Hammerstein, Oscar, II (1895-1960) wrote the lyrics and scripts for many of the most famous shows in the history of American musical theater. He worked with such great composers of musical comedies as Jerome Kern and Richard Rodgers. Hammerstein maintained an optimistic attitude that was reflected in his songs. These included “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'”; “You’ll Never Walk Alone”; and “My Favorite Things.”
Hammerstein helped revolutionize musical comedies. When he began his career, most musicals consisted of a series of unrelated songs and dances that were held together by a weak plot. Hammerstein integrated the dialogue, songs, and dances into a unified work.
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein was born on July 12, 1895, in New York City. He graduated from Columbia University. He wrote his first musical, Always You (1920), with the composer Herbert Stothart. He worked with Stothart and Rudolph Friml on Rose-Marie (1924). His other early musicals include The Desert Song (1926) and The New Moon (1928), written with Sigmund Romberg. Hammerstein wrote his first masterpiece, Show Boat (1927), with Kern. This show was Hammerstein’s first musical in which the songs and dances helped tell the story. Hammerstein and Kern shared a 1941 Academy Award for their song “The Last Time I Saw Paris” from Lady Be Good.
Hammerstein and Rodgers teamed up for the first time in Oklahoma! (1943), which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1944. They wrote eight other musicals—Carousel (1945), Allegro (1947), South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), Me and Juliet (1953), Pipe Dream (1955), Flower Drum Song (1958), and The Sound of Music (1959). They shared a 1945 Academy Award for their song “It Might As Well Be Spring” from State Fair. In 1950, the two men shared a Pulitzer Prize for South Pacific with Joshua Logan, who helped write the dialogue for that musical. Hammerstein died on Aug. 23, 1960.
