Arguably the best character in 1993’s hit WesternTombstone, Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) has some of the greatest lines in the film.Kilmer’s iconic portrayalof the real-life gunslinger inspired many quotable lines, from comedic quips to dialogue heavy with depth and nuance. While Doc Holliday tries to maintain a brave face during his stint in Tombstone alongside bestie, lawman Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell),he is slowly succumbing to Tuberculosis.
While Kurt Russell’s badass Wyatt Earp has some iconic lines (“Are you gonna do something, or just stand there and bleed?"),Doc proves to be the most adept at turning a phrase. Since we can’t list all of his dialogue here, we’ve done our best to narrow it down to ten iconic quotes from the snarky gunslinger.
10"Maybe poker’s just not your game Ike. I know! Let’s have a spelling contest.”
One night, Doc stays up late playing poker with Wyatt, Kate (Joanna Pacula), and some of the Cowboys, including Ike Clanton (Stephen Lang). Despite being falling-over drunk, Doc wins yet another hand of the card game, infuriating Ike, who calls out Doc for being a cheat and aLunger. Ever the jokester, Holliday adds insult to Ike’s monetary injury with this line, offering to compete in a spelling contest instead.
Knowing that Ike is nowhere near as intelligent as Doc,this spelling contest line only stokes the animosity between the Cowboys and Earp clan. Ike tries to retaliate with violence as Doc literally laughs in his face. Only a coughing fit stops Doc in his tracks, but Ike isn’t about to let it go, promising to come back for revenge.
9"Evidently Mr. Ringo’s an educated man. Now I really hate him."
The similarities between Doc Holliday and foeJohnny Ringo (Michael Biehn)are highlighted in this tense interaction. During a Faro game Wyatt is running, Curly Bill Brocious (Powers Boothe) and Ringo take the opportunity to size up the lawman and his crew. While Curly Bill and Wyatt have a somewhat civil tête-à-tête, the tension between Ringo and Doc is thick.
Ringo questions Doc’s abilities as a gunslinger, and Doc drunkenly retaliates with his intellect and not-so-thinly-veiled sarcasm. After noting his displeasure at Ringo’s posturing, Doc mutters Latin under his breath. Surprisingly, Ringo responds, also in Latin, provoking Doc’s “Now I really hate him.” The two men stare each other down before Ringo shows off his gun tricks. The tension only eases when Doc imitates Ringo’s tricks to a T – but with his empty cup – much to the amusement of the crowded saloon.This is just the beginning of the volatility between these two lethal pistoleers.
8"I’ve got two guns, one for each of ya."
Another night at the saloon means another quotable comeback from Doc Holliday. Billy Clanton (Sandman himself,Thomas Haden Church) taunts Doc while he plays the piano, prompting the pianist to correct Billy about the composer of the piece. Later that night, Wyatt arrests Curly Bill for murder, causing the Cowboys to rally around Earp demanding he let Curly Bill go free – Ike and his brother Billy being the most vocal.
When Doc stumbles onto the street where the ruckus is, he aims his gun at Billy to stand down, singling him out due to their previous interaction. Billy shrugs off Holliday for his drunkenness, saying he’s likely seeing double. That’s when Doc pulls out his second gun and delivers this doozy of a line, provinghe’s not to be trifled with, even when impaired.
7"Why Johnny Ringo, you look like somebody just walked over your grave."
The culmination of several close calls with Johnny Ringo, Doc takes Wyatt’s place for a winner-take-all gunfight. To end the killing between the Cowboys and Earps, Wyatt agrees to a stand-off with Ringo, a man Wyatt and Doc know Wyatt can’t beat. Doc, while sick in bed, understands thathis best friend is heading to die, but he can’t stand by and let it happen.
Despite being severely ill, Doc steps in for Wyatt, and when he steps out from behind a tree, smoke from his cigarette trailing behind him,Johnny Ringo’s look of shock is as powerful as ours.His eyes widen, knowing that Doc is the one man he isn’t guaranteed to beat. Kilmer’s sly drawl lingers on “Why, Johnny Ringo…”, taunting his enemy in a most devilishly delicious way.
6"Not me. I’m in my prime."
Part of Doc Holliday andTombstone’s legacy lies in thecapable hands of Val Kilmer. His charm makes Doc instantly likable, even when he’s delivering not-so-subtle digs at his enemies. And Doc’s smiling and joking facade hides the illness that is draining him of life.
When confronted by Curly Bill and Ringo at the Faro game, Wyatt confirms that he is retired from the law and doesn’t want trouble. Ringo, jabbing at Doc, asks if he’s retired too, to which Doc responds that he’s in his prime. He says this with a wry smile, as he’s coughing and sweating furiously. Perhaps Doc knows it’s only downhill (in terms of health) from here. Maybe he knows he doesn’t have much time left, so he’s living it up. Or maybethis line just reiterates the fact that Val Kilmer was also in his prime duringTombstone, making him and this role legendary.
5"You know Ed, if I thought you weren’t my friend, I just don’t think I could bear it."
This quote, while initially seeming to be off-the-cuff, actually holds a deeper intention for Doc Holliday. All throughoutTombstone, Doc makes a point to say that Wyatt Earp is his friend, and that he doesn’t have many (if any) others.Doc’s introduction scene with a seemingly innocuous character shows how deep his need for friendship runs.
During a poker game, Doc is on yet another winning streak. When he’s called out and threatened by a player named Ed (Frank Stallone), Doc first aims his guns at Ed before putting them down on the table. Holliday really doesn’t try to get into trouble, but his prowess often makes him a target. By putting his guns down, Doc attempts to defuse the angry Ed – albeit to no avail. This line to Ed may sound silly, butthe intention behind it permeates all of Doc’s motives.
4"A man like Ringo has got a great big hole right in the middle of him. He can never kill enough, or steal enough, or inflict enough pain to ever fill it."
The comparison between Doc Holliday and Johnny Ringo continues in the third act, when Doc is laid up sick in bed. Ringo offers Wyatt the chance to end the killing in a one-on-one gunfight, butWyatt knows he’s out of his depth with Ringo. As he discusses the upcoming shootout with Doc, Wyatt asks what makes a man like Ringo tick.
Although not a subtle comparison,Doc delivers this description of Johnny Ringo by speaking about his own inner turmoil.He may be talking about Ringo to Wyatt, but he is really opening up about how he feels. Ringo is Doc’s mirror self, the gunslinger tough guy he has to overcome to find peace and friendship.
3"Live, Wyatt. Live for me."
Acting as Wyatt’s sounding board throughoutTombstone,Doc continually encourages Wyatt to take life by the reigns,knowing that he doesn’t have much life left himself. Doc urges Wyatt to go after his affection, Josephine Marcus (Dana Delany), and knows that his friend deserves a life of happiness. One that Doc couldn’t have.
On his deathbed, Doc entertains Wyatt for one last visit. Wyatt ribs him and helps Doc play poker, ignoring the fact that Holliday is dying. But Doc’s walls finally come down fully, and he reveals some of his trauma and abandonment issues to Wyatt. This is whyWyatt’s gift to Doc– a card with the text “To my friend” – is so meaningful, and essentially everything Doc has ever wanted. A friend to stand by him until the end.
2"You’re a daisy if you do!"
Althoughslightly changed for the film, this line comes straight out of history! During the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Frank McLaury (Robert John Burke) gets the upper hand when one of Doc’s guns runs out of bullets. Throwing caution (and good sense) to the wind, Doc walks up to the Cowboy and delivers this challenge with arms wide. Seconds later, Doc shoots McLaury with his other (loaded) gun – along with an assist from Morgan Earp (Bill Paxton).
Doc’s fearlessness is showcased here, with his devil-may-care attitude in the middle of a gunfight. He exudes confidence and capability, even in the face of almost sure death. Doc brings up the term “daisy” again several times throughoutTombstone,but this classy turn of phrase during the infamous shootout is peak Holliday.
1"I’m your huckleberry."
Fans love to quote this line, butdo they know what it means? This quote is used by Doc twice in the film, both times when accepting a one-on-one against Johnny Ringo. After the shootout at the O.K. Corral, Ringo gets drunk and challenges the Earps to a duel in the middle of a sunlit street. Although Wyatt and Virgil Earp (Sam Elliott) decline the invitation to violence, Doc Holliday overhears and steps away from getting a shave to step up to the plate. “I’m your huckleberry,” he says to Ringo before the fight is called off by Ringo’s fellow Cowboys.
Later, during Ringo and Doc’s final shootout, Doc repeats the phrase and cements it in movie quote history. Leave it to Doc Holliday to provide such a flowery and lighthearted response to a challenge-to-the-death. While this isn’t the most meaningful quote or most vulnerable Doc gets inTombstone,this quote sums up Val Kilmer’s Doc in a single phrase. He’s the one we want.Val Kilmer, you’ll always be our huckleberry.
