War of the Wildcats

source: War of the Wildcats

In imdb, it's In old oklahoma.... roku has this as war of the wildcats 1943; the opening credits show wildcats. Stars john wayne, al dekker. When school teacher catherine allen heads west to really experience life, she bumps smack into wildcat oilman jim gardner and cowboy dan somers. Of course, they both chase after her. As well as oil rights. And what kind of a western would this be without gabby hayes? And dale evans in one of her earlier roles. It's silly and fun and moves right along. Better than your average western. Not dry and dusty like so many others. Directed by albert rogell. Nominated for best music and best sound.

I saw this under the title "War of the Wildcats", a reference to the 'wildcatting' oil barons of early Americana who cast their fate to drilling for the precious commodity in hopes of striking it rich. There are a couple of scenes in which we see a geyser of oil shooting up from a newly tapped well, and it always makes me wonder how they capped those things to get them under control. This was a typical film for John Wayne during his days with Republic Studios following the 'overnight' success brought about by his appearance in 1939's "Stagecoach". You could count on Wayne's rugged good looks to win out over any rival when it came to a being part of a romantic triangle, and so it is here as he eventually charms school teacher turned novelist Catherine Allen (Martha Scott) in a personal feud with oil baron James Gardner (Albert Dekker). There was one scene in the picture where I had to do a double and triple take. Could that possibly have been Dale Evans leading a saloon number with a host of can-can dancers? Sure enough, it's Evans as the sexy Cuddles Walker with Roy Rogers nowhere in sight! I might not have recognized her but for the fact I just saw her in a similar scene in the Roy Rogers flick "Don't Fence Me In". If you can believe it, she's even sexier in that picture! Another Rogers mainstay on board here is Gabby Hayes, not so much a sidekick to Wayne's character, Dan Somers, but enough of a pal to be on his side every time the situation calls for it. The finale to the picture is as much exciting as it is unbelievable if you stop and think about it. In a four month race against time, Somers must get ten thousand barrels of oil to market as his opponent Gardner pulls out all the stops to prevent it. When Gardner buys the pipeline that Dan would have used to transport his oil, his solution is to fill a bunch of wooden barrels and enclosed wagons with the stuff in order to beat the deadline. The high speed chase over rough terrain destroys a number of wagons, while Gardner's goons manage to sabotage some additional. Somers made it, but it sure didn't look to me like ten thousand gallons of oil could have possibly been stored in those rickety wagons, even if none of them got hijacked!

This was Republic's most successful picture of 1943, offering solid if unspectacular entertainment. It is a somewhat unusual western, being set in the early 20th century and featuring an antagonist (played by Albert Dekker) who is a ruthless businessman rather than the conventional evil villain. Dekker represents modernity and Wayne, of course, the more traditional hard moral man. The two male leads compete for the heart of a romance writer played by Martha Scott, and for the oil rights of the Indian territory, with Wayne representing a much less predatory way of doing business. Add some humor and lively action scenes and you get a quite enjoyable product, if a bit formulaic.

I didn't expect much from this one but it's better than it has any right being. On the surface it looks like an ordinary, run-of-the-mill B western with cowboy John Wayne leading a revolt against greedy oil baron Albert Dekker. Oh and the obligatory pretty school teacher Martha Scott, who catches the eye of both Wayne and Dekker. But it's actually a fun little movie that captures your attention and never drags. Wayne and Dekker play their white hat/black hat parts well, and Scott is charming with a nice chemistry with Duke. Supporting cast features greats like Gabby Hayes, Marjorie Rambeau, and Paul Fix. And just wait until Teddy Roosevelt shows up. That was my favorite part.

This is an earlier John Wayne movie. It is very well done. The good guy is of course John Wayne and the antagonist is played very well by Albert Dekker. Notice I say antagonist and not the bad guy. He is a ruthless businessman but that was the way it was back then, he has a softer side and unlike a lot of real bad guys of that time in the movies he has a bit of a conscious and treats his workers well. He and Wayne get in to a couple of knock down fights and they appear to have a mutual, all be it not a liking, for each other. Wayne has Indian connections in this one that lead to his being successful by the end of the movie. Of course he gets the girl too.

WAR OF THE WILDCATS is another black-and-white western of the early 1940s, starring the ever-likable John Wayne. This one's about land-grabbing and oil rights, featuring Wayne romancing a woman who is torn between his poor cowboy and a wealthy businessman who'll do anything to make a profit. The notable thing about this film is that it has a real lightness of touch that turns it into an out-and-out comedy in places. Wayne shares plenty of repartee with the amusing and sparky Martha Scott and seems really comfortable with this fun and funny material. Albert Dekker's villain is better written than usual, being a fully-rounded character who is quite respectable and even engaging at times. The film has a fast pace and plenty of action, including an exciting large-scale chase and some good fights. It all feels very smooth and effortless.

Originally titled WAR OF THE WILDCATS. Rough and tough cowboy Dan Somers(John Wayne)battles a high and mighty land baron Jim Gardner(Albert Dekker)for not just land, but oil drilling rights around Sapulpa Oklahoma. Wayne as customary sides with the Native Americans in hopes of legally claiming, drilling and transporting the oil on their land. There is the obligatory romance to deal with thanks to Martha Scott. The eye popper is actually dance-hall girl Dale Evans. That's right! This vision of Miss Evans is...well...entertaining. Other cast members of this fast paced western: 'Gabby' Hayes, Paul Fix, Grant Withers and Sidney Blackmer as President Teddy Roosevelt. Real good black and white sagebrush tale. Pride, determination and fortitude...the Pioneer way.

Two women, Ethel Hill and Eleanore Griffin, share screen writing credit for Republic's western adventure film WAR OF THE WILDCATTERS (known to some as IN OLD OKLAHOMA). A modestly budgeted endeavor, the story comes to life thanks in large part to a cast that includes John Wayne, Martha Scott, Albert Dekker, Gabby Hayes and Marjorie Rambeau. Wayne, from a different school of acting than the others, rises to the occasion and matches his costars with his own unique strength and performance. In addition to the acting, the motion picture benefits from extensive on-location shooting, which lends a degree of realism. Not to be missed-- there is an impressive moment when oil is struck and a huge gusher comes in.

Albert Dekker was one excellent actor, and in this movie shows he was an excellent action star as well. He and the Duke have one of the fiercest fight scenes ever, yet the Dekker character is still ultimately likable even though he is a pretty rotten scoundrel. Siding Duke is his frequent co-star, another excellent actor, George "Gabby" Hayes. Also siding him, as the oil field manager, is a terribly unheralded actor, Grant Withers, as one of the strongest characters on the screen. Martha Scott was one gorgeous and incredibly talented woman, to repeat, incredibly talented and apparently so recognized by her fellow actors. But, for some strange reason, she did not become that proverbial household name. Watch her in this movie and you too will wonder why. She is adorable, and has a beautiful and extremely expressive face. Speaking of adorable: Dale Evans became The Queen Of The Cowgirls, and as co-star and later wife of Roy Rogers, that is how we know her -- mostly. But in this movie she is also the sexy and delightful singer and dancer in the saloon-night club. And what a talent! That she became a major star later is a, these days, surprising and gratifying example of justice. Dale Evans had it all, beauty and talent and our hearts. John Wayne gives one of his best performances, playing light comedy in much of the first half of the movie, and then his expected action hero thereafter. And there is plenty of action, beautifully photographed by Jack Marta and beautifully directed by Albert S. Rogell. They make a good team and make this a wonderful film to watch. And to listen to? Well, it has both Gabby Hayes and John Wayne singing -- not so pleasant, but funny. The rest of the listening is very pleasant as two women script-writers, Ethel Hill and Eleanor Griffin, produce a superlative script from the original story by Thomson Burtis. Those three writers have created likable and believable characters who speak delightful and also believable dialogue. Everything works together to produce for us an excellent motion picture experience, and you can see it at YouTube. I hope you do. This is a great movie.