Shirley Jones was my very first screen crush. The moment I saw her... true love. A prettier face and more beautiful voice there never was on screen. But the pairing with the superb romantic leading man, Gordon McRae, was sheer genius, a duo that will last as long as "Oklahoma." God bless her, and Happy New Year, everyone!!
Like going back in time here. Gordon MacRae is still my favourite singer and it's nice to see him in something rare like this when he was in his prime. There doesn't seem to be much available on screen of Gordon, outside of movie clips and some game shows on TV. I don't know that any concerts he did were ever recorded, at least I've never found any on the internet. Such a shame and neglectful of a man with such a beautiful voice.
Filmed at Elgin, Arizona, standing in for "Claremore, OK.", and in San Rafael Valley, Arizona, during the summer of 1954, during monsoon season; they filmed during breaks in the rain/storm. If one watches Oklahoma! (1955) clips carefully, they can see intra-cloud lightning, and fresh puddles that were not there in previous takes within the same song or scene. Three of those movie clips, and the area scenery, are shown in my Arizona video tour, part #15 playlist that shows Santa Cruz County.
Thank you for sharing this great glimpse at BTS of agreeably the best musical ever produced by Hollywood. Star-studded of course but also showcasing one most memorable R&H scores not forgetting to mention tremendous choreography of extremely entertaining and challenging dances sequence. Don't forget to view this in a wide screen format and make sure to find the version with 'dark' dream-sequence dance number.
They weren't shot simultaneously, The Todd AO takes were shot first, then the cinemascope version. This is why the Todd AO version had the pick of the best natural lighting and the cast were more fresh and energetic.
They usually had them mounted next to each other because they had established shots that were nearly the same as far as how they were framed. The Tod AO shots were sometimes a bit further away to get more of the surroundings as that was where the format really worked at it's best, so you'll find the CinemaScope version has a few more close ups but doesn't look anywhere near as good because Tod AO was in 70mm. Thankfully that version was preserved and not tossed like some Ultra widescreen formats were. It makes The CinemaScope version look absolutely horrible by comparison.
Man oh man do I wish that Fathom events would rerelease this one back to Theaters for at least a couple days like they have other screen classics. Seeing this one back on the big Theater screen would be a day I would definitely lay out of work to go see.
Great as this was, I always felt let down by this film version of OKLAHOMA! It could've been so much more! Time for a remake -- with Rob Marshall, who has done more than a few screen musicals, directing!!
I've just found a video of Gene Nelson who played Will and he said Fred Zinnemann only directed the dramatic scenes and that the real director of the musical scenes was Agnes De Mille the choreographer who would tell Zinnemann what she wanted and he would set it up with the camera man as she didn't know anything about cameras. Perhaps someone like Vincente Minnelli would have done a better job, who knows, it's still a great musical film. No No to a remake though. Sorry -NO.
@@simplyblues1 OK, so de Mille directed the content of SOME musical numbers requiring formal choreography -- but Zinemann & Robert Surtees still took care of how it was TO BE Photographed; hence, de Mille and Fred Z. were co-directors in that regard.
all those bubbles i have to burst, now, about Oklahoma! James Dean was Zinnemann's first choice for Curley, but couldn't get him, still too busy with East of Eden. so he had to settle for Gordon. Betty Hutton, first choice for Ado Annie, would have been wonderful, star on the skids, wouldn't take the role unless it was, uh, "built up." R&H said no, settled for the awful Gloria Grahame, who later apologized to original Bway star Celeste Hom for being so bad. so it went in Hollywood. Betty, you dumb f---, you should have played it, and you never made another musical movie, did you? was it so hard for you to be part of an ensemble? the picture would have been infinitely better with you. you had years to regret this, and, i am sure, you did. rest in piece, or whatever. but i, for one, do not forgive you for making the picture less than it should have been. without you, it most certainly was.
@@davidreidenberg9941 Exactly. Zinnemann might've liked Dean but that would not have passed with R&H. They had FULL casting veto & OK in this project. Plus, I can't see any one-screen chemistry between Jones and Dean. And James Dean would've looked silly with "curly" hair as the role required. That was as dumb as considering Liz Taylor for Laurey. When R&H saw Shirley Jones in 1952 when she first came and sang for them, they had found their screen Laurey. They groomed her for two years to be a more accomplished actress.
I wish Betty Hutton had taken the role of Ado Annie. She would have been terrific...and, unlike Grahame, Hutton could sing and dance. At the end of the film, Grahame just kind of disappears from that porch when the dancing starts. The brilliant dancer, Gene Nelson, spends the film dancing with a number of the women instead of ever dancing with Ado Annie. Grahame apparently had a terrible time learning the singing part of her role too.
@@davidreidenberg9941yep, they sure did. but Zinnemann was intrigued with the idea of James Dean as Curley early-on. might have worked. Gordon, of course, was perfectly good, and worked very well w/Shirley, both in this one, and Carousel. alas, it is all ancient movie musical history now. but when you think of energetic Betty Hutton as Ado Annie, the picture would have been so much better.
@@richardlee8495 If you search the internet, there is a letter from Zinnemann to his staff asking to try everything to get Frank Sinatra for Curly but it came to nothing and he was over ruled by R & H anyway. I remember some time ago finding an article that said Rodgers and Hammerstein decided on Gordon MacRae early on after hearing him sing but kept him waiting for some months before telling him. Lots of actors auditioned including James Dean and a young Paul Newman but were rejected as unsuitable. Other names mentioned were Van Johnson, Jeffrey Hunter and other leading men of the time.
Shirley Jones was my very first screen crush. The moment I saw her... true love. A prettier face and more beautiful voice there never was on screen. But the pairing with the superb romantic leading man, Gordon McRae, was sheer genius, a duo that will last as long as "Oklahoma." God bless her, and Happy New Year, everyone!!
At the start of her career, a major magazine called Shirley Jones "a show business phenomenon". Today, she's a show business legend!
The behind the scenes footage from the 50's and back seems so much more interesting and rare.
That’s cus it is
Like going back in time here. Gordon MacRae is still my favourite singer and it's nice to see him in something rare like this when he was in his prime. There doesn't seem to be much available on screen of Gordon, outside of movie clips and some game shows on TV. I don't know that any concerts he did were ever recorded, at least I've never found any on the internet. Such a shame and neglectful of a man with such a beautiful voice.
I don't think that there was a more handsome Broadway leading man with such a gorgeous voice, too. "They don't make 'em like this anymore."
Filmed at Elgin, Arizona, standing in for "Claremore, OK.", and in San Rafael Valley, Arizona, during the summer of 1954, during monsoon season; they filmed during breaks in the rain/storm. If one watches Oklahoma! (1955) clips carefully, they can see intra-cloud lightning, and fresh puddles that were not there in previous takes within the same song or scene. Three of those movie clips, and the area scenery, are shown in my Arizona video tour, part #15 playlist that shows Santa Cruz County.
No blue screen behind them. Real cows.
Shirley Jones always smiing. It must have been great to work with her.
Real cows in San Rafael Valley, Arizona :)
Thank you for sharing this great glimpse at BTS of agreeably the best musical ever produced by Hollywood. Star-studded of course but also showcasing one most memorable R&H scores not forgetting to mention tremendous choreography of extremely entertaining and challenging dances sequence. Don't forget to view this in a wide screen format and make sure to find the version with 'dark' dream-sequence dance number.
This is an absolute joy! Wonderful thank you!
I am watching this movie again. I love it so much. Brings back old memories where I have never been a part of.
This is a Great and wonderful film ...love seeing the footage of the filming.. Thank You!
I wish we could hear what they say
The two cameras side by side seem to show the shooting of the scenes simultaneously in both a 35mm CinemaScope version and a 70mm Todd-AO version,
They weren't shot simultaneously, The Todd AO takes were shot first, then the cinemascope version. This is why the Todd AO version had the pick of the best natural lighting and the cast were more fresh and energetic.
They usually had them mounted next to each other because they had established shots that were nearly the same as far as how they were framed. The Tod AO shots were sometimes a bit further away to get more of the surroundings as that was where the format really worked at it's best, so you'll find the CinemaScope version has a few more close ups but doesn't look anywhere near as good because Tod AO was in 70mm. Thankfully that version was preserved and not tossed like some Ultra widescreen formats were. It makes The CinemaScope version look absolutely horrible by comparison.
Oh I loved this!!! How fun!
Man oh man do I wish that Fathom events would rerelease this one back to Theaters for at least a couple days like they have other screen classics. Seeing this one back on the big Theater screen would be a day I would definitely lay out of work to go see.
ladies and gentlemen when CGI didn't exist.
WOW!
All filmed in Southern Arizona
Cinerama cameras?
looks hot as Hades!
Shirley looks so beautiful!!
Great as this was, I always felt let down by this film version of OKLAHOMA! It could've been so much more! Time for a remake -- with Rob Marshall, who has done more than a few screen musicals, directing!!
I've just found a video of Gene Nelson who played Will and he said Fred Zinnemann only directed the dramatic scenes and that the real director of the musical scenes was Agnes De Mille the choreographer who would tell Zinnemann what she wanted and he would set it up with the camera man as she didn't know anything about cameras. Perhaps someone like Vincente Minnelli would have done a better job, who knows, it's still a great musical film. No No to a remake though. Sorry -NO.
@@simplyblues1 OK, so de Mille directed the content of SOME musical numbers requiring formal choreography -- but Zinemann & Robert Surtees still took care of how it was TO BE Photographed; hence, de Mille and Fred Z. were co-directors in that regard.
No remake, they would “politically correct” it and ruin it.
@@elaineteut9579 Not necessarily. That was only done for a school version.
@@simplyblues1Please, no. Just no!
We don't need a remake of this perfect film just because some provincial doesn't like it.
The “glamor” of Hollywood, eh?
I’m watching this and I’m watching the movie
I can't believe it.
James dean wouldn’t be able to sing curly like Gordon McRae
where my oklahomans ay
Lot of shirtless guys
:)
all those bubbles i have to burst, now, about Oklahoma! James Dean was Zinnemann's first choice for Curley, but couldn't get him, still too busy with East of Eden. so he had to settle for Gordon. Betty Hutton, first choice for Ado Annie, would have been wonderful, star on the skids, wouldn't take the role unless it was, uh, "built up." R&H said no, settled for the awful Gloria Grahame, who later apologized to original Bway star Celeste Hom for being so bad. so it went in Hollywood. Betty, you dumb f---, you should have played it, and you never made another musical movie, did you? was it so hard for you to be part of an ensemble? the picture would have been infinitely better with you. you had years to regret this, and, i am sure, you did. rest in piece, or whatever. but i, for one, do not forgive you for making the picture less than it should have been. without you, it most certainly was.
Richard Lee don't know where you get your information, but R and H called all the shots., not Zinnemann.
@@davidreidenberg9941 Exactly. Zinnemann might've liked Dean but that would not have passed with R&H. They had FULL casting veto & OK in this project. Plus, I can't see any one-screen chemistry between Jones and Dean. And James Dean would've looked silly with "curly" hair as the role required. That was as dumb as considering Liz Taylor for Laurey. When R&H saw Shirley Jones in 1952 when she first came and sang for them, they had found their screen Laurey. They groomed her for two years to be a more accomplished actress.
I wish Betty Hutton had taken the role of Ado Annie. She would have been terrific...and, unlike Grahame, Hutton could sing and dance. At the end of the film, Grahame just kind of disappears from that porch when the dancing starts. The brilliant dancer, Gene Nelson, spends the film dancing with a number of the women instead of ever dancing with Ado Annie. Grahame apparently had a terrible time learning the singing part of her role too.
@@davidreidenberg9941yep, they sure did. but Zinnemann was intrigued with the idea of James Dean as Curley early-on. might have worked. Gordon, of course, was perfectly good, and worked very well w/Shirley, both in this one, and Carousel. alas, it is all ancient movie musical history now. but when you think of energetic Betty Hutton as Ado Annie, the picture would have been so much better.
@@richardlee8495 If you search the internet, there is a letter from Zinnemann to his staff asking to try everything to get Frank Sinatra for Curly but it came to nothing and he was over ruled by R & H anyway. I remember some time ago finding an article that said Rodgers and Hammerstein decided on Gordon MacRae early on after hearing him sing but kept him waiting for some months before telling him. Lots of actors auditioned including James Dean and a young Paul Newman but were rejected as unsuitable. Other names mentioned were Van Johnson, Jeffrey Hunter and other leading men of the time.
Anyone see any overweight people back then?
I didn't, even though we smoked, drank, ate red meat, and butter...
Well, they didn't have all the junk food we have today -- that's why.
@@mylesgarcia4625
That's not all they didn't have!
@@mylesgarcia4625 well McDonalds and Burger King existed in the 50's lmao. So they kinda did have junk food ig.
@@dianabway But not on the scale they are today. Duh!!
High fructose corn syrup has caused the obesity epidemic.