The Oklahoma Woman

The Oklahoma Woman is a 1956 film directed by Roger Corman.

The Oklahoma Woman
Directed byRoger Corman
Produced byRoger Corman
Written byLou Rusoff
StarringPeggie Castle
Richard Denning
Cathy Downs
Mike Connors
Dick Miller
Music byRonald Stein
CinematographyFrederick E. West
Production
company
Sunset Productions
Distributed byAmerican Releasing Corporation
Release date
  • June 15, 1956 (1956-06-15)
Running time
73 min.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60,000[1]

Plot

The film involves the return of Steve Ward (Richard Denning) to his hometown to claim his inheritance. Ward is a former gunslinger who was released from prison. Ward ends up getting involved with a local election, which has turned nasty, and is later framed him for murder. [2]

Ward is involved with the ambitions of saloon owner, Marie "Oklahoma" Saunders (Peggie Castle).

Cast

Production

The film was originally known as The Girls of Hangtown.[3]

It was the third of four Westerns Corman directed for ARC (who became AIP). The others were Five Guns West, Apache Woman and Gunslinger. Apache Woman and The Oklahoma Woman came from ideas of AIP, the others were based on ideas of Corman.[4]

The movie was made by Sunset Productions, one of independent production units that would make movies for ARC/AIP. Corman had his own unit, Paolo Alto, but worked for the other units as well.[4] It was the first movie from Sunset; the second would be It Conquered the World, also directed by Corman.[5]

The movie was made for $60,000 in SuperScope. Corman said he "tried to create a bigger look than the budget might indicate and save time and money in the process." He experimented shooting consecutively the components of multiple scenes that faced in one direction, then reversing the angle and shooting them all in the opposite direction. He said this made it easier for him to match backgrounds and wardrobe, "but it was too difficult for the actors and since then I've tended to shoot more in sequence."[4]

It was the first of several collaborations between Corman and cinemtaographer Frederick E. West.[6]

Release

The film was issued on a double bill with Female Jungle.[7]

Reception

Variety found the fight between the two female leads novel, but the movie itself was considered straight out of the oat bin. CEA Film Report was kinder, finding the movie full of action and praised the fight on the roof.

Monthly Film Bulletin said the movie was "below average... poorly photographed in SuperScope consisting of a series of loosely connected incidents which offer little scope for dramatic effect. A competent performance by Tudor Owen stands out amongst an undistinguished cast."[8]

One reviewer called it "probably Corman's dullest film."[9]

The copyright in and to this motion picture is currently held by Susan Nicholson Hofheinz (Susan Hart).


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See also

References
  1. Alan Frank, The Films of Alan Frank: Shooting My Way Out of Trouble, Bath Press, 1998, p. 24
  2. Frank (1996) The Films of Roger Corman
  3. Looking at Hollywood: Robertson Released by Studio and Gets Role in a Western Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune 14 Dec 1955: b11.
  4. Corman, Roger; Jerome, Jim (1998). How I made a hundred movies in Hollywood and never lost a dime. Da Capo Press. p. 34.
  5. "Sunset Rushing Into US Shortage Market". Variety. 13 June 1956. p. 23.
  6. In Memoriam Anonymous. American Cinematographer; Hollywood Vol. 66, Iss. 2, (Feb 1985): 102.
  7. Gary A. Smith, American International Pictures: The Golden Years, Bear Manor Media 2014 p 30
  8. OKLAHOMA WOMAN, The Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 23, Iss. 264, (Jan 1, 1956): 117.
  9. the films of ROGER CORMAN Koszarski, Richard. Film Comment; New York Vol. 7, Iss. 3, (Fall 1971): 43-48.
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