The Oklahoma Woman *** (1956, Richard Denning, Peggie Castle, Cathy Downs, Mike Connors) – Classic Movie Review 7732

‘RIPPED BY RAW VIOLENCE!’ The Oklahoma Woman (1956) is the third of Roger Corman’s interesting series of four low-budget Fifties Westerns.

Richard Denning stars the ex-convict gunslinger Steve Ward, who returns to Oklahoma after six years in jail to claim his homestead, a ranch left to him in a will. But there in Oklahoma the locals are fighting. His former girl Marie ‘Oklahoma’ Saunders (Peggie Castle), the Oklahoma Woman, leads the bad guys, including shootist Tom Blake (Mike Connors aka Touch Connors), who plan to put a tame candidate in the US Senate. They are opposed by kindly, decent politician Ed Grant (Tudor Owen) and his sweet daughter Susan Grant (Cathy Downs).

The Oklahoma Woman is a robust, busily plotted Western from Corman, whose enthusiasm, skill and energy overcome his cheap budget ($60,000) and fast shooting schedule. The good original screenplay is again written by Lou Rusoff.

Also in the cast are Martin Kingsley, Dick Miller, Jonathan Haze, Edmund Cobb, Bruno VeSota, Tom Dillon, Joe Brown and Aaron Saxon.

The Oklahoma Woman is directed by Roger Corman, runs 73 minutes, is made by Sunset Productions, is distributed by American Releasing Corporation, is written by Lou Rusoff, is shot in black and white and Superscope by Fred West, is produced by Alex Gordon and Roger Corman, and scored by Ronald Stein.

It was shot at Universal Studios, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California.

It was released as a double feature with Female Jungle (1954).

It follows Corman’s debut with Five Guns West (1955) and Apache Woman (1955). It is followed by Gunslinger (1956).

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7732

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