Procession of the White Elephant - Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II

Rodgers and Hammerstein were an American songwriting duo consisting of Richard Rodgers (1902 – 1979) and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895 – 1960). They are most famous for creating a string of immensely popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s, during what is considered the golden age of the medium. Five of their shows were outstanding successes: Oklahoma! (their first collaboration); Carousel; South Pacific; The King and I; and The Sound of Music. Among the many accolades they garnered were thirty-four Tony Awards; fifteen Academy Awards; two Pulitzer Prizes; two Grammy Awards; and two Emmy Awards.

The pair wrote nine musicals together and collaborated on a musical film, State Fair. As producers, they also brought Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun to the stage [1], leaving an indelible mark on American musical theater and a legacy of successes that has never been equaled. Their joint efforts continued over a twenty-year period, until Hammerstein's death in 1960. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.