Oklahoma! (film)

Oklahoma! is a 1955 American musical film directed by Fred Zinnemann, based on the 1943 stage musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein, in turn based on the 1931 play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs. It stars Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones (in her film debut), Rod Steiger, Charlotte Greenwood, Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson, James Whitmore, and Eddie Albert.

Set in Oklahoma Territory shortly after the turn of the 20th century, it tells the story of farm girl Laurey Williams (Jones) and her courtship by two rival suitors, cowboy Curly McLain (MacRae) and the sinister and frightening farmhand Jud Fry (Steiger). A secondary romance concerns Laurey's friend, Ado Annie (Grahame), and cowboy Will Parker (Nelson), who also has an unwilling rival. A background theme is the territory's aspiration for statehood, and the local conflict between cattlemen and farmers.

Oklahoma! was the first feature film photographed in the Todd-AO70 mmwidescreen process (and was simultaneously filmed in CinemaScope 35mm). It was the only musical directed by veteran filmmaker Zinnemann.

The film was a critical and commercial success, and won three Oscars at the 28th Academy Awards, including Best Scoring of a Musical Picture. In 2007, Oklahoma! was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".