| 9781627798341 |
| 162779834X |
Available:*
Library | Material Type | Call Number | Shelf Location | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... East Library | Book | 792.0973 PURD | Nonfiction | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Rockrimmon Library | Book | 792.0973 PURD | Nonfiction | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
A revelatory portrait of the creative partnership that transformed musical theater and provided the soundtrack to the American Century
They stand at the apex of the great age of songwriting, the creators of the classic Broadway musicals Oklahoma! , Carousel , South Pacific , The King and I , and The Sound of Music , whose songs have never lost their popularity or emotional power. Even before they joined forces, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II had written dozens of Broadway shows, but together they pioneered a new art form: the serious musical play. Their songs and dance numbers served to advance the drama and reveal character, a sharp break from the past and the template on which all future musicals would be built.
Though different in personality and often emotionally distant from each other, Rodgers and Hammerstein presented an unbroken front to the world and forged much more than a songwriting team; their partnership was also one of the most profitable and powerful entertainment businesses of their era. They were cultural powerhouses whose work came to define postwar America on stage, screen, television, and radio. But they also had their failures and flops, and more than once they feared they had lost their touch.
Todd S. Purdum's portrait of these two men, their creative process, and their groundbreaking innovations will captivate lovers of musical theater, lovers of the classic American songbook, and young lovers wherever they are. He shows that what Rodgers and Hammerstein wrought was truly something wonderful.
Author Notes
Todd S. Purdum is the author of An Idea Whose Time Has Come and A Time of Our Choosing . He is a staff writer for The Atlantic , having previously worked for more than twenty years at The New York Times , where he covered beats from City Hall to the White House and served as Los Angeles bureau chief. He has also been a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and a senior writer at Politico . A native of Macomb, Illinois, and a graduate of Princeton University, he lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Dee Dee Myers, and their two children.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
No songwriting duo is as ubiquitous in American pop culture as Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, argues Purdum (An Idea Whose Time Has Come) in this thorough biography of the pair that largely focuses on two decades of wild success beginning with Oklahoma! and triumphantly concluding with The Sound of Music. Purdum follows Rodgers and Hammerstein separately through their formative years before their meeting in the early 1940s ushered in a sweeping revolution on Broadway. Though many pages are devoted to somewhat formulaic chronologies of the duo's hallmark productions and also their less-successful ventures, such as Allegro, Purdum sufficiently explores their conflicting personalities, savvy business practices (they established a music publishing company and produced other plays), and sheer innovation, all of which led to the endurance of their work. Despite waning critical acclaim in the twilight years of their partnership, Rodgers and Hammerstein continued to have commercial success (largely fueled by The Sound of Music). Purdum's anecdote-filled account is a sterling primer on the influential duo, both for newcomers to their work and to those looking to rekindle an old flame. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* The songs of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein have provided the background music to many of our lives. Here, readers will learn the stories behind the music and how this most successful of writing duos crafted some of the finest musicals to grace the American stage, including Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, and The Sound of Music. Although the biographies of Rodgers and Hammerstein are naturally threaded throughout, this is much more the story of the music rather than the men. Written chronologically, the book details the evolution of the Broadway musical, from lighter-than-air plots and songs that could be plugged in at will, to more cohesive and deeper offerings like Show Boat and Pal Joey, and, finally, to Rodgers and Hammerstein, who were determined, as Purdum puts it, to broaden and deepen their art. This meant intertwining plot, music, and dance to tell their stories, but also taking on social issues for instance, racial prejudice in South Pacific and cross-cultural conflict in The King and I. Ironically, Purdum also shows how some of these musicals fall short to contemporary ears in just those areas, the treatment of spousal abuse in Carousel being a prime example. The often-distant relationship between Rodgers and Hammerstein means that they don't quite come alive for readers, but the music and the stories of how it came to be certainly does. Something wonderful, indeed.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2018 Booklist
Choice Review
Purdum is a political reporter for Vanity Fair and Politico and author of An Idea Whose Time Has Come: Two Presidents, Two Parties, and the Battle for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (2014) and A Time of Our Choosing: America's War in Iraq (2003). He changes course here, focusing on the careers of the two most important creators in the Golden Age of Broadway musicals. Although much has been written about Rodgers and Hammerstein, Purdum justifies his new account, introducing new information and elements overlooked previously. In essence, he shows that when the two men joined forces in 1942, they brought something new to the musical stage. However, in the process they became so wealthy that it affected their creativity. Purdum does an excellent job of covering business aspects and acknowledging the contributions of sometimes-neglected artists, for example, composer/arrangers Robert Russell Bennett and Trude Rittmann and set designer Jo Mielziner. And Purdum demonstrates excellent use of primary and secondary sources and provides a good bibliography and a section of excellent photos. This volume joins such glitzier works as Ethan Mordden's Rodgers and Hammerstein (CH, Jan'93, 30-2575). Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. --Richard D. Johnson, emeritus, SUNY College at Oneonta
Library Journal Review
Veteran reporter-writer Purdum (An Idea Whose Time Has Come) shows how composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein were not only a great show-writing team but revolutionary for their time. Between 1943 and 1949, they expanded the boundaries of Broadway musical theater with Oklahoma!, Carousel, and South Pacific, along the way amassing huge fortunes. As a team, they won every award there was, including two Pulitzers, and in 1951, the top shows on Broadway were theirs: South Pacific and The King and I. Hammerstein's multiple drafts of his lyrics let readers see how he molded them as he wrote and rewrote. Purdum presents ample evidence of Rodger's equally meticulous attention to detail. Their essays in social conscience may sound timid today, but they stood out back then, most notably in the song "You've Got To Be Taught To Hate" from South Pacific. Purdum's comments concerning both their personal and musical failures (most notably, 1947's Allegro) are clear, fair, and to the point. VERDICT This lively book will appeal to anyone who loves theater, songwriting, or biography. [See Prepub Alert, 10/4/17.]-David Keymer, Cleveland © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Prologue: All They Cared About Was the Show | p. 1 |
| 1 The Sentimentalist | p. 15 |
| 2 A Quality of Yearning | p. 39 |
| 3 Away We Go | p. 65 |
| 4 Bustin' Out | p. 96 |
| 5 So Far | p. 121 |
| 6 Enchanted Evening | p. 146 |
| 7 Parallel Wives | p. 177 |
| 8 Catastrophic Success | p. 204 |
| 9 Beyond Broadway | p. 235 |
| 10 Auf Wiedersehen | p. 267 |
| 11 Walking Alone | p. 296 |
| Epilogue: Bloom and Grow Forever | p. 314 |
| Notes | p. 321 |
| Bibliography | p. 347 |
| Acknowledgements | p. 353 |
| Permissions Acknowledgments | p. 359 |
| Index | p. 365 |
