Oklahoma! (1955 film)

Oklahoma is a 1955 musical film based on the 1943 stage musical Oklahoma, written by composer Richard Rodgers, and lyricistlibrettist Oscar Hammerstein II and starring Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones in her film debut, Rod Steiger, Charlotte Greenwood, Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson, James Whitmore and Eddie Albert. The production was the only musical directed by Fred Zinnemann. Oklahoma was the first feature film photographed in the ToddAO 70 mm widescreen process.

Interest in a film version of Oklahoma dates as far back as 1943, when the musical first opened on Broadway. United Artists, Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and MGM were among the many Hollywood studios interested in the project. Ultimately, the film rights were bought by the Magna Theatre Corporation, a company founded by George Skouras, Joseph Schenck, and Michael Todd. Magna was initially founded in order to develop a new widescreen process Todd created, called ToddAO, and ended up financing the film independently after a deal with Fox fell through.Although the film was initially to have been shot on location in the title state, the producers opted to shoot elsewhere, apparently because the oil wells would be a distraction for exterior scenes. Location shooting was done mostly in Nogales, Arizona. The corn field in the opening number as well as the reprise song, Surrey With the Fringe On Top was shot at the historic Canoa Ranch in Green Valley, Arizona. The train station used in the Kansas City routine was located in Elgin, Arizona. Sound stage and backlot sequences were filmed at MGM Studios in Culver City, California. ........

Source: Wikipedia