It’s hard to believe that the perennial Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II musical, Oklahoma! premiered 81 years ago this weekend! The first major musical collaboration between these two musical theatre titans, Oklahoma! was based on Green Grow the Lilacs, a play by Lynn Riggs that included some traditional folk songs, which had been produced by the Theatre Guild in in 1931. A little more than a decade later, the musical adaptation was a Hail Mary for the Theatre Guild, which found itself in a financially precarious situation thanks to the outbreak of World War II.

The rest, as they say, is history. Oklahoma! was a smash success and ran for 2 212 performances, setting a record that would be broken more than a decade later by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s My Fair Lady. The songs became so popular it was as though they had always existed. It took less than six months for Frank Sinatra to release recordings of “People Will Say We’re In Love” and “Oh What A Beautiful Morning.” Rodgers’s score was also highlighted in a delightful 1944 recording by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Los Angeles, which condenses the score and (with apologies to Hammerstein) lets the melodies ripple out like a whispered song you can listen to over and over. Rodgers and Hammerstein would go on to write some of the most revered American musical theatre classics, most of which were filmed for the big screen, including Oklahoma!, which was released in 1955.

To celebrate tomorrow’s anniversary of this Broadway classic’s opening, we are counting down the early cast recordings of the show, from the original Broadway cast album through the film’s soundtrack – just a handful among a myriad of recordings from different productions and studios around the world. Which is your favourite?

5. 1944 Studio Cast

A show as popular as Oklahoma! was bound to spurn a studio cast recording sooner rather than later. This first appeared the year after the show’s premiere and comprised six of the show’s most popular tunes. The recording is something of a novelty and offers some moments of interest to the hardcore Oklahoma! fan, including some new arrangements of the songs – gilding the lily, more often than not – and some alternative lyrics, such as those that pop up in “Out of My Dreams.”

Won’t have to make up any more stories – you’ll be there!
Think of the bright midsummer night glories we can share.
Won’t have to go on kissing a daydream – I’ll have you;
You’ll be real, real as the white moon lighting the blue

The performances, with James Melton singing Curly and Eleanor Steber singing Laurey, are less characterful than those of the original Broadway cast, which were the only others on record at this stage, aside from Sinatra’s two pop recordings. Melton and Streber tend to add more sentimental flourishes to the songs than needed, particularly in the ballads. “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top” is also slowed down in a way that dials down the song’s inherent charms. There’s a little more life in John Charles Thomas and the ensemble’s blustery “Kansas City;” “Oklahoma,” on the other hand, sounds too sedate. This is very much a supplementary recording for completists. It doesn’t offer much for the casual listener and is too truncated to provide a real impression of the show.

4. 1947 Original London Cast Recording

The original London cast recording isn’t much better than the 1944 studio cast recording. It offers more of the show’s score, but most of the tracks run through only a verse and chorus before coming to a sudden end.

Starring Howard Keel as Curly and Betty Jane Watson as Laurey, there is nothing wrong with the cast, per se; they just don’t equal their original Broadway counterparts. Keel gives an endearing reading as Curly and Watson is sweet – if a little pitchy – as Laurey. Dorothea MacFarland gives a typically fashioned old-school comic reading of Ado Annie, but she is unable to banish the memory of Celeste Holm, who offers a definitive performance of the songs on the original Broadway cast recording.

This isn’t the recording to get if you really want to experience what Oklahoma! has to offer: the original cast recording, the soundtrack or one of the earlier revivals are better options. This one is a triviality for hardcore fans of the show.

3. The 1952 Studio Cast Recording

The second studio cast recording of Oklahoma! featured Nelson Eddy as Curly. While the top-billed Eddy himself offers some delightfully acted moments as Curly, the rest of the singers’ success in the roles is mixed. Wilton Clary is a more full-voiced, but less characterful Will Parker than Lee Dixon’s original take on the character. Lee Cass, who plays Jud Fry, sets up some great expectations for his “Lonely Room” in his performance in “Poor Jud is Daid” and his take on the song is just as unsettling as it should be.

As Ado Annie, Kaye Ballard is reminiscent of Celeste Holm but less effective. The least successful of the leads is Virginia Haskins as Laurey, whose vocal delivery is just too heavy. This makes her sound, perhaps, the most likely of all early Laureys to be related to Aunt Eller, who is given a spirited voice in Portia Nelson’s reading of the role. David Morris is similarly lively as Ali Hakim. The ensemble also deserves a shoutout for their investment into what might otherwise be considered a superfluous addition to a studio recording of this time, as evidenced in the 1994 studio recording.

In the final analysis, this is actually a very good early recording of the show. It offers more music than the two original cast recordings and while the acting might not be as good, everyone certainly gives it a good go. There’s a level of care evident in this recording, even with its missteps taken into account.

2. The 1955 Soundtrack Recording

Next up is the soundtrack of the 1955 film version, which starred Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones as Curly and Laurey. Both typify the kind of romantic leads that Rodgers and Hammerstein had in mind for the show during the 1940s and 1950s: a dapper, charming and confident young cowboy and a romantic, somewhat highly-strung young woman. Both fill the roles quite nicely and the leading cast is rounded out quite well by Gloria Grahame, a typically character-voiced Ado Annie, and Gene Nelson, who is a charming Will Parker – possibly the best to portray the role on record in the first two decades of the score’s existence.

It’s also interesting to hear a different “Overture”, one clearly capitalising on the most popular numbers of the score rather than on the tunes chosen to set the mood for the stage show, the earlier of the two being the more successful in that regard to my mind. Later releases of the soundtrack supplemented the original pressing with several tracks, including the full “Out of My Dreams” ballet. While it was not the only number cut from the film, “Lonely Room” is perhaps the most glaring omission. Essential to the show, it was excluded from the film and is excluded here – and it is sorely missed.

1. The 1943 Original Broadway Cast Recording

The original Broadway cast recording is a landmark recording. Originally released in two volumes that can now be heard on one CD or in a single streaming album, the recording includes all of the major songs, predictable skipping only the “Dream Ballet”, the “Entr’acte” and the reprise of “People Will Say We’re in Love”, with several of the other numbers trimmed internally.

The superb cast is led by Alfred Drake and Joan Roberts as Curly and Laurey. Although some may feel that Drake, in particular, is rooted somewhat too much in the operetta tradition from which Oklahoma! itself springs, their performances are thrilling. With a uniformly excellent supporting cast, every song is a treat. Celeste Holm is absolutely brilliant as Ado Annie, while Lee Dixon is a personable Will Parker, the twinkle in his eye carrying through beautifully in his vocals.

If there’s one disappointment, it is Drake doing double duty, singing “Lonely Room” instead of Howard Da Silva, who played Jud on stage. Nonetheless, there is an energy that penetrates every moment of this recording, making it immediately accessible and always enjoyable, even upon repeat listens. It is an essential recording for fans of the show and of musical theatre in general.

Honourable Mention

Sharp-eyed Oklahoma! fans might spot one recording missing from this parade. That one, as they say, is a horse of a different colour. The Music from Oklahoma!, interpreted by Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra, is an almost totally instrumental look at the work. I say almost because there are vocals used to add musical colour to the tracks rather than to sing the lyrics; indeed, a soprano reminiscent of the Star Trek theme’s theremin pops up in songs like “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'” and “People Will Say We’re in Love,” lending these standard a touch of camp irony. Released as an ancillary marketing product for the film, this album was Riddle’s first solo studio affair, and it makes for very entertaining listening. If you haven’t given it a spin, you should.

Final Thoughts

As the years continued to go by, other great recordings of Oklahoma! have been released, including the 1980 Broadway revival’s cast recording and the 1998 cast album of the Royal National Theatre’s production. The most recent revival brilliantly brought the show into the contemporary musical theatre age and that cast recording is also a must-have in any Oklahoma! enthusiast’s collection. More reviews are up on our Oklahoma! show page, along with all essential information about the show itself. We very much are spoiled for choice when selecting a recording to celebrate this classic show: as Golden Age musicals go, Oklahoma! is a surrey with a fringe on the top!