The 1931 "Cimarron" is no classic. I like it despite it's shortcomings. I like it because it has an early talky charm to it and Richard Dix is very watchable. His style of acting is long gone but he does something Glenn Ford could not. He makes Yancey likable. Ford's Yancey is a self righteous jerk. Ford was a movie star and knew how to handle a camera but he disappears from screen for most of the last hour of the movie. During that span "Cimarron" falls into the hands of Maria Schell. She's not strong enough to carry a movie. "Cimarron" also suffers from a staginess that could have been avoided considering the budget. Sure it looks great when they get the camera outside. But, for the most part, it's all sets and studio backlots. It's boring to look at. The biggest thing that the 1931 version has over the 1960 one is the running time. 1931 version is a half hour shorter.
