TMI (Today’s Movie Info)
OKLAHOMA! (1955) was adapted for the screen by Rodgers and Hammerstein from the original Broadway production of “Oklahoma!”, which opened at the St. James Theater in New York City on May 31, 1943 and ran for 2,212 performances, setting a record (at the time) for a musical. Oklahoma! was the first of five extremely successful R&H film musicals: Carousel, (1956) South Pacific (1958), The King and I (1956), The Sound of Music (1965)
Most of it was filmed in Arizona for a more traditional rural look
This was the screen debut for Shirley Jones (age 20 while filming). She would later go on to lay the foundation for high culture in America by taking the lead (along with her real life step-son David Cassidy) in “The Partridge Family” (1970-74). Yes, I am kidding about the high culture part. Ms. Jones was in fact a very talented singer and actress, which she showed in this and other films such as Carousel (1956) and The Music Man (1962).
Rod Steiger (Jud Fry) couldn’t dance and Gloria Grahame (Ado Annie) couldn’t sing. Mr. Steiger worked long hours with the choreographer and Ms. Grahame’s vocals were pieced together electronically from hours of recordings.
In addition to the title track, a couple of other songs were quite popular and worked their way into the musical fabric of the country: “Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'” and “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top”
The film’s director Fred Zinneman was also responsible for some other classic films: High Noon (1952), From Here to Eternity (1953), A Man for All Seasons (1966), The Day of the Jackal (1973)
Movie Reviews from the Dark 