jarrodmcdonald-1 Two women, Ethel Hill and Eleanore Griffin, share screen writing credit for Republic's western adventure film WAR OF THE WILDCATTERS (known to some as IN OLD OKLAHOMA). A modestly budgeted endeavor, the story comes to life thanks in large part to a cast that includes John Wayne, Martha Scott, Albert Dekker, Gabby Hayes and Marjorie Rambeau. Wayne, from a different school of acting than the others, rises to the occasion and matches his costars with his own unique strength and performance. In addition to the acting, the motion picture benefits from extensive on-location shooting, which lends a degree of realism. Not to be missed-- there is an impressive moment when oil is struck and a huge gusher comes in.

SanteeFats This is an earlier John Wayne movie. It is very well done. The good guy is of course John Wayne and the antagonist is played very well by Albert Dekker. Notice I say antagonist and not the bad guy. He is a ruthless businessman but that was the way it was back then, he has a softer side and unlike a lot of real bad guys of that time in the movies he has a bit of a conscious and treats his workers well. He and Wayne get in to a couple of knock down fights and they appear to have a mutual, all be it not a liking, for each other. Wayne has Indian connections in this one that lead to his being successful by the end of the movie. Of course he gets the girl too.

JoeytheBrit One of Poverty Row studio Republic's intermittent big-budget efforts, War of the Wildcats is a lively, if fairly routine, western notable for its early 20th-century setting. Wayne plays Daniel F. Somers, formerly one of Teddy Roosevelt's rough riders, who finds himself entangled in a love-and-oil battle with Albert Dekker. Wayne is fairly amiable here, representing the old west and the little man forced to adapt in the face of modern technology and the dawn of big business. Dekker, of course, represents this future. He drives one of them new-fangled auto-mobeels and is erecting oil wells just as fast as he can. He is also dismissive of the native population – he even has one, a Cherokee, scrub his back as he takes a bath – while Wayne shows them respect and receives it in return. I'm not quite sure how that stacks up today, given our knowledge that the treatment of the native American by the old west fell somewhat short of what can be considered fair.Anyway, possibly the best aspect of this film is that Dekker's character isn't portrayed as an out-and-out villain, driven only by greed. He is smart and relatively sophisticated, and also brave. Anyone who has ever had the experience of working with or for a 'captain of industry' (for want of a better term) or a self-made man, will probably recognise oilman Gardner's characteristics exactly as those that account for the success of these people. They aren't necessarily bad people, just ruthless enough to do whatever is necessary in pursuit of their goals.Martha Scott is a fairly bland heroine – it's difficult to see why such rugged individuals as Somers and Gardner would both be so keen to bed her. Gardner's frankness in this matter is also refreshing given the times in which this film was made. He makes no secret of what he desires from Catherine and doesn't resort to any particular underhand tactics to make his desires come true. Of course, he doesn't succeed – it would be another quarter of a century before Hollywood would allow a character like Jim Gardiner to win the girl (and the oil).

gazzo-2 Yer basic patriotic Western, made in WWII days, John Wayne is out Wildcatting in the old days, runs into corrupt rivals and fights over blonde Martha Scott with Albert Dekker and company...Gabby Hayes does his patented Walter Brennan knockoff and you get to see the standard Yakima Canutt stage and horse stunts along the way. Decent time filler, pretty much the type of thing you have seen a 100 times before, nothing special. **1/2 outta ****