Oklahoma!

  • Review Date: October 13, 2007
  • NR
  • Genre: Musical
  • 1955
Review

Common Sense Media says

Excellent singing and dancing on the frontier.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that there's one part that could be scary for some kids: a brief knife fight atop burning haystacks. You'll also find plenty of flirty innuendo in the song "I Cain't Say No."

  • Positive messages0
    At the "box social," men bid on women's picnic baskets to win the chance to dine with the basket-maker. The outdated concept comes across as a harmless and quaint frontier tradition. Jud's bachelor shack has pin-ups on the walls, and it's implied that the kaleidoscope he buys has pictures of nude women.
  • Violence & scariness3
    Arson and a knife fight ending in the villain's death.
  • Sexy stuff0
    Plenty of innuendo in the song "I Cain't Say No" and in much of the dialog between Ado Annie and her suitors. For example, Ali Hakim hopes to lure Ado Annie to a hotel where "paradise" awaits them.
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What's the story?

Most of this frontier musical takes place on the day of the box social, a party where women's picnic baskets are auctioned for charity. After spitefully refusing Curly's (Gordon MacRae) offer to escort her, Laurie (Shirley Jones in her movie debut) agrees to go to the dance with Aunt Eller's rough-edged farmhand Jud Fry. Of course, as much as Curly and Laurie protest in public, they secretly love each other. Unfortunately, Jud is both jealous and vengeful, and things escalate quickly. While this love triangle does momentarily turn violent, another bickering threesome keeps the movie light and comical. Ado Annie, a somewhat clueless girl who "cain't say no" (Gloria Grahame), can't decide if she should marry smooth-talking peddler Ali Hakim (Eddie Albert), who obviously has no interest in wedded bliss, or her well-intentioned cowboy fiance, Will Parker.

Is it any good?

 

Rodgers and Hammerstein's memorable tunes make OKLAHOMA! an eternally fresh and enjoyable musical classic. The opening scene, when cowboy Curly rides through cornfields singing "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin,'" sets the tone for this colorful, tuneful, and upbeat frontier movie.

There are a couple of drawn-out dance numbers that will tempt you to fast-forward: one as girls freshen up at Laurie's house on the way to the box social, and a later ballet dream sequence -- an obligatory, bizarre, feature of many 1950s musicals. But these scenes aren't enough to keep this from the short list of must-sees for families who enjoy musicals, or for kids just getting started on the classics.

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What families can talk about

Families can talk about Jud's behavior and how he might have justified it. How do the others treat him? What are his reasons for fighting Curly? Why does Laurie change her mind about Curly? How does Ali Hakim treat women? Is the box social concept acceptable in today's society?

This review was written by Kathryn McGarr
Adult
September 14, 2009
AGE
7
 
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Helped me decide (7) | Had useful details (6) | Read my mind (7)
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Parent of 8 and 10 year old
July 1, 2010
AGE
10
 
Fun story, saturated in sexual innuendo
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (4) | Had useful details (6) | Read my mind (6)
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This review was written by Kathryn McGarr
Studio:Magna Corporation
Director:Fred Zinnemann
Cast:Gloria Grahame, Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones
Genre:Musical
Run time:145 minutes
Theatrical release date:October 11, 1955
DVD release date:April 27, 1999
MPAA rating:NR
This review was written by Kathryn McGarr
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
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