It's the early 1900s, in the Oklahoma Territory...where folks are either farmers or cowboys (who don't tend to get along). At the heart of the narrative are two love stories. First is Curly (MacRae) and Laurey (Jones). Curly is a free-spirited cowboy and Laurey is a poised/prim & proper farm gal, and although they love each other (and everyone else knows it) they are too stubborn to admit it. Meanwhile Laurey's best friend, Ado Annie (Grahame) is also in a pickle: she loves getting attention from guys but now she has 2. First is Will Parker (Nelson) the "love of her life" who went to the rodeo to win $50 so he can marry her, and then their's Ali Hakim (Albert) the traveling salesman from Persia who just wants a little loving.
The fit hits the shan (as my father says) in both situations when 1.) Jud (Steiger) the dirty farmhand at Laurey's asks her to go to the dance with him (and makes it clear that Curly needs to get out of his way), 2.) Will wins the money, but spends it all, 3.) Annie's dad, Andrew (Whitmore), hears about Ali's advances (and comments about his daughter) and forces Ali to propose to Annie.
Honestly, I love this film...this was the first musical I ever saw, I've seen it live many times (more than any other musical), I own the dvd and the soundtrack...so hopefully this won't be too biased! Overall the film is fun and the characters seem to enjoy their lives, but this isn't a high-art film. The camera angles, scenery, etc. are pretty average (even though the country-side is fabulous)...and the acting isn't anything to write home about. The songs are catchy...and the best part is the Dream Sequence. It is a homage to the stage production: no dialogue or singing, just dancing, and was choreographed by Agnes DeMille. Both Curly & Laurey are replaced by professional dancers, but the rest of the cast does their own dancing. So maybe it won't be the best film you've ever seen...but for two hours you can laugh-out-loud (Will & Ali have some classic one-liners), sing-along, and wish you could have as much fun as the characters. Yee-haw!!
Oklahoma (1955) 145 minutes
Director: Fred Zinnemann (based on the stage show by Rogers & Hammerstein)
Starring: Gordon MacRae as Curly McLain
Shirley Jones as Laurey WIlliams
Gloria Grahame as Ado Annie Carnes
Gene Nelson as Will Parker
Charlotte Greenwood as Aunt Eller
Eddie Albert as Ali Hakim
Rod Steiger as Jud Fry
James Whitmore as Andrew Carnes
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