Huckleberry or Bearer?

By Christi Corbett

I got my first Smartphone several years ago, and promptly changed the text and email alert notification sound to the epic line from the movie Tombstone, “I’m your Huckleberry.”

But is it really Hucklebearer?

I get a lot of texts each day, and though I’m a writer (which is an amazing job and I love every minute) my family still wants things like food, so I do have to mingle with others on occasion. Invariably I’ll get a text or an email when I’m standing close to someone, and oftentimes a flicker of curiosity will cross their face, a flicker which rapidly turns to recognition.

Most can’t resist speaking up, usually along the lines of “Hey, I know that line! Isn’t that from that one movie? You know, the one that starred the guy from that other movie? Overboard I think it was called. And that guy with the voice was in it too. It also had that one guy from Top Gun in it, and he was super sick. He was the one who said that line actually. Wait, I know. It was Tombstone!”

I smile and nod, and invariably a discussion begins of the finer points of the movie, which character had the best mustache, was it Dana Delany riding down that hill sidesaddle or a stunt double, did you love or hate Jason Priestly in it, and our favorite lines and scenes.

One day, a bystander argued that the line was commonly thought of as Huckleberry, but it was really Hucklebearer.

I've since learned there are two definite schools of thought on the subject, and each has plenty of facts and history to back their word up. 

Check out a clip from the movie here and decide for yourself which team you're on, Huckleberry or Hucklebearer? 

So, did you get a good listen? Perhaps a few times to be sure?

Now, I reveal to you an angle that most don't consider...what word did the script call for Val Kilmer to use?

Sorry to disappoint anyone in the "Team Hucklebearer" category. In this article it's revealed the script definitely states "Huckleberry".

CLICK HERE for 10 Tombstone Facts you Never Knew Until Now.

Let's have some fun in the comments section...what’s your favorite scene from the movie?