Oklahoma! (1955)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

Lynn Riggs (play)
Oscar Hammerstein II (play)

Release Date:

9 January 1956 (Brazil)

Genre:

Musical | Romance | Western

Tagline:

Now a motion picture as big as all outdoors! (first run Todd-AO version)

Plot:

A couple of young cowboys win the hearts of their sweethearts in the Oklahoma territory at the turn of the century...

Plot Keywords:

Cowboy | Oklahoma | Peddler | Ranch Hand | Love

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Gordon MacRae	...	Curly McLain
Gloria Grahame	...	Ado Annie Carnes
Gene Nelson	...	Will Parker
Charlotte Greenwood	...	Aunt Eller Murphy
Shirley Jones	...	Laurey Williams
Eddie Albert	...	Ali Hakim
James Whitmore	...	Andrew Carnes
Rod Steiger	...	Jud Fry
Barbara Lawrence	...	Gertie Cummings
Jay C. Flippen	...	Ike Skidmore
Roy Barcroft	...	Marshal Cord Elam
James Mitchell	...	Dream Curly
Bambi Linn	...	Dream Laurey
Jennie Workman	...	Dancer
Virginia Bosler	...	Dancer

Runtime:

145 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Sound System) (CinemaScope version) (35 mm magnetic prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Mono (Western Electric Sound System) (35 mm optical prints)

Certification:

Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | West Germany:12 | Australia:G | New Zealand:G | Finland:K-12 | UK:U | USA:G (1982)

Filming Locations:

Amado, Arizona, USA

Company:

Magna Theatre Corporation

Trivia:

The world premiere was preceded by a parade of fringed surreys, led by then-Oklahoma Gov. Raymond Gary (1908-1993, governor 1955-1959), which made its way from the St. James Theater, where the stage version of "Oklahoma" had opened 12 years earlier, to the Rivoli Theater for the film premiere. There, standing atop a carpet of transplanted Oklahoma soil, Gov. Gary helped raise the Oklahoma state flag from the theater staff and officially proclaimed the Rivoli to be Oklahoma territory.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene near the end when people are bidding on the picnic baskets, when Curly makes the highest bid, Aunt Eller bangs the gavel SO hard that it breaks, to much laughter. it is fully intact in the next shot.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Colgate Comedy Hour: (#6.4)" (1955)

Soundtrack:

Oklahoma!

I love musicals

It is a rarity these days to see a good (none the less) musical on tv or in the theaters,with the exception of "Chicago". Even less to find "classic" worthy films. I grew up on watching old classic musicals or just classic movies. Black and white movies mostly. Oklahoma! has to be one of the most wounderful movies ever made. Most of my friends have never seen this movie, I finally made them watch it and now I am glad to say we have a weekly ritual to watch classics.