Oklahoma! From Stage to Screen

Oklahoma Cast

Curly McLain
Ado Annie Carnes
Will Parker
Aunt Eller Murphy
Laurey Williams
Ali Hakim
Carnes
Jud Fry
Gertie Cummings
Ike Skidmore
Marshal Cord Elam
Dream Curly
Dream Laurey
Wrangler
Dancers

Gordon MacRae
Gloria Grahame
Gene Nelson
Charlotte Greenwood
Shirley Jones
Eddie Albert
James Whitmore
Rod Steiger
Barbara Lawrence
Jay C. Flippen
Roy Barcroft
James Mitchell
Bambi Linn
Ben Johnson
Jennie Workman
Virginia Bosler
Kelli Brown
Evelyn Taylor
Lizanne Truex
Jane Fischer
Marc Platt
Jerry Dealey

Oklahoma Crew

Directed by
Fred Zinnemann

Based on the play
"Green Grow the Lilacs"
by Lynn Riggs

Play written by
Oscar Hammerstein II
Sonya Levien &
William Ludwig

Produced by
Arthur Hornblow Jr

Original music by
Richard Rodgers
Adolph Deutsch

Lyrics by
Oscar Hammerstein II

Cinematography by
Floyd Crosby
Robert Surtees

Film Editing by
George Boemler
Gene Ruggiero

Production Design by
Oliver Smith

Costume Design by
Motley
Orry-Kelly

Production Management
Samuel Lambert

Assistant Director
Arthur S. Black Jr.

Sound Department
Fred Hynes

Music arranger
Robert Russell Bennett

Conductor
Jay Blackton

Orchestration
Alexander Courage

Choreographer
Agnes de Mille

Oklahoma Songs

Overture

Oh, what a glorious overture. One of the many elements I miss from the older musicals is hearing an overture playing while you find your seat. It introduces you to some of the musical themes you will hear later on in the film and creates a familiarity with the music that makes the songs easier to follow. Even though the Overture has mostly disappeared from the few movie musicals of late, the DVD (and laser disc before it) has given a nice return for the Overture. Oklahoma is no exception. It begins with a soaring orchestral interpretation of "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" which is followed by the rollicking "Farmer and the Cowman" and then the lovely "People will say We're in Love." By this point, the theatergoers should have found their seats. The lights would dim and the curtain would pullback as the Overture continues accompanied by the lush green landscape, preserved in spectacular widescreen. "Oh, what a beautiful mornin'" is heard again followed by a triumphant title song. The Overture finally culminates with the "Surrey with the Fringe on the top." The overture segues directly into...

Oh, what a
beautiful mornin'

By today's standards, the cinema tricks in the film are next to nothing. But in it's day, this song was filmed in a very expensive, troublesome way. Large portions of the song were filmed by a moving camera following a moving singer. And the visuals of the towering cornfields and sweeping valleys are just beautiful. The Rodgers and Hammerstein music does very well to set the tone for the entire first act. Curly delivers this song in a great way to start any day... When he finally reaches his destination, he reprises the number as part of his courtship to Miss Laurey.

The surrey with the
fringe on top

Aside from establishing financial status, this cute song doesn't do much in the way of story development but it cinematically establishes the dream sequence. Throughout the film, the viewer enters a dreamworld where they see what is running through characters minds. And although Laurey is playing really hard to get, we know where her head is.

Kansas City

When Will Parker returns to town from the big city, not only has he increased his self-worth by $50, he's also become a man of the world! This clever song speaks of the big city from a small town point of view. Will introduces new dances he has learned. This opens up to a big dance number of various styles. Quite often, the camera is left in a static position giving the viewer a feeling of sitting watching a stage production, but when the dance makes its way atop a moving train, we are experiencing the magic of the movies...

I cain't say no

Ado Annie has a problem. When she was young, fellahs just didn't have the time for her, but after awhile she done filled out and now, the guys come a knockin'. Still unused to that fortune, she can't seem to say no to any guy. This song is a great character piece for any stage comedienne. On screen, the number feels a bit static as it moves so much while the performer and camera are stationary. As time passes, Gloria Grahame becomes less and less popular and younger people find her performance less than showstopping.

Oh, what a beautiful mornin' (reprise)

Everyone is on the way to the big party downtown and they all stop off at Aunt Ellers. They reprise this is a large group number with colorful costumes. Eventually, the guys and girls break off into separate groups.

Many a new day

While the guys are off on their own, the girls sing this pretty number that carries an extremely long dance sequence. That section is pretty heavy in ballet and again, the viewer feels as if they are watching a stage performance. That all changes when performers begin singing to a mirror and the viewer is the reflection looking back. This song tries a bit too hard to be pretty, so with the exception of dance lovers, it really slows down the momentum.

People will say
we're in love

What a beautiful song this is. Laurey and Curly work hard to keep their affections hidden from each other but also work to be in each others presence as much as possible. In fact, the whole storyline behind Oklahoma seems to focus on "Who will laurey go to the dance with?" The entire film up to this point is extremely light and frothy, nothing to suggest what is coming around the corner.

Pore Jud is daid

Curly stops in to bother the evil Jud and he patronizingly sings to Jud about Jud's funeral. This is a very funny song, but that humor is lost on film. Mr. Fry's seething and scheming robs the scene of the humor. It is also the first sign of the dark storm coming into Oklahoma.

Out of my dreams

Laurey considers her quandary. Should she continue her facade and go to the dance with Jud like she promised or should she go with Curly who she loves so dearly? Of course, her decision is the thrust of the story and so is not easily solved. In fact, her considerations are so complex that she gets into a drug-induced stupor and imagines...

Dream Ballet

One of the most courageous moments in any production of Oklahoma is this extended dance section. Through ballet movement, Laurey imagines her problem and watches what could possibly happen if she does not make the right decision. This dream ballet is done in a definite stage environment which only works to support the dream effect. Much of the musical orchestration is nothing short of ingenious. Especially intriguing is the ragtime piano added to the "Pore Jud is Daid" music. The storm is growing stronger. A tornado is seen approaching as a fight breaks out between her two suitors. Her dream ends with Curly losing his life at the hands of Jud... And the Act ends with this light frothy musical taking a sudden leap to the dark side...

Entr'acte

When Oklahoma was on its original theatrical run, the dream ballet ended the first act and the movie goers where given 15 minutes to stretch their legs. As they returned to their seats, the Entr'acte would play, usually with the curtain again closed. This brief offering opens with "The Farmer and the Cowman:" followed by a glorious combination of "People will Say We're in Love" and "The Surrey with the fringe on top." Robert Russell Bennett did the orchestrations for the film Oklahoma and he cannot be applauded enough.

Farmer and
the Cowman

This piece showcased the lyrical ability of Oscar hammerstein II as the song speaks with two unique voices. First, supporting the Farmer and the second, supporting the cowman. Finally the song brings them all together. The song is a raucous dance number and a great start to the "party" sequence. And like all the best parties, a big fist fight breaks out!

All er nuthin

Like most other Rodgers and Hammerstein shows, Oklahoma spends a lot of time setting the story up and wraps it up rather quickly. Will Parker sells his goods to raise the $50 he needs to wed Ado Annie. And he lays down his law with This song. It is a cute bit to finish off that subplot so we can focus on Curly, Laurey and Jud.

People will say
we're in love (reprise)

The song is reprised following Curly's marriage proposal to Laurey. We knew it was coming the whole time!

Oklahoma

The popular title tune is actually one of the strangest songs in the whole show. Curly and Laurey have just been wed and are getting ready for their honeymoon. So, curly sings about the State of Oklahoma Well, it isn't exactly a state yet, but still. The song is very clever both lyrically and musically, but it's placement is questionable. The song was actually added to The production in previews and The rest is history.

Finale

So,after a very quick fight with jud that results in his death and a court trial that exonerates Curly, everyone is going to live happily ever after. Laurey and Curly are off to their honeymoon traveling in a surrey with white fringe. Of course, The music follows suit. And after The ending credits is a short orchestral "People will say we're in love". These exit credits would play while People were leaving The theater topping off the movie musical event.

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Oklahoma
From Stage
to Screen

Truly a landmark American musical, it was obvious that Oklahoma would make The journey from stage to screen. Ironically, it took about 13 years for Director Fred Zinnemann to finally bring it to The screen. It did however, benefit from The delay. That decade meant The film could be filmed in a new TODD-AO widescreen process that was of course not invented prior. And as anyone who has watched The film will tell you, much of The films beauty comes from its widescreen images. What many are not aware of is The fact that films shot in TODD-AO were not compatible with regular CinemaScope so each film was shot twice! If you were to watch The CinemaScope version next to The TODD-AO version you'd see two unique performances with different timing on edits as well as running time. The better quality transfer comes from The TODD-AO master but It seems The performances were a little better on The CinemaScope... No matter which process they used, The cameras incorporated were huge bulky things which were a nuisance to move. This explains why much of This film uses static camera shots held on The image for long stretches of time. This effects The films pacing greatly and is one of The only signs of The films age.

TheOKLAHOMA casting is wonderful. Gordon MacRae has a voice clear as crystal and uses It along with his trademark good looks in courting Laurey, played by The lovely Shirley Jones. As in most Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, there is a second couple worth noting. Ado Annie is played by The very funny Gloria Grahame and her would be romantic interest Will Parker is played by The energetic and powerful gene Nelson. Other supporting roles of note include Eddie Albert as The "Persian" salesman, Ali Hakim and Charlotte Greenwood as "Aunt Eller". Another important role is The plains of Arizona, filling in nicely in The role of The plains of Oklahoma in scenes not done in The studio. The villain, Jud Fry was played by Rod Steiger. His evil Fry is at times too real for The 'flavor' of The film, which milks some of The fun out of songs like "Poor Jud is Daid". His limited singing voice also resulted in The removal of The song "Lonely Room" which is an important character piece on The stage.

Oklahoma is truly The cornerstone of The American Musical. An amazing accomplishment for The first time collaborators of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The show is courageous, powerful and entertaining so it's nice that The film version was such a success. Even though The film is showing its age, mostly due to slow pacing and long camera shots, The film will never be forgotten and will always be alive. It's influence will continue to blow across The plains...

Oklahoma
Mercantile

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