Musical reviews: Oklahoma!

I first remember “Oklahoma!” from seeing it performed on a makeshift stage in the bombed-out Rizal Stadium in Manila. The musical had been a huge hit when it debuted on Broadway in 1943. Just before the end of the war in the Pacific in July 1945, a USO troupe of actors and singers took the play to perform for GIs in various Pacific locales, including the capital city of the Philippines.

The stadium, which had been the scene of bloody fighting between American and Japanese forces just weeks before, was the only large venue in the damaged city that could be repaired in time to stage the lavish musical. Army engineers and Navy SeaBees worked for weeks to make it ready to seat the 50,000 expected attendees.

In addition to at least two divisions of GIs, several hundred sailors from the Navy fleet landing just a few miles away made our way into the makeshift theater. We were delighted to see everything was set up just like a Stateside theater, including the stage, a curtain and a big orchestra out front. It was a touch of home most of us hadn’t seen for several years.

Of course, even if the musical had been lousy, we would have appreciated every moment of it. It was perfect way beyond our expectations. The original star, Alfred Drake, was still on Broadway, and the part of Curley was sung and acted by an unknown named John Raitt. I think he was an Army pfc at the time. Most people today only remember Raitt as Bonnie’s dad, but he went on to star in many Broadway and Hollywood musicals.

The story line is familiar to everyone who has ever seen the play performed in places from Broadway to high school auditoriums. Curley, the cowboy, loves Laurie, the farm girl. Jud, the bad dude who works for Laurie’s aunt Eller, is also in love with Laurie. They run around, do some Agnes DeMille choreography and sing a bunch of songs. Curley fights Jud, Jud gets killed, Curley marries Laurie and the story ends with the rousing title number.

That bunch of songs include true American classics: “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’”, “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top”, Everything’s Up To Date In Kansas City”, “I’m Just A Girl Who Cain’t Say No”, “People Will Say We’re in Love”, “The Farmer and the Cowman”, and of course, the exciting “Oklahoma!”

The movie debuted in 1955, starring Gordon MacRae as Curley, and the 19-year-old Shirley Jones as Laurie. The wide-screen format was meant to showcase the beauty of the great state of Oklahoma. However, Hollywood moguls decided that southern Arizona made a much better movie Oklahoma.