Cimarron (1931)

Writers:

Edna Ferber (novel)
Howard Estabrook (screen version)
(more)

Release Date:

9 February 1931 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Western

Tagline:

World's Mightiest Show!

Plot:

A newspaper editor settles in an Oklahoma boom town with his reluctant wife at the end of the nineteenth century.

Plot Keywords:

Oklahoma | Newspaper | Land Rush | Newspaper Editor | Frontier

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Richard Dix	...	Yancey Cravat
Irene Dunne	...	Sabra Cravat
Estelle Taylor	...	Dixie Lee
Nance O'Neil	...	Felice Venable
William Collier Jr.	...	The Kid
Roscoe Ates	...	Jesse Rickey (as Rosco Ates)
George E. Stone	...	Sol Levy
Stanley Fields	...	Lon Yountis
Robert McWade	...	Louis Hefner
Edna May Oliver	...	Mrs. Tracy Wyatt
Judith Barrett	...	Donna Cravat (as Nancy Dover)
Eugene Jackson	...	Isaiah
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alice Adair	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Max Barwyn	...	Greeter at Sabra's Luncheon (uncredited)
Frank Beal	...	Louis Venable (uncredited)
Tyrone Brereton	...	Dabney Venable (uncredited)
Dolores Brown	...	Ruby Big Elk as an Adult (uncredited)
Frederick Burt	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
William P. Burt	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Lois Jane Campbell	...	Felice Jr. (uncredited)
Nino Cochise	...	Extra (uncredited)
Heinie Conklin	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Nell Craig	...	Arminta Greenwood (uncredited)
Frank Darien	...	Mr. Bixby (uncredited)
Kay Deslys	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Don Dillaway	...	Cim as an Adult (uncredited)
William Elmer	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Edith Fellows	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Mildred Frizelle	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Barney Furey	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Otto Hoffman	...	Murch Rankin (uncredited)
Harry Holden	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Clara Hunt	...	Indian Girl (uncredited)
William Janney	...	Man Phoning for Ambulance (uncredited)
Junior Johnson	...	Cim as a Child (uncredited)
Bob Kortman	...	Killer (uncredited)
Frank Lackteen	...	Man Warning Yountis (uncredited)
Ethan Laidlaw	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Lillian Lane	...	Cousin Bella (uncredited)
Ann Lee	...	Aunt Cassandra (uncredited)
Jack Leonard	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Walter P. Lewis	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
George Lollier	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Timothy J. Lonergan	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Robert McKenzie	...	Pat Leary (uncredited)
Marion Mirsch	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Man at Dinner Table (uncredited)
Dennis O'Keefe	...	Extra (uncredited)
William Orlamond	...	Grat Gotch (uncredited)
Helen Parrish	...	Donna Cravat as a Child (uncredited)
Dorothy Raye	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Henry Roquemore	...	Jouett Goforth (uncredited)
Apache Bill Russell	...	(uncredited)
Douglas Scott	...	Cim as a Toddler (uncredited)
Reginald Scott	...	Yancey Jr. (uncredited)
Dorothy Simms	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Carl Stockdale	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Reggie Streeter	...	Yancey Jr (uncredited)
Helen Trask	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Gloria Vonic	...	Ruby Big Elk as a Child (uncredited)
Ford West	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Lillian West	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Leo Willis	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)

Directed by
Wesley Ruggles		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Edna Ferber		(novel)
Howard Estabrook		(screen version)
Howard Estabrook		(dialogue)
Louis Sarecky		contributing writer (uncredited)

Produced by
William LeBaron	....	producer
Wesley Ruggles	....	producer
Louis Sarecky	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Max Steiner		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Edward Cronjager		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
William Hamilton

Costume Design by
Max Rée

Makeup Department
Ern Westmore	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Doran Cox	....	assistant director (uncredited)
B. Reeves Eason	....	second unit director (uncredited)
F.D. Langton	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Dewey Starkey	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Max Rée	....	scenery
Sidney Ullman	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Clem Portman	....	sound recordist
Ralph Spotts	....	assistant recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Lloyd Knechtel	....	special effects

Stunts
Bob Burns	....	trick rider (uncredited)
Rex Cole	....	trick rider (uncredited)
Ken Cooper	....	trick rider (uncredited)
Lee Cooper	....	trick rider (uncredited)
Bob Erickson	....	trick rider (uncredited)
'Shorty' Hall	....	trick rider (uncredited)
Pete Janet	....	trick rider (uncredited)
Charles Johnson	....	trick rider (uncredited)
Buff Jones	....	trick rider (uncredited)
Gordon Jones	....	trick rider (uncredited)
Bud Pope	....	trick rider (uncredited)
Hank Potts	....	trick rider (uncredited)
Walt Robbins	....	trick rider (uncredited)
Whitten Sovern	....	trick rider (uncredited)
Whitehorse	....	trick rider (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
E.F. Adams	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Willard Barth	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Neal Beckner	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Guy Bennett	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Otto Benninger	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Fred Bentley	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Joseph F. Biroc	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Osmond Borradaile	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
H. Lyman Broening	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Francis Burgess	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Paul Cable	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Emillo Calori	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Roy Clark	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Rex Curtis	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Dean Dailey	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
James Daly	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
James Lee Davis	....	grip (uncredited)
L. De Angelis	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Robert De Grasse	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
George E. Diskant	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Linwood G. Dunn	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Elmer Dyer	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Mack Elliott	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Eddie Garvin	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Pliny Goodfriend	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Jack Grout	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Neal Harbarger	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Ted Hayes	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Bill Heckler	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Edward Henderson	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Fred Hendrickson	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Fred Hendrickson	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Russell Hoover	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Newton Hopcraft	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Harry Jackson	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
William S. Johnson	....	chief electrician (uncredited)
Maurice E. Kains	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Harry Kaufman	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Edward Kearns	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
James V. King	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
James V. King	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Edward A. Kull	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Jack Landrigan	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Joseph LaShelle	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Fred Mayer	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Earl Metz	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Nicholas Musuraca	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Joe Novak	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Robert Pittack	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Eddie Pyle	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Frank Redman	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
William Schuck	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Lester Shorr	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Al Smalley	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
John Thompson	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Rod Tolmie	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Edward Ullman	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Harry L. Underwood	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Joseph Walters	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Harold E. Wellman	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Ben White	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Harry J. Wild	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Rex Wimpy	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)
Lothrop B. Worth	....	camera crew member: land rush scenes (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff	....	jeweller (uncredited)

Other crew
Hyatt Daab	....	general press representative (uncredited)
Harold Hendee	....	researcher (uncredited)
Judd Steven	....	location meals served by (uncredited)

Thanks
A.B. MacDonald	....	acknowledgement: from Miss Ferber for certain descriptive passages in 'Hands Up' by
Fred E. Sutton	....	acknowledgement: from Miss Ferber for certain descriptive passages in 'Hands Up' by

Production Companies

• RKO Radio Pictures (as Radio Pictures) (presents)

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1930) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2007) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. (2007) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)

Other Companies

• Bobbs-Merrill Company, The  acknowledgement: 'Hands Up' published and copyright 1927 by

Also Known As:

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #1029: 2 July 1935 for re-release) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Jasmin Quinn Ranch, near, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

The movie lost $565,000 on a budget of $1.433 million. It was re-released in 1935 and the red ink mostly disappeared off RKO's books.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: During the period of the film set in 1907, Yancey is the Progressive Party's candidate for governor of Oklahoma. The Progressive Party did not form until 1912, and then disbanded after Theodore Roosevelt's unsuccessful third party candidacy that year.

Quotes:

Yancy Cravat:Wife and mother, stainless woman, hide me... hide me in your love.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "American Masters: The Ten-Year Lunch: The Wit and Legend of the Algonquin Round Table (#2.9)" (1987)

Catching Up with 1931's Best Picture of the Year Oscar Winner!

Out of sight for decades, Radio Pictures' 1931 Academy Award winner was supposed to be reissued in 1951 after RKO Radio had their extremely successful reissue of KING KONG. It never happened. Not until VHS came along. We finally watched it tonight, and it holds up well.

Covering primarily one man's journey from the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1886 and continuing through the Oklahoma Oil Rush of 1907 and on to 1927 when they had automobiles and streetcars, CIMARRON cuts a wide sweep. The amazing thing to watch is that all the actors and actresses are just like real people and at no time appear like actors speaking dialog over-and-over-till-they-get-it-right. CIMARRON is like a real trip to Oklahoma a hundred years ago.

I recommend this movie as a must-see for classic movie fans; as I dis-recommend the 1960 MGM remake - an awful misfire that was extremely irritating to watch. If you ever saw John Wayne in THE BIG TRAIL you have some idea of the realistic approach to the 1931 CIMARRON.