Rodgers, Richard
Richard Rodgers (1902-79) began his professional career in 1920 with a series of musicals for Broadway, London and Hollywood written with lyricist Lorenz Hart. Among their greatest: ON YOUR TOES (1936), BABES IN ARMS (1937), THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE (1938), and PAL JOEY (1940). The Rodgers & Hart partnership came to an end with the death of Lorenz Hart in 1943, at the age of 48. Earlier that year Rodgers had joined forces with lyricist and author Oscar Hammerstein II, whose work in the field of operetta throughout the '20s and '30s had been as innovative as Rodgers' own accomplishments in the field of musical comedy. OKLAHOMA! (1943), the first Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, was also the first of a new genre, the musical play, representing a unique fusion of Rodgers' musical comedy and Hammerstein's operetta. It also marked the beginning of the most successful partnership in Broadway musical history, and was followed by 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). The team wrote one movie musical, STATE FAIR (1945; adapted to the stage, 1995), and one for television, CINDERELLA (1957; remade in 1965 and 1997). Collectively, the Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals earned 34 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes and two Grammy Awards. In 1998 Rodgers & Hammerstein were cited by Time Magazine and CBS News as among the 20 most influential artists of the 20th century, and in 1999 they were jointly commemorated on a U.S. postage stamp. Despite Hammerstein's death in 1960, Rodgers continued to write for the Broadway stage. His first solo entry, NO STRINGS in 1962, earned him two Tony Awards for music and lyrics, and was followed by DO I HEAR A WALTZ? (1965, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim), TWO BY TWO (1970, lyrics by Martin Charnin), REX (1976, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick) and I REMEMBER MAMA (1979, lyrics by Martin Charnin and Raymond Jessel). Richard Rodgers died at home in New York City on December 30, 1979, at the age of 77. On March 27, 1990, he was honored posthumously with Broadway's highest accolade when the 46th Street Theatre, owned and operated by the Nederlander Organization, was renamed The Richard Rodgers Theatre, home to The Richard Rodgers Gallery, which honors the composer's life and works.
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Leslie Uggams Joins the cast of PIPE DREAM at Encores!
Tony Award–winner Leslie Uggams has joined the cast of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Pipe Dream, to be presented by New York City Center Encores! series, March 28 – April 1. Ms. Uggams will play Fauna, the proprietress of the Bear Flag Café, the local brothel.
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Laura Osnes to Star in Rodgers & Hammerstein's PIPE DREAM
Laura Osnes has been cast as Suzy in the New York City Center Encores! production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Pipe Dream running March 28 - April 1. Pipe Dream will be directed by Marc Bruni with music direction by Rob Berman and choreography by Kelli Barclay, and will play for seven performances at New York City Center, West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. The Encores! presentation marks the first time the musical will be seen on the New York stage since the original production closed in June 1956. Read More
Mark Brokaw to direct the first Broadway-Bound production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's CINDERELLA
Mark Brokaw will direct the new, first-ever Broadway-bound production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's CINDERELLA, it has been announced by Robyn Goodman, who will produce the musical along with Aged in Wood Productions. Read More
New Production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's CINDERELLA Aims For 2012-13 Season on Broadway
A new production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's CINDERELLA -- with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, a new book by Douglas Carter Beane and original book by Oscar Hammerstein II -- is aiming for an opening next season on Broadway following a workshop production in April 2012, it was announced on December 8 by producer Robyn Goodman, who will produce the musical along with Aged in Wood Productions. Read More
New Recordings of Your Favorite Songs
Looking for the perfect gift for the music lover in your life? Here are some new albums that feature some of your favorite songs... Read More
The Sound of Music opens in Salzburg - Video
THE SOUND OF MUSIC opened on Sunday October 23rd in Salzburg Austria -- the first time the stage musical has ever been seen in the city where the story began. Watch the video Read More
Carnegie Hall Is Alive With The Sound of Music
On April 24, 2012 Carnegie Hall will present THE SOUND OF MUSIC in the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, as a gala benefit for Carnegie Hall, this one-night-only concert performance of the beloved musical will provide support for music education programs of the Weill Music Institute.
Read MoreTo Whom It May Concern
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Rodgers & Hammerstein's FLOWER DRUM SONGNancy Kwan who is best known for her portrayal of Linda Low is hosting a double feature and talk back at the Egyptian Theatre in LA. Read More
The Hills Are Alive
As Summer 2011 arrives, THE SOUND OF MUSIC continues to flourish on stages the world over.
Read MoreNever-Before-Seen SOUND OF MUSIC Home Movie Footage
Never-before-seen clips from personal home movie footage of the making of "The Sound Of Music" You can find more home movie footage in THE SOUND OF MUSIC FAMILY SCRAPBOOK by Fred Bronson available through Amazon.com starting April, 2012
Read MoreSpotlight on 'Allegro
Bill Rudman hosts an hour's visit with Ted Chapin, president of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, focusing on Chapin's first complete recording of ALLEGRO.
Read MoreLondon Welcomes SOUTH PACIFIC
Lincoln Center Theater’s acclaimed production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC comes to Britain this summer.
Read MoreA Pipe Dream No Longer, Rodgers & Hammerstein's PIPE DREAM Is Back!
Unavailable for performance in the USA since 1990, Rodgers & Hammerstein's musical rarity PIPE DREAM can once again be licensed and will be presented as part of New York City Center’s Encores! series in 2012.
Read More YEOW! OKLAHOMA! Wins Top Prize at DC's Helen Hayes Awards
Arena Stage's acclaimed and record-breaking production of OKLAHOMA!took home top prizes at the Helen Hayes Awards in Washington DC on Monday night.
Read MoreLondon Welcomes Bloody Mary
Announced in London this morning was the exciting news that Hawaii's own Loretta Ables Sayre will re-create her Tony nominated performance as Bloody Mary when the 7-time Tony Award winning Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC comes to Britain this summer.
Read MoreOur New Restored Editions
If you have recently received performance materials for SOUTH PACIFIC or THE KING AND I, you may have noticed that we are now offering our newly restored editions of these musical classics. Along with CAROUSEL and THE SOUND OF MUSIC, SOUTH PACIFIC and THE KING AND I (and next year’s OKLAHOMA!) join our list of bright, new, computer generated and user-friendly performance editions.
Read MoreR&H "Serving Up Musical Comfort Food"
"MADISON AVENUE is alive with the sound of “The Sound of Music”... as more than a dozen marketers use songs by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II in commercials" says The New York Times
Read MoreTwo By Two Q&A with Jason Alexander
A re-telling of the story of Noah and the ark, TWO BY TWO has seen numerous revivals over the years, with the most recent high-profile staging presented by Reprise Theatre Company in Los Angeles last November, starring Jason Alexander and Faith Prince. Jason Alexander is one very busy guy, but we were grateful he took some time to speak with us.
Read MoreNewly-engraved Bennett Symphonic Arrangement of Slaughter on Tenth Avenue
Newly-engraved full score and orchestral parts for Robert Russell Bennett's symphonic arrangement of Richard Rodgers' Slaughter on Tenth Avenue..
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Trivia about this writer
Irving Berlin rhymed his thoughts on the creative partnership of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart: "Tuneful and tasty, schmaltzy and smart - music by Rodgers, lyrics by Hart."
Richard Rodgers disliked working for Hollywood pictures in the early Thirties, but he and lyricist Lorenz Hart did perfect ways to allow songs to flow naturally in and out of stories. Hart called this "rhythmic dialogue," and it made possible Rodgers' later collaborations with Oscar Hammerstein II.
Both Rodgers and Hammerstein hailed from alma mater Columbia University in New York City. Hammerstein attended 1912 - 1917, and Rodgers followed him from 1919 - 1921.
The number of performances achieved by all of Mr. Rodgers' Broadway stage works to date - including revivals - totals 18,126. On the basis of eight performances per week, this is equivalent to almost 2,266 weeks - or an unbroken run of almost 43.5 years.
Both Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II married women named Dorothy, and both had fathers named William. This last fact lead Rodgers & Hammerstein to name their music publishing company Williamson Music Company when they founded it in 1945. Williamson Music Company continues to represent their musicals to this day, as a division of Rodgers & Hammerstein Theatricals in New York.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC has no overture! Having little experience with liturgical music, Richard Rodgers did some research at the Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York while writing the score. Mother Morgan, head of the music department there, invited Rodgers to a concert specially arranged for him to show off the different kinds of musical prayer. For the opening of the musical, Rodgers set the Catholic prayer Dixit Dominus for the nuns of Nonnberg Abbey.
In THE SOUND OF MUSIC, the Captain and Maria first realize their feelings for each other while dancing a classic Austrian folk dance called the Laendler. The Laendler was a popular folk dance in 3/4 or waltz time. Richard Rodgers cleverly uses the music from The Lonely Goatherd for the ballroom scene during which Maria and the Captain dance and fall in love.
Hammerstein passed away in 1960. Sadly, Rodgers needed a new writing partner, and for the first time in his career, he turned to himself for words. In 1962, Rodgers crafted new songs for the re-make of STATE FAIR and wrote both music and lyrics for the musical NO STRINGS. When the film version THE SOUND OF MUSIC needed new numbers, Rodgers wrote and composed the songs I Have Confidence and Something Good.
Rodgers & Hart's musical THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE (1940) marked the first time that Shakespeare was adapted for Broadway. Based on THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, the story brings not just one but two sets of estranged twins into a series of near-collisions, resulting in a major case of mistaken identity. Hart's lyrics throw in further Shakespearean references, as in the song "This Can't Be Love" : "Though your cousin loved my cousin Juliet / Loved her with a passion much more truly yet / Some poor playwright / Wrote their drama just for fun. / It won't run!"
In SOUTH PACIFIC, Joe Cable sings "Younger Than Springtime" to Liat, his partner in an unexpected romance. Rodgers & Hammerstein made no fewer than three prior attempts at writing this number. The third try, "Suddenly Lucky," contained the lyrics "Suddenly lucky / Suddenly to be together, / Suddenly owning / Happiness no gold can buy." Although cut from SOUTH PACIFIC, Richard Rodgers was able to rescue the melody for THE KING AND I, where it became the iconic song "Getting to Know You."
Oscar Hammerstein II had scant success in the decade between his groundbreaking collaborations with Jerome Kern on SHOW BOAT (1927) and with Richard Rodgers on OKLAHOMA! (1943). Reflecting on this period during his later triumph, Hammerstein filled a "Seasons Greetings" advertisement in Variety with a list of his flop shows, titled "I've done it before and I can do it again."
Writing OKLAHOMA!, Rodgers & Hammerstein struggled to find the right way of portraying menacing farmhand Jud Fry. "The question was how to make him acceptable," wrote Hammerstein, "not too much a deep-dyed villainWe didn't want to resort to the boring device of having two other characters discuss him and give the audience a psychological analysis. Even if this were dramatically desirable, there are no characters in this story who are bright enough or well-educated enough to do this. So we solved the problem with two songs, "Pore Jud" and "Lonely Room"...Jud becomes then, for a while, not just wicked..."
Hammerstein wrote about the difficulty of finding a suitable love song for the quarrelsome couple Laurey and Curly in OKLAHOMA! "Since this mood was to dominate their scenes down into the second act, it seemed impossible for us to write a song that said "I love you," and remain consistent with the attitude they had adopted toward each other. After talking this over for a long time, Dick [Richard Rodgers] and I hit upon the idea of having the lovers warn each other against any show of tenderness...of course, while they say all those things, they are obliquely confessing their mutual affection."
According to Richard Rodgers in his autobiography "Musical Stages," Oscar was so moved by [Surrey With A Fringe On Top] that just listening to it made him cry. He once explained that he never cried at sadness in the theatre, only at nave happiness, and the idea of two bone-headed young people looking forward to nothing more than a ride in a surrey struck an emotional chord that affected him deeply.
Richard Rodgers often cited CAROUSEL as his favorite musical: Oscar never wrote more meaningful or more moving lyrics, and to me, my score is more satisfying than any Ive ever written. But its not just the songs; its the whole play. Beautifully written, tender without being mawkish, it affect me deeply every time I see it performed.
In CAROUSEL, Billy meets the Starkeeper after his death. The Starkeeper gives Billy an opportunity to return to earth for one day to see his daughter. It was director Rouben Mamoulian who suggested this character for Broadway, replacing Rodgers and Hammersteins own idea of a Mr. and Mrs. God that played only in the show's out of town tryout.
Richard Rodgers writes his first professional score with his own lyrics as well as music at the age of sixty. The show is NO STRINGS.
In an early draft of CAROUSEL that anticipated the show's Boston opening, Hammerstein wrote the note, "There will probably be an encore. If not, the author and composer will probably jump in the Charles River."
In 1922, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II worked with Herbert Fields and Lorenz Hart on a never-produced musical called WINKLE TOWN. All four Columbia boys would go on to lasting musical theater fame.
Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart write their first professional score together, completing the show POOR LITTLE RITZ GIRL.
Rodgers & Hammerstein collaborate on their first songs together, in the amateur production UP STAGE AND DOWN. Songs include "Weaknesses," "Can It," and "There's Always Room for One More."
Richard Rodgers writes his first songs at Camp Wigwam, Maine, age 14: "Dear Old Wigwam" and "Camp-Fire Days."
December 31, 1979
CBS presents a special tribute to Richard Rodgers on the night following his death. Commentator Charles Kuralt eulogizes, "He was a composer for the 1920s and then, it turned out, he was a composer for the thirties, the forties, the fifties and the sixties too, and on the last night of the seventies we say goodbye to him. Not to his music - that will go on and on and on in our theatres and in our heads."
December 30, 1979
Richard Rodgers dies at his home in New York City at the age of 77.
December 29, 1917
Richard Rodgers' first complete amateur score, ONE MINUTE, PLEASE, premiers for a one-night run at the Plaza Hotel Grand Ballroom.
December 29, 1952
Life magazine publishes Rodgers & Hammerstein's only Christmas song, "Happy Christmas Little Friend," commissioned by the magazine as a gift for its readers. In 1953 it is designated the official Christmas Seal sale song.
December 25, 1940
Rodgers & Hart's musical PAL JOEY has its New York premier on Christmas at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, before moving to the Shubert Theatre and finally to the St. James Theatre. The show runs for 374 performances.
December 19, 1919
Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart copyright their first professional collaboration, the song "Any Old Place with You" from A LONELY ROMEO.
December 07, 1905
The world premiere of Ferenc Molnar's play LILIOM is presented at the Vigsznhz Theatre, Budapest. It is produced in New York several times with several different translations (one allegedly written by Lorenz Hart) before Rodgers & Hammerstein adapted the Benjamin Glazer text as their basis for CAROUSEL.
December 02, 1947
OKLAHOMA! gives its 2,000th performance on Broadway. Composer Richard Rodgers is on hand to conduct the second act.
November 30, 1965
The Rodgers & Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound open to the public at the Performing Arts Research Center of the New York Public Library. Featured in this general collection are approximately 500,000 recordings from the late 19th century to the present.
November 25, 1946
The first performance of OKLAHOMA! in the state of Oklahoma is presented at the Municipal Auditorium in Oklahoma City. Governor Robert s. Kerr presides over several days of statewide celebrations, joined by Rodgers, Hammerstein, their wives, and members of the musical's creative team. Rodgers & Hammerstein are made honorary members of the Kiowa Indian tribe.
November 23, 1938
Rodgers & Hart's musical THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE has its New York premier at the Alvin Theatre, and runs for 235 performances.
November 15, 1954
At Carnegie Hall, New York, Richard Rodgers leads the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra in a concert of his works.
November 06, 1953
Edward R. Murrown interviews Richard and Dorothy Rodgers live from their Manhattan home on "Person to Person," CBS-TV.
November 03, 1927
Rodgers & Hart's musical A CONNECTICUT YANKEE has its New York premier at the Vanderbilt Theatre. The show runs for 418 performances.
November 02, 1937
Rodgers & Hart's musical A CONNECTICUT YANKEE has its New York premier at the Alvin Theatre. The show runs for 418 performances.
October 31, 1946
Anita Loo's comedy HAPPY BIRTHDAY, presented by Rodgers & Hammerstein and starring Helen Hayes, opens at the Broadhurst Theatre, New York, and runs for 564 performances. In the play Helen Hayes sings "I Haven't Got a Worry in the World," written especially for her by the producers.
October 19, 1950
John Steinbeck's play BURNING BRIGHT, presented by Rodgers & Hammerstein, opens at the Broadhurst Theatre, New York, and runs for 13 performances.
October 19, 1944
John van Druten's play I REMEMBER MAMA presented by Rodgers & Hammerstein, opens at the Music Box Theatre, New York, and runs for 714 performances.
August 31, 1953
The national tour of OKLAHOMA! begins a week of performances at the New York City Center, joining SOUTH PACIFIC, THE KING AND I, and ME AND JULIET, already running on Broadway, and prompting New York City Mayor Vincent R. Impelliteri to proclaim "Rodgers & Hammerstein Week."
August 21, 1955
Eddie Fisher, Shirley Jones, Ed Sullivan, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, and the governors of New York and Oklahoma lead an "Oklahoma Song-Fest" at the Central Park Mall in New York before a crowd of 15,000.
August 07, 1948
The New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra presents its first "Rodgers & Hammerstein Night" at Lewisohn Stadium in New York. A crowd of 20,000 attends and the R&H concerts become annual season finales at the stadium for more than a decade, with Richard Rodgers serving frequently as a guest conductor.
July 31, 1944
Williamson Music publishes "Dear Friend," a song by Rodgers & Hammerstein. All proceeds go to the 5th War Loan Drive.
July 29, 1953
MGM releases the movie MAIN STREET TO BROADWAY, featuring a host of Broadway celebrities in cameo appearances. In one sequence, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Joshua Logan, and Mary Martin play themselves "in rehearsal" for a new musical, during which Martin sings "There's Music in You," written by Rodgers & Hammerstein especially for the film.
July 23, 1942
In the first public announcement of a Rodgers & Hammerstein collaboration, The New York Times reports: "The Theatre Guild announced yesterday that Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II will soon begin work on a musical version of Lynn Rigg's folk-play GREEN GROW THE LILACS." This show would become their first hit, OKLAHOMA!
June 30, 1917
Richard Rodgers copyrights his first song, "Auto Show Girl," with lyrics by David Dyrenforth.
June 28, 1902
Richard Charles Rodgers is born in New York City.
June 19, 1944
Williamson Music publishes "We're on Our Way," written by Rodgers & Hammerstein and dedicated to the U.S. Army Infantry.
June 05, 2010
At the 2005 Tony Awards Adam Guettel, grandson of Richard Rodgers, won a Tony Award for his score to THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA. He followed not only in his grandfather's footsteps but also in those of his mother, Mary Rodgers, who composed the score to ONCE UPON A MATTRESS.
June 03, 1942
New York premier of Rodger & Hart's BY JUPITER, at the Shubert Theatre. The show runs for 427 performances.
May 18, 1961
At the age of 13, a young Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote a fan letter to Richard Rodgers, who replied. Webber was invited to the dress rehearsal and the opening for THE SOUND OF MUSIC when it premiered in London in 1961.
May 13, 1975
The musical revue RODGERS & HART, conceived by Richard Lewine and John Fernley, premiers at the Helen Hayes Theater and runs for 108 performances. The show features over fifty songs composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Lorenz Hart.
May 11, 1938
Rodger & Hart's musical I'D RATHER BE RIGHT has its New York premier at the Shubert Theatre. The show runs for 290 performances.
April 29, 1947
OKLAHOMA! opens at the Theater Royal, Drury Lane. The theater will be continuously occupied by one Rodgers & Hammerstein musical after another for the next nine years.
April 24, 1960
At the 1960 Tony Awards, Rodgers found his SOUND OF MUSIC competing against a musical written by his own daughter, Mary Rodgers. ONCE UPON A MATTRESS opened on Broadway in 1959 with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller and Marshall Barer.
April 14, 1937
Rodgers & Hart's musical BABES IN ARMS has its New York premier at the Shubert Theatre before moving to the Majestic Theatre for a total of 289 performances.
April 11, 1936
Rodger & Hart's musical ON YOUR TOES has its New York premier at the Imperial Theatre before moving to the Majestic Theatre in November. The show runs for a total of 315 performances.
March 31, 1943
Richard Rodgers' first major collaborator, Lorenz Hart, lived long enough to see his partner find new success with Oscar Hammerstein II. After the New York Premier of Rodgers & Hammerstein's OKLAHOMA! Hart embraced Rodgers and exclaimed, "Dick, I've never had a better evening in my life! This show will still be around twenty years from now!"
March 31, 1957
Rodgers & Hammerstein's only musical for television, CINDERELLA, is broadcast live on CBS-TV before an estimated audience of 107 million. Julie Andrews stars in the role of Cinderella.
March 29, 1943
Marlo Music Corp. publishes "The P.T. Boat Song (Steady As You Go)". Written by Rodgers & Hammerstein, the song is dedicated to the officers and men of the Motor Torpedo Boats, and all royalties go to the Navy Relief Society.
March 28, 1954
General Foods sponsors a 90-minute tribute to Rodgers & Hammerstein broadcast on the NBC, CBS, ABC, and DuMont networks simultaneously. Hosted by Mary Martin and featuring segments from OKLAHOMA!, STATE FAIR, CAROUSEL, ALLEGRO, SOUTH PACIFIC, THE KING AND I and ME AND JULIET with many members of the original casts, it is also highlighted by special appearances from Jack Benny, Groucho Marx, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, Ed Sullivan, and Rodgers & Hammerstein.
March 27, 1990
Broadway's 46th Street Theatre is renamed the Richard Rodgers Theatre, housing a permanent exhibit devoted to the composer's life and works.
March 26, 1968
At Philharmonic (now Avery Fisher) Hall in New York, Skitch Henderson and Richard Rodgers conduct the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and an all-star cast in the silver anniversary concert of OKLAHOMA!
March 11, 1943
The world premiere of Rodgers & Hammerstein's first musical AWAY WE GO! Is presented at the Shubert Theatre, New Haven. Moving on to Boston, it acquires a new show-stopping number. This becomes the title song when the production opens on Broadway as the classic OKLAHOMA!
March 08, 1919
UP STAGE AND DOWN, an amateur musical comedy written to benefit the Infants Relief Society, features the first songs written together by 17-year-old composer Richard C. Rodgers and 24-year-old lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II.
March 05, 1930
Richard Rodgers marries Dorothy Feiner.
February 24, 1950
Graham Greene's drama THE HEART OF THE MATTER, presented by Rodgers & Hammerstein, opens at the Wilbur Theatre, Boston, where it closes two weeks later.
February 04, 1947
Norman Krasna's comedy JOHN LOVES MARY, presented by Rodgers & Hammerstein, opens at the Booth Theatre, New York, and runs for 421 performances.
January 24, 1950
Samuel Taylor's comedy THE HAPPY TIME, presented by Rodgers & Hammerstein, opens at the Plymouth Theatre, New York, and runs for 614 performances.
January 11, 1931
Mary Rodgers, daughter of Richard Rodgers, is born. She writes the musicals ONCE UPON A MATTRESS (1959) and WORKING (1978), and contributes to the album FREE TO BEYOU AND ME (1972). In 1964 she gives birth to Adam Guettel, future composer of THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA.
January 11, 1954
Richard Rodgers receives an honorary Doctorate in Music and Oscar Hammerstein II an honorary Doctorate in Letters from their alma mater, Columbia University.
January 05, 1980
Broadway theatre marquees are blacked out for one minute at curtain time on Saturday evening in memory of Richard Rodgers, who had died at the age of 77 the previous Sunday.