The tour guide at Mescal was an interesting older fella who has appeared in many of the movies filmed at the Mescal set as well as Old Tucson. During our tour, the mystery of the meaning of the phrase “I’m your huckleberry” recited by Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) in the movie Tombstone (1993) was resolved. He explained that the handles on a casket are called “huckles”, and the correct way to say it is “huckle-bearer”- as in “I’ll be carrying your casket”.
We highly recommend this tour if you are a western movie fan. Many well-known and lesser-known films were shot here, as well as commercials. Our guide said they had just finished shooting a McDonald’s commercial there. Some of the films shot at the Mescal location are The Quick And The Dead, Tombstone, The Outlaw Josie Wales, Monty Walsh, etc. The town looks much smaller in person as compared to how it appears in the movies.
Give yourself plenty of time to arrive a several minutes before the start of the tour, and wear walking shoes, take water, etc. Tours are given every hour on the hour from 10:00-1:00pm (we went on a Saturday), but are not available every day of the week. Go to Old Tucson’s website to get the details before you visit.
Filed under: arizona, Benson, Cochise County, Mescal, movie, photo, Tombstone, Tourist
Wonderful photos!
However, that whole thing about “huckleberry” supposedly being “hucklebearer” is utter hogwash (ol’ Frank out at Mescal should know better!).
Kevin Jarre (who wrote the script–and is a friend of mine) took the line from old newspaper accounts quoting Holliday himself. There are plenty of examples of the use of “I’m your huckleberry” as in the context of the film (meaning: “I’m your man”).
There are absolutely NO historical records of anyone, anywhere ever using the words “huckle-bearer” in any context. In fact, this myth of the term “huckle-bearer” has been traced all the way back to about 2000 when some cranky old re-enactors created it because they felt saying “I’m your huckleberry” just didn’t sound manly enough. The script says: huckleberry. When Val Kilmer (who actually uttered the line!) signed a photo for me he wrote: “I’m your huckleberry” (not huckle-bearer). And, heck, even the DVD’s subtitles read: “I’m your huckleberry”. Please do not propigate this ridiculous “huckle-bearer” story any further.
Thanks!
Well, I guess I stand corrected then. I was hoping that the “huckle-bearer” story wasn’t true, because I originally had heard that it meant “I’m just the man for the job”, or something to that affect.
Hi, Naomi!
You are absolutely correct when you say it meant “I’m the man for the job”.
In fact, there were some employment ads in late 1800′s newspapers that had the heading: “Are you our huckleberry?”. Just below that heading, they listed the qualifications and traits they wanted their prospective employees to have and then summarized: “if these accurately describe you, then you are our huckleberry”.
All the best,
Chris
Acting Tips
Interesting article, Thanks for sharing.
I’ll be your huckle – bearer is correct, I was with Val during the shoot and we spoke about this very subject.
Sorry Davis, you owe me a coke
Thanks for all the comments.
Any chance Val will weigh in on this himself?
-Naomi-
Well, I was there, too. So was a nearly naked Indian. The huckle-bearer stuff is, obviously, from some deranged drug addict.
Compadres,
We took the Mescal tour with the very same guide, he told me Dwight Yokam was a total asshole while he was filming South Of Heaven, West Of Hell there. I told him, and I quote, “I’ll be your Huckleberry” and he said,
“No Way, TAco, I aint ready for no casket!” Nuff said.
Oh to be a fly on the wall during all these film shoots…
Does anyone know what movie they are filming at Mescal right now? I’ve heard rumors it’s another season of Deadwood.
Thanks
Someone please bring this Huckleberry / Huckle-Bearer thing to an end and produce some evidence. I’d like to see these newspaper articles from the mid to late 1850′s that mention Huckleberry in them, I think that would be ample evidence. Either “help wanted” ads or direct quotes from Doc Holliday himself would suffice as long as they were published in HIS time. And for everyone that says it has to be Huckleberry because the DVD subtitles say so, that’s not good enough evidence, the people who made the movie can make mistakes just as easily as any of us.
It is only words in a movie. They are there to make you think and enjoy the whole thing.. Anything like that has been passed along through the years by word of mouth will always be by each persons perseption .
There is something being filmed at this time Dec 2009 in Mescal. Does anyone have any real news to share?
I live just south of the old movie set, which I can see from my home. I’ve lived here for 5 years and haven’t seen anything being filmed there.
Sorry to chime in late, and also that I have to provide deeper evidence. However, the true saying is “Huckle Bury”. So yes, related to coffins, but “to be the one to put you in the ground”. This is also tying into the daisy referrences in the movie. “I’m your Huckle Bury”. Thanks
Is the Mescal movie set open for tours still?
yes just looked into it, go to old tucson web site it will give you info.
I dont care if it’s Huckle Berry or bearer I just know that Val look dang good saying it and I loved it
Just sayin
Huckleberry refers to a wild plant that grows into a burr thorny plant commonly found in the south. It will turn a beatifull tail or maine on a horse into a literal mess, you will have to cut it off and let it regrow. A leisure walk through a pasture and you will find yourself spending some time picking the burrs off your jeans. If you really want to have some fun put one of these burrs under somesones saddle. The horse will not stop bucking until the rider is out of the saddle. Doc was from the south and knew what a pain in the ass a huckleberry could be.
It wasn’t open the second half of November or 2011.
Caretaker said it had not been in a long time too.
Nothing on the Old Tucson website either.
Speed
Well, I am not saying Mr. Holliday said, “Huckleberry”, “HuckleBearer”, or “Hucklebeara” but this is what I do know. I am from the deep south (deeper than “deep south” Georgia which is where the educated Holliday was from) and even in the 1970′s when I was a “youngun”, my grandpa and grandma (on my moms side) still used the word “huckle-bearer” (which when they spoke it sounded like “huckle-beara”) in place of “pall-bearer” (“paw-beara”) . It makes sense because the handles on caskets were/are called “huckles”. I heard the word pall-bearer for the first time in the mid 1980′s when I moved to Oklahoma and lost a family member on my dad’s side.
It could be that others thought Doc said “huckleberry” when he said “Huckle-bearer” which with the deep southern accent probably sounded more like “huckle-beara” when he spoke the words. To paint the picture of how things can sound like something else in different parts of the United States, my grandparents were so southern country (with a HS education) from Southern Alabama & Northwest FLA. (also called lower Alabama), and spoke like this:
(if a word ends with a “A” they replaced the “A” with “ER” and in most cases if a word ended with a “Y” with the long “E” sound, it was pronounced, “Eh” or “Uh”.
Alabamer = Alabama
Florider = Florida
Yourine (urine) = Yours (I used to tease grandma- one time she asked, “…is that cake yourine (I imagined “urine”)? I said, “no grandma it’s CAKE! And it’s mine.” She said, “that’s what I said, was it yourine…”
Ourine (Iron) = Ours
Aint Leaner = Aunt Leana (They wrote this correctly in letters which is how I found out Leaner was actually Lena. I was 26 when I found out I was saying it wrong when I said “Leaner”). Funny.
Huckle-beara = Huckle-bearer
Blackberreehs = Blackberries
If Hollidays said, “I’m your hucklebeara (hucklebearer)” I can see where he could have been quoted or mis-quoted as saying “huckleberry” by a writer for a newspaper. And if the writer was a relocated yankee quoting a southerner there is no telling how Holliday’s utterances could have been interpreted. But since huckles are casket handles and caskets are related to deaths and burials, I can see how Holliday could have said, “I’ll carry your casket”, or “I’ll bury you”, or I’ll take you to your grave”. This is just my two cents worth.
*Speaking of Huckle-bearers, caskets, & funerals,…there is something they do in the deep south is take photographs of their deceased loved ones while laying in the casket during the viewing. My grandparents had many photos of (generations) of deceased family members laying in their caskets. Why? I never asked them while I had the chance. Now they are gone….and…one of my 93 year old grandpas sister-in-laws sent me a picture of him in his casket….and yes I was one of his “hucklebearers” (in the paper it was listed as “pallbearers”).