One I have been reading about is the real story of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday and if that was portrayed as factual as possible in the move Tombstone. Most moves based on facts or real characters change things to glamorize the characters to make a more interesting movie, or so they think anyway.
I knew that Tombstone was the most factual movie about those characters but I've learned that most things about it were done about how things really went and they had the real names of the other real characters like Ed Bailey Curley Bill, Johnny Ringo, Ike Clanton, Kate(Doc's Gal), Behan, Johnny Tyler among others with most of their exploits fairly factual in how they really were. Although that fun scene where Wyatt throws the bully Johnny Tyler out of the Oriental saloon was made up however the first part of the movie where Doc sticks known-bully Ed Baily with a knife did happen pretty close to how it was depicted in the movie.
One thing I learned is that sheriff behan "allegedly" had an under-the-table deal where if <i>Wyatt pulls his name out of the running for Sheriff of Tombstone, Behan will appoint him Under-Sheriff. Behan proposes to do the office work, and Earp will be the "enforcer." He also promises Wyatt that he will split the money from the lucrative $40,000.00 a year position, an absolute fortune in 1880. Supposedly, Wyatt agrees but the deal never goes through and Johnny double crosses him by appointing someone else as his Under-Sheriff after he gets appointed to the position.</i> from http://users.techline.com/nicks/tomb.htm
Although I couldn't find much on Josie, the singer that Wyatt eventually marries it's assumed that Wyatt courted her when she was behans gal and some said he did that for revenge for renegging on the deal. But who knows.
And according to various sites I read the big gunfight at the ok corral was done about as acurate as can be done with how things really happened. Even down to the part where Wyatt tells Verge to give the shotgun to Doc because they're less apt to get nervous when they go to try and "dis-arm" the cowboys. Even the part where behan lies to the Earps and says he did dis-arm them is all fact. Wyatt would later be in jail twice thanks to the pushing from Ike Clanton who kept insisting it was all murder. Wyatt was aquitted. And the gunfight did hapen behind the ok corral and beside that photography studio. That was all done not only the best I ever have seen but done very factual from all points.
Other parts are done factual too like when Curley bill shot marshall white when he flipped his guns. White said later he thinks he did force the trigger when he was grabbing for the guns just before he died so Bill got off scott free. The movie didn't do that part correct though and instead said that since white was dead there was no proof.
One big change was the final gunfight between Doc and Johnny Ringo. It never happend that way at all. Instead Ringo was found dead of what was considered a self inflicted gunshot wound to his head so it was called a suicide. From reading various sites on those old west oulaws many were said to have killed themselves. But heck, how easy was it back then to make it look that way. Anyway, as far as ringo what makes it very strange is he was found beside a fallen tree wearing his gun belt upside down. Huh! Yet it was still considered a suicide. Doc was in a nearby town though but that is all that's known. So maybe Doc or another did shoot him.
The part where Doc died was right on. Except the part where Wyatt was there. They had a falling out in that last year or so. But when Doc died he really did mutter "this is funny". <i>On November 8, 1887, he awoke clear-eyed and asked for a glass of whiskey. It was given to him and he drank it down with enjoyment. Then he said, "This is funny", and died. Doc Holliday had come West years before, knowing his days were numbered. Long before his death he had maintained that he would not die in bed coughing his guts out. He always believed that he would be killed by a quicker, easier death than that planned for him by destiny. He often said that his end would come from lead poisoning, at the end of a rope, a knife in his ribs, or that he might drink himself to death. That's why he considered it funny when he died peacefully in bed.</i>
from http://www.americanwest.com/pages/docholid.htm
Anyway, I find that stuff fascinating.
There's much more if you care to follow those links. Has actual pics of the character, tombstone, etc.. And about others old west outlaws like Wild Bill. His history in fact is very difficult to fugure out what was real and what was made up because a writer changed things around to make it more glamous to help sell his paper and Bill was a natorious braggart. But he was great with those ivory handled six shooters.btw, Aliens was based on total fact too. har har, ok maybe not. :lol
Got any cool facts?