Oklahoma Badlands (1948)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Yakima Canutt

Writer:

Robert Creighton Williams (original screenplay)

Release Date:

22 February 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

Oliver Budge is after the Rawlins ranch. His henchman Sanfers kills Ken Rawlins but when he tries to kill Leslie Rawlins...

Plot Keywords:

Horse

Cast

Allan Lane	...	Rocky Lane (as Allan 'Rocky' Lane)
Black Jack	...	Black Jack (Rocky Lane's stallion)
Eddy Waller	...	Nugget Clark
Mildred Coles	...	Leslie Rawlins
Roy Barcroft	...	Henchman Sanders
Gene Roth	...	Oliver Budge (as Gene Stutenroth)
Earle Hodgins	...	Jonathan Walpole, posing as George Black
Dale Van Sickel	...	Henchman Sharkey
Jay Kirby	...	Ken Rawlins
Claire Whitney	...	Agatha Scragg
Terry Frost	...	Sheriff
Hank Patterson	...	Postmaster Fred
House Peters Jr.	...	Stage Passenger
Jack Kirk	...	Stagecoach Driver

Runtime:

59 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #12873)

Filming Locations:

Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures (I)

Rocky arrives to save the ranch

When Ken Rawlins and his father are both murdered, Rocky Lane hits town to try to save the Rawlins Ranch and its new owner, niece Leslie Rawlins (Mildred Coles). Through an assumed identity and with the aid of cantankerous foreman Nugget Clark (Eddy Waller), Rocky tries to flush out bad guys Oliver Budge (Gene Stutenroth) and his henchmen Sanders (Roy Barcroft) and Sharkey (Dale Van Sickel) to stop their scheme to control the valley.

As usual this entry in the Rocky Lane Series features good action pacing and a higher quality feel then might be expected from the restrained budget. A lot of the credit on the early Rocky Lanes has to to go to writer Bob Williams who did ten in the series. Williams always added unique twists and angles to his scripts not often seen in B-Westerns. While this is one of his more straight-forward efforts, he uses the mistaken identity theme to move the action oriented, one-upsmanship plot along.

Roy Barcroft who plays Henchman Sanders is at his vile back-shooting best in this one. If anybody wonders why Barcroft is considered the iconic B-Western Bad Guy check out Oklahoma Badlands. Committing crimes too numerous to mention, never is Roy better than when he is playing the remorseless, wisecracking action-heavy.

Worth watching if you have an extra 59 minutes.