Oklahoma! - A Tangle of Love Triangles in the Old West

Oklahoma! One of my personal favorites, is a 1955 musical film based on the 1943 stage musical Oklahoma!, The first musical written by infamous collaboration team of composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The film debuted Shirley Jones as Laurey and Gordon MacRae as Curly, Rod Steiger, as Jud best know for his Oscar winning portrayal of Gillespie, in 1968’s In the Heat of the Night. Also starring Charlotte Greenwood, Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson, James Whitmore and Eddie Albert.

The musical is a tangle of love triangles in the old west just before the Oklahoma territory joined the union. With the backdrop of the “range wars” between cowboys and farmers over water rights or grazing rights for the land.

Curly is a Cowboy, in love with a farmer’s daughter, Laurey. Jud is a farm hand working for Laurey’s Aunt Eller.

A box social dance that night, which includes an auction of lunch baskets prepared by the local girls to raise funds for a schoolhouse. The man who wins each basket will eat the lunch with the girl who prepared it. Curly asks Laurey to go with him and Laurey being coy refuses. Curly attempts to persuade her,("The Surrey with the Fringe on Top"). Laurey teases him about it, not realizing that Curly really has rented such a rig. Jud asks Laurey to the social and she says yes to spite Curly.

Cowboy Will Parker returns from a trip to modern Kansas City ("Kansas City"). He wins $50 at the fair, the exact amount he needs to marry his girl, Ado Annie. Unfortunately, in his excitement, Will spends all the money on gifts for Annie.

Later, Ado Annie confesses to Laurey she has been spending a lot of time with Ali Hakim, a Persian peddler. Insisting she loves them both, ("I Cain't Say No"). Laurey and her friends prepare for the social, while Gertie Cummings flirts with Curly (her obnoxious laugh floating in to taunt Laurey). Laurey tells her friends that she doesn't really care about Curly ("Many a New Day").

Ado Annie’s Farmer father discovers Annie with Ali Hakim, he institutes a ‘shotgun wedding’. Curly discovers Jud is Laurey’s escort to the and tries to convince her to go with him instead. Laurey tries to convince Curly she doesn’t love him ("People Will Say We're in Love"). Hurt by her refusal, Curly goes to the smokehouse to talk with Jud, suggesting the miserable man hang himself ("Pore Jud Is Daid"). After Curly leaves, Jud vows to make Laurey his bride.

In an extended dream ballet sequence, prompted by a potion given to Laurey by Ali Hakim, Laurey dreams of her marriage to Curly. Her dream takes a nightmarish turn when Jud appears and kills Curly. She cannot escape him, confused by her desires. Realizing Curly is the right man for her, Jud arrives to escort her to the dance.

At the social, during an upbeat square dance ("The Farmer and the Cowman"), the rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys surges, and Aunt Eller ends by firing a gun to silence everyone. Laurey is upset when she sees Curly at the dance with Gertie.

Ali Hakim buys Will's souvenirs from Kansas City for $50. The auction starts and Will bids $50 on Ado Annie's basket, not realizing that without the $50, he would no longer have the money her father insisted he needs to "purchase" marriage with her. Hakim saves the day with a bid of $51.

Laurey's basket comes up for auction. Having saved all of his money to ensure his winning, seems to outbid everyone until Curly sells his saddle, his horse, and even his gun to raise money. Curly finally outbids Jud and wins the basket.

Later that night, Will and Annie work out their differences, as she reluctantly agrees not to flirt with other men ("All Er Nuthin'"). Ali Hakim decides to leave the territory and bids Ado Annie goodbye after telling her Will is the man she should marry.

Jud confronts Laurey about his feelings for her and when she tells him the feeling is not mutual, Jud furiously threatens Laurey before he departs. Laurey runs to Curly in fear, he reassures her and proposes to her, and she accepts ("People Will Say We're In Love (Reprise)"). He then realizes that he must now become a farmer.

Laurey and Curly are married and everyone rejoices in celebration of the territory's impending statehood ("Oklahoma!"). During the celebration, Ali Hakim returns with his new shotgun wife, Gertie. A drunken Jud reappears, harasses Laurey by kissing her and attacks Curly with a knife. As Curly dodges a blow, Jud falls on his own knife and soon dies. The wedding guests hold a makeshift trial for Curly, at Aunt Eller's urging, as the couple is due to leave for their honeymoon. The judge, Andrew Carnes, declares the verdict: "not guilty!" Curly and Laurey depart on their honeymoon in the surrey with the fringe on top ("Finale Ultimo").

The love stories are simple, laughable and even sometimes sad (Poor Jud). The songs are catchy and will stay with you forever. One of my favorites and a great example of musical story telling is “The Farmer and the Cowman”. Below is the YouTube video from the original 1955 classic. Enjoy!!