The Boy from Oklahoma

The Boy from Oklahoma is out of Warner Brothers and directed by Michael Curtiz. Adapted to screenplay by Frank Davis and Winston Miller from a Michael Fessier story, it stars Will Rogers Jr., Nancy Olson, Anthony Caruso, Wallace Ford, Merv Griffin, Clem Bevans, Slim Pickens and Lon Chaney Jr. Filmed in WarnerColor at the Warner Ranch in Calabasas, cinematography is by Robert Burks and music is by Max Steiner.

Scared of guns and afraid of girls...what kind of sheriff are you?

It would spawn the TV series Sugarfoot a couple of years down the line, as it stands on its own terms it's an odd Oater but one that's practically impossible to dislike. Rogers Junior is Tom Brewster, a pacifist man studying law who rides into town and becomes embroiled in the dastardly machinations of town weasel Barney Turlock (Caruso). He's hopeless with a gun, but dandy with a rope, and in spite of his goofy appearance, he's well stocked in the brain department.

It very much has shades of James Stewart's Destry Rides Again, with Rogers coming off as a weaker version, both in vocal delivery and character gait. He even is tee-total like Stewart was in Destry, only he has a penchant for Sarsaparilla as opposed to Stewart's love of Milk. Yet Rogers suits this material, OK! It's a bit of a stretch that he could romance Nancy Olson and outwit Billy the Kid, but he engages in an offbeat way and the film is better for it.

In truth the pic is a strange blend of comedy and drama, where characters shift in and out of each respective genre on a regular basis. The production is mixed as well, where crude back projection work is countered by some nifty action and camera flourishes by the wily Curtiz. In a strong year for Westerns, and a year of transition for Warner Brothers, The Boy from Oklahoma is way down the list of must sees of 1954. But for Western fans there is more than enough here to warrant inspection on a time waster basis. 6.5/10