Oklahoma! (1955)

In Oklahoma, several farmers, cowboys and a traveling salesman compete for the romantic favors of various local ladies.

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 McLain
Gloria Grahame	...	Ado Annie Carnes
Gene Nelson	...	Will Parker
Charlotte Greenwood	...	Aunt Eller
Shirley Jones	...	Laurey Williams
Eddie Albert	...	Ali Hakim
James Whitmore	...	Andrew Carnes
Rod Steiger	...	Jud Fry
Barbara Lawrence	...	Gertie Cummings
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 a violent ranch hand and a traveling peddler for the hearts of the women they love.

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Plot Keywords:

cowboy | farm | based on stage musical | dream | farmer | 

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Taglines:

Complete...Intact...with Every Scene...Every Song! (general release CinemaScope version)

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Musical | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Mitchell was working on The Prodigal (1955) at the same time as the dream ballet.

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Goofs

In the early scenes at Aunt Eller's, the corn disappears and reappears between shots.

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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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Alternate Versions

Video versions - Video transfers derived from the CinemaScope version exist both in the traditional pan-and-scan transfer (such as "Rodgers & Hammerstein Silver Anniversary" edition), and a letterbox transfer. Both of these video transfers are available with and without the "Overture", "Entr'Acte" and "Exit Music". Recently, a video in letterbox transfer has been derived from the Todd-AO version, with the "Overture", "Entr'Acte" and "Exit Music".

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Connections

Referenced in Grace of My Heart (1996)

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Soundtracks

The Surrey With the Fringe On Top
(1943) (uncredited)
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Performed by Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, and Charlotte Greenwood

User Reviews

Great, fantastic, sensational, but see it on a big screen.

I used to see the opera Carmem repeatedly on a laser video and when I had the chance to see it on the stage I was deceived. Mostly, I missed the close ups, I felt I was seeing everything from far away. When I saw Carousel on the stage I had the same feeling, the movie was better. Same goes for West Side Story. I did not see Oklahoma on the stage but I doubt that it would come close to the film. I had the chance of seeing it recently on a 50 inch screen with great sound and it was quite sensational. It is a shame that films that were made for the big screen, are not shown anymore in movie theaters. They lose a lot when you see them on a normal TV. The best part of Oklahoma is the beginning. Oh what a beautiful morning, Surrey with a fringe on top, People will say we're in love, Everything is up to date in Kansas City, I can't think of another musical with such great songs, one following the other. The scenery is outstanding. The ballet that repeats the story is very good but not on the level of the rest of the film. Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones and Charlotte Greenwood are so good that you just can't imagine anybody else in their roles. When they all sing Oklahoma near the end I had the feeling this musical was too good to be true.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 November 1956 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Oklahoma!

Filming Locations:

Sonoita, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,520

Company Credits

Production Co:

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