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IMDbPro

Cimarron

  • 1931
  • Passed
  • 2h 3m
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
6.5K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,141
6,551
Irene Dunne and Richard Dix in Cimarron (1931)
DramaMusicWestern

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

  • Director
    • Wesley Ruggles
  • Writers
    • Edna Ferber
    • Howard Estabrook
    • Louis Sarecky
  • Stars
    • Richard Dix
    • Irene Dunne
    • Estelle Taylor
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    5.8/10
    6.5K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,141
    6,551
    • Director
      • Wesley Ruggles
    • Writers
      • Edna Ferber
      • Howard Estabrook
      • Louis Sarecky
    • Stars
      • Richard Dix
      • Irene Dunne
      • Estelle Taylor
    • 85User reviews
    • 33Critic reviews
    • 70Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 3 Oscars
      • 5 wins & 4 nominations total

    Photos35

    Irene Dunne, Richard Dix, and Douglas Scott in Cimarron (1931)
    Irene Dunne and Richard Dix in Cimarron (1931)
    Irene Dunne and Edna May Oliver in Cimarron (1931)
    "Cimarron" Irene Dunne 1931 RKO
    Irene Dunne and Richard Dix in Cimarron (1931)
    Richard Dix in Cimarron (1931)
    Irene Dunne and Richard Dix in Cimarron (1931)
    Irene Dunne and Richard Dix in Cimarron (1931)
    Estelle Taylor in Cimarron (1931)
    Richard Dix in Cimarron (1931)
    Cimarron (1931)
    Richard Dix in Cimarron (1931)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Richard Dix
    Richard Dix
    • Yancey Cravat
    Irene Dunne
    Irene Dunne
    • Sabra Cravat
    Estelle Taylor
    Estelle Taylor
    • Dixie Lee
    Nance O'Neil
    Nance O'Neil
    • Felice Venable
    William Collier Jr.
    William Collier Jr.
    • The Kid
    Roscoe Ates
    Roscoe Ates
    • Jesse Rickey
    • (as Rosco Ates)
    George E. Stone
    George E. Stone
    • Sol Levy
    Stanley Fields
    Stanley Fields
    • Lon Yountis
    Robert McWade
    Robert McWade
    • Louis Hefner
    Edna May Oliver
    Edna May Oliver
    • Mrs. Tracy Wyatt
    Judith Barrett
    Judith Barrett
    • Donna Cravat
    • (as Nancy Dover)
    Eugene Jackson
    • Isaiah
    Roberta Gregory
    • Indian Girl
    Alice Adair
    Alice Adair
      Max Barwyn
      Max Barwyn
      • Sabra's Luncheon Greeter
      • (uncredited)
      Frank Beal
      Frank Beal
      • Louis Venable
      • (uncredited)
      Tyrone Brereton
      • Dabney Venable
      • (uncredited)
      Dolores Brown
      Dolores Brown
      • Adult Ruby Big Elk
      • (uncredited)
      • Director
        • Wesley Ruggles(uncredited)
      • Writers
        • Edna Ferber(novel)
        • Howard Estabrook(dialogue) (screen version)
        • Louis Sarecky(contributing writer) (uncredited)
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        The first Western to win a Best Picture Oscar. It would be another 59 years before a Western would win the Academy Award for Best Picture again when Dances with Wolves (1990) took the main prize.
      • Goofs
        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

        Mrs. Tracy Wyatt: One of my ancestors was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

        Sol Levy: That's all right. A relative of mine, a fellow named Moses, wrote the Ten Commandments.

      • Connections
        Edited into Land of the Open Range (1942)

      User reviews85

      Review
      Review
      Featured review
      American Frontier Epic
      Vilified in modern times as one of the weakest and/or worst Oscar Best Picture winner, and spanked as "very racist and very bad" by one author, "Cimarron" does not deserve such condemnation. It won Best Picture because the script is high concept, the type of overarching, epic story that Hollywood has always rewarded.

      Its script tells the fictional tale of adventurer and pioneer Yancey Cravat (Richard Dix) who, along with his wife Sabra (Irene Dunne), takes part in the 1889 land rush into Oklahoma Territory, along with thousands of others. In the film, these pioneers stake a land claim and build a new town, called Osage, out on the prairie.

      The plot spans some forty years in the Cravat's lives, filled with dreams, accomplishments, sorrow, and interaction with a variety of characters, from prim and proper Mrs. Wyatt (humorous Edna May Oliver) to town thug Lon Yountis (Stanley Fields). Along the way we encounter: gun toting outlaws; dust; a strange gospel meeting; bullies; buildings and walkways made of wood; more dust; the trial of an "immoral" young woman; politicians; and still more dust.

      The plot is structured to give most of the film's runtime to the Cravat's lives during the 19th century. As we move into the 20th century, the plot speeds up; characters age a little too quickly. That is a problem I have with the script. The film's tone starts out enthusiastic and rowdy, and ends stoical and long-suffering.

      B&W photography is acceptable. There are lots of wide-angle shots, as we would expect for a story set in the wide-open spaces. Prod design and costumes are elaborate and probably accurate for the era. Casting is acceptable. For a 1920s type film, acting is predictably melodramatic. But with his eyes all bugged-out, Richard Dix seriously overacts, even for that era.

      In retrospect, there may have been other films as deserving, or more so, for Best Picture of 1931. But at the time, this big-budget Western was almost certainly a predictable winner. I found the story only mildly interesting. But then I'm a creature of a more modern era. And I think viewers would do well to consider "Cimarron" a valid film, one that now gives us some historical perspective, both on Hollywood cinema and on American history.
      helpful•3
      0
      • Lechuguilla
      • Jan 31, 2012

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • February 9, 1931 (United States)
      • Country of origin
        • United States
      • Languages
        • English
        • French
      • Also known as
        • Сімаррон
      • Filming locations
        • Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA
      • Production company
        • RKO Radio Pictures
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Box office

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      • Budget
        • $1,433,000 (estimated)
      See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

      Technical specs

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      • Runtime
        2 hours 3 minutes
      • Color
        • Black and White
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.20 : 1

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