Oklahoma! (1955)

In the Oklahoma territory at the turn of the twentieth century, two young cowboys vie with an evil ranch hand and a traveling peddler for the hearts of the women they love.

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

Sonya Levien (screen play), William Ludwig (screen play)

Stars:

Gordon MacRae, Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gordon MacRae	...	Curly
Gloria Grahame	...	Ado Annie
Gene Nelson	...	Will Parker
Charlotte Greenwood	...	Aunt Eller
Shirley Jones	...	Laurey
Eddie Albert	...	Ali Hakim
James Whitmore	...	Mr. Carnes
Rod Steiger	...	Jud Fry
Barbara Lawrence	...	Gertie
Jay C. Flippen	...	Skidmore
Roy Barcroft	...	Marshal
James Mitchell	...	Dream Curly / Dancer
Bambi Linn	...	Dream Laurey / Dancer
Jennie Workman	...	Dancer
Virginia Bosler	...	Dancer

Storyline

In the Oklahoma territory at the turn of the twentieth century, two young cowboys vie with an evil ranch hand and a traveling peddler for the hearts of the women they love.

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Plot Keywords:

peddler | oklahoma | cowboy | ranch hand | kansas city | 

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Taglines:

Now everyone can see it-at popular prices! (general release CinemaScope version)

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Genres:

Musical | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 May 1957 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Oklahoma

Filming Locations:

Sonoita, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Magna Theatre Corporation, Rodgers & Hammerstein Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

145 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Sound System) (CinemaScope version) (35 mm magnetic prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor) (uncredited)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joanne Woodward was considered for the role of Laurey Williams.

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Goofs

When Laurie walks into her house when the crowd arrives before going to the Skidmore party, she hears the two girls talking about Curley. One girl's hair is in a long ponytail. The camera pans around the room, and when it goes back to Laurie and the two girls, the girl's hair is no longer in a ponytail.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Curly: [singing] There's a bright golden haze on the meadow, There's a bright golden haze on the meadow. The corn is as high as a elephant's eye, And it looks like it's climbin' clear up to the sky. Oh, what a beautiful mornin', Oh, what a beautiful day! I got a beautiful feelin' Everything's goin' my way.

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Connections

Referenced in iZombie: Reflections of the Way Liv Used to Be (2016)

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Soundtracks

Many A New Day
(1943) (uncredited)
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Performed by Shirley Jones and Chorus

User Reviews

OH, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MOVIE...

After seeing OKLAHOMA! on the screen in Todd-AO for the first time 44 years ago, it immediately became my all-time favorite film. Today, it still holds that lofty ranking.

The beautiful Rodgers & Hammerstein score includes some of the greatest music ever written. The two collaborated on nine broadway musicals, many of which were adapted to the screen, notably CAROUSEL, SOUTH PACIFIC, THE KING AND I, and THE SOUND OF MUSIC, but OKLAHOMA! tops them all.

Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones are perfectly cast as the young couple experiencing the magic of first love, and their singing of some of the show's classic tunes, such as "Surry With the Fringe On Top" and "People Will Say We're In Love" is a pleasure to listen to.

Miss Jones, making her screen debut as Laurie Williams, instantly establishes her image of the "girl next door"--did I grow up in the wrong neighborhood? She is captivatingly charming as she tries to make Curly (MacRae) jealous by accepting a date to the box social with her Aunt Eller's hired farmhand, Jud Fry, played menacingly by Rod Steiger.

It is the supporting cast of characters that really bring this musical to life--particularly Aunt Eller, played by Charlotte Greenwood. Doesn't everyone have an Aunt Eller in their life? Then there's Ado Annie Carnes (Gloria Grahame) and her longsuffering boyfriend Will Parker (Gene Nelson), who lights up the screen with a great dance number. Throw in a travelling salesman, Ali Hakim (Eddie Albert); Gertie Cummings (Barbara Lawrence), who tries to steal Curly away from Laurie; and Mr. Carnes (James Whitmore), who insists on a shotgun wedding for his daughter, Ado Annie, rather than see her marry Will; and you have some unforgettable characters indeed.

The film's one dissenting note was the class distinction warfare between the handsome, clean-cut Curly, who everyone knows "Laurie has her cap set fer" and the rough and dirty, working-class Jud. Jud meets his untimely end, but, after all, he is the villain.

Not to fear, it's a happy ending for all. Curly gets Laurie, Will gets Ado Annie, and Ali Hakim gets....Gertie? When Ado Annie and Gertie get into a jealous fight which Will attempts to break up, explaining "I'm trying to keep Ado Annie from killing your wife", Ali Hakim responds, "Why don't you mind your own business?" In the end, the farmer and the cowman do learn to get along and become friends, the new schoolhouse gets built, and the Oklahoma territory is about to become a state.

OKLAHOMA! won two Oscars, for Best Sound Recording and Best Scoring of a Musical Picture. How could they go wrong with great orchestral direction by Robert Russell Bennett and the musical score by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II? The American theatre will never see their equal again.