April 8, 2015:

Mid Century Optimistic Voices:  The music of Rodgers & Hammerstein

In the late 1940s and the 1950s the Hollywood musical genre was at its height.  Television, however, drew millions of customers away from movie theatres and sped the death of the studios that had made lavish screen musicals productions. This coincided with the U.S. Federal courts forcing the studios to sell off their nationwide theater chains --a long-profitable system fell apart quickly.

Along came the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein and their very successful Broadway and movie productions. The new, delightful and formulated musicals, with simple messages of optimism and hope, would shine forever  -- State Fair, The King and I, Oklahoma, Carousel, Sound of Music, South Pacific....