The Boy from Oklahoma (1954)

Wonderful character development!

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

No New York opening. Not copyrighted. U.S. release: 27 February 1954. U.K. release: 31 May 1954. Australian release: 10 March 1955. 7,922 feet. 88 minutes. SYNOPSIS: Quiet-mannered sheriff restores law and order in Black Rock. NOTES: Curtiz's last film under his Warner contract. Although Warners, Curtiz and Will Rogers, Jr. all claimed that this was only his second film, the actor had also in fact played his father in David Butler's Look For the Silver Lining (1949). COMMENT: A minor but very accomplished Western. True, the central, idea of a mild-mannered sheriff is not new (see Destry). Likewise when this film was originally released, many of its other elements were labelled familiar and or quite ordinary. But time has given The Boy from Oklahoma a new freshness and lease of life. Broadcast no less than three times on Australian television in 1994, it found a responsive audience. Superbly photographed both indoors - Burks can be justly proud of such suspenseful low-key lighting as the sequences in the barn - and out (Curtiz gets the most in dramatic value out of some only moderately attractive locations by using tightly composed shots with lots of pans and running inserts, all sharply cut together), and lensed on a sizable budget with lots of extras milling about its large sets, The Boy from Oklahoma is a western with pace, charm, style and artistry. Of course a lot of that charm is contributed by a very attractive cast. Not least in this department is Will Rogers himself. Though he is obviously no youngster, Rogers displays a pleasant, thoroughly likeable personality. He is very agreeably supported by Nancy Olson. And it's nice to see Clem Bevans in a major part -- and figuring prominently in a really suspenseful moment at the climax too. Lon Chaney Jr provides a wealth of those Old Testament quotes (without which no vintage Hollywood movie is complete), whilst Wallace Ford has a wonderfully roguish part as a cowardly Caruso henchman. Caruso of course makes a breathtakingly villainous heavy. And we love James Griffith's cameo as the drunk and willing stooge. Merv Griffin however has but a few tiny spots early on before dropping out altogether. There are other players like Slim Pickens who volunteer more than their quota of entertainment, but these we will leave for you to discover yourself. Curtiz was a marvelous all-rounder who could successfully direct all genres of film from historical epics and swashbucklers through musicals and soap operas to farces and westerns. The Boy from Oklahoma is Curtiz's attempt at a "B", with all the familiar ingredients given a new impetus and meaning by his classy style. What with in-depth compositions, tight frame arrangements, effective camera set-ups (there's even an unobtrusive long take, disguised by its deep focus, low-key lighting and the seemingly natural movements of players and camera) and sharply smooth film editing, The Boy from Oklahoma is a very accomplished "B" indeed. Moreover, Curtiz and his scriptwriters have had a bit of fun with the usual "B" conventions by exaggerating them. Thus the villain is both more brutally and more schemingly villainous, whilst the clean-cut hero is even more mild-mannered (even bookish) and philosophical. In a Charles Starrett western, for example, there's no way you could get away with such scenes as Caruso belting into Ford (an excellent no-dialogue touch) and then attempting to murder old nice guy Clem Bevans. Nor would the hero's run-ins and romance with boyish heroine Nancy Olson be welcomed. All the same, the film certainly has enough action to satisfy any western fan. The introductory horse race is excitingly staged, despite obvious studio inserts, whilst the climax is all location action filmed with thrilling running inserts and some great stunts, all especially staged for this film. There is not a single foot of stock footage.While the aim was undoubtedly to make a lighthearted "B" with an "A" budget, it still achieves some powerful moments of tension and suspense.

The Boy from Oklahoma is out of Warner Brothers and directed by Michael Curtiz. Adapted to screenplay by Frank Davis and Winston Miller from a Michael Fessier story, it stars Will Rogers Jr., Nancy Olson, Anthony Caruso, Wallace Ford, Merv Griffin, Clem Bevans, Slim Pickens and Lon Chaney Jr. Filmed in WarnerColor at the Warner Ranch in Calabasas, cinematography is by Robert Burks and music is by Max Steiner.Scared of guns and afraid of girls...what kind of sheriff are you?It would spawn the TV series Sugarfoot a couple of years down the line, as it stands on its own terms it's an odd Oater but one that's practically impossible to dislike. Rogers Junior is Tom Brewster, a pacifist man studying law who rides into town and becomes embroiled in the dastardly machinations of town weasel Barney Turlock (Caruso). He's hopeless with a gun, but dandy with a rope, and in spite of his goofy appearance, he's well stocked in the brain department.It very much has shades of James Stewart's Destry Rides Again, with Rogers coming off as a weaker version, both in vocal delivery and character gait. He even is tee-total like Stewart was in Destry, only he has a penchant for Sarsaparilla as opposed to Stewart's love of Milk. Yet Rogers suits this material, OK! It's a bit of a stretch that he could romance Nancy Olson and outwit Billy the Kid, but he engages in an offbeat way and the film is better for it.In truth the pic is a strange blend of comedy and drama, where characters shift in and out of each respective genre on a regular basis. The production is mixed as well, where crude back projection work is countered by some nifty action and camera flourishes by the wily Curtiz. In a strong year for Westerns, and a year of transition for Warner Brothers, The Boy from Oklahoma is way down the list of must sees of 1954. But for Western fans there is more than enough here to warrant inspection on a time waster basis. 6.5/10

After about the first ten minutes of this movie, realization dawned - the 1950s television show, "Sugarfoot" was based upon this good-natured Will Rogers, Jr., Michael Curtiz oater of a young lawyer wanna-be attending school via correspondence; the hero's name, Tom Brewster is only the beginning. The screenplay for this movie and the pilot of "Sugarfoot," titled "Brannigan's Boots" is so close that even the co-stars of "Boy" appear as their same characters in "Brannigan!" For example, Sheb Wooley plays the foreman of the mayor's ranch, Pete Martin, in both movie and TV show. Also doing double duty is Slim Pickens as Shorty! Some of the dialog is also word for word although the television version is somewhat annotated and a few changes are evident. The movie Tom Brewster doesn't use a gun, instead, he's quick with a rope, as was his father in real life, that wicked twine twirler and American icon, Will Rogers. In fact, this Tom can't use a gun whereas the television Tom as portrayed by Will Hutchins, can and does, when the need arises. The movie Tom gets the heroine, or at least her promise that she'll wait for him; while the TV Tom must push on, leaving the pretty young thing to pine after what might have been."Boy From Oklahoma" is well-filmed in color; has a likable hero in the junior Rogers and spawned a pretty darned good TV show to boot! (Uh, no pun intended)!