Tombstone is in a class by itself.
Am I referring to the movie or the place? The fact is, it applies to both.
Many times in life, quoting the movie “Tombstone” seems natural and right.
Lines like “I’m your Huckleberry” or “You’re a daisy if you do” perfectly encapsulate so many of life’s moments. Interestingly, so many of the memorable lines in that 1993 classic were uttered by Val Kilmer, who portrayed the legendary gambler and gunslinger Doc Holliday.
It’s one of the true Hollywood classics, and some would even say the greatest Western of all time.
The world lost an icon with the passing of Val Kilmer. The famed Hollywood actor died at the age of 65.
“I don’t know if that film is a classic, but it has some elements of a classic, like that cast and screenplay,” Kilmer told Deadline in 2017. “I still can’t go through an airport without hearing, ‘I’m your Huckleberry.’”
There are a few places that are so closely aligned with a character. I would say Tombstone, Arizona, is one of those places.
In the case of Holliday, it’s equal parts historical figure and Hollywood creation.
I don’t know what it is about Tombstone. On paper, it doesn’t seem like the kind of place that many people would want to visit: It seems cartoonish; it doesn’t even seem real.
Yet, it is such a compelling destination. I never have enough of the movie or the place.
Of course, the story of Tombstone, the city, and the “Shootout at the OK Corral” is a larger-than-life story.
In some ways, it’s almost hard to separate Kilmer, the person, from Tombstone, the legendary place.
It’s not just me. Val Kilmer once gave an interview about Bob Dylan and revealed that even the Poet Laureate of Rock and Roll wanted Kilmer to recite lines from “Tombstone.”
Once Bob Dylan came over to hang. So flattered. He kept askin for Doc Holiday quotes. I said “Ok sing some #Blowininthewind 1st”. Wrong ans!
— Val Kilmer (@valkilmer) February 3, 2017
Bob Dylan on Val Kilmer pic.twitter.com/hQvxTwrj54
— HarryHew (@harryhew) April 2, 2025
According to The New York Post, co-star Kurt Russell gave Kilmer a burial plot in Tombstone’s historic Boot Hill Graveyard. Kilmer gave Russell an acre of land overlooking the cemetery.
Whether the real Doc Holliday ever recited the lines or whether they were even written in the script is irrelevant. Only Kilmer could have brought a real-life character like Holliday to life in the memorable way he did.
Sometimes, pop culture and travel seem unrelated. In the instance of Tombstone, the movie and the place, it’s quickly apparent they go hand in hand.
Of course, Kilmer will be remembered for his many legendary roles, including Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in “Top Gun,” Jim Morrison in “The Doors,” and Detective Dobson in “Psych.”
So, let’s all recite a few lines from “Tombstone.” Let’s watch the movie again, and when we can, let’s visit “The Town Too Tough to Die.”
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