The Oklahoma Cyclone

Watching The Oklahoma Cyclone, it becomes apparent that the producers knew little about making a sound picture and just dove in head first. While their intentions are quite admirable, the finished product is not.

The film's nearly all talk, with several songs and musical interludes, but hardly any action. Most of the actors, apparently unused to the sound medium, are very stilted, speaking very slow and very clear, particularly Charles King. Meanwhile, the Spanish accented actors are barely intelligible.

I do wonder though, how well this played to audiences in 1930, not used to talking pictures.

On the plus side, star Bob Steele appears to be singing his own songs and leading lady Rita Rey is very beautiful, even if I cannot understand a word she says!

This is the first full-length western featuring iconic sidekick Al "Fuzzy" St. John. Even at this early date he manages to steal an early scene, even without the benefit of dialog, as he stands to the side and spits long streams of tobacco juice past the other actors as they speak!

One frame has St. John almost entirely off-screen, but closest to the camera, launching a stream of spit that arcs across the picture like a half rainbow, landing right in the bottom-center of the screen, distracting the audience from the other actors!

Eight years later, Steele and St. John would be back together, often with King as the heavy, in Producers Releasing Corporation's series of Billy the kid films.