What Links 'Star Trek' with 'Gunfight at the OK Corral'?

[mosaix]

I watched the film Gunfight at the OK Corral, starring Burt Lancaster, the other evening.

Lancaster plays Wyatt Earp who has the help of his brothers in upholding law and order. Kirk Douglas also stars.

I kept thinking I recognized the actor who plays one of Wyatt's brothers - Morgan - but couldn't put my finger on it. I finally had to look up the cast list - it's DeForrest Kelley!

 

[Droflet]

Yep, he did a lot of westerns in his day.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

A second link is the Star Trek TOS season three episode, Spectre of the Gun. It's described thusly, at IMDB:

As punishment for ignoring their warning and trespassing on their planet, the Melkot condemn Capt. Kirk and his landing party to the losing side of a surreal recreation of the 1881 historic gunfight at the OK Corral.

In this episode, DeForest's Doc McCoy is projected into the role of one of the Clantons.

edit - this isn't in reference to the Gunfight film, so may be irrelevant.

 

[The Judge]

Damn! I thought this was a game and I was going to come in and claim my prize for getting the correct answer!

 

[Dan Jones]

I'm a doctor, Wyatt, not a cowboy!

 

[Toby Frost]

Wasn't Star Trek originally pitched as "Wagon Train in space"?

 

[Vince W]

Indeed it was.

 

[BAYLOR]

Wasn't Star Trek originally pitched as "Wagon Train in space"?

Given that In the 1960's, westerns were popular on tv, it made sense to pitch Star Trek that way.

 

[Harpo]

When Wyatt Earp eventually died in 1929, DeForest Kelly was about to turn 9 years old.