Shirley Jones, Oklahoma!
One of my favorite actresses, Shirley Jones, is one of the rare stars who contributed to old Hollywood films as well as classic television. I’ll never forget the first time I saw her in a movie (Oklahoma!). I had been VERY familiar with her from The Partridge Family – a show I watched like it was my job for many, many years. I walked into our living room once because I heard a beautiful voice singing and wanted to know where it was coming from.
When I saw a ridiculously beautiful actress on television (like a Disney princess come to life), I froze for a minute because she seemed so familiar to me. As soon as she looked at the camera, it hit me, just as my mom was asking, “Do you know who that is??”
I remember being glued to the television for the remainder of the wonderful musical and promptly asking my mom what other movies she had been in. It wasn’t long before I was well on my way to seeing them all.
Fast forward to today and I am head over heels in love with musicals and have been for over half my life – and one of the main reasons I ever searched them out in the first place is pictured here. Shirley Jones, with her great beauty, talent, and palpable onscreen energy and spark drew me to a genre that has never let me down.
Shirley Jones, Oklahoma!
You can buy Oklahoma! on dvd or Blu-ray (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.