Oklahoma (1955)

Oklahoma: Directed by Fred Zinnemann. With Gordon MacRae, Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson, Charlotte Greenwood. In Oklahoma, several farmers, cowboys and a traveling salesman compete for the romantic favors of various local ladies.

“Since Iu0026#39;m a Newbie and go into detail on some the dance routines, Iu0026#39;m stating that there may be spoilers here just to cover myself.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBeing afflicted with little coordination or a reliable short-term memory, Iu0026#39;ve developed a great respect, if not admiration for anyone who is or aspires to be a dancer, since those qualities are essential.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI used to attend the Solid Gold shows and marveled at how those dancers were expected to pick up complicated steps on the first take, repeat the routine time and time again until the director was happy, and then show lots of first-take energy. One dancer told me they always had swollen and sometimes bloody feet after the show. But at least they were always properly credited. I have no doubt that itu0026#39;s the same for the stage and screen dancers except that in so many cases they are treated as a throwaway commodity when it comes time to the credits.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAlthough u0026quot;Oklahomau0026quot; is one of my all-time favorites, it is a classic example of the latter. In earlier viewings, I had noticed/liked/wondered about that perky little blonde dancer who has a crush on Will (Gene Nelson) and her almost-prominent presence in all of the dance routines. Being laid up with a broken foot gave me time to scan IMDBs comments and message board quotes for this movie, which prompted me to take a detailed, and in some cases a frame-by-frame look at this danceru0026#39;s performances. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWell, leisurely dissecting her work in freeze-frame and slo-mo, you suddenly discover what a talented little gem this girl is (apparently Jennie Workman, but how can we be sure? – Updated 07/24/06 – Nope, it turns out sheu0026#39;s Lizanne Truex). She first appears, and immediately establishes a stand-out presence as an infatuated-with-Will teenager in u0026quot;Everythingu0026#39;s Up To Date In Kansas Cityu0026quot;. At one point in the u0026quot;ragtimeu0026quot; routine, she kicks so high she knocks off Willu0026#39;s hat — and he is not a short guy. I thought he used the old trick of snapping his head back, but no, that little gal kicks her foot up as high or higher than her head with a disciplined precision (how many takes for that one?). Her disapproving look at Willu0026#39;s horse (who nuzzled him) typifies a little girl pique. Check out her adoring looks at Will while dancing with him as compared to her partner, who seemed concentrating on the steps. When the girls race with Will to the train, her arm-swinging energy makes it look like the start of a 100-yard dash. Freeze-frame caught her extra little toe-heel-toe step just before she jumped on the train – a nice professional flourish that I donu0026#39;t think was choreographed as her partner, who usually danced in unison, didnu0026#39;t perform.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThen there was her performance in u0026quot;Many a New Dayu0026quot;. First it was a how-can-I-fix-my-hair primping before a mirror followed by a hair-fluffing attention-getter and a dreamy head-in-arms swoon that personifies a young girl in love. At the end of the routine, when the dancers all fall to the floor around Laurey, she assumes a contorted position with such a fluid and graceful movement that you wonder if she has any bones.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn the early part of Laureyu0026#39;s (Shirley Jones) dream sequence, she shyly presents a bouquet of flowers to Dream Curly (James Mitchell) and when he accepts, she flashes such a winsome smile that it squeezes your heart. Dagnabbit, Iu0026#39;m in love — and with a 50-year-old image at that! Follow her around in the u0026quot;Farmers and Ranchersu0026quot; bit and notice how sheu0026#39;s not just acting, but having REAL fun — by-God-enjoying every minute of it and probably thinking u0026quot;And to think theyu0026#39;re paying me to do this!u0026quot;). Thereu0026#39;s a notably cute bit where she bounces up on Willu0026#39;s hip, seemingly light as a feather, and then rewards him with a very ladylike curtsy.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn u0026quot;All er Nuthinu0026quot; she and her partner come out and do some fancy high-stepping and strutting around Will and when he gives her girlfriend a peck on the lips, she does a great arms-akimbo pouting look of HMMMPH! This little lady consistently gives a great professional account of herself throughout the film both as an actress and a dancer. She has spot-on timing and always seems to kick a little higher and express a little more verve and elan than the others.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd for all this she gets a generic u0026quot;Danceru0026quot; in the film credits!!! They could at least have said u0026quot;Perky Little Blonde Teenageru0026quot; or u0026quot;Foxy Teenage Blonde Infatuated with Willu0026quot;. Heck, Iu0026#39;d even settle for u0026quot;Young Girl No. 1u0026quot;. At least you would have been pointed in the right direction. Shame on whomever was responsible, for this little lady had lots of potential and in my opinion, her subsequent absence was a loss to the trade. Evidently this was her only film and biographical info on her is non-existent. All the other Internet movie references for her appear to be taken from IMDBs database. Perhaps she was so disgusted at the lack of recognition that she quit the business. Then again, Iu0026#39;d like to think some smart (as in lucky) guy married her soon after and by now she has lots of grandchildren.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn any event, I pass on a u0026quot;Well Done and I wish I could have seen more of youu0026quot; to her, wherever she is. Itu0026#39;s the least I could do for someone who owns part of my heart. In keeping with IMDbu0026#39;s restriction on URLs, check out my tribute to her by clicking on nevkid12u0026#39;s name in the message boardu0026#39;s reply to u0026quot;Who are the 2 dancers?u0026quot;.”