Tulsa (film)
Tulsa is a 1949 American Western action film directed by Stuart Heisler and starring Susan Hayward and Robert Preston, and featured Lloyd Gough, Chill Wills (as the narrator), and Ed Begley in one of his earliest film roles, billed as Edward Begley.
| Tulsa | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Film poster | |
| Directed by | Stuart Heisler |
| Produced by | Walter Wanger Edward Lasker |
| Written by | Curtis Kenyon Frank S. Nugent Richard Wormser (story) |
| Starring | Susan Hayward Robert Preston Pedro Armendáriz |
| Narrated by | Chill Wills |
| Music by | Frank Skinner |
| Cinematography | Winton C. Hoch |
| Edited by | Terry O. Morse |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | Walter Wanger Productions |
| Distributed by | Eagle-Lion films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,158,035[1] |
| Box office | $2,340,336[1] |
The film's plot revolves around greed, conservation, and romance.[2] It was nominated for an Oscar for its special effects at the 22nd Academy Awards in 1950.[3]
Plot
The film tells a story about the Tulsa, Oklahoma oil boom of the 1920s and details how obsession with accumulating wealth and power can tend to corrupt moral character.[2] The tale begins with the death of rancher Nelse Lansing, who is killed by an oil well blowout while visiting Tanner Petroleum to report that pollution from Tanner's oil production has killed some of Lansing's cattle.[4] Lansing's daughter, Cherokee, initially in an effort to punish Tanner for her father's death, acquires drilling rights on her land; she meets Brad Brady, a geologist who wants drilling to be limited in order to minimize oil field depletion and to preserve the area's grasslands.[4]
Jim Redbird is a native American who has long been drawn to Cherokee and upon being persuaded by Brady that cattle men can live and work alongside oil men, buys into her oil business and becomes wealthy. As Cherokee succumbs to power and greed and partners with the ruthless Tanner, Jim renounces his holdings. Overcome with anger after a humiliating meeting with Tanner, Cherokee and some of their legal and governmental associates, Jim accidentally starts a fire in a derrick trailing pool. The film received its Oscar nomination[2] for the resulting extravagant scenes of the rampaging flames. In its aftermath, in recognition of the destruction caused by improper oil drilling, and how money and power can corrupt even those who love the land, the oil drillers and the geologist vow to start over and to ensure conservation is their top priority.[2]
Cast
- Susan Hayward as Cherokee Lansing
- Robert Preston as Brad Brady
- Pedro Armendáriz as Jim Redbird
- Lloyd Gough as Bruce Tanner
- Chill Wills as Pinky Jimpson (narrator)
- Ed Begley as John J. "Johnny" Brady (as Edward Begley)
- Jimmy Conlin as Homer Triplette
- Roland Jack as Steve, Cherokee's ranch hand
- Bill Hickman as Bill, the Caterpillar tractor driver (uncredited)
Reception
The film earned an estimated $1.6 million in the US.[5] It recorded a loss of $746,099.[1]
References
- Matthew Bernstein, Walter Wagner: Hollywood Independent, Minnesota Press, 2000 p444
- Tulsa Plot Synopsis (accessed June 7, 2010).
- Tulsa (1949) - Awards Internet Movie Database (accessed June 7, 2010).
- Tulsa (1949) Synopsis (accessed June 7, 2010).
- "Top Grossers of 1949". Variety. 4 January 1950. p. 59.
External links
- Tulsa at IMDb
- Tulsa is available for free download at the Internet Archive
- Tulsa at the TCM Movie Database
- Tulsa at AllMovie
- Tulsa at Rotten Tomatoes
- Tulsa on YouTube