Wyatt Earp Movie

Hugh O'Brian laughs when asked if he was excited about reprising his role as Wyatt Earp. "Listen, at this age, it's good to get excited," he quips. "It was a lot of fun, kind of like finding a nice old shoe that fits," the robust 69-year-old says. "When we did the series, there were an awful lot of people who came on the set who knew Wyatt Earp," recalls O'Brian, who devotes most of his time helping young people with his organization, the Hugh O'Brian Youth Foundation.

One of the most intriguing puzzles of American folklore is why Billy the Kid has inspired so much literature while the other great legends of the Southwest, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, have generated so little. Billy can claim homage from the likes of Gore Vidal, Michael Ondaatje, Larry McMurtry, N. Scott Momaday, Michael McClure and an entire school of poets in the '60s, to say nothing of Aaron Copland, whose ballet "Billy the Kid" is widely performed.

Kevin Costner provided the inspiration for the new movie "Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone," airing Saturday on CBS. Sure, Costner starred in the 1990 Oscar winner "Dances With Wolves," which began a resurgence in Westerns, small and large. And his latest film, "Wyatt Earp," opened in theaters June 24. But, more significant to the creation of the TV "Wyatt" movie, Costner starred in the 1991 box-office hit "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves."

Hollywood writers are paid a lot to relinquish control. But that doesn't eradicate the pain. Even the most thick-skinned watch in frustration as their vision takes unanticipated turns. Such was the case with "Wyatt Earp," according to a letter that writer Dan Gordon dashed off to critics lambasting the screenplay. The three-hour-plus film, rewritten by director Lawrence Kasdan, had opened to downbeat reviews and equally discouraging audience response.

One of the most intriguing puzzles of American folklore is why Billy the Kid has inspired so much literature while the other great legends of the Southwest, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, have generated so little. Billy can claim homage from the likes of Gore Vidal, Michael Ondaatje, Larry McMurtry, N. Scott Momaday, Michael McClure and an entire school of poets in the '60s, to say nothing of Aaron Copland, whose ballet "Billy the Kid" is widely performed.

Hollywood writers are paid a lot to relinquish control. But that doesn't eradicate the pain. Even the most thick-skinned watch in frustration as their vision takes unanticipated turns. Such was the case with "Wyatt Earp," according to a letter that writer Dan Gordon dashed off to critics lambasting the screenplay. The three-hour-plus film, rewritten by director Lawrence Kasdan, had opened to downbeat reviews and equally discouraging audience response.

In the news: There's new evidence that the U.S. may be sucked into a war with Haiti, says comedy writer Bob Mills: "The Haitian military just ordered a case of G.I. Joe dolls and 5,000 stickpins." Numerous U.S. cities commemorated D-day on Monday. "Hundreds of Marines landed on the beach in Southern California," reports comic Argus Hamilton, "only to be driven back to Catalina Island by heavy Crip gunfire."

The article appeared in the Oct. 26, 1992, issue of the New Yorker. Under the heading "Crisis in the Hot Zone," it told the story of a U.S. Army biological strike team's race in 1989 to stop one of the world's deadliest viruses from escaping into an American city. Army volunteers in spacesuits had entered a company in Reston, Va.

Leave it to the Who. During its heyday, the British rock group relished outdoing the competition. With a tape of live performances that came out Tuesday, they do it again--resoundingly. In music-video circles, a 90-minute tape is considered long. But that's short compared to the Who's "30 Years of Maximum R&B Live" (MCA, $20), which is a whopping two hours and 35 minutes. Also, when other artists assemble a collection of live performances, they invariably include nothing but the best.

Hugh O'Brian laughs when asked if he was excited about reprising his role as Wyatt Earp. "Listen, at this age, it's good to get excited," he quips. "It was a lot of fun, kind of like finding a nice old shoe that fits," the robust 69-year-old says. "When we did the series, there were an awful lot of people who came on the set who knew Wyatt Earp," recalls O'Brian, who devotes most of his time helping young people with his organization, the Hugh O'Brian Youth Foundation.

Kevin Costner provided the inspiration for the new movie "Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone," airing Saturday on CBS. Sure, Costner starred in the 1990 Oscar winner "Dances With Wolves," which began a resurgence in Westerns, small and large. And his latest film, "Wyatt Earp," opened in theaters June 24. But, more significant to the creation of the TV "Wyatt" movie, Costner starred in the 1991 box-office hit "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves."