Albert Einstein

Moviecut—Tulsa

source: Tulsa

Tulsa

The Plot: It's Tulsa, Oklahoma at the start of the oil boom and Cherokee Lansing's rancher father is killed in a fight with the Tanner Oil Company. Cherokee plans revenge by bringing in her own wells with the help of oil expert Brad Brady and childhood friend Jim Redbird. When the oil and the money start gushing in, both Brad and Jim want to protect the land but Cherokee has different ideas. What started out as revenge for her father's death has turned into an obsession for wealth and power. This is a very dated movie. I mean there's a guy riding horseback in a suit! It was interesting to me to see Chill Wills from the 40s. I know him from his 60s and 70s Westerns when he was a craggy old son of a gun. The movie is rather slow and the topic is not really explored in a smart or effective way. It's not that it's a bad movie, it's just rather trivial. After a while you just kinda space out because it's not all that compelling.

Susan Hayward is perfectly cast as Cherokee "Cherry" Lansing, a cattle rancher's daughter in 1920s Oklahoma with a need to succeed. She lucks into land leases which are ripe for wildcat oil-drilling, quickly taking on her benefactor's professor son as a partner to combat her main competitor, a wealthy oil baron who owns the land neighboring hers. Brawling, robust tale filmed in rich Technicolor, skillfully written by Curtis Kenyon and Frank Nugent and tightly directed by Stuart Heisler. Hayward is backed solidly by a fine supporting cast, including Robert Preston in a Rhett Butler mustache and Pedro Armendáriz as an Indian kindred spirit whose friendship comes to mean everything in the end. Some of the comedic overtures are corny, and the noisy climax goes on too long; otherwise, an engrossing, entertaining, well-oiled mix of history, romance, ambition, and pride. **1/2 from ****

The chemistry of the triangle is really good here, with Gough a worthy rival for Preston of fickle Hayward's affections with moral and character at the root of the question. Ed Begley is excellent in an early role. And, Pedro Armendariz steals the film as an American Indian who feels forced into action when promised conservation guidelines are reckless thrown aside for the profitability of the oil drillers. Very much worth watching

I had no preconceived notion of this film, but it was on a 4 movie DVD set I bought for another movie in the set. Popped it on, and was I surprised. This movie is VERY good. Nicely photographed in color, NEVER boring, well written with a doozy of a disaster at the end that is quite impressive using 1949 special effects. Film concerns the boom town of Tulsa in 1920's and the greed of people and overproduction of oil wells, infringing on the farmers land and poisoning the waterways killing the cattle herds. Nicest bit of the film was the conservation angle about too much oil in boom times ruins the land for the future when they dry up. Good movie.

Susan storms into Scarlett O'Hara territory with this meller substituting oil field for plantations and the Civil War. If you have ever seen her test for Scarlett it was obvious at the time she wasn't ready, but ten years on she is in full command of the screen and tears into this part with her customary brio mopping the floor with anyone who gets in her way. She has a few touching moments with Chill Wills' character but otherwise is tough as nails and furiously driven. Not a great picture but a good one with Robert Preston a strong co-star and a great cast of character actors but indifferent direction, if you are a fan of Susan though it is unmissable.

Susan Hayward doesn't back down when it comes to protecting what is hers. Her character is embroiled in the early wars between wildcat oil drillers and cattle ranchers in Oklahoma. A pretty fast paced movie that stays busy. The oil field fire is a tremendous sight. Chill Wills, Robert Preston and Ed Begley round out the super cast.