It’s the Wild West, and – hooray! – Steven always wanted to be a cowboy. A quick costume change and Dead Eye Steve and Dizzy Dodo get to "dress up like Tom Mix."
Harry -
Oh dear, that shirt... What was Steven thinking? He looks like a fugitive from a Wild West Revue. He and Dodo are ready for a real Western romp, I guess.
Sarah -
It would be a Western romp … if only the Doctor didn’t have a toothache, and Doc Holliday weren’t coming to town – and if that bloody woman would just stop singing!
But wait, Doc Holliday is coming to town to set up a dentist shop. What luck for the Doctor! But wait, four blokes are lying in wait for Holliday at the Last Chance Saloon. Bad luck for Holliday!
The plot of this romp is thickening – and still that woman sings.
Harry -
Ah, the never-ending "Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon". I have read many fan criticisms ripping on the singing in this story and was expecting the worst. Actually, I didn't mind it. Mercifully, they made a kind of Greek Chorus of the singer. A blindingly obvious Greek Chorus, mind, but in a weird way it worked. And it only could have worked in a comedy story like this.
Sarah -
I imagine they were trying to go for the “High Noon” effect, but it ended up feeling a little more “Cat Ballou” to me. Honestly, I didn’t mind it all that much. Plus, she filled in all the plot details in case the viewer happened to be a complete blooming idiot.
I'm going to dash ahead to discuss my favorite part of the entire story. Just before departing, Dodo stops everyone to ask if they can hear the singing. The Doctor admonishes her for falling for every Western cliche and they head back to the TARDIS. I nearly fell off my sofa laughing -- THE SINGING WAS ALL IN DODO'S HEAD AFTER ALL! SHE REALLY IS INSANE!
Harry -
Mad as a bag of frogs. La la la, can you hear the voices??
Sarah -
Meanwhile, things get even thicker, as they are want to do when a character named Doc and a character named Doctor find themselves in the same town.
Harry -
Didn't we just have a mistaken identity caper the last time the TARDIS landed on Earth? Here we go again.
Sarah -
Who doesn’t love a good mistaken identity caper? What a mess the TARDIS crew has gotten themselves into!
Harry -
You gawt that right, pardner. The Clanton Gang present a very real danger to Steven and Dodo while they lie in wait for the Doctor at the saloon. It made for a good first cliffhanger. However Wyatt Earp is soon on the scene to rescue the Doctor by arresting him and hauling him off. Tell me that didn't have "Hartnell Holiday" all over it!
The vacation plans must have fallen through, because the Doctor and friends are present throughout the story. I say "present" because Steven and Dodo seem to be complete bystanders for much of the story. The real drama is played out by all of the historical characters, as these four episodes slowly build up to the big finish at the O.K. Corral.
Sarah -
Poor Steven and Dodo just got shifted around from scene to scene, didn’t they? I had high hopes for them in the beginning. It even looked like Steven was going to get to do something heroic. You know, something Ian might do. Instead, he nearly gets himself lynched.
Harry -
Yes, the groundwork was set for Steven and Dodo to really get involved here, they donned their period dress with great enthusiasm. Maybe they were too naive? You could look at their subsequent rough ride as evidence that travelling with the Doctor and his magical box will always be harsher than what you fancy it might be like.
Sarah -
I do want to put in a kind word for Peter Purves. Whatever you may say about the inconsistencies in the writing of Steven’s character, Purves is always game. Need him to be angry? He’s on it. Some broad comedy? He’s your man!
Harry -
He can even carry a tune!
Sarah -
Also, he’s kind of cute in this story. If only the writers had given him more.
I’ll even admit that Jackie Lane gets off one good scene when she turns the gun on Doc Holliday, demanding he take her back to the Doctor. The moment when she hands him the gun and asks for a glass of water is brilliant – and clearly the actions of a mad woman!
Harry -
Yes, that was a bit of fun.
But the historicals used to not be this way, all lurching along in the other characters' wake. Think back to "Marco Polo" or "The Aztecs." Barbara, Ian and Susan were so much more involved in the plot, sometimes even driving it. And the historical characters were much more than just "characters" as they are here. I'm thinking of Marco Polo's journal entries, or Tlotoxl's into-the-camera asides -- moments that gave us entry into their personal thoughts. Here, unfortunately, we just have a bunch of Wild West figures playing out Wild West stereotypes, dragging our time travellers along with them. Alas.
Sarah -
Still, there is a sense of fun, at least at the beginning, which has been missing for a while. Hartnell gets to show his comedic chops and his timing is perfect. Actually, the more I think about Hartnell’s performance, the more I like this story. It’s refreshing to see him being the Doctor we love, after being sidelined in so many stories. We get to see what he can do when he’s actually given something to DO. His complaint about people giving him guns is priceless!
Harry -
Hartnell did shine when the story drifted into high comedy.
Sarah -
I also really enjoyed the supporting characters, even if most of the accents were more than a little inconsistent. It’s a short hop from the Arizona Territory to the Perpugilliam Brown School of American Accents, it seems. Still, it’s easy to pick on accents, so I’ll move along and focus on what did work.
John Alderson and Anthony Jacobs were perfect as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Sheena Marshe does a good turn on the saloon-girl-with-a-heart-of gold trope. Laurence Payne was wonderfully menacing as Johnny Ringo – his appearance changed the tone of the entire story. They all carry the roles off so well; it’s been a while since we’ve seen such strong character performances. The Clantons…well, they’re just hideous – but let us move along from them.
Harry -
If only they had done some more with these characters, rather than just have them go through the motions of history, if that makes any sense. What with all that singing, I guess there wasn't much time for character development.
Felt bad for Charlie the bartender, though.
Sarah -
Poor Charlie. That scene was harsh.
After the relative romp of the beginning of the story, things turn dark when the infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral finally takes place. It’s all rather gruesome, and our heroes don’t really have much to do – other than batty Dodo running into the middle of things.
Harry -
Longest gunfight ever? I'm tempted to go back and count how many rounds were fired; it sounded like there were a couple dozen extra shooters blasting away during the whole thing. Well, we did get a big shoot-em-up at the end, can't complain about that. I'm not a big fan of Westerns, so for me that's usually the big attraction.
Sarah -
I enjoyed this story much more than I expected. I don’t share your Western aversion, but The Gunfighters had never had the best reputation in fandom, so my expectations were low. It’s a solid story, with strong performances all around.
Harry -
I too kept expectations low, was expecting the worst, and was pleasantly surprised. The story never seemed to drag, had plenty of colourful moments, and finished with a bang.
Sarah -
Stories like this are what make me appreciate this little project of ours. Having seen so few of the first two Doctors’ stories, it’s wonderful to have the opportunity to watch them for the first time.
Harry -
Same here! The fact that we can now compare different eras within the First Doctor's era is wonderful. Let's wrap this one up and head to the next story!
Lasting image: Steven in his "buckaroo" costume.
Favourite moment: the scene in the saloon where the various members of the Clanton family are plotting to hire Johnny Ringo, while belting down shots of whiskey as fast as the frantic barkeep can pour them.
Best line: "And lastly, sir, your humble servant, Doctor, er, Caligari."
"Doctor who?"
"Yes, quite right."
It never gets old!
6/10
Sarah -
You're right -- it never gets old!
Lasting image: The Doctor entering the saloon in his cowboy hat. (Not the last time he’ll sport that look!)
Favorite moment: Dodo hearing voices.
Best line: “All these people are giving me guns, I do wish they wouldn’t”
With an honorable mention for: “Well I had to find some sort of suitable cover. After all, you can’t walk into the middle of a Western town and say you come from outer space. Gracious me, you’ll be arrested on a vagrancy charge.”
7/10
I imagine our epic re-watch will be a very different experience from the Third Doctor on, where I’ve seen every story multiple times. For now, I’m really enjoying the feeling of discovery.
Harry -
It's definitely been worth watching each episode in order. That's the perfect note to end on here, as today we celebrate our first anniversary on the sofa.
Happy Anniversary Deerie! I hope we have many more (at the pace we are moving, there promises to be many more!).
Sarah -
Happy Anniversary, Old Chum! I recently found myself calculating how long it would take us to get through the Tom Baker years and decided I'd better not plan that many years ahead!
Let's sign off with a hearty Happy New Year to our readers. We'll see you on the Sofa in 2012!
Harry -
Happy New Year!
It might be too ambitious to promise that we'll get through the Troughton era by the end of next year, so let's promise to get through the Hartnell era by the end of next year. I think that's doable!
Sarah -
I think we can manage that.
Our marathon continues with Story #26 - The Savages...
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