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Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II

オスカー・ハマーシュタイン にせい

Osukā Hamāshutain Nisei

Aliases: Oscar Hammerstein II

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1895-07-12 （Harlem, New York, U.S.）
Died
1960-08-23 （Doylestown, Pennsylvania, U.S.） age 65
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Religion
Unitarian Universalist
Residence History
Harlem, New York → Doylestown, Pennsylvania

Career

Occupations
Librettist, Theatrical producer, Theater director
Active Years
1914-1960
Affiliations
Dramatists Guild of America, The Lambs, Pi Lambda Phi
Memberships
Dramatists Guild of America
Influenced By
Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach
Influenced
Stephen Sondheim
Nominations
Academy Award nomination (1938, A Mist over the Moon), Tony Award nomination (1956, Pipe Dream)

Education

Columbia University
Law School / Arts
Degree: BA
Period: 1912-1917
Year of Graduation: 1916
Country: United States
Attended law school but dropped out for theater

Awards

Academy Award for Best Original Song
1941
Work: The Last Time I Saw Paris
Category: Best Song
Organization: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Result: Won
Academy Award for Best Original Song
1945
Work: It Might as Well Be Spring
Category: Best Song
Organization: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Result: Won
Tony Award for Best Musical
1950
Work: South Pacific
Category: Best Musical
Organization: Tony Awards
Result: Won
Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical
1950
Work: South Pacific
Category: Best Libretto
Organization: Tony Awards
Result: Won
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
1950
Work: South Pacific
Category: Drama
Organization: Pulitzer Prize
Result: Won

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Oklahoma!

1943 Musical theater

Musical adaptation of Green Grow the Lilacs, revolutionary in integrating story and song.

LoveCommunityAmerican West
Adaptations
  • [Film] Oklahoma! / Fred Zinnemann (1955)

Show Boat

1927 Musical

Based on Edna Ferber's novel, masterpiece addressing race and love.

Racial prejudiceLoveLife on the river
Adaptations
  • [Film] Show Boat / James Whale (1936)

South Pacific

1949 Musical theater

Musical addressing interracial love.

Interracial loveWarPrejudice
Adaptations
  • [Film] South Pacific / Joshua Logan (1958)

The King and I

1951 Musical theater

Story of the King of Siam and British tutor.

Cultural clashLoveTradition
Adaptations
  • [Film] The King and I / Walter Lang (1956)

The Sound of Music

1959 Musical theater

Based on the Trapp family story.

FamilyNazisMusic
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Sound of Music / Robert Wise (1965)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Story-drivenIntegration of song and plotSocially conscious
Recurring Motifs
LovePrejudiceCommunity

Health

  • Stomach cancer
    1959-1960
    Cause of death; affected final work The Sound of Music.

Legacy

Revolutionary in American musical theater; Rodgers partnership defined golden age.

Archives

  • Library of Congress Oscar Hammerstein II Collection

In Popular Culture

  • Musicals frequently revived and adapted to film.

Quotes

  • Songs tell the story.
    Source: Interview (1958)

Trivia

  • Only person named Oscar to win an Oscar.
  • Wrote lyrics for 850 songs.