“Oklahoma!” (1955)

Genre: Musical
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Starring Cast: Gordon MacRae, Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson

“Oklahoma!” story begins with the story of Curly McLain (MacRae), who is a cowboy in the territory of Oklahoma (soon to become a state). He is courting Laurey (Jones), a cutesy blonde farm girl, who has grown up living with her Aunt Eller in the dusty region, helping her aunt run the farm. Curly had invited Laurey to a local celebration. Laurey wants to go, but she is wary of feeding Curly’s ego if he knows how much she really likes him.

Curly’s attention to another girl makes Laurey jealous, so to get back at him she decides to attend the event with the hired hand, Judd. However, Judd’s moodiness and dull personality soon make Laurey wish that she hadn’t been so rash. To make matters worse, Judd has been admiring Laurey for some time and is prepared to kill to prevent anyone else getting his girl.

It is perhaps surprising that this enchanting musical was not a Broadway smash hit prior to director Fred Zinnemann creating this energetic and classic movie. It is abounding with musical favourites such as “Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’,” “I’m Just a Girl Who Can’t Say No,” and “Surrey with the Fringe on Top.” Gordon MacRea and Shirley Jones have gorgeous voices that combine naturally and express lyrics with ease.

“Oklahoma!” stands tall in its genre with a remarkable soundtrack, wonderful actors, and alluring film-making. Now, even after over 50 years since its original cinema debut, musical cinema rarely gets any better than this.