Introduction
Join Cinema Scholars for Part II of our celebration of one of the great cinematic partnerships. When Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II joined forces in the early 1940s, both men stood at a crossroads. Rodgers was looking for stability after the decline of Lorenz Hart, whose alcoholism had eroded a once-glittering partnership.
Hammerstein, meanwhile, had endured a decade of flops that left his reputation tarnished. This was despite the enduring glory of Show Boat. Their decision to collaborate on a musical adaptation of Lynn Riggs’ Green Grow the Lilacs might have seemed at the time a gamble. Even a compromise. Yet the result was nothing less than revolutionary.
Oklahoma!: A New Dawn
Oklahoma! premiered on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on March 31, 1943. What Rodgers and Hammerstein achieved with this production cannot be overstated. They redefined the American musical as a form of integrated drama.
Previously, musicals often consisted of a loosely connected sequence of comic scenes, love songs, and production numbers. Rodgers and Hammerstein rejected this. Every song in Oklahoma! was designed to serve the story and reveal character. Laurey’s indecision between Curly and Jud Fry found expression not in dialogue alone but in music. Most famously in “People Will Say We’re in Love,” where subtext and emotion were carried by melody and lyric together.
Even the dance sequences were transformed. Agnes de Mille’s choreography, particularly the “dream ballet,” advanced the plot by delving into Laurey’s subconscious fears and desires. This was a radical departure from the decorative dances of earlier Broadway shows and their cinematic quality. The blending of realism with psychological fantasy had anticipated the techniques of Hollywood musical directors in the decade to follow.
Critics were enthralled, and audiences responded with unprecedented enthusiasm. Oklahoma! ran for more than 2,000 performances, setting a Broadway record. For Rodgers and Hammerstein, it marked the beginning of a partnership that would dominate the next two decades. For musical theatre as a whole, it was a turning point. After Oklahoma!, a musical was expected to be more than a revue of catchy tunes. It was expected to be a coherent work of art.
Carousel: Romance and Redemption
If Oklahoma! was a triumph of optimism, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s next collaboration, Carousel (1945), ventured into darker territory. Adapted from Ferenc Molnár’s play Liliom, it told the story of Billy Bigelow, a charismatic but flawed carnival barker whose love for Julie Jordan leads him into tragedy. The decision to adapt such somber material reflected the duo’s belief that musicals could confront difficult human themes.
Rodgers’ score for Carousel included some of his most ravishing melodies, from “If I Loved You” to the heart-stirring “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Hammerstein’s lyrics balanced plainspoken sincerity with poetic grace. The famous “bench scene,” in which Billy and Julie move from casual banter to profound confession, demonstrated the team’s genius. Dialogue flowed into song seamlessly, making it impossible to separate spoken word from music.
Though Carousel did not achieve the box-office dominance of Oklahoma!, it was regarded critically as an even deeper work. Its exploration of redemption, death, and love after loss elevated the musical to levels of tragic resonance rarely attempted before. The cinematic potential of Carousel was obvious. However, it would not reach the big screen until 1956.
Allegro: Ambition and Experimentation
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s third collaboration, Allegro (1947), is perhaps the most fascinating failure of their career. Conceived as an experimental, almost Brechtian musical, it traced the life of an everyman character, Joseph Taylor Jr., from birth to middle age, commenting on the compromises and disillusionments of the American dream. Hammerstein, in particular, poured himself into the project. He sought to expand the possibilities of musical theatre as a medium for social critique.
The staging was bold: the set was minimalistic, the chorus often acted as a kind of Greek chorus, commenting on the action, and the narrative avoided conventional romance in favor of social commentary. Critics were divided. Some hailed it as visionary, while others dismissed it as didactic. Audiences were puzzled, and the show closed after a respectable but disappointing run.
Yet Allegro would prove enormously influential. Stephen Sondheim, who as a teenager was mentored by Hammerstein, later cited Allegro as formative in his own approach to the musical as a vehicle for psychological and social exploration. Though the show failed commercially, it signaled Rodgers and Hammerstein’s willingness to take risks — an ethos that would reverberate through their later works and into their cinematic adaptations.
South Pacific: Music Meets Morality
In 1949, Rodgers and Hammerstein premiered South Pacific, adapted from James A. Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Tales of the South Pacific. Set against the backdrop of World War II, the musical combined romance and comedy with pointed social critique. The storylines of Navy nurse Nellie Forbush and French planter Emile de Becque, alongside Lieutenant Cable and the Polynesian girl Liat, allowed Hammerstein to explore the corrosive effects of racial prejudice.
The song “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” remains one of the most daring moments in the history of musical theatre, a blunt assertion that racism is not innate but taught. In the postwar climate of 1949, when many Americans preferred musicals to be light entertainment, this was a bold statement. Some critics and politicians condemned it, accusing Rodgers and Hammerstein of inserting propaganda into art. But the duo stood firm, and the show triumphed, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Rodgers’ music balanced lush romanticism with military swagger, from “Some Enchanted Evening” to “There Is Nothin’ Like a Dame.” Hammerstein’s lyrics gave depth to characters grappling with love and prejudice. The combination of artistry and moral conviction set South Pacific apart, and when it was adapted into a film in 1958, its themes resonated worldwide.
The King and I: East Meets West
In 1951, Rodgers and Hammerstein debuted The King and I, based on Margaret Landon’s book Anna and the King of Siam. The story of the British schoolteacher Anna Leonowens and her relationship with the autocratic King of Siam allowed them to explore cultural differences, mutual misunderstanding, and the possibilities of cross-cultural respect.
The production starred Gertrude Lawrence as Anna and Yul Brynner as the King, whose magnetic performance would define the role for the rest of his life. Rodgers’ score was filled with gems, from the intimate “Hello, Young Lovers” to the playful “Getting to Know You” and the exotic sweep of “March of the Siamese Children.” Hammerstein’s lyrics struck a delicate balance between Anna’s Victorian sensibilities and the King’s struggle between tradition and modernity.
The show’s lavish staging, elaborate costumes, as well as the themes of cultural diplomacy made The King and I an immediate success. Yul Brynner would reprise his role in the 1956 film adaptation, winning an Academy Award and cementing The King and I as one of the most iconic musicals ever brought to the screen.
Cinderella: A Fairy Tale for Television
By the mid-1950s, Rodgers and Hammerstein had conquered Broadway and Hollywood, but they also turned their attention to the new medium of television. In 1957, they created Cinderella, a live broadcast musical starring Julie Andrews in the title role. Broadcast on CBS, it was viewed by more than 100 million people — one of the most-watched programs of its time.
Cinderella demonstrated Rodgers and Hammerstein’s instinct for embracing new media. Rather than confining themselves to stage and film, they recognized television’s potential to bring musical theatre into living rooms across America. The production’s success reinforced their status as the most versatile and far-reaching creative partnership of their generation.
The Sound of Music: A Farewell Masterpiece
Their final collaboration, The Sound of Music, premiered on Broadway in 1959. Based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, it tells the story of a postulant who becomes governess to the von Trapp children, falls in love with their father, and helps them escape Nazi-occupied Austria.
By this time, Hammerstein was gravely ill with stomach cancer, though he continued working with Rodgers on the show. The musical’s score, including “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” became instantly iconic. “Edelweiss,” Hammerstein’s final lyric, carried a haunting poignancy as both a love song to Austria and a personal farewell.
The Broadway production of The Sound of Music, starring Mary Martin, was a hit, though some critics dismissed it as overly sentimental. Yet its film adaptation in 1965 would become one of the most beloved and successful movies in cinema history, ensuring that Rodgers and Hammerstein’s partnership ended on a note of timeless triumph.
The End of the Partnership
Oscar Hammerstein II died on August 23, 1960, just months after the opening of The Sound of Music. His passing marked the end of an era. Rodgers continued to compose, working on projects such as No Strings (1962), but he never again found a collaborator with whom he could achieve the same artistic and cultural impact.
The Rodgers and Hammerstein partnership lasted less than two decades, but in that time, they produced a body of work that redefined musical theatre and created a template for cinematic adaptation that continues to resonate today. Their stage works were more than entertainment: they were moral fables, cultural dialogues, and emotional journeys set to music.
