Josie Remembers
The scene opens with townspeople dressed in 1930's western attire. It, is
Helldorado 1931 in Tombstone. There will be a banner "Welcome to Helldorado 1931" stretched across the back of the 'set.'
People needed: several women strolling along the boardwalk. If we have any
children, they can be seen playing "Cowboys and Indians". Ladies will need to be
dressed in 1930's dresses and the men should be in long pants and boaters. We will
need two "good guys" and two or three "cowboys" dressed in that era. The "Good
guys" will be wearing white hats. The "bad guys" will be in black. The men need to
learn how to twirl their guns. Tom Mix hats and loud scarves. Shiny guns and lowslung holsters. Think about how the old, old westerns looked like.
One or two men will be "newsmen", complete with camera and boater hats. They
will be trying to take pictures of the "cowboys". Enter from stage right will be an
older but striking woman, Josie Earp. She will be walking with her niece, watching
with distain at the "acting" taking place on the street.
The cameraman catches sight of her.
Cameraman: "Hey Joe, isn't that Josephine Earp over there?"
Newsman: "Yeah sure looks like her. I've seen pictures of her from the Los Angeles
Times when her old man Wyatt died in '29".
Cameraman: "Let's go see if we can get a close up."
Newsman: "Yeah, maybe she'll give us a scoop... (sneering voice) .." Tell us if this
is really the way the west was really won."
The two men approach Josie.
Newsman: "Mrs. Earp? Josephine Earp?"
Josie turns to the sound of her name. "Yes?"
Newsman: "Mrs. Earp. (extends his hand in greeting), "Joe Cooper, Tucson Tribune.
So very glad to meet you. (touches fingers to his hat to acknowledge her niece).
Josie: "Yes, well. What do you want Mr. Cooper?"
Newsman: "Well, ma'am. I was hoping to get your opinion of this celebration here
in Tombstone. I mean, was it really like this in 1881? You know, all the gun fighting
and hooting and hollering. You were there."
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Josie: "Yes, Mr. Cooper, I was there. And no, it wasn't like this dime store charade
you see here today." She looks around and adds, "No, it wasn't like this at all."
Newsman: "Can you tell me what it really was like? Who were the real heroes and
villains?"
Josie: "Well, young man, first of all, your 'heroes and villains' didn't dress fancy like
that" (uses her hand to sweep over the well-dressed cowboys) "these boys look like
they stepped out of a dime-store."
Josie begins to walk out between the cowboys and the "good guys". At this time the
fog machines will kick in and the 1931 cowboys and good guys will be replaced by
the 1881 cowboys and the "lawmen". They will step through the fog and face off.
[NOTE: During the following "introduction" by Josie, the part of the Fremont Street
Fight where Behan approaches the Earps, then goes down to the Clantons, then
back up to the Earps will take place. Behan will remain in the background near the
bar. Doc will already be with the Earps. Virgil will begin talking as soon as Josie
finishes the following action Josie walks back towards the "bar". As she nears it, she
will turn to the newsmen and say,]
Josie: "It was a cold and wintry day in October. Ike Clanton and his bunch of
cowboys had been threatening Town Marshal Virgil Earp and Wyatt. There had been
bad blood between both parties ever since the Benson stage robbery. It seemed to
have come to a boiling point that Wednesday. Mighty Sheriff Behan told Virgil that
he had disarmed the cowboys, but Virgil and Wyatt didn't believe him and
proceeded down Fremont Street to take matters into their own hands".
Virgil (using cane at cowboys): "Boys, throw up your hands. I want your guns!"
Wyatt: "You sons-a-bitches have been looking for a fight for a long time. Well, now
by God, youcan have it."
Billy Clanton (throws up hands): "Don't shoot. I don't want to fight!"
Virgil: "Hold! I don't want that!"
Usual gunfight
Allie (rushes in from the side) Screams and runs towards Virgil: [Ad lib.]
Behan (Comes from the saloon. Looks at the carnage.) "You are all under arrest":,
(pause) "for murder!"
Wyatt: "You lied to us, Behan. You said you disarmed them.. That they were
leaving town. I will not let you arrest us today or any other day."
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Behan: "I'll see you in court."
Wyatt: "And I'll see you in Hell."
(When it is over, everyone in the gunfight will freeze. Josie will walk among the
dead and dying. As she gets to Billy Clanton she says,) "Young Billy Clanton. He
was barely 18 years old." As she gets to Tom McClaury, "Torn McClaury, the hot
tempered cowboy who never backed down from a fight, dead." (She looks over to
Frank McClaury, but does not walk over to him) "Frank McClaury, the peacekeeper
of the bunch, dead."
She walks over to where Wyatt, Behan, Virgil, and Allie are standing. She looks at
Behan with disdain, "Cochise County Sheriff Johnny Behan. He thought he was so
tough...ha. I've never met a weaker man."
She walks over to Wyatt, "Wyatt Earp, not the man the world knows today, but the
man I loved for so many, many years. He was the only man to walk away without a
scratch."
She returns to the newsmen. "Now, Mr. Cooper, you know what it was really like.
No flash, no fancy clothes, no daring gun tricks. Just men from both sides of the
law. There were no heroes that day."
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Tombstone Vigilantes"
Vigilante theme.
Published – February 20th, 2014
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