In Old Oklahoma (1943)

My Review

“In Old Oklahoma” is a Western movie about two men competing for oil leases on Indian land. If that’s not enough, they also find themselves in love with the same woman. Director Albert S. Rogell (“Youth on Parade” 1942) did a good job of organizing this stock western. It is predictable, but with fair production values and a passable screenplay by Ethel Hill, Eleanor Griffin, and Thomson Burtis.

The cast includes John Wayne and Albert Dekker as the two wildcatters, Martha Scott as their love interest, George “Gabby” Hayes as the Duke’s sidekick, Dale Evans as an entertainer, Paul Fix as the Cherokee Kid, Grant Withers as a cowboy, and Sidney Blackmer as Theodore Roosevelt. The very watchable horse opera “In Old Oklahoma” was very successful at the box office for Republic Pictures.

This black-and-white gem was primarily filmed near Bakersfield, California, and in Utah, later re-released as “War of the Wildcats.” It received two Academy Award nominations: Best Sound Recording and Best Musical Score (Walter Scharf).