Tulsa (1949)

Director:

Stuart Heisler

Writers:

Frank S. Nugent (screenplay) and
Curtis Kenyon (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 May 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Romance | Western

Plot:

It's Tulsa, Oklahoma at the start of the oil boom and Cherokee Lansing's rancher father is killed in a fight with the Tanner Oil Company...

Plot Keywords:

Oil | Revenge | Oklahoma | Place Name In Title | Cattle

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Susan Hayward	...	Cherokee Lansing
Robert Preston	...	Brad Brady
Pedro Armendáriz	...	Jim Redbird
Lloyd Gough	...	Bruce Tanner
Chill Wills	...	Pinky Jimpson (Narrator)
Ed Begley	...	John J. 'Johnny' Brady (as Edward Begley)
Jimmy Conlin	...	Homer Triplette
Roland Jack	...	Steve, Cherokee's Ranchhand
Harry Shannon	...	Nelse Lansing
Lola Albright	...	Candy Williams
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Bailey	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
George Barrows	...	Table Player at Gambling Emporium (uncredited)
Charles D. Brown	...	Judge McKay (uncredited)
Paul E. Burns	...	Tooley (uncredited)
Lane Chandler	...	Mr. Kelly (uncredited)
Iron Eyes Cody	...	Osage Indian (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Chester Conklin	...	Gambling Casino Patron (uncredited)
Sayre Dearing	...	Dice Table Croupier (uncredited)
John Dehner	...	Oilman (uncredited)
Mike Donovan	...	Dice Game Spectator / Rancher at Meeting (uncredited)
Yvonne Doughty	...	Girlfriend (uncredited)
Tom Dugan	...	Cab Driver (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Oilman (uncredited)
Fred Graham	...	Charlie, Cherokee's Foreman (uncredited)
Frank Hagney	...	Doorman at Gambling Emporium (uncredited)
Creighton Hale	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Man in Courthouse Corridor (uncredited)
Thomas Browne Henry	...	Mr. Winslow (uncredited)
Bill Hickman	...	Bill (uncredited)
John Holland	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Selmer Jackson	...	Oilman (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Nolan Leary	...	Man with Newspaper (uncredited)
Carl M. Leviness	...	Gambling Casino Patron (uncredited)
Jack Low	...	Assistant Mover (uncredited)
Wilbur Mack	...	Gambling Casino Patron (uncredited)
George Magrill	...	Firefighter (uncredited)
Renny McEvoy	...	Car Dealer (uncredited)
David McMahon	...	Oil Rigger (uncredited)
George Meader	...	Hotel Manager (uncredited)
Charles Meredith	...	Ned - Governor of Oklahoma (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Frank Mills	...	Moving Man (uncredited)
Roger Moore	...	Oilman (uncredited)
Cyril Ring	...	Dice Table Croupier (uncredited)
Charles Sherlock	...	Firefighter (uncredited)
Brick Sullivan	...	Cowboy in Hotel Lobby (uncredited)
Allegra Varron	...	Opera Singer (uncredited)
Pierre Watkin	...	Attorney Winters (uncredited)
Dick Wessel	...	Joker (uncredited)
Billy Wilkerson	...	Lazy Mouse (uncredited)
Chief Yowlachie	...	Charlie Lightfoot (uncredited)

Directed by
Stuart Heisler

Writing credits
Frank S. Nugent		(screenplay) (as Frank Nugent) and
Curtis Kenyon		(screenplay)
Richard Wormser		(story)

Produced by
Edward Lasker	....	associate producer
Walter Wanger	....	producer

Original Music by
Frank Skinner

Cinematography by
Winton C. Hoch		(as Winton Hoch)

Film Editing by
Terry O. Morse		(as Terrell Morse)

Casting by
Owen McLean		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Nathan Juran

Set Decoration by
Armor Marlowe
Al Orenbach

Costume Design by
Herschel McCoy		(as Herschel)

Makeup Department
Del Armstrong	....	makeup artist
Joan St. Oegger	....	hair stylist
Helen Turpin	....	hair stylist
Ern Westmore	....	makeup artist

Production Management
James T. Vaughn	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Howard W. Koch	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Howard Fogetti	....	sound

Visual Effects by
John P. Fulton	....	special photographic effects (as John Fulton)

Stunts
Fred Graham	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Magrill	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Campbell	....	gaffer (as Bob Campbell)
George Hommel	....	still photographer
Charles Rose	....	grip
Harvey Gould	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department
Irving Friedman	....	musical director
Charles Previn	....	conductor
David Tamkin	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor color director
Arnold Laven	....	script supervisor
Richard Mueller	....	associate technicolor color director

Production Companies

• Walter Wanger Productions

Distributors

• Eagle-Lion Films (1949) (USA) (theatrical)
• Hyco Television Films (1953) (USA) (TV)
• Gamma-Jeannic Films (1950) (France) (theatrical)
• Omnium Verleih (1950) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Rudolf Kille & Company (1950) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Yunic Films (1950) (France) (theatrical) (16 mm)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Brenno Rossi (19??) (Brazil) (VHS) (as "Ouro Negro")
• Bridgestone Multimedia (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Century Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS) (as "Tulsa")
• Cine Art Pictures (19??) (Brazil) (VHS) (as "Tulsa")
• European Video Corporation (EVC) (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• United American Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #13400) | West Germany:12 | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

Company:

Walter Wanger Productions

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Although the bulk of the story takes place in the early to mid-1920's, all of Susan Hayward's and Lola Albright's hairstyles and clothing, as well as those of the other female members of the cast, are strictly 1948.

Quotes:

Jim Redbird:[to Cherry Lansing] I don't think your father would like to see you smeared with oil!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Keepers of the Frame (1999)

Soundtrack:

Old Faithful

A hidden gem of a movie from a period when they were rare.

I recently bought a huge (300 films) collection of old movies on DVD. Plowing through them, I was struck by how bad most of those period movies were. I saw many of them when they were first released, but I don't remember that they were mostly junk.

But every so often, one comes along which is really quite good, indeed, even excellent. "Tulsa" is one of those. I was really pleasantly surprised. Moreover, I had completely forgotten how outstanding Susan Hayward was. To see her again was a real pleasure. She not only acts superbly, but she is some knockout in the looks department. Really outstanding. The rest of the acting was also of very high caliber This movie is certainly worth seeing.