Oklahoma!

film by Zinnemann [1955]

Written by Lee Pfeiffer

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Last Updated: Nov 13, 2024 • Article History

Oklahoma!, American musical film, released in 1955, that was based on the Broadway musical of the same name (1943) written by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II.

The love of two cowboys for their sweethearts is tested in the days before the Oklahoma territory’s acceptance of statehood. Curly (played by Gordon MacRae) and Laurey (Shirley Jones) have not admitted their feelings for each other. To spite Curly, Laurey accepts the invitation of her family’s disturbed farmhand, Jud Fry (Rod Steiger), to the town dance. Meanwhile, Will Parker (Gene Nelson) has returned from Kansas City with plans to marry Ado Annie (Gloria Grahame). However, she is “just a girl who cain’t say no” and is involved with the peddler Ali Hakim (Eddie Albert). After a series of romantic complications, however, Will wins Ado Annie’s hand, and Curley marries Laurey.

Oklahoma!’s classic tunes includes the title song, “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” and “People Will Say We’re in Love.” The movie also keeps the extended ballet sequence from the stage production intact. Oklahoma! was an unusual career achievement for director Fred Zinnemann, who is primarily known for his classic dramas High Noon (1952) and From Here to Eternity (1953). The film was the most expensive musical ever produced to that time (costing $7 million), because it was shot twice in two different wide-screen processes—once in the 70-mm Todd-AO process and again in the 35-mm CinemaScope process (which could be shown in many more theatres than Todd-AO). There are subtle differences between the two versions.