Oklahoma [50th Anniversary Edition] [2 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1943 Broadway musical was considered revolutionary for a multitude of reasons, not least of which were the play's intricate integration of song and storyline, and the simplicity and austerity of its production design. The 1955 film version of Oklahoma! retains the songs (except for Lonely Room and It's a Scandal!, which are usually cut from most stage presentations anyway) and the story, but the simplicity is sacrificed to the spectacle of Technicolor, Todd-AO, and Stereophonic Sound. The story can be boiled down to a single sentence: a girl must decide between the two suitors who want to take her to a social. In her movie debut, 19-year-old Shirley Jones plays Laurie, an Oklahoma farm gal who is courted by boisterous cowboy Curley (Gordon MacRae) and by menacing, obsessive farm hand Jud Frye (Rod Steiger). Fearing that Jud will do something terrible to Curley, Laurie accepts Jud's invitation to the box social. But it's Curley who rescues Laurie from Jud's unwanted advances, and in so doing wins her hand. On the eve of their wedding, Laurie and Curley are menaced by the drunken Jud. During a fight with Curley, Jud falls on his own knife and is killed (this sudden-death motif was curiously commonplace in the Rodgers and Hammerstein ouevre). The local deputy insists that Curley be arrested and stand trial, but he is outvoted by Curley's friends, and the newlyweds are permitted to ride off on their honeymoon. Counterpointing the serious elements of the story is a comic subplot involving innocently promiscuous Ado Annie (Gloria Grahame), her erstwhile sweetheart Will Parker (Gene Nelson) and lascivious travelling salesman Ali Hakim (Eddie Albert). None of the Broadway cast of Oklahoma! was engaged for the film version, though Charlotte Greenwood is finally able to essay the role of Auntie Eller that had been written for her but she'd been unable to play back in 1943. The evergreen songs include Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin', Surrey with the Fringe on Top, People Will Say We're In Love, I Cain't Say No, and the rousing title song. Two versions of Oklahoma! currently exist: the Todd-AO version, filmed on 65-millimeter stock, and the simultaneously shot CinemaScope version, shipped out to the theaters not equipped for the wider-screen Todd-AO process. Both versions have been issued in "letterbox" form on laser disc, and the subtle differences in performance style and camera angles in each and every scene are quite fascinating. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 2
• Subtitle: Eng/Spa
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Aspect Ratio: 2.55:1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • cc
  • CinemaScope version of Oklahoma (2.55:1 aspect ratio)
  • Audio commentary by Ted Chapin (president of The Rogers and Hammerstein Organization) and Hugh Fordin (author and film historian)
  • Singalong karaoke subtitles (English)
  • Theatrical teaser
  • Todd-AO version of Oklahoma (2.20:1 aspect ratio)
  • Audio commentary by Shirley Jones and nick Redman (film and music historian)
  • "CinemaScope vs. Todd-AO" featurette
  • "The March of Todd-AO" featurette
  • "The Miracle of Todd-AO" featurette
  • Vintage stage excerpts from a 1954 television tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein
  • Singalong karaoke subtitles (English)
  • Photo galleries - behind the scenes, lobby cards and posters
  • Theatrical teaser and trailer

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Musical Score - 1955 (Jay Blackton, Adolph Deutsch, Robert Russell Bennett)
•     Won Best Sound - 1955 (Fred Hynes)
•     Nominated Best Color Cinematography - 1955 (Robert Surtees)
•     Nominated Best Editing - 1955 (George Boemler, Gene Ruggiero)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Gordon MacRae - Curly
       Shirley Jones - Laurey
       Gene Nelson - Will Parker
       Charlotte Greenwood - Aunt Eller
       Gloria Grahame - Ado Annie Carnes
       Eddie Albert - Ali Hakim
       James Whitmore - Carnes
       Barbara Lawrence - Gertie
       Jay C. Flippen - Skidmore
       Roy Barcroft - Marshal
       James Mitchell - Dream Curly/Dancer
       Bambi Linn - Dream Laurey/Dancer
       Jennie Workman - Dancer
       Kelly Brown - Dancer
       Lizanne Truex - Dancer
       Evelyn Taylor - Dancer
       Jane Fischer - Dancer
       Marc Platt - Dancer
       Ben Johnson - Cowboy at Train Depot

• Director:

  Fred Zinnemann

• Producer:

  Arthur Hornblow, Jr.

• Screenwriter:

  Sonya Levien, William Ludwig

• Play Author:

  Lynn Riggs

• Cinematographer:

  Floyd D.Crosby, Robert Surtees

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Russell Bennett

• Composer (Music Score):

  Adolph Deutsch

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Adolph Deutsch

• From Musical by:

  Oscar Hammerstein II

• Composer (Music Score):

  Rodgers & Hammerstein, Richard Rodgers, Jay Blackton

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Jay Blackton

• Composer (Music Score):

  Robert Russell Bennett

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Robert Russell Bennett

• Editor:

  George Boemler, Gene Ruggiero

• Production Designer:

  Oliver Smith

• Art Director:

  Joseph C. Wright

• Costume Designer:

  Orry-Kelly, Motley

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Fred Hynes

• Choreography:

  Agnes de Mille

REVIEW:

• There may have been better musicals, but few left as lasting a cultural impact as Oklahoma!, whose optimistic, broadly American songs by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein became instant and permanent classics. The enduring and endearing music in this Western included the enchanting Oh What a Beautiful Morning! and the clever Surrey with the Fringe on Top as well as the title song. It was based on the smash Broadway play that had its run in the 1940s. Shirley Jones made her film debut as the country girl who falls in love with a cowboy (Gordon MacRae) but is pursued by a sinister farmhand (Rod Steiger, in one of his earliest roles). At 145 minutes, the film is a little too pleased with itself, but the fresh, sunny impact of the movie triumphed. Its corny sentiments perfectly fit the mood of expansive, contented mid-1950s America. The film actually was shot in Arizona! ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi