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)!
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)!