Is Fred Zinnemann’s Oklahoma! a western? It would certainly seem to hold some of the trappings of the genre: it has cowboys, a 19th century setting, a clear hero and villain, and so on. At the same time no stranger rides into town, there are no gunfights of which to speak, and the narrative push seems more about romance and community than rugged individualism and taming a frontier. Of course it is also a musical – one so popular that it was 1955’s fourth-highest grossing film.

Oklahoma! was not just popular but widely hyped: premiering on Broadway in 1943, the musical had proved to be Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s most popular on stage and was the first to be adapted to cinema. The film acted as a showcase for the new film format Todd AO, a successor to Cinerama that was filmed in 65mm and projected in 70, recorded in six-track stereophonic sound, and projected at 30 frames per second. To ensure all movie theatres could present the film regardless of their technical set-up, the whole of Oklahoma! was made in both Todd AO and Cinemascope. Every single shot was set, prepared, and lit twice. It puts Oklahoma! in a curious category of having two versions in existence: the same screenplay, largely similar camera angles, but different takes of every scene by its cast.

Dashing cowboy Curly McLain (Gordon MacRae) is in love with the beautiful Laurey Williams (Shirley Jones), but she – frustrated at his lack of urgency – agrees to attend a box social party with field hand Judd Fry (Rod Steiger) instead. Her attempt to spark Curly’s jealousy backfires when the brutish Fry continues to pursue her – ultimately with murderous intent.

Both MacRae and Jones give broad, hugely charismatic performances, with a strong chemistry between them and a number of now-iconic songs. What stands out, however, is Rod Steiger’s weirdly intense and grounded portrayal of Fry. On the page he is a simplistic ‘blackhat’ who harasses and threatens Laurey while plotting to murder Curly. In performance he is a wronged and mistreated figure: corrupted and malevolent for certain, but also oddly sympathetic. He is treated poorly by townsfolk, and not given proper regard, and that experience has clearly warped his personality into a bleak form. It is not just the townsfolk that treat Judd with disrespect: the film itself is quick to dispose of him after the climax, and equally rapid in absolving Curley of any blame in his death.

Elsewhere the cast follow much broader Broadway-inspired styles. Gloria Grahame is charming as “Ado” Annie, a naive loose woman given a lot more respect in the film than one might expect. Charlotte Greenwood is a wonderful Aunt Eller. There is an overall emphasis on entertainment and spectacle. The Todd AO process genuinely enhances the exterior scenes and vistas, while colourful production design and good-humoured choreography keeps the songs upbeat and energetic. Oklahoma! is, by today’s standards, a fairly old-fashioned musical, and its songs tend to directly reflect the characters’ static feelings rather than provide opportunities for change or self-realisation as modern musicals tend to do. As a result the film tends to come across as relatively corny if the viewer doesn’t get into an appropriate state of mind. This film is bright, bold, and enthusiastic. It is the 1955 equivalent of a studio blockbuster: big-screen entertainment for the masses.

It is also a groundbreaking movie musical. No new songs were added to the film, and more importantly only two were excised in the translation from stage to screen. The runtime subsequently extents beyond two-and-a-half hours, including an overture, intermission, and entr’acte. At the time, musical films had been part of Hollywood for almost 30 years. With Oklahoma! they transitioned into becoming event films: big budgets, lavish presentations, and with extended media promotion.

To draw back around to my initial question, I feel the western is a broad enough genre to encompass Oklahoma!. It is soaked in a optimistic patriotism: the idea that Oklahoma will soon become a state of the union is a matter of pride and excitement for its lead characters. While it lacks several key western conventions, there are still cowboys. There’s still a good guy and a villain, and a showdown between them. There’s still the rugged American landscape, and grassy fields to the horizon. Its position among the westerns of 1955 is loud, and brassy, and pleasantly unique.

1955 West is a review project to watch as many western features from 1955 as possible, in order to gain a ‘snapshot’ view of the genre at its height. According to Letterboxd, there were 72 westerns released that year. You can see all of FictionMachine’s reviews of them to date by clicking here.