Oklahoma! (1955) review

In our beloved Sooner State, there appears to be a love triangle a-brewin': cowboy Curly (Gordon MacRae) has got his eyes on the lovely maiden Laurey (Shirley Jones), but field hand Jud (Rod Steiger) is determined (by force, if necessary) to marry her - elsewhere, Ado Annie (Gloria Grahame) is infatuated with small-time salesman Ali Hakim (Eddie Albert) ... who wants nothing to do with her (he's a ramblin' man, ya see?).  There's a real lack of panache and creativity to the direction - which doesn't help with a nearly three hour musical - and arguably the most "dramatic" scene is an "auction" where men (ahem) "bid" for "women's pies" (no, really: it's to support the church).  If you're not a fan of musicals, this might be a chore, but I will admit that the songs (by Rodgers and Hammerstein) are still fantastic.  Also: these days the "Oklahoma Hello" would be considered sexual assault.