Oklahoma History Center exhibit celebrates 75 years of ‘Oklahoma!’
Just about anyone in the U.S. can tell you that Oklahoma is where “the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain,” even if they’ve never seen the musical that spawned that phrase.
The song, of course, comes from “Oklahoma!” — the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that debuted on Broadway in March 1943.
But do you know how the tune became Oklahoma’s official state song?
In 1953, George Nigh, who eventually would become governor, was a state legislator just two years into his first term, according to the new “Oklahoma!” exhibit at the Oklahoma History Center.
Nigh introduced legislation seeking to adopt “Oklahoma!” as the official state song. It was a fairly ambitious move for someone so new to government, and predictably, it didn’t go well.
Oklahoma already had a state song, adopted in 1935. “Oklahoma, A Toast” was written by a Kingfisher woman in 1905. While it wasn’t the liveliest tune — some suggested it sounded like a funeral dirge — it had tenure. Besides, it was slow enough for students to learn, the exhibit notes, and was written by an honest to God Oklahoman, not some strangers in New York City.
“When Nigh’s bill was first read on the House floor,” the exhibit notes, “one legislator is said to have stood up and started singing ‘Oklahoma, A Toast,’ while quietly crying.”
Nigh was pragmatic, if nothing else. He knew he couldn’t outdo the other legislator’s performance, so he tabled the bill. But he wasn’t ready to give up. He’d fight drama with drama.
So Nigh enlisted the aid of Ridge Bond, a McAlester native who’d played the starring role of Curly toward the end of the original Broadway show and during the traveling production. Before reintroducing his bill, Nigh had Bond and the Oklahoma College for Women sing “Oklahoma!” for the assembled legislators.
The song was so lively and so fun that the politicians rose to their feet, cheering and applauding. Nigh’s measure passed, and this time there was no crying for “Oklahoma, A Toast.” He’d shown the canny instincts that would make him a longtime Oklahoma leader.
The Nigh story is only one of an impressive collection of facts and artifacts associated with the “Oklahoma!” musical at the state history center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. in Oklahoma City. Among the items to check out are a “surrey with the fringe on top” dating to 1895, tickets, playbills, props and more. Informative panels tell stories about the history of the musical, curious facts about it and details about alternative productions, including one in Japan featuring an all-female cast and two (including performances in Portland and a one-night production in Oklahoma) with all-black casts.
Attendees will also learn about Lynn Riggs, whose “Green Grow the Lilacs” was the basis for “Oklahoma!”, and choreographer Agnes de Mille, who brought innovative ballet movements to the musical’s bizarre 15-minute dream sequence. One difference between “Oklahoma!” and other musicals was de Mille’s insistence on casting professional dancers instead of teaching actors how to dance.
The exhibit, which is officially titled “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s ‘Oklahoma!’: The Birth of Modern Musical Theatre and a New Image for the State,” celebrates the musical’s 75th anniversary while also observing its cultural significance.
Outsiders had a dim view of Oklahoma at the time, largely due to the Dust Bowl years and John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath.” Steinbeck intended the novel, which won the National Book Award and a Pulitzer, to shame and expose the greedy capitalists responsible for the Great Depression. But the novel also painted a tortured vision of “Okies,” those who stayed here and those who headed west seeking brighter futures. Most found servitude and a greater loss of dignity.
One thing “Oklahoma!” did was create a brighter — and perhaps more deserved — image of the state and its citizens. Now people didn’t only see Steinbeck’s doomed Joad family; they saw an adventuresome place filled with comedy, romance, dancing and singing, despite a dark through line involving prejudice and attempted murder.
As one of the longest running musicals ever, “Oklahoma!” continues to delight fans old and new. And thanks to Nigh and his efforts, Oklahoma has the most popular state song in America.