Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Tex Ritter | ... | Tex Lawton | |
Bob Wills | ... | Bob Wills | |
Slim Andrews | ... | Slim Hunkapillar | |
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Terry Walker | ... | Jane Winters |
Robert McKenzie | ... | Deacon Ames (as Bob McKenzie) | |
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Karl Hackett | ... | Storm |
Donald Curtis | ... | Henchman Snapper | |
Gene Alsace | ... | Henchman Red | |
Olin Francis | ... | Mule Bates | |
Carleton Young | ... | Ace Hutchinson (as Carlton Young) | |
George Eldredge | ... | Sheriff | |
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Johnny Lee Wills | ... | Texas Playboy Bass Player (as Johnnie Lee Wills) |
Leon McAuliffe | ... | Texas Playboy Steel Guitar Player | |
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Son Caz Lansford | ... | Texas Playboy |
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Wayne Johnson | ... | Texas Playboy |
Storm is out to wreck Ace's stage line. When Tex arrives to help Ace, Storm brings in hired killer Mule Bates. But Tex and Bates know each other and the two devise a plan to fool Storm.
In B-westerns of the 40s and 50s, music was frequently inserted into the film--especially the films of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry--both fine singers who sang quite a bit themselves. However, in almost all these films, the music is secondary. In the case of "Take Me Back to Oklahoma", however, it looks as if the film is almost all music--with only a bit of a story. This is great if you adore old time country music--but miserable otherwise. In this case, Boy Wills and the Texas Playboys sing and sing and sing and sing. They sing as they ride in on the stage, they sing when folks are stealing the strongbox---heck, they probably sang in their sleep! And, oddly, after a while I found myself liking the music a lot---which surprised me, as I usually hate this sort of singing. But, even though I did like the singing, there just wasn't much room for a story! The story is pretty typical--a local baddie is trying to run the town and take over the stage business--though no one knows for sure that he's behind all the crazy happenings. But, when Tex comes to town and tries to help out the lady who owns the stage, the baddies all conspire to frame him for robbery and then, when that doesn't work, shoot him--all to stop him from driving in 'the big race' (another cliché).
Pluses were decent music and,....Ritter did NOT use a stuntman in a few very dangerous scenes. As for the acting, at times it was pretty lame--especially from Tex's really annoying third-rate sidekick, Slim. And, the story is both familiar and thin. Overall, worth seeing if you love old B-westerns, but if you don't, this one won't win you over to the genre!