The Oklahoma Cyclone

Customer Reviews:

"The King of B-Westerns & Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ Oklahoma Cyclone (1930)".......2006-03-08

VCI Entertainment and Tiffany Pictures present "Oklahoma Cyclone" (1930) (Dolby
digitally remastered)...relive those thrilling days from the early '30s and '40s
when Bob Steele took us down the dusty trails and the plains to exciting
adventures....some of the best B-Westerns ever to grace the Saturday Matinee
Screen...just remember double thrills, chills, mystery and suspense...hitting the bull's eye
with excitement...don't miss any of the Bob Steele features loaded with action that will leave
you wanting more of his B-Western adventures

Under director John P. McCarthy, producer Trem Carr, story by J.P. McCarthy...the cast include Bob Steele (Jimmy Henderson aka Jim Smith), Rita Rey (Carmelita Carlos), Al St. John (Slim), Charles King (McKim, aka Black Diablo), Slim Whitaker (Henchman Rawhide), Cliff Lyons (Henchman),N.E. Hendrix (Henchman Shorty),Hector Sarno (Don Pablo Carlos), Fred Burns (Sheriff Henderson, Jimmy's father). . . . . our story opens with Bob Steele singing for the senorita, does the ranch foreman Charles King share her musical taste...Steele has one friend among the ranch hands Al St. John, who once again proves he's up to his old tricks in the early westerns...the heroine Rita Rey has eyes for Steele, but King has eyes for Rita and there is where our story goes into action...this the second of eight B-Westerns for producer Trem Carr and we're in for some hard riding and gunsmoke...is there plans to rob a bank, kidnap the sheriff and keep Steele in the thick of the plot on the Tiffany Studio lot. . . . . . B-Western footnote, actor Al St. John, silent film comic who appeared in dozens of Mack Sennett's early Keystone comedies and would eventually create and star in his own vehicles for other studios. With the advent of sound, he became a character actor in westerns and later the bewhiskered sidekick, also known as Fuzzy Q. Jones in some popular series Fred Scott (Spectrum Pictures/1937-38), Bob Steele/Billy the Kid (PRC Pictures/1940-41), Don "Red" Barry (Republic Pictures/1940-42), Lone Rider wth George Houston (PRC Pictures/1941-42), Lone Rider with Robert Livingston (PRC Pictures/1942-43), Buster Crabbe/Billy the Kid (PRC Pictures/1941-43), Buster Crabbe/Billy Carson (PRC Pictures/1943-46), Lash LaRue (PRC Pictures/1947-52)... St. John retired from film making in the early '50s, passed away in 1963 from a heart attack while working with the Tommy Scott Wild West show. . . . . .. . . . .second footnote, actor Charles King was among the top five "Best of the Badmen" (according to a new book by Boyd Magers, Bob Nareau and Bobby Copeland)...King was a big man, but as agile as a cat during his fight scenes with Johnny Mack Brown, Buster Crabbe, Tex Ritter, The Rough Riders and Bob Steele...King appeared in 400 films and 350 were in sound including many cliffhangers...he was the heavy we loved to hate........ meanwhile another great B-Western for Bob Steele under the Tiffany Pictures banner, proves to be one of his most exciting performances.

Special footnote, actor Bob Steele was the son of director Robert N. Bradbury and the age of 14 he and his twin brother Bill Bradbury made a series of comedy shorts "Adventures of Bob and Bill" (1920), directed by their father...along came his first starring western "The Mojave Kid" (1927), released by Film Booking Office of America (FBO) and directed by his father, he changed his name to Bob Steele...making low budget B-Westerns for independent studios such as Republic, Supreme, Monogram and PRC which included nearly 200 feature films, serials and TV appearances...was in his twilight years at the age 59 when he got the part of the cantankerous "Trooper Duffy", in the western comedy series "F Troop" (1965), who at the drop of a hat would give his rendition of fighting "shoulder to shoulder with Davy Crockett at the Alamo"...Steele retired from the screen in 1973...his long career, spanning more than 50 years came to an end in 1988 when he passed away.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
1. Bob Steele (Robert Adrian Bradbury)
Birth Date: 1/23/1907 - Pendleton, Oregon
Died: 12/21/1988 - Burbank, CA.
2. Al "Fuzzy" St. John (aka: Alfred St. John)
Birth Date: 9/10/1893 - Santa Ana, CA
Died: 1/21/1963 - Lyons, Georgia
3. Charles King
Birth Date: 2/21/1895 - Hillsboro, Texas
Died: 5/07/1957 - Hollywood, California (cirrhosis of liver)

If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure check out other western double features with Bob Steele:

BOB STEELE WESTERN DOUBLE FEATURES:
1. Vol. 1 - Tombstone Terror/Lightnin' Crandall (VCI #7212) (DVD)
2. Vol. 2 - The Brand of Hate/Trusted Outlaw (VCI #7252) (DVD)
3. Vol. 3 - The Arizona Gunfighter/Last of the Warrens (VCI #7261) (DVD)
4. Vol. 4 - Gun Lords of Stirrup Basin'/The Feud Maker (VCI #7275) (DVD)

Ask Amazon.Com to carry the above Bob Steele titles
if they are not available as of yet...you can order
and pick up your copy now from VCI Entertainment.

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "Oklahoma Cyclone" (1930), the
digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more
high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s & '40s and
B-Westerns...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there
are plenty of copies available on DVD and VHS, stay tuned once again for top
notch action mixed with deadly adventure from the "King of Serials" VCI...just
the way we like 'em

Total Time: 66 min on DVD/VHS ~ VCI Entertainment #1624 ~ (11/19/1997)

Good Bob Steele western.......2003-07-26

The Alpha Video release looks like it was mastered from an old 16mm filmprint. Possible a dupe copy from another print. Don't let the slight amount of scratches or the graininess of the picture bother you (nor the slight loss of highs in the sound) as this is a terrific B western.

What can you say ?.......2001-12-21

You know I love B westerns they were the best and 60 minutes is long enough to tell a good story. If it hadn't been for the fact that there were so many great cowboys of the 30's and 40's,Bob Steele probably would be hailed today as the best of em all.But the fact is they were all great. And wow! could ole Bob fight. Pop some buttered popcorn,dim the lights, and become a kid again.

Average customer rating:

Oklahoma Cyclone

Manufacturer: Synergy Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000RES65U
Release Date: 2007-05-29

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