--- title: "Oklahoma!" year: 1955 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/oklahoma" fi1m_id: "oklahoma" imdb_id: "tt0048445" tmdb_id: 13936 wikidata_id: "Q2017333" fi1m_score: 72 critics_score: 65 critics_reviews: 8 published: "2026-09-25T07:26:03.021328+00:00" updated: "2026-09-25T07:26:03.560466+00:00" region: "HK" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Oklahoma! (1955) Directed by Fred Zinnemann · 2h 28m · Western, Music, Romance ## Identity Oklahoma! - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/oklahoma - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** oklahoma - **IMDb ID:** tt0048445 - **TMDB ID:** 13936 - **Wikidata ID:** Q2017333 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048445/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/13936, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2017333 **Fi1m score: 72** · Critics 65 from 8 reviews *In a sentence:* The singing makes courtship look easy; the conversation explains why everyone keeps singing > Richard Rodgers’s songs and the opening’s location photography make the film worth an evening for musical lovers. The courtship is less convincing when the singing stops, and 148 minutes allows the stiff patches time to settle. ## Synopsis Curly McLain (Gordon MacRae), Laurey Williams (Shirley Jones) and Jud Fry (Rod Steiger) are caught in a romantic triangle. Curly McLain wants Laurey Williams, while Jud Fry’s presence complicates their courtship. Ado Annie Carnes (Gloria Grahame) and Aunt Eller (Charlotte Greenwood) are among the people around them. Pride gets in the way of admitting desire, and the songs give voice to feelings that conversation keeps under cover. This Western romance unfolds through singing and dancing as the characters try to work out what they want and what they can bring themselves to say. ## Review Fred Zinnemann’s film is worth an evening for anyone who likes a musical to give its songs plenty of room. It is less reliable at keeping the courtship interesting between them. The romantic triangle supplies a straightforward reason for people to sing: longing and pride are difficult enough to express without having to make polite conversation. At 148 minutes, though, the film leaves time to notice which performers can hold our attention without a melody. We were cheered by the opening, because Robert L. Surtees lets us enjoy the locations as well as the singing. The space around the performers makes their expansive feelings seem reasonable, and there is time to look beyond the faces. The photography establishes a scale that the more intimate scenes do not always need. Some close-ups feel too large for the small changes of expression they ask us to study. Gordon MacRae, playing Curly McLain, and Shirley Jones, playing Laurey Williams, make a more persuasive couple in song than in speech. Their musical exchanges have a directness that the surrounding scenes struggle to find, and both can seem stiff when the tune stops helping. Rod Steiger brings a heavier presence to Jud Fry, making the differences within the triangle clear enough. The direction does too little to make these contrasting performers seem at ease with one another. Gloria Grahame is livelier as Ado Annie Carnes. Her comedy has an appealing lack of embarrassment, and she gives the impression of wanting things without first arranging her face into an acceptable expression. Charlotte Greenwood brings a welcome firmness to Aunt Eller, keeping the warmth from becoming too soft. These performances help us enjoy the company rather than simply wait for another number, which is a considerable service in a film this leisurely. Oliver Smith’s production design is pleasingly orderly, keeping the performers easy to follow without making every corner demand attention. It suits the dancing, which remains one of the film’s strongest pleasures. Editors Gene Ruggiero and George Boemler give movement time to develop rather than continually interrupting it, but the same patience is less rewarding in the dialogue. Several scenes could end sooner without losing anything we need to understand about the courtship. Richard Rodgers’s music does the most convincing dramatic work. The songs let desire come forward, then allow pride to complicate it, so a number can advance the courtship instead of merely decorating it. That is what we want from this kind of musical, and it explains why the film retains its charm despite the uneven acting. The melodies are generous enough to enjoy without studying how they work, but their usefulness to the story matters: when the characters sing, we have a clearer sense of what they want. A taste for musical romance is the deciding factor here. Anyone impatient with prolonged courtship will have stretches when the next song feels a long way off. It is a comfortable choice for an unhurried musical evening, provided nobody is expecting brisk romantic comedy. *Fi1m score 72, published 25 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews lean favourable, with praise clustering around the songs and Agnes de Mille’s choreography rather than the performances as a whole. Admirers value the film’s preservation of the stage musical’s appeal, while the opening location photography also draws praise. The songs earn credit for expressing sexual yearning and pride naturally, and for belonging to the drama rather than merely interrupting it. Reservations range from a soft-centred story and uneven acting to objections to the scale of the presentation, making this a fairly wide spread of opinion. Empire finds most performances underwhelming but singles out Gloria Grahame’s Ado Annie as an exception. The New Yorker is the clearest dissenter, finding the film pompous and objecting to oversized close-ups and deafening sound, though it praises Charlotte Greenwood. Even that negative review finds some charm in the songs and dances, the elements on which the consensus is strongest. ## Straight answers **How long is Oklahoma!, and what is it rated?** *Oklahoma!* runs 2h 28m. It is a western and music film. **Where can I watch Oklahoma! in Hong Kong?** *Oklahoma!* is not on any streaming or rental service in Hong Kong at the moment. It is available in 13 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **What should I watch after Oklahoma!?** After *Oklahoma!*, try [*Meet Me in St. Louis*](https://film.one/film/meet-me-in-st-louis) (1944, Fi1m 87): Another musical where courtship and community matter, with more ease between the songs. Then [*The Band Wagon*](https://film.one/film/the-band-wagon) (1953, Fi1m 84): A backstage musical whose dancing supplies the assurance its characters keep losing. ### Reviews we read (8) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (85/100, inferred): Variety finds the film a lively, successful capture of the stage musical’s magic. It singles out Agnes De Mille’s choreography as the production’s greatest strength. [Read](https://variety.com/1954/film/reviews/oklahoma-1200417859/) - **Radio Times**, Tony Sloman (4/5): Sloman praises this rousing adaptation for preserving the musical’s songs and Agnes de Mille’s choreography. He especially singles out the striking location photography in the opening sequence. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-tk86gz/oklahoma/) - **Empire**, Patrick Peters (70/100, inferred): The review finds the film flawed but ultimately a classic, praising its outstanding score and nostalgic appeal. It singles out Gloria Grahame’s Ado Annie as the exception to otherwise underwhelming performances. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/oklahoma-review/) - **The AV Club**, Noel Murray (70/100, inferred): Murray regards Oklahoma! as a classic with an enduring, primal love triangle, though he calls it a soft-centered trifle. He praises its songs for making sexual yearning and pride feel natural. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/oklahoma-state-fair-1798201232) - **Time Out**, Wally Hammond (65/100, inferred): The available text does not reveal the critic's overall verdict. It notes that the songs were already treasured standards and had been integrated into the dramatic narrative. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/oklahoma) - **RogerEbert.com** (64/100, inferred): The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. Any praise or complaint is unavailable from the provided text. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/oh-what-a-beautiful-movie) - **The New York Times**, Bosley Crowther (55/100, inferred): The review gives the film a mildly favorable, qualified verdict. It singles out the musical’s presentation in the new Todd-AO process. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1955/10/11/archives/the-screen-oklahoma-is-okay-musical-shown-in-new-process-at-rivoli.html) - **The New Yorker**, John McCarten (30/100, inferred): McCarten finds the film pompous and its presentation excessive, though he sees some noisy charm in its songs and dances. He singles out Charlotte Greenwood’s performance for praise, while criticizing the oversized closeups and deafening sound. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1955/10/22/act-of-todd) ## Details - **Director:** Fred Zinnemann - **Director:** Fred Zinnemann - **Screenplay:** Sonya Levien, William Ludwig - **Cinematography:** Robert L. Surtees - **Editor:** George Boemler, Gene Ruggiero - **Music:** Richard Rodgers - **Production design:** Oliver Smith - **Costume design:** Orry-Kelly, Sophie Devine, Charles Arrico - **Producer:** Arthur Hornblow Jr. - **Cast:** Gordon MacRae as Curly McLain; Shirley Jones as Laurey Williams; Gloria Grahame as Ado Annie Carnes; Charlotte Greenwood as Aunt Eller; Eddie Albert as Ali Hakim; Rod Steiger as Jud Fry; Jay C. Flippen as Skidmore; James Whitmore as Mr. Carnes - **Runtime:** 2h 28m - **First release (the UK):** 10 October 1955 - **Genres:** Western, Music, Romance - **Budget:** $6 million - **Box office:** $14 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-vFeZBWiDE ## Where to watch in Hong Kong Not streaming, renting or buying in Hong Kong at the last check. Also available in: AT, AU, CA, DE, ES, FI, GB, IE, NL, NO, NZ, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1956: Best Cinematography, Color (nominated); Best Film Editing (nominated); Best Original Musical Score (won); Best Sound (won) ## If you liked this - *Meet Me in St. Louis* (1944), Fi1m 87: Another musical where courtship and community matter, with more ease between the songs. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/meet-me-in-st-louis.md) - *The Young Girls of Rochefort* (1967): For dancing, romantic hesitation and a town arranged around musical pleasure. - *Lagaan* (2001): Village loyalties and romance unfold through songs, with cricket supplying the conflict. - *The Band Wagon* (1953), Fi1m 84: A backstage musical whose dancing supplies the assurance its characters keep losing. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-band-wagon.md) - *The Singing Detective* (1986): Familiar songs expose private desires in a television drama with considerably sharper edges. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/oklahoma