I was never sure about either James Cagney or Humphrey Bogart being in westerns but "The Oklahoma Kid" is not too bad. It has a brief running time, a fair measure of action and incident, the music is perfectly tolerable and at least Cagney and Bogart have a proper one on one confrontation at the end. I bought this film on video in the early 1990s and I enjoyed it then. Cagney is a "Robin Hood" type of hero who hides his true identity behind the name "The Oklahoma Kid." Bogart is a killer and dishonest businessman who wants to turn the local town into a place of sin, corruption and degradation. Cagney stated in his memoirs that he added little bits of dialogue in order to relive his boredom! What he included certainly does the film no harm.
The Oklahoma Kid
1939
Action / Drama / History / Western
The Oklahoma Kid
1939
Action / Drama / History / Western
Plot summary
McCord's gang robs the stage carrying money to pay Indians for their land, and the notorious outlaw "The Oklahoma Kid" Jim Kincaid takes the money from McCord. McCord stakes a "sooner" claim on land which is to be used for a new town; in exchange for giving it up, he gets control of gambling and saloons. When Kincaid's father runs for mayor, McCord incites a mob to lynch the old man whom McCord has already framed for murder.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
September 30, 2022 at 03:50 AM
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Perfectly watchable "Warner Bros" western.
Competent but slightly disappointing star Western...
'The Oklahoma Kid' is competent but slightly disappointing star western memorable for the clash in this guise of its protagonists, more usually seen as gangsters
The film is generally far more to the living of the Western traditionalists, and it never once allows its size to create an atmosphere of self-importance
Nevertheless it maintains a pleasant tongue-in-cheek approach which makes the occasional tragic moments stand out in even greater relief
But even with two such big names on hand, 'The Oklahoma Kid' moves tediously against the colorful backgrounds of a colorful era
Cagneywho makes his own law with his fast draw brings his cheeky personality to the West without making the slightest change in his standard characterization
Bogart plays it without even the mordant sense of humor that he usually brings to his gangster roles
As a sinister figure all in black, he gives an equally unconvincing performance as an outlaw gang leader who deceitfully obtains saloon and gambling rights in return for letting Cagney's father and brother have rights to a site on which they plan to build a town
Cagney and Bogie in a western
It's 1893. President Grover Cleveland proclaims the purchase of the Cherokee Strip from the Indians. It leads to a wild land rush and banditry. Whip McCord (Humphrey Bogart) and his gang rob a stagecoach transporting the Indian money. Jim "The Oklahoma Kid" Kincaid (James Cagney) follows them and robs them in turn. At a settler shindig, the Kid takes a liking to Jane Hardwick (Rosemary Lane) even though she's arm in arm with Ned Kincaid. McCord wants his money back but The Kid has other ideas. McCord cheats to steal a land stake and convinces the John Kincaid to exchange it for concessions in the new town of Tulsa.
This has Cagney and Bogie having some fun playing bad guys in a western. It's great when they are man to man facing off against each other. It should be that simple but it doesn't happen enough. This should really only about them two. There really is no need for anybody else. There are still a few great moments with the two screen legends and that's enough.