Oklahoma!

A Reason To Smile

Happy birthday to one of the most celebrated and prolific composers of American musical theater, Richard Rodgers. He and his more than 900 songs are this week’s reason to smile.

Born on June 28, 1902, in Queens, New York, Rodgers began his musical journey at age six when his prescient parents got him piano lessons. He continued to grow as a pianist and composer through high school, eventually attending Columbia University and the Institute of Musical Art, which is now The Juilliard School.

Rodgers is best known for his songwriting partnerships. His first was with lyricist Lorenz Hart in the 1920s and ‘30s. “Pal Joey” and “Babes in Arms” are among their collaborations.

Rodgers’ second pairing, many would argue even more successful than his first, was with Oscar Hammerstein. The two are credited with modernizing musical theater by focusing on characters and drama, in shows like “The Sound of Music,” “South Pacific,” and “The King and I.”

Their first Broadway show, “Oklahoma!” was an unprecedented critical and commercial success. It did not win a Tony, but only because the award debuted four years after the show did in 1947.

The 1955 movie version of “Oklahoma!” was also a huge hit, starring Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones. The musical’s opening number, “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” is undeniably smile-inducing.

The New York Journal American called the musical “a beautiful and delightful show, fresh and imaginative, as enchanting to the eye as Richard Rodgers’s music is to the ear. It has, at a rough estimate, practically everything.”

Rodgers continued to compose until his death in 1979. He was the first ever EGOT — winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award, as well as a Pulitzer Prize winner and Kennedy Center Honoree.

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Stay Steady,

Dan