Rodgers, Richard, 1902-1979

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 Melodyproduced 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 Iand 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.

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