Tulsa

The fine performance by Susan Hayward makes all of "Tulsa" worth watching, and the exciting finale caps it off with a bang. The tone is not always consistent, varying from serious treatment of environmental and ethical issues to the folksy, ultra-upbeat narration by Chill Wills. But Hayward is consistently interesting to watch, and the story is generally told at a good pace, with some good scenes along the way.

Hayward plays the daughter of a rancher, seeking revenge against a large oil man who caused the death of her father and the destruction of his valuable livestock. Along the way, she makes the fateful decision to beat the oil baron at his own game, which has some tumultuous consequences for her and those close to her. It's quite a good role for Hayward, and she is believable as her character first seeks justice, and then gradually starts to become what she had been fighting against.

The occasional overly-positive emphasis on the role of the oil industry is balanced out by some good efforts to discuss some of the environmental problems caused by large-scale drilling. And even though it is never stated explicitly, several of the scenes create a noticeable contrast between the simple beauty of the Oklahoma prairies and the bleak ugliness of fields filled with endless rows of oil wells.

The firefighting climax is exciting to watch, and it is a rather impressive piece of film-making as well, with believable action and visuals. Although the finale does not really resolve most of the important issues, it works well on screen.

The supporting cast is solid and likable, with Wills, Robert Preston, and Pedro Armendariz. For the most part, their characters are not fleshed out, since Hayward is the center of attention, but the other characters occasionally get their moments.

Overall, "Tulsa" is somewhat above average, with some noticeable strengths in the mix.

My summary is NOT an insult. It's just pointing out that of all the actresses of her day, Susan Hayward made a name for herself playing tough, tough ladies...the type to never allow themselves to be pushed around by any man...a real feminist hero of her era in films. And here, once again, she plays such a tough cookie!

When the film begins, the oil industry in Oklahoma is in its infancy. There naturally is a conflict brewing between oil men who want to put up wells everywhere and ranchers...and Cherokee (Hayward) is the daughter of one of the ranchers. When her father and some cattle are accidentally killed due to the wells, she is on htre warpath. But, instead of fighting the oil companies and trying to stop them, she jumps into the oil business herself. Despite a slow start, she and her new partner, Brad (Robert Preston), make it big. However, as Cherokee gets richer, she becomes harder and greedier and ends up hurting the men who love her. Is there any redemption for this hard-hearted woman?

This is a decent film...but it also lacks depth. This is because Cherokee's change at the end of the film is way too fast and way too unlike who she'd become. Enjoyable...but it could have been better. As for the ending, despite making little sense, it was awfully spectacular!

Tulsa, Oklahoma is an oil boom town. Cherokee Lansing (Susan Hayward) is a wild daughter to her loving rancher father. His cattle are getting killed by the oil. He goes to a Tanner Petroleum Corp well about the pollution. He is killed by an explosive gusher. Cherokee vows revenge on Bruce Tanner (Lloyd Gough) who refuses to pay for the cattle, let along for her father's death. She starts her own wells with the help of geologist book expert Brad Brady (Robert Preston) and childhood native friend Jim Redbird (Pedro Armendáriz). They want to drill environmentally with fewer wells but they face opposition from Tanner. Cherokee refuse to drill less than Tanner but Jim doesn't go along. Her ambition soon takes over and she wants to build more wells on Jim's property. Jim revolts and sets the wells on fire.

It's mostly a weak movie with the exception of Susan Hayward. She really shows her star persona. The oil well work is interesting. It's a big oil romantic melodrama. The movie is passable and then the place blows up. The fire is quite impressive. The special effects are a solid mix of miniatures, rear projections, real stunts and explosions.

This film took me by complete surprise with great acting by veteran actors, Susan Hayward, (Cherokee Lansing) and Robert Preston, (Brad Brady). The film starts out with Cherokee and her father who raise cattle on their ranches in Tulsa, Oklahoma and one day they find all their cattle dying along a stream of water and as they smell the water, they realize the oil refining business was contaminating the soil and killing the cattle. Cherokee goes with her father to tell them about what their oil business is doing to their cattle and while they are talking, an oil structure struck oil and a large part of a building fell on her father and killed him. It was from this point in the film when Cherokee Lansing decided to get revenge for her father's death and declares war on the oil men and their owners. There is plenty of action and even some romance. There is great photography of a fire burning through an oil field and people risking their lives in order to save their oil fields and friends and family.

Let me get down to the story immediately...

It's 1920s Oklahoma, and the oil wells are...well, gushing. A young woman, orphaned when such a rig kills her cattle baron dad, sets out to get revenge on the oil owners but, instead, eventually winds up to be an oil baron herself. In the process, Cherokee Lansing (Susan Hayward) has three men vying for her affection: Brad Brady (Robert Preston), Bruce Tanner (Lloyd Gough), and Jim Redbird (Pedro Armendariz).

It's a well-photographed narrative, the special effects (for 1949) are very realistic, the acting is adequate (Susan Hayward shines, in my opinion) and the overall result is for a quite entertaining movie coupled with a glimpse into the recent past when the oil business was booming. And, I was glad to see Chill Wills again, who always gives a competent performance and who adds the requisite humour to an otherwise deadly serious affair...

The finale, showing one of the oil fields going up in flames, is quite a spectacle.

But this is more than an adventure movie about the oil business. It's also a politically correct conservation statement by Hollywood in response to the rapacious greed with which land was appropriated to feed awakening American industry. This, in 1949 – long before anybody started to think about peak oil, and the looming crisis that will come when the oil runs dry globally! Now that took guts…and a lot of money. Which makes me wonder how well this film did at the box office in 1949/1950...

So, I was amazed – even astounded – that Hollywood dared to take on the oil business then, so soon after the Second World War. Now that the predictions in that film are coming true, I think everybody should see this film. Might wake up a few more people about the coming end of the oil world as we know it...

Highly recommended. Get a copy and see it. Today, already!