3gv1bo$j...@Jester.CC.MsState.Edu>, f...@CC.MsState.Edu says...
>>the fertilizer from which daisy will grow."
>
To each his own pet theory I guess. :-)
>I can see where it is logical to think along these lines,
>but I still think Doc meant when saying "You're a daisy, if
>ya do!" that if this Cowboy shot him - he would, indeed, be
>excellent. As the term daisy was old slang for excellent.
>Just my two cents!
Both explanations work so I don't see any harm in our each interpreting
it as we like.
Ted Thompson
> Thomas A. Hereford <ther...@ingr.com> says:
> >Watching Tombstone I was confused over what Doc Holiday meant at the end
> >just before his gun fight when said, "I'll be your huckleberry..."
> >
> >What did he mean?
>
> The expression became popular in the 19th century after the publication
> of Mark Twain's stories about Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. In
> those stories the boys got involved in various adventures...often
> started by ideas that were probably not the wisest to begin with.
>
> When someone suggests a course of action, to respond "I'm your
> Huckleberry" is to say, in essence, "that's probably a bad/silly/crazy
> idea but I'll go along with it." As in "that's the sort of silly and
> dangerous idea Tom Saywer would come up with...but I'll accept the part
> of Huckleberry and go along with it anyway."
The Random House dictionary of historical slang lists "daisy" as "prime or
superior example of its kind", the first mention coming in 1836.
I like the "Huckleberry Finn" connection. Huckleberry Finn was published
in 1885 which was after the "Tombstone" period, but "Tom Sawyer" was
published in 1876 which would be right around the "Tombstone" period.
Ted
Frank Peters
>In article <3gv1bo$j...@Jester.CC.MsState.Edu>, f...@CC.MsState.Edu says...
>>the fertilizer from which daisy will grow."
>
I was driven to rent the movie last night (I had only seen it once
in the theater).
I concede. While my explanation does make sense in the pure context of
the shootout scene the final scene between Doc and Ringo definitely
supports your explanation over mine.
NightMare
>
>NightMare <mi...@sugar-land.anadrill.slb.com> says:
>>In article <3gv1bo$j...@Jester.CC.MsState.Edu>, f...@CC.MsState.Edu
says...
>>>As in "pushing up daisies". As in "your decaying corpse will be
>>>the fertilizer from which daisy will grow."
>>
>>However, on the daisy info above; I BEG TO DIFFER.... ;-)
>
>I was driven to rent the movie last night (I had only seen it once
>in the theater).
>
>I concede. While my explanation does make sense in the pure context of
>the shootout scene the final scene between Doc and Ringo definitely
>supports your explanation over mine.
Frank,
You're a daisy! ;-)
NightMare
NightMare
>
>
>I tell you, a person can learn more about history on
>this thread than in a classroom!!
>
>Mary
>
>
Hey, Mary!
Isn't it great? Our own little Tombstone classroom. ;^)
NightMare
P.S. Great to see you posting, kiddo!
Mary
>From: mi...@aslvx1.sugar-land.anadrill.slb.com (MI...@SUGAR-LAND.ANADRILL.SLB.COM)
>Subject: Re: TOMBSTONE - Crazy line?
>Date: 31 Jan 1995 04:11:55 GMT
>My dear sweet, Anthony!
>NightMare
ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!!! I have seen this movie so many times, it's not funny.
Mare knows what of she speaks!!
Ted Thompson
"huckleberry" is defined as "a man; specifically, the exact kind of man
needed for a particular purpose."
This definition certainly fits Doc's use of the term.
Ted
Ann Gosnell
recently, and so heard all of the song "Moon River". The song has a line
"my huckleberry friend", which, coupled with my also recent viewing of
"Tombstone", really made me wonder about the term....so thanks to all for
shedding some light on this.
--ABG--
NightMare
Dear ABG!
As someone posted about a week ago!
Does this help?
NightMare
Slider_ on IRC
read several books on the subject) quotes Doc Holliday as saying "I'm
your boy," not "I'm your Huckleberry." Obviously, Kevin Jarre who wrote
the screenplay must have read the same book. Another book titled simply
"Johnny Ringo" tells readers that Johnny Ringo was in fact found dead
lying down near an oak tree, but nobody knows who murdered him. It sure
couldn't have been Holliday, he was dying in Colorado by that time.
The movie is not 100% factual, but its a hell of a great movie. So who
cares about the "actual factual bullshit"?
Javier Garcia