What did Mamoo do? The Rouben Mamoulian papers and Oklahoma!

Abstract

A fuller picture of the achievements of director Rouben Mamoulian, and some previously unknown stories, emerge in the director's papers recently made available to the public at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. Among their revelations, they show that if Warner Bros. had not turned him down for a film, Mamoulian may have quickly bolted Oklahoma! and its wholesome legacy for another fat Hollywood pay check. If Mamoulian's own anecdotes sometimes get in the way of the truth, there is still much to be learned from his own hand, including the notations on his Oklahoma! rehearsal script.