Editing Rodgers and Hart (section)

== History ==
Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart were introduced in 1919 while Rodgers was in high school and Hart had already graduated from  [[Columbia University]].<ref>Zinnser, p. 31</ref> One of their first collaborations was at Columbia in the 1920 [[Varsity Show]], ''[[Fly With Me (musical)|Fly With Me]]'', which also involved Rodgers' future collaborator [[Oscar Hammerstein II]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Vinciguerra|first=Thomas|title=Sing a Song of Morningside|url=https://www.thevarsityshow.com/about-sing-a-song-of-morningside|access-date=2022-01-09|website=The Varsity Show|language=en-US}}</ref> After writing together for several years they produced their first successful [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical, ''[[The Garrick Gaieties]]'', in 1925, which introduced their hit song [[Manhattan (song)|"Manhattan"]] and led to a series of successful musicals and films.<ref name=guide/> They quickly became among the most popular songwriters in America, and from 1925 to 1931 had fifteen scores featured on Broadway. In the early 1930s they moved to Hollywood, where they created several popular songs for film, such as "[[Isn't It Romantic?]]" and "[[Lover (Rodgers and Hart song)|Lover]]", before returning to [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in 1935 with [[Billy Rose]]'s ''[[Jumbo (musical)|Jumbo]]''.<ref name=Everett747>Everett, p.747</ref> From 1935 to Hart's death in 1943, they wrote a string of highly regarded Broadway musicals, most of which were hits.

Many of their stage musicals from the late 1930s were made into films, including ''[[On Your Toes]] (1936)'' and ''[[Babes in Arms]]'' (1937), though rarely with their scores intact. ''[[Pal Joey (musical)|Pal Joey]]'' (1940), termed their masterpiece,<ref name=Everett747/> has a book by ''[[The New Yorker]]'' writer [[John O'Hara]]. O'Hara adapted his own short stories for the show, which featured a title character who is a [[Heel (professional wrestling)|heel]]. Critic [[Brooks Atkinson]] wrote in his review, "Although it is expertly done, how can you draw sweet water from a foul well?"  When the show was revived in 1952 audiences had learned to accept darker material, due in large part to Rodgers' work with Oscar Hammerstein. The new production had a considerably longer run than the original and was now considered a classic by critics. Atkinson, reviewing the revival, wrote that the musical "renews confidence in the professionalism of the theatre."<ref>Green, p. 127</ref>