The Oklahoma Cyclone

I like Bob Steele westerns. Although a very small man, Steele excelled at using his fists--and created some of the best and most realistic fight scenes in any of the B-westerns. He also had a nice personality that made his films, even the very cheaply made ones, likable. However, "The Oklahoma Cyclone" has managed to do something I didn't think was possible--it made me HATE one of Steele's films!

Why is this such a terrible old film? Because when it came out in 1930, it was obvious that the folks making it had little experience with sound films! Too often, instead of the characters DOING anything, they talk and talk and talk. They also stand woodenly stiff as they deliver their lines in a very unnatural manner. Worse is a pretty Mexican lady whose dialog needed captioning because you cannot understand her! The sum total effect is a film that is stupifyingly boring. In fact, NOTHING about this film is interesting other than it provides you a chance to see Al 'Fuzzy' St. John make his transition from a screen comedian to a cowboy sidekick--something for which he's most remembered today. Overall, a god-awful film with nothing to recommend it. However, don't assume all of Steele's films are like this--they could only get better!!

How Not to make a cowboy film is on display in this one. The soul of the genre is action, but little is offered here. The usual criticism for this film places it's problems in being so early in talking film production that they hadn't worked out all the problems. True, it is early in the talkie era, but by the Summer of 1930, there had been thousands of them made, and the experimental period was long over. The problems in this are many, the aforementioned paucity of action for one, the long, drawn out, almost purposely slow talking conversations is another, and the breaks for someone to sing are ridiculous- it just keeps happening. I don't know what the right criteria is, but this might actually qualify as a musical! The story is dull and predictable, the actors uninspired, and a miniscule budget, too. But even poverty stricken outfits like Tiffany caould do better than this. As if to compound the cheapness, the film now exists in it's re-release "Amity Pictures" version. It's just slow and bad.

Watching The Oklahoma Cyclone, it becomes apparent that the producers knew little about making a sound picture and just dove in head first. While their intentions are quite admirable, the finished product is not.

The film's nearly all talk, with several songs and musical interludes, but hardly any action. Most of the actors, apparently unused to the sound medium, are very stilted, speaking very slow and very clear, particularly Charles King. Meanwhile, the Spanish accented actors are barely intelligible.

I do wonder though, how well this played to audiences in 1930, not used to talking pictures.

On the plus side, star Bob Steele appears to be singing his own songs and leading lady Rita Rey is very beautiful, even if I cannot understand a word she says!

This is the first full-length western featuring iconic sidekick Al "Fuzzy" St. John. Even at this early date he manages to steal an early scene, even without the benefit of dialog, as he stands to the side and spits long streams of tobacco juice past the other actors as they speak!

One frame has St. John almost entirely off-screen, but closest to the camera, launching a stream of spit that arcs across the picture like a half rainbow, landing right in the bottom-center of the screen, distracting the audience from the other actors!

Eight years later, Steele and St. John would be back together, often with King as the heavy, in Producers Releasing Corporation's series of Billy the kid films.