Oklahoma (1955)

Plot:  In 1905, in the Oklahoma territory, two Cowboys, a peddler, and a brutish ranch hand vie for the hearts of 2 young women.
Cast:  Shirley Jones, Gordon MacRae, Rod Steiger, Gloria Grahame, Eddie Albert

I liked Oklahoma a lot  better than South Pacific.  The songs are better, the direction is better, and the cast is much, much better.  Shirley Jones is perfect in the lead and looks fantastic, and everyone else is well cast.  Of course, MacRae isn't really in the same class as Jones - maybe they should have cast a more charismatic actor and dubbed him. But that's a nitpick. The only real problem is the book.  Like South Pacific, the plot is paper thin and the movie is 2 1/2 hours long.  Even worse, the movie grinds to a halt for an  interminable 15 minute Agnes De Mille "Ballet".  I found myself Fast-forwarding a lot. But you can't beat great songs like: "Oh, what a beautiful Morning" "Oklahoma" or  "People will say we're in Love".  Rating ***