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 - of the motion picture that ran a year on Broadway at $3.50! (general release CinemaScope version)

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Musical | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ben Johnson can be seen in the dance scene at the train station

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Goofs

When Laurey is singing "Many a New Day" in the bedroom, she puts her arms above her head. When she turns she is still singing but her mouth doesn't move.

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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

Theatrical versions -- The Todd-AO 70mm version and the CinemaScope 35mm version are completely different, with different opening credits, each scene being shot twice and with different sound mixes. In the Todd-AO version, the titles appear against a black background; then, the black background fades out to reveal two rows of giant cornstalks, through which the camera tracks, until it finds Gordon MacRae singing "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin". In the CinemaScope version, we first see the cornstalks, the camera tracks through them; then, as the words "Rodgers and Hammerstein present" appear on-screen, Gordon MacRae appears and rides up to the camera and then past it off left, as the title "Oklahoma!" appears. The rest of the opening credits in this version are shown against, first, a background of a barn, then, a meadow with a tree nearby. As the credits end, the camera cuts back to MacRae and he begins singing. At the end of the Todd-AO version, we see the words "A Magna Release". At the end of the CinemaScope version, we see the words "A Magna Production - Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures".

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Skydivers (1994)

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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

After over 60 years, Oklahoma! is OK

I emphasize 60 because the musical debuted on Broadway in 1943, even though the film version was released 12 years later.

An unforgettable score. Perfect singer-actors. Tantalizing cinematography. It does not seem to get much better than this.

The main thing I admire about Oklahoma is that like the Rodgers and Hammerstein adaptations that would follow it (Carousel, South Pacific, Flower Drum Song, and, of course, The Sound of Music), the movie was fronted by legitimate musical talent, unlike in My Fair Lady and West Side Story. Further, it was a movie that did not rely on major stars, Rod Steiger notwithstanding, to make it an enjoyable picture. (Lest you forget this movie 'introduced' Shirley Jones as Laurey. Lest you would also like to know, the stage musical Oklahoma debuted on March 31, 1943, which coincidentally was a birthday of Miss Jones (I won't say which one). Prophetic? Maybe.

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