Wow, that's some analysis there, GAC and Steel.
I knew something was up in that last scene when Wade was going on and on about the "best onion rings in Yuma".
Wow, that's some analysis there, GAC and Steel.
I knew something was up in that last scene when Wade was going on and on about the "best onion rings in Yuma".
We'll go down in history as the first society that wouldn't save itself because it wasn't cost effective ~ Kurt Vonnegut
I found this......
http://home.earthlink.net/~knuthco1/...errysource.htm
I'M YOUR HUCKLEBERRY
On and off I hear discussions in which people speculate on the exact origin and meaning is of the quaint idiom used by Doc Holliday in the movie "Tombstone." I've heard some wild suggestions, including "huckleberry" meaning "pall-bearer" suggesting "I'll bury you."
Still others think it has something to do with Mark Twain's character, Huckleberry Finn, and means "steadfast friend, pard." This is unlikely, since the book of that title was not written until 1883. Tom Sawyer was written in 1876, but nowhere there is the term "huckleberry" used to mean "steadfast friend" or the like. Still others claim that a victor's crown or wreath of huckleberry is involved, making the statement "I'm your huckleberry" something like "I'll beat you!" But no such reference can be found in the historical materials supporting the use of this term in 19th century America. Additionally, "huckleberry" was native to North America so it's unlikely it was used in ancient Britain as a prize!
Solutions to such questions are actually very easy to find, since there are numerous dictionaries of the English language in its various periods, and there are dictionaries of English slang. These works simply cull from books, magazines, and newspapers of the period representative usages of the words to illustrate their meaning. I consulted several of these and found the expression to have a very interesting origin.
"Huckleberry" was commonly used in the 1800's in conjunction with "persimmon" as a small unit of measure. "I'm a huckleberry over your persimmon" meant "I'm just a bit better than you." As a result, "huckleberry" came to denote idiomatically two things. First, it denoted a small unit of measure, a "tad," as it were, and a person who was a huckleberry could be a small, unimportant person--usually expressed ironically in mock self-depreciation. The second and more common usage came to mean, in the words of the "Dictionary of American Slang: Second Supplemented Edition" (Crowell, 1975):
"A man; specif., the exact kind of man needed for a particular purpose. 1936: "Well, I'm your huckleberry, Mr. Haney." Tully, "Bruiser," 37. Since 1880, archaic.
The "Historical Dictionary of American Slang" which is a multivolume work, has about a third of a column of citations documenting this meaning all through the latter 19th century.
So "I'm your huckleberry" means "I'm just the man you're looking for!"
Last edited by GAC; 01-13-2008 at 09:27 AM.
"In my day you had musicians who experimented with drugs. Now it's druggies experimenting with music" - Alfred G Clark (circa 1972)
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
--Woody Hayes
Very deep analysis, Steel and GAC...interesting! I'll have to watch again.
You may be right about the Wade's motivation for getting on the train.
However, William Evans had already told his father that he'd completed his mission by getting Wade on the train the first time. At that point, I'm not sure that anything Wade would have done would have changed Will's opinion of his father. IMHO, Evans was already a "hero" in his son's eyes. I'd suggest that wouldn't have changed had Wade not boarded the train. William's inability to kill Wade had nothing to do with his father. William didn't kill Wade because he knew that he wasn't anything like Wade (even though Wade previously suggested otherwise). And Wade was waiting for it. He gave himself up to William (no gun, no defense). Wade basically said, "Kill me. Be my successor. Be my son." But William wouldn't do it because he finally knew who his father really was.
IMHO, Wade boarded the train the second time in search of absolution for his past deeds after killing his gang (the epitome of what he had created). And I think that, by walking through the threshold of the cell on the train, he was able to (in his eyes) find it.
To me, the interesting thing is that I don't think Wade's character changed at all during the film. I don't think he suddenly found compassion or humanity. He was, after all, completely selfish the entire time. In the end, I think Wade only finaly found the purpose hidden in his true nature.
BTW, for everyone who's contributed to this topic, I'd like to congratulate you on what has been, to me, one of the better non-baseball threads ever on Redszone. Really fantastic stuff.
Last edited by SteelSD; 01-14-2008 at 12:14 AM.
"The problem with strikeouts isn't that they hurt your team, it's that they hurt your feelings..." --Rob Neyer
"The single most important thing for a hitter is to get a good pitch to hit. A good hitter can hit a pitch that’s over the plate three times better than a great hitter with a ball in a tough spot.”
--Ted Williams
Maybe Evan's perception (or misconception) of what a hero is, was quite different from his son's?
Evan saw his life as a failure in many ways. Yet from the eye's of an "outsider", his son, he saw his Dad struggle with hardship and trials yet held to his character while providing for his family.
"You can't see the trees for the forest."
Evan was George Bailey!
"In my day you had musicians who experimented with drugs. Now it's druggies experimenting with music" - Alfred G Clark (circa 1972)
GAC, from what I gathered, the term "I'm your huckleberry" came from funeral services of the era. Pallbearers were known to have worn huckleberry leaves on their lapels to indicate their duty. The term orginally was coined hucklebearers, but as time went on it mophed into huckleberry because of the leaf. So when Doc would say "I'm your huckleberry:, he was essentially saying "I'll be the one to carry you in your own casket.
Okay, I've now seen Yuma and read through the Dunn-Like analysis.: Very good film, however not enough to surpass Unforgiven in my eyes.
I really liked 'Wyatt Earp' with Costner; more than most here apparently.
I would rank them:
Unforgiven
Tombstone
3:10 to Yuma
0 Value Over Replacement Poster
"Sit over here next to Johnathan (Bench)...sit right here, he's smart."--Sparky Anderson
My top 10 is: (Put in order of what I would watch 1st if they were all on at the same time)
Lonesome Dove
Tombstone
Return to Lonesome Dove
Young Guns
The Sons of Katie Elder
Dances with Wolves (I count it)
Unforgiven
3:10 to Yuma
The Magnificent Seven
Wyatt Earp
The Quick and the Dead *Edit* (#10 is changed to Open Range)
My only obvious thumbs down is:
The Wild Bunch - Had to turn it off about 1/4 of the way through!
Special Mention to:
Anything w/ Eastwood, Wayne, Duvall, Costner & Sam Elliott in it.
Last edited by Mario-Rijo; 01-15-2008 at 09:33 PM.
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
--Woody Hayes
From what I've read, either "I'm just the man for the job." or "I'll take you to your grave." would be reasonable interpretations. But considering that Holliday's next words were "That's just my game.", I'd suggest that "I'm just the man for the job, that's just my game." would likely be the best interpretation as "I'll take you to your grave." probably wouldn't have needed a follow-up after Holliday's prior Latin phrase that can be translated as "Rest in Peace".
Holliday repeats "I'm your huckleberry." prior to the final standoff with Ringo and then said, "Why, Johnny Ringo, you look like somebody just walked over your grave." At this point, I have to go with "I'm just the man for the job." or "I'm just the man you're looking for." as being the most likely meaning, considering that an announcement of "I'll take you to your grave." likely wouldn't be followed up with a declaration that someone just walked over it.
"The problem with strikeouts isn't that they hurt your team, it's that they hurt your feelings..." --Rob Neyer
"The single most important thing for a hitter is to get a good pitch to hit. A good hitter can hit a pitch that’s over the plate three times better than a great hitter with a ball in a tough spot.”
--Ted Williams
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