Oklahoma! (1955)

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1943 Broadway musical OKLAHOMA! was a watershed moment in musical theatre history. Not only was it the first collaboration between the composer and lyricist, the piece epitomized the development of the “book musical” – wherein the music and dancing were used only to advance the plot’s narrative and dramatic structure. Though SHOW BOAT (1927) (written also by Hammerstein and his collaborator Jerome Kern) is widely considered to be the first groundbreaking musical that broke the conventions of the traditional musical comedy or revue by focusing on story first and foremost, OKLAHOMA! takes that to the next level by integrating the lyrics and dance more compactly, without any superfluous “entertainment”.

This 1955 film went on to win multiple Academy Awards in musical scoring and sound recording. Set in the Oklahoma Territory shortly after the turn of the 20th century, it tells the story of farm girl Laurey Williams (Shirley Jones) and her courtship by two rival suitors, cowboy Curly McLain (Gordon MacRae) and the sinister and frightening farmhand Jud Fry (Rod Steiger). A secondary romance concerns Laurey’s friend, Ado Annie (Gloria Grahame), and cowboy Will Parker (Gene Nelson), who also has an unwilling rival. A background theme is the territory’s aspiration for statehood, and the local conflict between cattlemen and farmers.

PLEASE NOTE: The run time for this film is 2 hours and 25 minutes. A brief discussion will follow.