''In Old Oklahoma'' (reissued as ''War of the Wildcats'') is a 1943 American Western film directed by

Albert S. Rogell Albert S. Rogell (August 21, 1901 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - April 7, 1988 Los Angeles, California) was an American film director. Rogell directed more than a hundred movies between 1921 and 1958. He was the uncle of producer Sid Rogell. Film ...

starring

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Go ...

and Martha Scott. The film was nominated for two

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, one for Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture and the other for

Sound Recording Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording ...

( Daniel J. Bloomberg). The supporting cast features George "Gabby" Hayes, Marjorie Rambeau, Dale Evans,

Sidney Blackmer Sidney Alderman Blackmer (July 13, 1895 – October 6, 1973) was an American Broadway and film actor active between 1914 and 1971, usually in major supporting roles. Biography Blackmer was born and raised in Salisbury, North Carolina, t ...

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

, and

Paul Fix Peter Paul Fix (March 13, 1901 – October 14, 1983) was an American film and television character actor who was best known for his work in Westerns. Fix appeared in more than 100 movies and dozens of television shows over a 56-year career b ...

Plot

Eastern school teacher Catherine Allen becomes notorious in 1906 when it is learned that she has authored a romance novel. She decides to move west and begin a new life. On the train, oil man Jim Gardner makes a pass at her. Catherine asks a cowboy, Dan Somers, to sit nearby as a safety measure. Both are on their way to Oklahoma, with stagecoach driver Despirit Dean tagging along with his friend Dan. Many people in Sapulpa are upset with Jim's business tactics. A farmer feels he was paid too little for his property after Jim discovers oil there. Jim is furious when Dan strongly discourages Chief Big Tree from selling Indian land at too low an offer. Dan travels to Washington, D.C., to ask President Theodore Roosevelt about oil rights. He fought for Teddy and the Rough Riders a few years before. Teddy offers him a chance to transport thousands of barrels of oil to a Tulsa refinery to win the rights over Jim, which leads to Jim's hired man, the Cherokee Kid, setting off an explosion and sabotaging the trip. Catherine and Dan fall in love, with hotel owner Bessie Baxter playing matchmaker. A final fistfight between Dan and Jim settles matters once and for all.

Cast

as Daniel F. Somers * Martha Scott as Catherine Elizabeth Allen * Albert Dekker as Jim "Hunk" Gardner * George "Gabby" Hayes as Despirit Dean * Marjorie Rambeau as Bessie Baxter * Dale Evans as Cuddles Walker * Grant Withers as Richardson *

as the Cherokee Kid * Cecil Cunningham as Mrs. Ames *

Irving Bacon Irving Bacon (born Irving Von Peters; September 6, 1893 – February 5, 1965) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 500 films. Early years Bacon was the son of entertainers Millar Bacon and Myrtle Vane. He was born in St. Jos ...

as Ben * Byron Foulger as Wilkins * Anne O'Neal as Mrs. Peabody *Richard Graham as Walter Ames *

Tom London Tom London (born Leonard T. Clapman; August 24, 1889 – December 5, 1963) was an American actor who played frequently in B-Westerns. According to ''The Guinness Book of Movie Records'', London is credited with appearing in the most films in ...

as Tom (uncredited) *

Robert Warwick Robert Warwick (born Robert Taylor Bien, October 9, 1878 – June 6, 1964) was an American stage, film and television actor with over 200 film appearances. A matinee idol during the silent film era, he also prospered after the introduction ...

as Chief Big Tree (uncredited)

Production

Development

In December 1941 it was announced Republic Pictures had bought an "oilfield story" ''War of the Wildcats'' by Thomson Burtis, as a vehicle for Ray Middleton. They announced it for production in 1942. In December it was announced Frances Hyland was working on the script and that the film would be a vehicle for John Wayne. The film still took a number of months to move into production. Eleanor Griffin and Ethel Hill were hired to work on the script "which puts the feature in the big league class" according to the ''Los Angeles Times''. They were "to give the story the epic flavor." The movie was retitled ''In Old Oklahoma'' and filming was to start 15 June. Martha Scott was signed for the female lead, which was seen as a coup for Republic because she was associated with prestigious films such as ''

Our Town ''Our Town'' is a 1938 metatheatrical three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 thr ...

'' (1940). The film was allocated a bigger budget than usual for a Republic Pictures film.

Shooting

Filming took place near

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

. Parts of the film were shot in Johnson Canyon, Paria, Utah, Cedar City, and Virgin, Utah.

Release

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...

released it on December 6, 1943. The film did extremely well at the box office and encouraged Republic to make more bigger budgeted films. The movie was reissued in 1947 as War of the Wildcats.

Lawsuit

Screenwriter Griffin's ex-husband, William Rankin, later launched a $115,000 lawsuit against Griffin, Hill, Burtis and Republic, alleging the script included elements in three original scripts of his that he submitted to Republic: ''Indian Territory'', ''Gasoline War'', and ''Fire in Heaven''. He alleged that the writers were hired to combine his scripts into the story of ''In Old Oklahoma'' but that he received no compensation.

References

External links

* * * * * * * * {{Albert S. Rogell 1943 films 1943 Western (genre) films American black-and-white films American Western (genre) films 1940s English-language films Films directed by Albert S. Rogell Films scored by Walter Scharf Films set in 1906 Films set in Oklahoma Works about petroleum Republic Pictures films Films shot in Utah Films produced by Robert North 1940s American films