Editing Rodgers and Hammerstein (section)

==Previous work and partnerships==
[[File:Fly With Me poster.jpg|thumb|Program for ''[[Fly With Me (musical)|Fly With Me]]'', 1920]]
At [[Columbia University]], Rodgers and Hammerstein collaborated on the 1920 [[Varsity Show]], ''[[Fly With Me (musical)|Fly With Me]]''. The songs for the show were originally written by Rodgers (a freshman) and [[Lorenz Hart]]. Hammerstein, who was on the judging committee, added two songs in the revising stage. The three men collaborated again on the 1921 Varsity Show, ''You'll Never Know'', with Hammerstein as "Director of Production".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sing a Song of Morningside|url=https://www.thevarsityshow.com/about-sing-a-song-of-morningside|access-date=August 28, 2021|website=The Varsity Show}}</ref> Although Rodgers did not work with Hammerstein again until ''[[Oklahoma!]]'', they achieved success independently from each other. Rodgers [[Rodgers and Hart|continued to collaborate]] for more than two decades with Hart. Among their many [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] hits were the shows ''[[A Connecticut Yankee (musical)|A Connecticut Yankee]]'' (1927), ''[[Babes in Arms]]'' (1937), ''[[The Boys from Syracuse]]'' (1938), ''[[Pal Joey (musical)|Pal Joey]]'' (1940), and ''[[By Jupiter]]'' (1942), as well as many successful film projects.<ref name="guide">[http://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/biographies/rodgers_hart.htm Rodgers and Hart Biography] Guide to Musical Theatre, accessed April 5, 2009</ref>

Hammerstein, a co-writer of the popular [[Rudolf Friml]] 1924 operetta ''[[Rose-Marie]]'', and [[Sigmund Romberg]] operettas ''[[The Desert Song]]'' (1926) and ''[[The New Moon]]'' (1928), began a successful collaboration with composer [[Jerome Kern]] on ''[[Sunny (musical)|Sunny]]'' (1925), which was a hit. Their 1927 musical ''[[Show Boat]]'' is considered to be one of the masterpieces of the American musical theater.<ref>[http://www.theatrehistory.com/american/musical005.html "Show Boat"], theatrehistory.com, excerpted from ''The Complete Book of Light Opera''. Lubbock, Mark. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1962. pp. 807–08.</ref>  Other Hammerstein/Kern collaborations include ''[[Sweet Adeline (musical)|Sweet Adeline]]'' (1929) and ''[[Very Warm for May]]'' (1939).  Although the last of these was panned by critics, it contains one of Kern and Hammerstein's best-loved songs, "[[All the Things You Are]]".<ref>Wilson, Jeremy. [http://www.jazzstandards.com/compositions-0/allthethingsyouare.htm "All the Things You Are (1939)"]. jazzstandards.com, accessed March 15, 2010</ref>

By the early 1940s, Hart had sunk deeper into alcoholism and emotional turmoil, and he became unreliable, prompting Rodgers to approach Hammerstein to ask if he would consider working with him.<ref>Layne, Joslyn. [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p84807|pure_url=yes}} Lorenz Hart Biography] at Allmusic, accessed September 23, 2009</ref>