The Oklahoman

Doctor Joel McCrea buries his wife dead in childbirth on the road to California, and stays set with his daughter. Five years later, he's moderately well set, with pretty Indian girl Gloria Talbott taking care of his daughter, and in love with him, as is Barbara Hale, who owns and runs the second biggest spread around.

Every woman wants to marry a doctor, just like my grandmother told me. Into this unwalled paradise comes trouble, when Miss Talbott's father, Michael Pate, turns himself in to the sheriff. He has killed Brad Dexter's brother, but it was self-defense. Dexter has the biggest spread around. This means it's time for McCrea to take a moral stand and get into a fistfight with Dexter. But wait! There's more!

Daniel Ullman's script is an anachronistic mishmosh of eras, but it does take a nice moral stance of equal justice for all, and it has the always reliable McCrea, Miss Hale looking beautiful and sensible just before she became Della Street, and the usual assortment of actors for one of Allied Artists' Shaky-A oaters: Ray Teal, Verna Felton, Anthony Caruso, and I Stanford Jolley. It also has a great dance sequence, with Miss Talbott kicking up her heels with an assortment of partners to "Oh Dem Golden Slippers".

Its a shame there isn't a space for these kinds of movies to be made any more. Simple, yet entertaining, boosted by some exploration of equality and racism.

A nice relaxing way to spend some time at the movies.

This is a nice easy to take B western that Joel McCrea settled into doing in his later years. The Oklahoman opens with McCrea's wife dying in childbirth and McCrea making a decision to leave the wagon train he's on and settle in what was then known as Indian Territory.

Fast forward about seven years. McCrea, who is a doctor, has settled with his seven year old daughter in a small town in Oklahoma. He's got two girls interested in him, Barbara Hale who is rancher's widow, and Gloria Talbott a young Indian girl who babysits his daughter. Talbott's family has problems from the local town bully played with appropriate menace by Brad Dexter. He wants the land that Talbott's father Michael Pate owns and Dexter ain't too squeamish about his methods.

Why does Dexter want the land and who will McCrea wind up with in the end? For those questions watch The Oklahoman.

Fans of Joel McCrea and westerns in general will like this.

Ok little story. Good for an afternoon diversion...

Back when oil was discovered in Oklahoma and there was a market for it, the Natives living in Oklahoma were set to get rich. However, unscrupulous whites used a variety of techniques to legally steal the land. This film is about an early attempt to steal Indian land for oil rights...with middling results.

The story begins with John (Joel McCrea) traveling west to California to homestead. However, his wife dies along the way and he decides to stay in Oklahoma and raise his young daughter. After all, he's a doctor and they could use one there.

Several years pass and a no-goodnick named 'Dobie' is trying to get everyone's land...particularly that belonging to the Indians. This is because there's oil and he anticipates a demand for the stuff. In his way is the Doc...who insists that the Indians be treated as citizens. Additionally, two women love him (though he's too dumb to realize it)...and one is a native.

The worst aspect of the film are the so-called 'Indians'. The Aussie, Michael Pate, is an odd choice...and his accent is just strange. Additionally, Gloria Talbott plays another...which she did in quite a few films even though she looked nothing like any Native!

Despite the poor casting decision about 'Natives', the film is good and tries to portray the Indians well...perhaps too well considering attitudes about them back in the old west. It also helps that Joel McCrea is in the lead, as he made westerns seem a bit better due to his easygoing manner.

Overall, a decent western...one a bit better than average even with the screwy 'Indians'!