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Doc, the Earps, and the Art of the West: When Legends Come Home to Prescott
The latest Arizona Roundup from the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, Arizona, brings together three of the West's most engaging voices—host Stuart Rosebrook, artist‑historian Bob Boze Bell, and painter‑storyteller Thom Ross—for a rollicking, reflective conversation about their new exhibit, "The Doctor Will See You Now: Bringing Doc and the Earps Home to Prescott." The show celebrates the artistry, imagination, and enduring mythology of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the gunfight that became American legend.
Ross opens the discussion by tracing his fascination with Western heroes back to childhood, inspired by Fess Parker's Davy Crockett and the timeless allure of "the last stand." For him—and for fellow "Western nuts" like historian Paul Hutton—these tales echo through human history, as ancient as Homer and as modern as Hollywood. Bell adds his own discovery story: his grandmother's blunt verdict on a TV Wyatt Earp sparked a lifelong search for the truth behind the legend. Together, Ross and Bell show how the mythic West walks hand in hand with popular culture, from Davy Crockett to Saving Private Ryan, from King Arthur to Tombstone.
Much of the program's charm lies in its storytelling. Ross recalls a family road trip that detoured to Little Bighorn, the Alamo, and the O.K. Corral; Bell counters with memories of a father who never stopped for roadside history—fuel for a lifelong obsession. As Rosebrook observes, the heart of this story is a road trip, just like the real trek that brought the Earps and Doc Holliday from Las Vegas, New Mexico, to Prescott in 1879—an early Western road movie on buckboards and wagon roads.
In the final act, the conversation turns to the most mythic moment of all—the walk down to the O.K. Corral. For Bell, Doc Holliday is "the linchpin," turning a minor misdemeanor arrest into a legendary clash. For Ross, the walk down is a universal symbol of courage: the moment you face your fear. They liken the O.K. Corral to a pilgrimage path—shorter than the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, but a walk of consequence all the same. Their artwork captures that timeless step into history—four figures moving toward fate, still alive in paint and memory.
Things to Remember and Share
The mythology of the West connects to universal human stories—courage, loss, redemption, and truth.
The "walk down" is a literal and spiritual journey—your own daily call to face fear.
Artists, filmmakers, and historians add new color to an old canvas with every retelling.
Western legends endure because they speak to the human spirit's longing to stand tall, fight fair, and live free.
A Closing Word from the Roundup
"The Doctor Will See You Now" is more than an exhibit—it's a homecoming. Through humor, heart, and history, Bell, Ross, and Rosebrook remind us that the West isn't behind us—it's walking beside us, alive in stories and imagination.
Visit the Exhibit
Sharlot Hall Museum • Prescott, Arizona
Special Event: November 13, 4:30–6:30 p.m.
Web: https://www.sharlothallmuseum.org
Hear More Arizona Stories
Arizona Roundup with Stuart Rosebrook — celebrating the people, places, and passions that keep the West alive.
View all episodes
By Stuart RosebrookThe latest Arizona Roundup from the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, Arizona, brings together three of the West's most engaging voices—host Stuart Rosebrook, artist‑historian Bob Boze Bell, and painter‑storyteller Thom Ross—for a rollicking, reflective conversation about their new exhibit, "The Doctor Will See You Now: Bringing Doc and the Earps Home to Prescott." The show celebrates the artistry, imagination, and enduring mythology of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the gunfight that became American legend.
Ross opens the discussion by tracing his fascination with Western heroes back to childhood, inspired by Fess Parker's Davy Crockett and the timeless allure of "the last stand." For him—and for fellow "Western nuts" like historian Paul Hutton—these tales echo through human history, as ancient as Homer and as modern as Hollywood. Bell adds his own discovery story: his grandmother's blunt verdict on a TV Wyatt Earp sparked a lifelong search for the truth behind the legend. Together, Ross and Bell show how the mythic West walks hand in hand with popular culture, from Davy Crockett to Saving Private Ryan, from King Arthur to Tombstone.
Much of the program's charm lies in its storytelling. Ross recalls a family road trip that detoured to Little Bighorn, the Alamo, and the O.K. Corral; Bell counters with memories of a father who never stopped for roadside history—fuel for a lifelong obsession. As Rosebrook observes, the heart of this story is a road trip, just like the real trek that brought the Earps and Doc Holliday from Las Vegas, New Mexico, to Prescott in 1879—an early Western road movie on buckboards and wagon roads.
In the final act, the conversation turns to the most mythic moment of all—the walk down to the O.K. Corral. For Bell, Doc Holliday is "the linchpin," turning a minor misdemeanor arrest into a legendary clash. For Ross, the walk down is a universal symbol of courage: the moment you face your fear. They liken the O.K. Corral to a pilgrimage path—shorter than the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, but a walk of consequence all the same. Their artwork captures that timeless step into history—four figures moving toward fate, still alive in paint and memory.
Things to Remember and Share
The mythology of the West connects to universal human stories—courage, loss, redemption, and truth.
The "walk down" is a literal and spiritual journey—your own daily call to face fear.
Artists, filmmakers, and historians add new color to an old canvas with every retelling.
Western legends endure because they speak to the human spirit's longing to stand tall, fight fair, and live free.
A Closing Word from the Roundup
"The Doctor Will See You Now" is more than an exhibit—it's a homecoming. Through humor, heart, and history, Bell, Ross, and Rosebrook remind us that the West isn't behind us—it's walking beside us, alive in stories and imagination.
Visit the Exhibit
Sharlot Hall Museum • Prescott, Arizona
Special Event: November 13, 4:30–6:30 p.m.
Web: https://www.sharlothallmuseum.org
Hear More Arizona Stories
Arizona Roundup with Stuart Rosebrook — celebrating the people, places, and passions that keep the West alive.