Python Hyena Oklahoma (1955): Dir: Fred Zinnemann / Cast: Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Gene Nelson, Gloria Grahame, Charlotte Greenwood: Corny yet festive musical set in a land where horse and carriage are still in, and cowboys and farmers attempt to live together. Gordon MacRae plays Curly, a cowboy who guides in the cattle yet really desires to take the lovely Laurey to the local dance. She is played by Shirley Jones with sunny appeal but she is also sighted by a creepy hired hand named Jud. Gene Nelson plays cowboy Will Parker who arrives back in town to marry Ado Annie with the fifty dollars he promised her father he would have. She is played with great comic flare by Gloria Grahame who is also promised to a sneaky peddler. Charlotte Greenwood oversees everything as Aunt Eller and with the local auction tied in with the dance she hopes to raise enough funds for a new school house. Directed by Fred Zinnemann who previously made High Noon and From Here to Eternity. His screenplay is flawed by pointless and overlong musical numbers, some of which are way too corny. Also the concluding court session held in a kitchen is also pathetically contrived. The villain seems unfairly outcast with even a horrid suicidal song sung to his suggestion. The musical numbers look festive with a slice of country life that drives home the theme of togetherness. Score: 7 / 10

efisch I saw Oklahoma! in its original TODD-AO release at the Egyptian theater in Hollywood in early 1956. Since then I've seen it in all its versions, Cinemascope and Todd-AO, including the TODD-AO re-release at the Egyptian theater in 1985 where it was shown on the original curved TODD-AO screen built for that theater. Seeing the movie on a big screen is a truly amazing experience, almost like seeing a great film made even greater by the large screen. Seeing the film Pan/Scan and in widescreen on TV is nowhere near the large screen experience. It is now shown rarely, if ever on large screens, but the recent restored version (available on Blu-Ray) made from the very degraded 70MM negatives was first shown at the Chinese in Hollywood at the 2014 Turner Festival and in May 2015 at the Academy Awards theater in Beverly Hills. At that showing, the restorers were present and told the audience that the film was so rushed into its premier in New York that apparently no inter-negatives were made which is why restoring the film was so difficult. The restoration is truly great and the large format showings give you a greater appreciation of this excellent musical. As others reviewers have stated, the music,performances, photography, and production are unparalleled. The IMDb listing does not list the incredible 6 track stereo used in the TODD-AO version which sounds like it was recorded yesterday--the 4 track Cinemascope version pales by comparison. 60 years later, it is still the best and most impressive musical of them all. Ask your local theater to schedule at least one showing on a big screen. You'll see why all these reviewers appreciate this great musical.

Michael Thompson Lorenz Hart was Richard Rodgers first lyric writing partner. Oscar Hammerstein 2nd was Richard Rodgers second lyric writing partner. The world would probably never have had Oklahoma if Lorenz Hart had not refused to write the lyrics with Richard Rodgers because at that time Mr Hart wanted to go off to Mexico, he didn't think he could write lyrics about country folk.So wasn't it a wonderful coincidence how at that moment in time, that Oscar Hammerstein 2nd had read the same book as Richard Rodgers Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs. Both of them thought of how this homespun piece of pure Americana cowboys would make a great subject for a very different type of musical play they wanted to collaborate on, where by the songs were character and plot driven. And the rest is musical history.Oscar Hammerstein 2nd always wrote the words "first" to all of the musicals he and composer Richard Rodgers wrote. My heading says that they don't write musicals like this any more, and they don't, because they haven't got the writers, is spot on. Gone are the days of tuneful melody, and mature easy to listen to words.Oscar Hammerstein 2nd was a craftsman at writing lyrics, Equally so was Richard Rodgers at coming up with a suitable melody.Oklahoma was their first musical, originally entitled "Away we go", but soon changed to what we know today.....Oklahoma is simply Joyful brilliance, it leaves you feeling happy inside. You will hum the tunes going into the theatre, and leaving.We will never see or hear the likes of Richard Rodgers or Oscar Hammerstein 2nd again.

a.lampert Rodgers and Hammerstein, Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones. This was a dream combination for me, the greatest teaming in film musical history. The dream then came true a second time in Carousel but that's for another time, first let's look at Oklahoma! I first saw it on release when I was about nine or ten in 1955 but I don't think I was nearly old enough to fully appreciate it and so I've watched it again today nearly sixty years later to really concentrate and consider it's true worth in movie history. From the opening scene, where the corn really looks as high as 'an elephants eye', and Gordon MacRae rides into view, with his cocky, larger than life interpretation of Curly McLain, singing Oh What a Beautiful Morning, you know your about to watch something special. Even from a man's point of view, MacRae was a very good looking guy, but it was that huge, beautiful baritone voice that got me hooked and I don't think there was a better singer ever that could top him, so underrated today compared to his contemporaries like Sinatra. Shirley Jones as Laurey is sublimely beautiful with a voice to match and she acts so well for her first movie, the only person ever to be put under personal contract to Rodgers and Hammerstein who discovered her. Gene Nelson, one of the greatest dancers after Kelly and Astaire, is magic to watch and complimented by Gloria Grahame's wonderfully amusing Ado Annie. Eddie Albert as the Persian tinker is superb as is the brooding Rod Steiger as villain Jud. Charlotte Greenwood as Aunt Ella, James Whitmore and J. C. Flippen are perfect in an almost perfect movie. The one thing I never liked very much was the dream ballet scene as it jars somewhat with the real life scenes, but watching it and taking it in context, I can appreciate it more now that I have studied Agnes De Mille's dance arrangements more closely and thought about the nightmare, which is what it is, in relation to Laurey's true desires. Fred Zinneman's direction wavers somewhat but then he was used to dealing with straight action films like High Noon and From Here to Eternity and this was his only musical. I'm so glad that Rodgers and Hammerstein had control as Zinneman wanted James Dean for Curly and dub his voice, but they always wanted Gordon. Right choice. Fabulous film.