Oklahoma! (1955)

Directed by Fred Zinnemann. Starring Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Rod Steiger, Gloria Grahame, Charlotte Greenwood, Gene Nelson, Eddie Albert, James Whitmore, Jay C. Flippen, Barbara Lawrence. [G]

Romances among cowboys, farmers, field hands, and gals in frilly frocks breathe cornball life into this film version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical set in Oklahoma Territory near the turn of the century. The splashy production’s influence on reshaping the next decade-plus of movie musicals deserves recognition, but it’s likely to prove an endurance tests to anyone who’s not a hopeless romantic or enamored with the milieu. Two different love triangles spring up, but without even a scintilla of tension since there’s not only never a doubt about how they’ll be resolved, but the characters are forced by the script to behave in stupidly contrived fashions to keep up the charade. Jones makes an okay debut as the wholesome lass pining for cheery cowboy MacRae while leading on surly Steiger, but excepting Nelson’s sprightly clomping, the only actors that do commendable work are the older folks (shotgun-toting papa Whitmore and feisty aunt Greenwood). Not even close to enough plot to fill out the extended runtime, and the tunes only come in two varieties: unremarkable syrup that drips leisurely and infectious kiddie melodies. At least the long-winded dream/nightmare ballet centerpiece immediately precedes the intermission/entr’acte, so viewers will have a chance to go get themselves some coffee afterward (or just slap each other silly until fully awake again). Almost worth it for the vibrant color photography (the first film to utilize the Todd-AO process)…almost. The sound and scoring won Academy Awards.

45/100