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.
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.