Rodgers, Richard, 1902-1979

Richard Rodgers (1920-1979) was an American composer well-known for his collaborations with Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein. Rodgers began writing music at the young age of 14 and went on to compose for both theatrical productions and films including Oklahoma, The King and I, The sound of music, and South Pacific.

Composer.

Robert Russell Bennett was an American composer, orchestrator and conductor.

Richard Rodgers, composer. Lorenz Hart, lyricist and librettist.

Composer Richard Rodgers, born on June 28, 1902, in New York City, is best known for the musicals he wrote with Lorenz Hart (e.g. A Connecticut Yankee, On your toes, The boys from Syracuse, and Pal Joey) and Oscar Hammerstein II (Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The king and I, The sound of music, etc.). Rodgers also composed film and television music (notably Victory at sea). Rodgers died on Dec. 30, 1979, in New York.

Oscar Hammerstein, 2nd, librettist and lyricist. Richard Rodgers, composer.

Richard Rodgers, composer and producer, was born in New York City on June 28, 1902. He composed his first song, "My Auto Show Girl," when he was fourteen years old.

In 1918, Rodgers met his first professional partner, Lorenz Hart. Together, they presented their first hit show, THE GARRICK GAITIES, in 1925. In 1929, Rodgers and Hart appeared in a two-reel autobiographical short, MASTERS OF MELODY, produced by Paramount-Famous-Lasky Corp. and written and directed by S.J. Kaufman. In 1948, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced a biographical film about the professional relationship and career of Rodgers and Hart.

Rodgers teamed up with Oscar Hammerstein II in 1942 to produce OKLAHOMA! After the death of Lorenz Hart in 1943, Hammerstein became Rodgers's permanent collaborator. They worked together until Hammerstein's death in 1960. Following Hammerstein's death, Rodgers continued to produce musicals, including SOUTH PACIFIC, FLOWER DRUM SONG and CAROUSEL. In 1962 he wrote both the music and the lyrics for NO STRINGS, and in 1965 he teamed up with Stephen Sondheim on DO I HEAR A WALTZ? His last original musical was an adaptation of John Van Druten's play, I REMEMBER MAMA, which opened on Broadway on May 31, 1979.

Richard Rodgers married Dorothy Feiner in 1930. He died in New Yock City on December 30, 1979.

Richard Rodgers, composer and producer, was born in New York City on June 28, 1902.

He composed his first song, "My Auto Show Girl," when he was fourteen years old. In 1918, Rodgers met his first professional partner, Lorenz Hart. Together, they presented their first hit show, THE GARRICK GAITIES, in 1925. In 1929, Rodgers and Hart appeared in a two-reel autobiographical short, MASTERS OF MELODY, produced by Paramount-Famous-Lasky Corp. and written and directed by S.J. Kaufman. In 1948, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced a biographical film about the professional relationship and career of Rodgers and Hart.

Rodgers teamed up with Oscar Hammerstein II in 1942 to produce OKLAHOMA! After the death of Lorenz Hart in 1943, Hammerstein became Rodgers's permanent collaborator. They worked together until Hammerstein's death in 1960. Following Hammerstein's death, Rodgers continued to produce musicals, including SOUTH PACIFIC, FLOWER DRUM SONG and CAROUSEL. In 1962 he wrote both the music and the lyrics for NO STRINGS, and in 1965 he teamed up with Stephen Sondheim on DO I HEAR A WALTZ? His last original musical was an adaptation of John Van Druten's play, I REMEMBER MAMA, which opened on Broadway on May 31, 1979.

Richard Rodgers married Dorothy Feiner in 1930. He died in New York City on December 30, 1979.

Biographical Note

Beatrice Lillie, comedienne, actress, singer, and author was born May 29, 1894 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She left school for the stage at age fifteen touring Canada in The Lillie Trio with her mother Lucie and sister Muriel.

After coming to London in 1914, Lillie joined Andre Charlot’s Revue, where she later made her Broadway debut in 1924. With a career spanning more than fifty years, she performed in revues, plays, films, on radio and television and enjoyed a successful recording career. Lillie frequently performed both in London and the United States, earning her fame as “The Toast of Two Continents.”

In 1920 Beatrice married Sir Robert Peel, gaining the title Lady Peel. The couple had one son, Robert Peel Jr., in 1921. Beatrice Lillie was widowed in 1934 and lost her son to the war in 1942.

Lillie traveled to the Middle East, Africa, France and Germany to perform for the troops during WWII, an effort for which she received a decoration from General Charles de Gaulle. She developed close friendships with other famous figures, including Noel Coward, Winston Churchill, George Bernard Shaw, and Charlie Chaplin. During the war Beatrice Lillie met John Philip Huck who would become her manager and life-long companion.

Ms. Lillie starred in shows by Noel Coward, George Bernard Shaw, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz, and Cole Porter. Lillie became best known for starring in This Year Of Grace (1928), written for her by Noel Coward, and received equal recognition for her version of Coward’s song, Mad Dogs and Englishmen. Other notable Broadway performances include The Seven Lively Arts (1947), Inside USA (1948), Ziegfeld Follies 1957, and High Spirits (1964). She toured the world with her one-woman show An Evening With Beatrice Lillie (1952-1956), winning a Tony Award in 1953.

Lady Peel made a handful of films that met with varying degrees of success, beginning with an early silent film Exit Smiling (1926), and ending on a high note with her role as Mrs. Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Beatrice Lillie published her autobiography, Every Other Inch A Lady, (1973.)

Beatrice Lillie retired to England to recover from a stroke in 1977. She died January 20, 1989 at her home, Henley-on-Thames, England. She was 94 years old.

Richard Rodgers, born on 28 June 1902 and died 30 December 1979, composed music for forty Broadway musicals, one Broadway play, three London musicals, ten film musicals, two television musicals, 2 documentaries, one night club review, and one ballet. He is known as a humanitarian and philanthropist as well as an influential composer.

Rodgers received many personal and professional awards including membership in the National Institute of Arts and Letters, Department of Music (now American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters) and made numerous philanthropic contributions in the area of music theater production and preservation, most prominently (through the Rodgers and Hammerstein Foundation) by founding, in 1965, the Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound at the Performing Arts Research Center of the New York Public Library.

Richard Rodgers, composer and producer, was born in New York on June 28, 1902. He composed his first song, My Auto Show Girl when he was fourteen years old. (This is included in the collection Box 16, Folder 6) In 1918 Rodgers met his first professional partner, Lorenz Hart. Together they presented their first hit show, The Garrick Gaieties in 1925. In 1929 Rodgers and Hart appeared in a two-reel autobiographical short, Masters of Melody produced by Paramount-Famous-Lasky Corp. and written and directed by S. J. Kaufman. In 1948, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced a biographical film about the professional relationship and career of Rodgers and Hart.

Rodgers teamed up with Oscar Hammerstein II in 1942 to produce Oklahoma!. After the death of Lorenz Hart in 1943, Hammerstein became Rodgers' permanent collaborator. They worked together until Hammerstein's death in 1960. Among the works created by Rodgers and Hammerstein are: Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, State Fair, Flower Drum Song, The King and I and Cinderella. Following Hammerstein's death Rodgers continued to produce musicals. In 1962 he wrote both the music and the lyrics for No Strings, and in 1965 he teamed up with Stephen Sondheim on Do I Hear a Waltz? His last musical was an adaptation of John Van Druten's play I Remember Mama which opened on Broadway on May 31, 1979.

Richard Rodgers married Dorothy Feiner in 1930. They have two daughters, Mary and Linda. Richard Rodgers died December 30, 1979.

Richard Rodgers, born on 28 June 1902 and died 30 December 1979, composed music for forty Broadway musicals, one Broadway play, three London musicals, ten film musicals, two television musicals, 2 documentaries, one night club review, and one ballet.

He is known as a humanitarian and philanthropist as well as an influential composer.

Rodgers received many personal and professional awards including membership in the National Institute of Arts and Letters, Department of Music (now American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters) and made numerous philanthropic contributions in the area of music theater production and preservation, most prominently (through the Rodgers and Hammerstein Foundation) by founding, in 1965, the Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound at the Performing Arts Research Center of the New York Public Library.