Quintessential American Movie Musical "Oklahoma!" Returns To Cinema Screens Fully Restored For 60th Anniversary Limited Engagement

Tony and Emmy Award-winning Oklahoma Native Kristin Chenoweth Sings Songs from the Rodgers & Hammerstein Musical in Exclusive Pre-Film Bonus Featurette

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BY Experience

Sep 24, 2015, 01:35 ET

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Academy Award-winning Hollywood musical "Oklahoma!" returns to theaters nationwide for the first time in wide release in 60 years fully restored and with extended pre-show featurette featuring Okie native Kristin Chenoweth singing songs from the classic musical based on the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II stage production. The limited theatrical re-release, a partnership between BY Experience and Rodgers & Hammerstein, An Imagem Company, begins November 1st with more than 800 screenings nationwide. Tickets for the "Oklahoma!" special event are available now at participating theater box offices and online at www.Oklahoma60.com.

The theatrical re-release marks the first time theater goers will see the fully restored film on cinema screens. More than 50 professionals spent more than 3,500 hours restoring the film's 275,678 frames. The nine-month process was completed early in 2014 by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

"I can remember watching 'Oklahoma!' and my heart soared," said Chenoweth. "A musical about the very place where I was growing up that has always remained special to me. From the very first downbeat of the overture to the very last note of this score, 'Oklahoma!' is my favorite musical." The multi-hyphenate performer filmed the featurette last month while performing several songs from the film at New York City's famed Broadway supper club Feinstein's/54 Below for an audience of theater students from the American Theatre Wing Intern Network and SpringboardNYC programs. Chenoweth is a passionate advocate of providing young people from all backgrounds with access to theater and is a supporter of The Kristin Chenoweth Theater at the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center.

"Oklahoma!" was released October 11, 1955, but its origins date back a dozen years earlier when legendary musical writing team Rodgers & Hammerstein staged their first Broadway production "Oklahoma!." The stage production inspired the classic movie, which was the first feature film shot in the Todd-AO 70 mm process. Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Rod Steiger and Eddie Albert starred in the Academy Award-winning film, which was inducted into the prestigious National Film Registry in 2007. Memorable songs from the film include "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," "People Will Say We're in Love," "I Cain't Say No" and the iconic title song "Oklahoma!."

"When Rodgers and Hammerstein produced the movie version of their musical, they opted to be the first motion picture filmed in Mike Todd's then brand new Todd-AO technology," explained Ted Chapin, president and chief creative officer, Rodgers & Hammerstein. "That was incredibly exciting for the movie industry at the time. The fact that Fox's technical crew could restore the original so brilliantly is equally exciting."

"Few movie musicals capture the American spirit more than 'Oklahoma!,' with cowboys and the independent women they love, in the sprawling turn-of-the-century southwest, all set to the unforgettable songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein," said Julie Borchard-Young, co-president of BY Experience. "We're so proud to be partnering with Rodgers & Hammerstein on this memorable cinematic event."

For artwork/photos related to "Oklahoma!," visit Oklahoma! Film - Press Photos.

About BY Experience

BY Experience kicked off the digital revolution of live events to movie theaters and other locations globally with David Bowie's 2003 Reality album launch and since then, over 22 million tickets have been sold worldwide for cinema events BY Experience has distributed globally. Current cinema series credits: Distribution Representative, The Met: Live in HD (Worldwide; since 2006), the UK's National Theatre Live (Ex-UK; since 2009), Bolshoi Ballet (North America; since 2014). BY Experience has executive produced and/or distributed several diverse programs for cinema including numerous rock concerts, radio programs, fine art exhibits other special content events. Earlier this year, BY Experience began partnering with major motion picture studios on national theatrical re-releases of classic and in some cases fully restored films. In March, the company distributed Universal Pictures' 30^th anniversary screenings of the seminal John Hughes film "The Breakfast Club." Upcoming theatrical re-releases include "My Fair Lady" (50^th), "Oklahoma!" (60^th) and "Fantasia" (75^th). BY Experience distributes to over 60 countries, to over 2,000 movie screens. www.byexperience.net.

About Rodgers & Hammerstein, An Imagem Company

Founded by the legendary team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and headquartered in New York City, Rodgers & Hammerstein: An Imagem Company (formerly The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization) owns the rights to the world's most popular stage and film musicals, including OKLAHOMA!, CAROUSEL, SOUTH PACIFIC, THE KING AND I and THE SOUND OF MUSIC. As an agency, R&H encompasses a music publishing company; a concert rental library; and a theatrical licensing branch that collectively represent more than 12,000 songs, 900 concert pieces, 200 writers, and 100 musicals, including works by Irving Berlin, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Schwartz, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Adam Guettel, Rodgers & Hart, Kern & Hammerstein, and many more. www.rnh.com

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