The Oklahoman (1957)

★ 5.6 1h 20m IMDb

Western

After his wife dies in childbirth, a doctor settles down in the small Oklahoma town of Cherokee Wells to raise his newborn daughter. Unfortunately, not all the citizens there are hospitable, especially when the doctor hires a pretty Indian teenager as his child's nanny.

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Joel McCrea as John Died 1990 · South Pasadena, California, USA Joel Albert McCrea (November 5, 1905 – October 20, 1990) was an American actor whose career spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adve...

Barbara Hale as Anne Died 2017 · DeKalb, Illinois, USA Barbara Hale (April 18, 1922 - January 26, 2017) was an American actress best known for her role as legal secretary Della Street on more than 250 episodes of the long-running Perry Mason television se...

Brad Dexter as Dobie Died 2002 · Goldfield, Nevada, USA Brad Dexter (born Veljko Soso; April 9, 1917 – December 12, 2002) was an American actor and film producer. He is known for tough-guy and western roles including the 1960 film The Magnificent Seven (19...

Gloria Talbott as Maria Smith Died 2000 · Glendale, California, USA Gloria Talbott (February 7, 1931 – September 19, 2000) was an American film and television actress..

Michael Pate as Charlie Smith Died 2008 · Drummoyne, New South Wales, Australia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Michael Pate (26 February 1920 – 1 September 2008) was an Australian actor, writer and director. Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Pate, lic...

Verna Felton as Mrs. Waynebrook Died 1966 · Salinas, California, USA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Verna Felton (July 20, 1890 – December 14, 1966) was an American character actress who was best-known for providing many female voices in numerous Disney animat...

Director Francis D. Lyon

Cast Joel McCrea, Barbara Hale, Brad Dexter, Gloria Talbott, Michael Pate, Verna Felton, Douglas Dick, Anthony Caruso, Esther Dale, Adam Williams

John Chard 7/10 Jul 11, 2019

The good doctor takes up the good fight!

The Oklahoman is directed by Francis Lyon and written by Daniel Ullman. It stars Joel McCRea, Barbara Hale, Brad Dexter, Gloria Talbott, Michael Pate, Verna Felton and Douglas Dick. Music is by Hans Salter and cinematography by Carl Guthrie.

After his wife dies during childbirth, Doctor John Brighton (McCrea) stops in the small Oklahoma town of Cherokee Wells to bury her. Deciding to stay there and start a practice, he comes to run afoul of the local bad boys fronted by the Dobie brothers (Dexter/Dick).

A CinemaScope/De Luxe Color production, The Oklahoman appears to be one of McCrea's lesser known Westerns. Which is a shame, for although this isn't high on action quotas, it is however rich on characters and beats a solid worthy message heart. It's a typical McCrea characterisation, Doctor Brighton is a peaceable man, a bastion of the community, loved by all but the baddies. As the stench of racism rears its ugly head, and a secret of the land comes to the fore, Brighton is forced to stand up for values that he knows to be right, putting himself into great danger in the process.

The Native American characters are well written, showing them to be hard working and integral parts of the community. This is a town where integration clearly works, it's only when financial gain for the Dobie Brothers surfaces does race become an issue. There's a rather fanciful (sort of) love triangle in the mix, as both the Hale and Talbott (playing a young Indian character) have soft feelings for the much older doctor, but this aspect is no hindrance to the pic since it isn't overtly played. Over on the villain side of things Dexter does a nice line in gurning mistrust, and thankfully he doesn't shift into cartoon caricature.

It's not a very insightful picture, as per the themes ticking away, this is after all a second tier "B" Western. Yet some classy veneers shine bright as our characters move about the comforting surrounds of the Iverson Ranch locales. While of course McCrea is the most reassuring presence of all. 7/10