Oklahoma
Directed by Fred Zinnemann
Written by Sonya Levien and William Ludwig based on the musical play by Rogers and Hammerstein
1955/USA
Magna Theatre Productions/Rogers and Hammerstein Productions
Repeat viewing/Amazon Instant
#312 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
[box] Oh what a beautiful morning,/ Oh what a beautiful day,/ I’ve got a wonderful feeling,/ Everything’s going my way. – Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein III[/box]
This musical has been part of my life – Gloria Grahame was Ado Annie long before I knew her as a femme fatale – and I will always love it.
The story takes place in the last days of the Oklahoma territory. Settlers are looking forward to statehood. There is some good-natured conflict between ranchers and farmers in the area.
Laurie (Shirley Jones) lives on a farm with her Aunt Eller (Charlotte Greenwood). She is being courted by cowboy Curly (Gordon MacRae). This courtship consists mostly of teasing and bickering. Reclusive farmhand Jud Fry (Rod Steiger) takes an almost proprietary interest in Laurie. He creeps her out but she agrees to go to a barn raising with him to make Curly jealous.
Concurrently, Ado Annie (Gloria Grahame), who “can’t say no”, is having a dalliance with peddler Ali Hakim (Eddie Albert). Her fiance, cowboy Will Parker (Gene Nelson), returns from Kansas and wants to marry her but her father will not this happen unless Will can produce $50 cash. In the meantime, dad catches Annie and Ali in a compromising position and encourages their marriage at the point of a shotgun.
When Laurie rebuffs Jud’s advances on the way to the party, he vows revenge. The singing and dancing continues until everybody ends up with the right partner.
Oklahoma! was the first Rogers and Hammerstein collaboration and signaled a new era in Broadway musicals with the songs integrated into the story. We also get the first dream ballet, which will be a feature of musicals for the next several years. I think the music is glorious. I have always loved Shirley Jones in everything. Fred Zinnemann films the scenery beautifully. Recommended to musical lovers.
Oklahoma! won Academy Awards for Best Sound, Recording and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture. It was nominated for Best Cinematography, Color and Best Film Editing.
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