Gunfight CJ N

While the traditional Western makes no attempt to hide its alpha male cowboy, Gunfight at the OK Corral pulls the viewer towards two powerful male characters begging the question, who is the alpha male and who is the sidekick? The answer is that there is not a sidekick or alpha male. By 1957, the template for the Western film had started to stray away from the traditional ingredients. No longer was a clear alpha male or sidekick necessary, and so Earp and Holiday have conflicting traits. They both are led by a clear moral compass which results in them staying together for the length of the film. Likewise, each character has a "loner" sense about them, such as Doc's history as a gambling killer. Both of these traits are agreeable with the alpha male archetype, but neither of them are able to take definitive charge and ultimately lead the other, forming a clear hierarchy and establishment of the alpha male. While it may seem in the beginning that Earp is the alpha male when he saves Holiday, Holiday reciprocates twice before the movie ends. In fact, Holiday is able to balance his position as Earp's deputy, a seemingly secondary position, with being a confident and self sustained individual. Earp and Holiday do not fit into any traditional mold of the alpha male or sidekick, and instead share qualities of both which ultimately results in a more questioning but enthralling relationship between the two.