Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and
Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960) were an influential, innovative and successful American
musical theatre writing team, usually referred to as
Rodgers and Hammerstein. They created a string of popular
Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s, initiating what is considered the "golden age" of musical theatre. With Rodgers composing the music and Hammerstein writing the lyrics, five of their Broadway shows,
Oklahoma!,
Carousel,
South Pacific,
The King and I and
The Sound of Music, were outstanding successes, as was the television broadcast of
Cinderella. Among the many accolades their shows (and film versions) garnered were thirty-four
Tony Awards, fifteen
Academy Awards, the
Pulitzer Prize, and two
Grammy Awards.