Oklahoma! (1955)

20th Century Fox/RKO, 1955
Starring Shirley Jones, Gordon MacRae, Charlotte Greenwood, and Gloria Grahame
Directed by Fred Zimmerman
Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

I'm doing this one in honor of the 75th anniversary revival of the original stage show that just opened on Broadway a couple of weeks ago. This is a far more traditional take on this story than the stripped-down version that's currently playing in New York, and was a huge hit in 1955. Rodgers and Hammerstein personally oversaw the production and made sure it was represented faithfully. How does it compare now? Let's head to the wide open plains of Skidmore, Indiana Territory in 1912 to find out...

The Story: Cowboy Curly (MacRae) wants to ask pretty farm girl Laurey (Jones) out to the big box social that night, but her hired hand Jud Fry (Rod Steiger) gets there first. He ends up going with Laurey's Aunt Eller (Greenwood). Laurey likes Curly, but Jud has an edge of danger to him. Angry, Curly goes to the smoke house where Jud lives to more-or-less threaten him. Aunt Eller warns them off, but Laurey's still nervous. Turns out she has reason to be. Jud's interest in her is turning into obsession. His competing with Curly for Laurey bubbles over at the party...and ultimately ends in tragedy.

Laurey's best friend Ado Annie (Grahame) is having her own romantic problems. She's been pursuing the Persian peddler Ali Hakim (Eddie Albert), but her true love Will Parker (Gene Nelson) is back in town. Her father Mr. Carnes (James Whitmore) promised that he could marry Annie if he had 50 dollars. He had it, but he spent it on gifts for Annie. Ali's not really interested in Annie...and he may have a way to make everyone happy.

The Song and Dance: There's a reason this show was such a hit when it first debuted in 1943. While its relatively dark story and use of music to propel the action isn't as revolutionary today, the script and the simple story mostly still work. Of the cast, my favorites are Greenwood as a perfectly salty Aunt Eller, Jones as troubled Laurey, and Grahame as the indecisive Annie. Too bad Grahame didn't do more comedy, as her Annie is hilarious as she switches between beaus. Nelson makes an amiable Will Parker, and Stieger is darkly menacing as the loutish Jud. The gorgeous costumes and lovely color cinematography (in CinemaScope or ToddAO) give us a marvelous view of a changing state.

One of the things I really enjoy about the movie are getting to see details of farm life and local ritual that didn't make it onto the stage, like Laurey bathing in a local river or the "shiveree" with the men tossing corn husk dolls at Curly and Laurey on a hay stack. It brings at least a little more authenticity to the proceedings.

Favorite Number: Agnes de Mille recreated her famous dances from the original cast here, including Laurey's dream ballet mid-way through that gives us her dream of what will happen if she marries Curly...and her nightmare with Jud. Nelson gets to show off his ragtime steps with "Everything's Up to Date In Kansas City," and he and Grahame do an adorable "All or Nuthin'." MacRae's opening "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" sounds gorgeous, and he, Jones, and Greenwood have fun with "The Surrey With the Fringe on the Top." Grahame's not really a singer, but her expressions are so funny in "I Cain't Say No," it works anyway.

Along with "Laurey Makes Up Her Mind," probably the most famous numbers here are the ensemble routines. Laurey and the girls claim that "Many a New Day" will pass before they mourn a lost love as they perform a charming dance in lovely frilly petticoats. The big title song is appropriately rousing as well.

Trivia: The movie was actually made by the Magna Corporation and originally filmed in the 70 millimeter ToddAO process. My review is based on the CinemaScope 35 mm version, but the ToddAO one is also available and has a few different scenes.

It was supposed to film in the real Oklahoma, but oil drilling there forced them a few states over to Arizona.

The movie version cut Ali Hakim's comic number "It's a Scandal, It's an Outrage," and Jud's mournful "Lonely Room."

Marc Platt, who appeared the year before as Daniel, one of the brothers in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, can be seen in a few numbers and during the party. He's the one who buys Curly's saddle and claims Annie's sweet potato pie gave him a "three day bellyache."

What I Don't Like: As lovely as Arizona is, the location shooting makes the sound stage-bound sets look cramped and fake. Eddie Albert is funny as Ali Hakim, but his character is basically a stereotype and may annoy some people today. Speaking of plot points that don't work now, in 1955, Curly probably just looked like he was needling Jud a bit over his interest in Laurey during that "Poor Jud Is Dead" song. Nowadays, he comes off as a jerk who is practically encouraging a man to commit suicide. No wonder Jud attacks them later. The costumes are gorgeous and fairly authentic. The extremely 50's hair and makeup, especially the cute, short dos on some of the younger girls, are not.

And while "Scandal" isn't one of the better songs in the score and is no great loss, I do wish they'd kept "Lonely Room," even if they had to dub Steiger. It explains Jud's motivations and back story far better than any dialogue could.

The Big Finale: This has long been one of my favorite movies, and my favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. If you haven't seen it yet, this is the perfect time to head to the brand-new Sooner State and meet its colorful residents. Highly recommended.

Home Media: My 2-disc DVD set that includes the CinemaScope and ToddAO versions is out of print, but was re-released in 2017. It's on Blu-Ray and most streaming platforms as well.

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