Oklahoma! [4 Discs] [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD]

Oklahoma! [4 Discs] [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD]

Director: Fred Zinnemann Cast: Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae
, Shirley Jones
Shirley Jones
, Gloria Grahame
Gloria Grahame
, Gene Nelson
Gene Nelson
Fred Zinnemann
Oklahoma! [4 Discs] [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD]

Oklahoma! [4 Discs] [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD]

Director: Fred Zinnemann Cast: Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae
, Shirley Jones
Shirley Jones
, Gloria Grahame
Gloria Grahame
, Gene Nelson
Gene Nelson
Fred Zinnemann

Blu-ray

$16.99 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Qualifies for Free Shipping
    Choose Expedited Shipping at checkout for delivery by Wednesday, April 3
  • PICK UP IN STORE
    Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Related collections and offers


Overview

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.

Product Details

Release Date: 10/07/2014
UPC: 0024543950004
Original Release: 1955
Rating: G
Source: BUENA VISTA HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Language: English

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Gordon MacRae Curly
Shirley Jones Laurey
Gloria Grahame Ado Annie
Gene Nelson Will PArker
Charlotte Greenwood Aunt Eller
Eddie Albert Ali Hakim
James Whitmore Carnes
Rod Steiger Jud Fry
Barbara Lawrence Gertie
Jay C. Flippen Skidmore
Roy Barcroft Marshal
James Mitchell Dream Curly
Bambi Linn Dream Laurey
Jennie Workman Dancer
Kelly Brown Dancer
Marc Platt Dancer
Lizanne Truex Dancer
Virginia Bosier Dancer
Evelyn Taylor Dancer
Jane Fischer Dancer
Ben Johnson Cowboy at Train Depot
Rory Mallinson Young cowboy at box lunch auction
Rodgers & Hammerstein Composer
Adolph Deutsch Composer
Robert Bennett Composer
Jay Blackton Composer
Richard Rodgers Composer

Technical Credits
Oscar Hammerstein II Executive Producer
Arthur Hornblow Jr. Producer
Richard Rodgers Executive Producer
Fred Zinnemann Director
Fred Hynes Sound/Sound Designer
Sonya Levien Screenwriter
William Ludwig Screenwriter
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews