Who were Rodgers and Hammerstein and why are they famous?
Rodgers and Hammerstein were composer Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960), whose Broadway partnership has been called the greatest theater-writing team of the 20th century. Their shows Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music defined the golden age of American musical theater and together earned 34 Tony Awards, fifteen Academy Awards, and two Pulitzer Prizes.
When did Oklahoma! open on Broadway and how long did it run?
Oklahoma! opened at the St. James Theatre on Broadway on the 31st of March, 1943. The original production ran for a then-unprecedented 2,212 performances, closing on the 29th of May, 1948.
How many people watched the Rodgers and Hammerstein Cinderella television broadcast in 1957?
More than 107 million viewers watched the CBS broadcast of Cinderella on the 31st of March, 1957. Julie Andrews played the title role and received an Emmy Award nomination for her performance.
What Pulitzer Prizes did Rodgers and Hammerstein win?
Rodgers and Hammerstein won two Pulitzer Prizes: a special award for Oklahoma! in 1944, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950 for South Pacific, shared with co-writer Joshua Logan.
What was the controversial song in South Pacific and how did Rodgers and Hammerstein respond?
The song "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught" was controversial for its support of interracial marriage. Rodgers and Hammerstein refused to remove it from the show even when warned it might cause the show to fail, and when the touring production reached Atlanta, Georgia, some state lawmakers proposed a bill to ban entertainment they deemed inspired by Moscow.
What was the last song Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote together?
"Edelweiss" was the last song Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote together, from their final collaboration The Sound of Music, which opened on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on the 16th of November, 1959. Hammerstein died in August 1960 before the 1965 film version was produced.