Amidst the ceaseless stream of Western melodramas flowing annually from the pens of Hollywood script writers, there are a few really first-rate productions. Such a picture is the "Oklahoma Kid." Somehow the hackneyed plot about the outlaw who "goes straight" has been given a unique twist, resulting in eighty minutes of fast moving, swashbuckling action. James Cagney comes through with a thoroughly convincing performance in the title role. Besides looking like a true cowboy, Mr. Cagney shows a depth of character portrayal unusual for pictures of this type. Humphrey Bogart does a fine job as a leering and scheming villain. But Rosemary Lane has been badly miscast. Although she may present a luscious bit of femininity crooning dulcet lyrics in a Dick Powell musical, Miss Lane has not the force necessary to carry this heavy dramatic part. However, the film itself suffers from too much of this serious emotionalism. Its lack of an occasional touch of levity keeps it from being a truly superior production.

"Nancy Drew--Reporter," the second feature on the program, tells a tedious tale of two ruddy-checked, adventure-seeking adolescents hot on the trail of two vicious murderers.