Absolutely Brilliant!

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

In B-westerns of the 40s and 50s, music was frequently inserted into the film--especially the films of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry--both fine singers who sang quite a bit themselves. However, in almost all these films, the music is secondary. In the case of "Take Me Back to Oklahoma", however, it looks as if the film is almost all music--with only a bit of a story. This is great if you adore old time country music--but miserable otherwise. In this case, Boy Wills and the Texas Playboys sing and sing and sing and sing. They sing as they ride in on the stage, they sing when folks are stealing the strongbox---heck, they probably sang in their sleep! And, oddly, after a while I found myself liking the music a lot---which surprised me, as I usually hate this sort of singing. But, even though I did like the singing, there just wasn't much room for a story! The story is pretty typical--a local baddie is trying to run the town and take over the stage business--though no one knows for sure that he's behind all the crazy happenings. But, when Tex comes to town and tries to help out the lady who owns the stage, the baddies all conspire to frame him for robbery and then, when that doesn't work, shoot him--all to stop him from driving in 'the big race' (another cliché).Pluses were decent music and,....Ritter did NOT use a stuntman in a few very dangerous scenes. As for the acting, at times it was pretty lame--especially from Tex's really annoying third-rate sidekick, Slim. And, the story is both familiar and thin. Overall, worth seeing if you love old B-westerns, but if you don't, this one won't win you over to the genre!

"Take Me Back to Oklahoma" has all the makings of a below average "B" oater. The plot is the old wheeze about the villain trying to run the heroine out of her stagecoach business so he can grab the franchise for himself. The script is thin with only one minor character, an ex-con who throws in with the hero, rising above the all-good or all-bad stereotypes. The acting by the supporting cast is mediocre, with the heroine vapid, and the bad guys a faceless bunch, having none of the evil charisma a Harry Woods or a Roy Barcroft or a Charles King brought to such roles. So the movie sucks and don't watch it? Not at all. "Take Me Back to Oklahoma" is more entertaining than about 90% of the flicks out there. It was filmed outdoors for the most part and the camera catches several lovely vistas. Sidekick Slim Andrews, with deadpan help from star Tex Ritter, has some amusing moments. A wild stagecoach chase at the beginning and an exciting stagecoach race at the climax are superbly handled. Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys are on hand to join with Ritter and the resulting music is wonderful. I think there were seven numbers and all are good with "You Are My Sunshine" and "Take Me Back to Tulsa" classics which bridge the years. I have listened to CD's of Bob Wills with pleasure and it is a treat to see him perform in his prime. This movie is a must for fans of old-timey western swing like myself.All in all, great music and strong action make this a fun "B" western.

The scene with Bob Wills and his band riding on top of a stage coach strumming a tune is priceless. Tex Ritter is in fine form saving the little lady's property and snaring the bad guys. Ritter, who has a trusty side kick to add a little slapstick to the plot, sings and so does Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. To any Wills fan this is an excellent opportunity to see how the band looked in a performance. Wills' dancing is not unlike some modern performers. Good entertainment and a great reminder of how Westerns once were in the U.S. This is the kind of movie I spent countless Saturday afternoons seeing and sometimes staying over to see again. Without the music this is about average; with the music it is priceless.

This B Western has it all - a really shaky frame-up, a posse chase aborted for no apparent reason, a stagecoach race featuring not one, but two coach top fights and a disintegrating wheel on the winning coach. It also has the music of Tex Ritter and of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. That and some funny bits here and there earned this movie a 4.