Movie Review #9: Oklahoma! - Rodgers and Hammersmonth

Oklahoma! (1955) - A Rodgers and Hammersmonth Review
Director: Fred Zinneman
Writer(s): Sonya Levien and William Ludwig... adapting the work of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein III
Starring: Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Rod Steiger

Welcome to a project I like to call "Rodgers and Hammersmonth." Throughout the month of July, I'll be reviewing the films of Rodgers and Hammerstein, arguably the two most important figures in musical theatre history. Though these reviews are reviews of the film adaptations, first and foremost, I will offer my thoughts on the significance of many of the shows described. But these are movies; if the production values are inadequate, I will make note. I will be writing other movie reviews during July, of course; the Rodgers and Hammerstein reviews aren't intended to be contiguous. These are just some notable films that I wanted to review.

Oklahoma! is the first musical produced by the Rodgers and Hammerstein team, a musical first put on the stage in 1943. It marked a revolution in musical theatre not for its story or even its musical composition: the great advance of Oklahoma! is its pacing. Prior to Oklahoma!, musicals, both movie-based and otherwise, didn't really know how to handle the entire "music" element. Musicals did not want to adopt to the operatic style, featuring only singing, nor did they want to be ordinary plays/movies with no singing. Songs, then, were sporadically placed. The problem: often times said songs had nothing to do with the plot. This doesn't mean said numbers couldn't be meaningful and culturally important (see "Remember My Forgotten Man" from Gold Diggers of 1933), but it did mean that the musicals lacked fluidity. If you want a good example of how this style is inherently flawed, watch The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies, one of the worst, if not the worst, movie musical ever made.

Oklahoma! makes the smart decision to integrate the songs into the musical as essential elements for the plot and characterization. The music is an extension of the story. This revolution has led most musical theatre critics to characterize shows as either "pre-Oklahoma!" or "post-Oklahoma!" The 1955 film adaptation of Oklahoma! brought the show to new audiences who missed its incredible initial Broadway run. The question is: does this landmark of a musical still hold up?

Curly (Gordon MacCrae) is a dashing cowhand with great affection for farm girl Laurey Williams (Shirley Jones). It's clear that Laurey's Aunt Eller (Charlotte Greenwood) approves of the relationship, though there is a massive wrench in the form of Jud Fry (Rod Steiger), an aggressive farmhand who desires Laurey for himself. At the same time, Laurey's friend Ado Annie (Gloria Grahame) finds herself caught in a love triangle between a pandering salesman (Eddie Albert) and a down-to-earth rancher (Gene Nelson). All these elements combine together to produce a rousing musical experience.

Or not.

I know Oklahoma! is a musical landmark. I know nearly everyone else likes this movie wholeheartedly. And, indeed, I do like a lot of things in it. Gordon MacCrae and Shirley Jones sound fantastic on most of these tunes. Most of the tunes are very well-written. The colors are quite vibrant. But all of these things must fade into the background when one considers the emotional and moral shallowness of the actual story. Both of Oklahoma!'s plot lines could be featured in an episode of Dudley Do-Right; they are cliché in every sense of the word. The story of Oklahoma! is essentially that of The Great Train Robbery. A dark, villainous force threatens the virginal female, only to be defeated by a dashing knight in shining armor. This is the Curly-Laurey-Judd plot note for note. Curly is meant to be the handsome, sweet-voiced knight who must come to Laurey's rescue from the hulking Jud. The Annie plot is rather similar, only this time the dark figure, the salesman, actually wants to get rid of Annie. It is thus of even less consequence, and we care even less about it.

Complaining about a movie musical's being intellectually sophomoric is preaching to the choir: pretty much every movie musical nowadays is laughed off for the same reason. (God help you if you are a musical adaptation of a previously acclaimed work i.e. Man of La Mancha, Les Miserables, Rent.) But, as a lover of all things musical theater, I want to cut Oklahoma! some slack. After all, Rodgers and Hammerstein were first starting out. They must have been focused primarily on the music and the lyrics. And, in the context of the original musical, most of the musical motions make sense. But the movie makes cuts to the musical that are nigh irreconcilable.

Let's discuss the most glaring cut from the movie: the villain song, "Lonely Room." For those who haven't heard it, "Lonely Room" is the "Hellfire" sequence from The Hunchback of Notre Dame on steroids. "Lonely Room" is Jud's final plead for recognition and sexual satisfaction, as he vents his frustrations with his poverty and his social ineptness to the audience. When put in the hands of the right actor, this song can be downright chilling. Granted, hearing Rod Steiger sing an entire song is a frightening enough thought, but the actual quality of the song could have carried across the point. The reason this cut is so horrific is Jud's resulting lack of character. Without "Lonely Room," we have little grasp of Jud's motivations. His desperation at the end of the film comes across as sporadic rather than part of a carefully designed musical arc.

The Ado Annie arc, while having a decent amount of character, ultimately amounts to a pretty shallow experience. We learn Annie can't help herself in the most overused audition song in the history of mezzo-sopranos, "I Cain't Say No," an almost insufferable musical experience due to Gloria Grahame's horrible voice. Her knight in shining bootspurs gets a fun dance number in "Kansas City," but the song actually reveals nothing about him. The salesman's song was cut, another problem with the film's characterization, leaving us only with "All 'Er Nuthin'" to wrap up the storyline once it is over. The only truly developed arc is that of Curly and Laurey. Not only does the duo get the show's best songs - "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin,'" "The Surrey with the Fringe On Top," "People Will Say We're In Love" - but they also sound the best on them. Granted, I would have preferred if "People Will Say We're In Love" was a bit less overblown and a bit more hushed, but the music works. Not to mention Shirley Jones and Gordon MacCrae have voices that meld perfectly.

I know the preceding few paragraphs were pretty harsh, but I think the great team of R&H can take it. The two are legends, and they kept growing as they went on. If one looks at the rest of Oklahoma!, the material is quite strong. The dancing is all top notch, even if the "Farmer and the Cowhand Should Be Friends" number overstays its welcome. The centerpiece of the show, Laurey's dream ballet, is absolutely beautiful; it even gives us a taste of the "Lonely Room" musical motif the movie lacks. But the golden star has to go to "Pore Jud is Daid," quite possibly the funniest song in all of musical theater. One wouldn't think a song about convincing someone to commit suicide could be funny, but once Jud starts to imitate Curly's obsequiousness, the effect is priceless.

Oklahoma! is a landmark show but a primitive show. Its film, however, lacks the landmark status. So, when I give a final rating, it's going to take the musical's many flaws into account. But, as it stands, Oklahoma! is an important piece of theatre, if not the best piece of theatre. Fortunately for viewers, the next outing from Rodgers and Hammerstein wouldn't just be a better musical. It would be a fantastic musical, a musical so good many critics still call it the best musical ever written.

Recommendation: Oklahoma! may have the emotional and intellectual value of Fruit Loops, but it is a fun watch. It is wholly accessible for children and adults alike; there is a reason this film was the blockbuster of its era. While I'd recommend introducing someone to the actual musical first, Oklahoma! is a satisfying movie if you feel the urge to sing along.

I give Oklahoma! an even 5 stars out of 10.


...did I somehow write this entire review without talking about the title song? Great, now it's stuck in my head again. "Oooooooooklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain..."