Oklahoma! Overview:

Oklahoma! (1955) was a Musical - Romance Film directed by Fred Zinnemann and produced by Arthur Hornblow Jr., Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers.

The film was based on the play Green Grow the Lilacs written by Samuel A. Taylor performed at the Guild Theatre, NY from Jan 26, 1931 - Mar 21, 1931.

SYNOPSIS

In this beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical (their first brought to the screen), an adorable 19-year-old Jones, in her screen debut, must choose a suitor to accompany her to a social: the righteous cowboy (MacRae) or the brooding farm hand (Steiger). From this simple scenario develops humor, fighting, dancing (including a breakthrough dream sequence choreographed by Agnes De Mille), and singing. The entire production was filmed twice, with one take for the new Todd A-O format and one for the regular CinemaScope aspect ratio. There is now laserdisc version of the Todd A-O takes, which some consider vastly superior. Includes the enduring songs "People will say were in love," "Oh, what a beautiful mornin'," and "Oklahoma!"

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

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Oklahoma! was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2007.

Academy Awards 1955 --- Ceremony Number 28 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best CinematographyRobert SurteesNominated
Best Film EditingGene Ruggiero, George BoemlerNominated
Best Music - ScoringRobert Russell Bennett, Jay Blackton, Adolph DeutschWon
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Quotes from Oklahoma!:

Ali Hakim: It's a wonderful thing to be married. I got a brother in Persia got six wives.
Ado Annie Carnes: Six wives all at once?
Will Parker: Why, sure. That's the way they do in them countries.
Ali Hakim: Not always; I got a brother in Persia only got one wife. He's a bachelor.


Ali Hakim: I wanted to marry her when I saw the moonlight shining on the barrel of her father's shotgun.


Curly: [to Jud] How did you get to be the way you air
[are]
Curly: anyhow? A-sittin' up here in this filthy hole
[referring to the smokehouse]
Curly: ? Why don't you do something healthy once in a while, instead of staying shut up here, a-crawlin' and a-festerin'?


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Facts about Oklahoma!:

The 1970 USTV premiere of this film was on CBS and hosted by the cast of the network's popular series "Family Affair": Brian Keith, Sebastian Cabot, Anissa Jones, Johnnie Whitaker, and Cathy Garver. Presented in character, the wrap-arounds involved the fictional Davis family viewing and commenting on the film.
The film's soundtrack album became one of the most successful movie albums ever released, more successful than the 1943 original Broadway cast album of "Oklahoma!", although the Broadway production was the biggest stage hit of its time, and for many years after. The film soundtrack album continues to be a popular seller even to this day.
Nogales, Arizona, was declared an honorary part of Oklahoma for the period of shooting, by the governor.
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Oklahoma!: book or play


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Best Music - Scoring Oscar 1955











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National Film Registry

Oklahoma!

Released 1955
Inducted 2007
(Sound)




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Also directed by Fred Zinnemann




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Also produced by Arthur Hornblow Jr.




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Also released in 1955




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