Song and dance are the order of the day in the classic musical “Oklahoma!” With music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, talent like Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones, and filming in Todd-AO 70 mm wide screen, it seems that producer Arthur Hornblower Jr. and director Fred Zinnemann (“High Noon” 1952) couldn’t miss. And they did not.
Good pacing by Zinneman, a great screenplay by Sonya Levien and William Ludwig, and many memorable Rogers-Hammerstein numbers kept the film’s 150 minute running time move along. Songs like “Oh What a Beautiful Morning,” “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” “The Farmer and the Cowman,” and “Oklahoma!” stay with theater patrons for a long while after the show is over.
Gordon MacRae is perfect as leading man Curly McLain, as was young Shirley Jones in the part of Laurey Williams, which she played on Broadway. This was her big screen debut. Co-stars include Gene Nelson, Gloria Grahame, Charlotte Greenwood, Rod Steiger, Eddie Albert, James Whitmore, Barbara Lawrence, Roy Barcroft, and veteran Jay C. Flippen, who surprises with his musical prowess.
The watchable “Oklahoma!” was successful in theaters for producer Arthur Hornblower Jr. and RKO Radio Pictures. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning two: Best Scoring and Best Sound. A background theme to the film is Oklahoma’s aspirations for statehood, and the conflict between farmers and cattlemen.
Oklahoma! (1955)
cinema
My Review
Song and dance are the order of the day in the classic musical “Oklahoma!” With music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, talent like Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones, and filming in Todd-AO 70 mm wide screen, it seems that producer Arthur Hornblower Jr. and director Fred Zinnemann (“High Noon” 1952) couldn’t miss. And they did not.
Good pacing by Zinneman, a great screenplay by Sonya Levien and William Ludwig, and many memorable Rogers-Hammerstein numbers kept the film’s 150 minute running time move along. Songs like “Oh What a Beautiful Morning,” “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” “The Farmer and the Cowman,” and “Oklahoma!” stay with theater patrons for a long while after the show is over.
Gordon MacRae is perfect as leading man Curly McLain, as was young Shirley Jones in the part of Laurey Williams, which she played on Broadway. This was her big screen debut. Co-stars include Gene Nelson, Gloria Grahame, Charlotte Greenwood, Rod Steiger, Eddie Albert, James Whitmore, Barbara Lawrence, Roy Barcroft, and veteran Jay C. Flippen, who surprises with his musical prowess.
The watchable “Oklahoma!” was successful in theaters for producer Arthur Hornblower Jr. and RKO Radio Pictures. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning two: Best Scoring and Best Sound. A background theme to the film is Oklahoma’s aspirations for statehood, and the conflict between farmers and cattlemen.