Richard Dix
Reminded me a little of George Reeves here. There's a physical similarity. That lock of hair on his forehead made him look a bu=it like Superman. The combination of toughness but a mild manner also stuck me. If they'd remade this with Reeves a generation later, the performances would have seemed similar, I think.
Dix: http://emanuellevy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/cimarron_3.jpg
Reeves: https://hairparttheory.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/superman-reeves.jpg?w=300&h=253
The past is a series of presents. The present is living history we are privileged to witness