Background

The 1950s brought renewed interest in Edna Ferber’s works. Show Boat was adapted in a highly successful film in 1951. So Big and Giant followed in 1953 and 1956, respectively. In 1960, MGM and Warner Bros. competed to film Ferber novels, Warner producing Ice Palace from a later novel, and MGM remaking Cimarron. These marked the end of the Ferber adaptations.

The remake of Cimarron saw many changes from both the novel and especially the 1931 film. With the Civil Rights Movement gaining momentum, the script, written by Arnold Schulman, took a kinder approach to Native Americans. Schulman gave the people more dignity and recognized that they were losing land that was rightfully theirs through the 1893 land rush that was the film’s centerpiece. He also introduced several minor characters, such as journalist Sam Pegler (Robert Keith) and Wes Jennings (Vic Morrow), a prominent member of the Cherokee Kid’s (Russ Tamblyn) gang.

In a twist of irony, WB now owns this adaptation of Cimarron outright, by virtue of merging with Turner Entertainment (which had bought the pre-1986 MGM library) in 1996. They also own the region 1/4 rights to the 1931 film, under license from RKO Pictures.

Reception

In 1961 the film was nominated for Best Art Direction (George W. Davis, Addison Hehr, Henry Grace, Hugh Hunt, and Otto Siegel) and Best Sound, but failed to win either. While the 1931 adaptation is arguably the better and more successful of the two, the 1960 remake receives more attention and is still broadcast on television.

Cast

• Glenn Ford as Yancey Cravat
• Maria Schell as Sabra Cravat
• Anne Baxter as Dixie Lee
• Harry Morgan as Jessie Rickey
• Russ Tamblyn as The Cherokee Kid
• Lili Darvas as Felicia Venable
• Arthur O’Connell as Tom Wyatt
• Mercedes McCambridge as Mrs. Sarah Wyatt
• Vic Morrow as Wes Jennings
• Robert Keith as Sam Pegler
• Aline MacMahon as Mrs. Pegler

Background

Despite America being in the depths of the Depression, RKO immediately prepared for a big-budget picture, investing more than 1.5 million dollars into Ferber’s novel Cimarron. Director Wesley Ruggles would direct stars Richard Dix and Irene Dunne with a script written by Howard Estabrook. Filming began in the summer of 1930 at the Jasmin Quinn Ranch outside of Los Angeles, California. The film was a massive production, especially the land rush scenes, which recalled the epic scenes of Intolerance some fifteen years earlier. More than 5,000 extras, twenty-eight cameramen, and numerous camera assistants and photographers were used to capture scenes of wagons racing across grassy hills and prairie. Cinematographer Edward Cronjager spent overtime planning out every scene in accordance to Ferber’s descriptions.

Plot

Even though lawyer and newspaperman Yancey Cravat doesn’t get to plant a flag in the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889, his eager wife Sabra accompanies him to the new wild west town of Osage, along with their tiny son Cim and a stowaway in their Conestoga, Isaiah. Yancey becomes the soul and spirit of the new community, defending the weak peddler Sol Levy against hooligans like Lon Yountis, who murdered Osage’s first newspaperman. Yancey is a combination lawman, preacher and editorializing promoter of progress, especially for Indian’s rights. But he has a bad case of wanderlust, and leaves home for years at a time seeking fortunes in war and gold rushes. The less-enlightened but determined Sabra carries on Yancey’s newspaper without him, as Osage grows into a 20th century metropolis.

Reception

The film was premiered first in New York City on January 26, 1931, to much praise, and a Los Angeles premiere followed on February 6. Three days later, the film was released to theaters throughout the nation. Despite being a critical success, the high budget and ongoing Great Depression combined against the film. While it was a commercial success in line with other films of the day, RKO could not recoup their investment in the film.

At the 1931 Academy Awards ceremony at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, Cimarron took high honors. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture (producer William LeBaron), as well as awards for Best Art Direction (set decorator Max Rée) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Howard Estabrook). The film was also nominated for Best Actor (Richard Dix), Best Actress (Irene Dunne), Best Cinematography (Edward Cronjager), and Best Director (Wesley Ruggles).  A special award for make-up was given to Ern Westmore for his work on the film, as well.

Cast

• Richard Dix as Yancey Cravat
• Irene Dunne as Sabra Cravat
• Estelle Taylor as Dixie Lee
• Roscoe Ates as Jesse Rickey
• William Collier Jr. as The Kid
• Nance O’Neil as Felice Venable
• George E. Stone as Sol Levy