Staged Right - Episode 5: The Rodgers & Hart Story
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- Опубликовано: 19 ноя 2020
- In this episode, I talk about the partnership of Rodgers and Hart. Even if you've never heard of them, you know their work. While their songs like"The Lady is a Tramp", "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered", and "My Funny Valentine" are still heard today, many do not know the story of this unlikely pairing. And while both Dick Rodgers and Larry Hart were incredibly talented, they could not have been more different. Larry, gregarious, alcoholic, and struggling with his homosexuality. Dick, emotionally reserved, private, and a compulsive womanizer. The tragic dissolution of their partnership would lead to Dick Rodgers finding a new and successful partnership with Oscar Hammerstein. But the circumstances leading up to it are often shrouded in mystery and ambiguity. This unlikely and beautiful partnership is one of the musical theatre's most fascinating stories and I hope you enjoy getting to learn about them.
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![Rodgers & Hart Today Special [1967] [Part 1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XkYfZseVJ0k/mqdefault.jpg)
As a 64 year old, I also grew up on the musicals and remember well Rogers and Hart, and Rogers and Hammerstein and will be forever grateful to them all. ❤️. Love forever!!!🎉
I always preferred Rodgers and Hart to Rodgers and Hammerstein. The lyrics were more sophisticated and deep, and the melodies a little less obvious - but still gorgeous.
R&Hart produced classic songs galore.
Larry Hart was a genius full stop, like Oscar Hammerstein but in a very different way, no two lyricists could be so great at their art than be so utterly different, in my view as them, and Rodgers was fortunate to work with both of them.
I am such a fan of both partnerships. I enjoy the wit and wordplay of Rodgers and Hart, and the timeless classics from Rodgers and Hammerstein.
I think more Rodgers & Hart songs can stand alone, but that's because they were coming from largely flimsy plots and were essentially standing alone from the get go. Rodgers & Hammerstein songs are integrated into the musical and move the plot and develop the characters. This was groundbreaking (other than Showboat), and again, it makes sense that these songs would not always stand alone as well.
Carousel, my favorite musical, (there are some issues with how it addressss domestic violence, but it's a product of its time and still brilliant), really contradicts what many are saying about Rodgers & Hammerstein songs. Many of the songs can absolutely stand on their own, and they are not corny or shmaltzy (except for a couple of your typical group numbers). They are, in my opinion, bittersweet and complex.
I couldn't agree more with you.
Most people can name off the top off the head five Rodgers & Hammerstein Musicals, but couldn't name a one Rodgers & Hart Musical. But Rodgers & Hart songs have entered into the Great American Songbook in a way the Rodgers & Hammerstein have not been so enshrined. The difference between a Rodgers & Hart song and a Rodgers & Hammerstein song is readily noticeable. Rodgers & Hart--witty & sophisticated; Rodgers & Hammerstein shmaltzy & waltzy.
A great review of Rodgers & Hart. Personally, I liked "Words And Music" for the captured musical numbers on film, despite it most tangential relationship to reality. We listen for the songs, not for their personalities or character [defects].
I like *Words and Music,* too. It told as much truth as the times allowed. Viewers of the present day may not realize how much the movie was pushing the envelope simply by potraying Hart's alcoholism and showing him to be deeply unhappy. Furthermore, Mickey Rooney is actually a great metaphor for Hart. And while Rodgers may have hated the movie, I suspect he would have liked a movie that frankly portrayed Hart's homosexuality or his own personal problems even less.
This is a perfectly written, narrated and produced bio of Rogers and Hart!
It is !
I've always found it incredible that the Rodgers of R&H is the same as of Rodgers & Hammerstein. Hart's lyrics were sophisticated, sometimes sarcastic or cynical. Love was fickle, rarely forever. "Pal Joey" was typical. Hammerstein's lyrics were "I love you and we'll be in love forever, get married and live happily ever after." Yet Rodgers composed successfully with both collaborators.
"My Romance" has indescribable beauty. Such talent!
It’s one of my favourites. X
Another marvellous lesson in musical theatre history. I'm more familiar with Rodgers and Hammerstein than the Rodgers and Hart story. I truly appreciated learning this side of the story.
There's a reason for that. After Larry Hart died, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Inc. buried his work. You won't see a high school or college prodcution of "I Married an Angel" or "Amerca's Sweethart" or most of the other Rodgers and Hart shows because they were not marketed or made available for amateur prodcutions. Scripts don't even exist for some of the Rodgers and Hart musicals. Meanwhile, every high school has done "The Sound of Music."
Search RUclips for "Ben Bagley" and bask in the rare Rodgers & Hart songs that he preserved, recording many of them for the first time. He produced a series of "revisited" LP's of the music of the great composers and lyricists of Broadway. He should have been given a special Tony Award for his work (for little if any financial gain) preserving the history of the American Musical.
Thank you!
I have always preferred Rogers and Hart to Rogers and Hammerstein. The latter, always seemed too saccharine and too anthemy to me, while Rogers and Hart was more adult and more vulnerable. And their songs stand alone much better than the songs of Rogers and Hammerstein. Pal Joey is for me THE most adult musical of them all, with every character being equally despicable and fascinating, and the only likable character being just stupid. And has there ever been a more post-coital song than Bewitched? I remember reading somewhere about a couple of lines that Hart wrote for Vera that were not used in the song which went, "Slipped again, flipped again, my chastity belt is unzipped again. . ."
Rodgers is spelled with a "D."
I truly enjoyed this video, and am subscribing. Thanks so much.
I am enamoured of composers of all periods and of all sorts of music, and for me Rodgers + Hart/ Rodgers + Hammerstein are at the top of the list.
Just discovered this and want to commend the author for both the biographical accuracy and the marvelous video clips assembled. But it's a short biographical summary and does not even attempt to introduce the viewer to the extraordinary wealth of musical material that this pair gave us. I know better than most because I have devoted a great deal of time to their work myself. The one quibble I do have is the closing observation that their material "still holds up today." For me, that's akin to saying that the music of Mozart still holds up today. The fact is that Rodgers and Hart gave us a stunning list of pop classics, albeit now sadly dwindling into obscurity in a culture in profound decline.
Genius, wee Larry Hart (where's larry?) and richard rodgers, a perfect marriage of words and music.
What a FANTASTIC video, Staged Right - new subscriber!!!
Larry Hart had an unmatched command of the English language, and during his short life was recognized for his singular talent; imagine a collaboration between Shakespeare and Dorothy Parker. An irrepressible yet unrequited Romantic at heart, Hart routinely crafted lyrics that break your heart and make you laugh at the same time, and often he pulled this hat trick after just a few moments with pencil and paper. Hart's ability with the double entendre were multifaceted; his insights to the pain of love and human connections were partly informed by his homosexuality; the rest came from his battle with alcohol addiction. On either battlefield he adopted the role as victim, despite the efforts of his friends, especially the distant Richard Rogers who tried to keep the duo functional.
Sometimes I wonder what the World would be like if all the love songs in the Popular canon had been written by Women instead of Men. Lorenz Hart came closer than any other man to revealing what that song cycle might have been like. We're the lesser for having forgotten him; in our time he'd be a Titan. Longing mandates no particular identity; we all know that pain.
Thank you so much for this. Since I was young and discovered their songs in my parents copy of Ella Fitzgerald's Songbook I've been enamored. I recognize of course R& Hammerstein's vast importance in and to musical theater, but it's the songs of R&Hart that have always moved me. They are some of the greatest works of American Popular Song. While the books were throwaway (except for Pal Joey) the shows were essential for the songs. The intricate rhyme structures, the brittleness of sentiment, the sheer determination to not use expected words: all those and more are hallmarks of Larry Hart's writing.
I'd always thought, too, that Rodgers' music is (usually) more different, unexpected, and original with Hart than with Hammerstein, but I didn't understand why. And then I learned that with Hart the music came first, but with Hammerstein it was the lyrics.
Thank you again. This is the second video of yours I've watched and I can hardly wait to watch more. LOL the subjects I'd love to see would keep you working 24/7 for a few lifetimes!
The book for "Amercia's Sweetheart" is actually very good. It is the same plot as "Singing in the Rain" but Rodgers and Hart did it first!
Really informative and warm episode: love how you bring in the queer perspective as well as your other insights. These 'historical' ones are my favourites: thank you so much
While Words and Music is kind of awful as a biography, the musical productions are superb. Lena Horne is particularly great singing Where or When and Lady is a Tramp. Lots of songs but still a few of the greats are missing. So add Doris Day singing Ten Cents a Dance from Love Me or Leave Me, and Judy Garland singing You Took Advantage of Me from Star is Born, and you will have nearly all of the great Rogers and Hart standards to enjoy.
Omg
That was so cute, when Cate Blanchette limped her wrist, at the beginning.
I laughed out loud. I too tear up at the beginning of my favorite musicals!!! Listen, its genetic. Lol!!! Xo
Kevin, you do such a wonderful job on these episodes. Keep them coming!
I binged a lot of these today on my TV where I couldn't comment so forgive me for spamming, but these are GREAT! I'm so glad to learn more about those who built bw toward the beginning
I was first introduced to Rodgers and Harts when the movie of “Jumbo” came on television. I especially loved Doris Day’s rendition of “My Romance”, but I never knew the back story of their collaboration until now. Thank you so very much for this!
Amazing job on this video! Rodgers and Hart wrote some of the most beautiful music ever composed. Your video does a great job telling their story.
i literally watched all your eps in one sitting. all so good and engaging. looking forward to the next ones!
Perhaps my favorite video on RUclips. Thank you for this.
This channel is one of the best.
These are fantastic! I am learning so much!
Another education in stage history!! Well done Kevin
Hello from Australia. Wow, thank you, so interesting.
Just great. Thank You
You're funny! Love it 😀
THANK YOU. Your videos are a treat. I have a request! The Amen Corner by James Baldwin (1954). It was a rare talent who could be openly gay and proud of his African-American heritage ... and write so well in his books and his attempts to conquer theatre.
James Baldwin is a figure I certainly know of, but have not explored his readings or, really, his life. I really owe it to myself to learn more about him. Thanks for the heads up!
Thank you
All of the subtext of the Rodgers and Hart years and the terrific parenting skills of Dick and Dorothy Rodgers rear their ugly heads in part 2 of this saga... DO I HEAR A WALTZ?
Love Rodgers/Hart!!!!
Had to pause in the first few minutes. I had always pronounced his name as Lor-ENZ or LOR-enz until I read an extensive autobiography of Lorenz Hart and the book said his name was pronounced Lawrence. Take that as you may. LH never told me himself so....
Yep. Remember reading that. Didn’t want to be too precious about it since I hear every which pronunciation. Others in the comments will think otherwise. Good for them. Thanks for watching! X
@@StagedRight
Sorry. Didnt want to come off as a smarty pants lol. Watched the whole video. I was great. Sure brought up a lot of emotions. Poor LH. And being gay back then was a death sentence. Im 73 so I lived thru that fear of being found out. Keep up the great work.
Hart is a tragic figure -- and a musical giant.
Mary Martin, my gay DARLINGGG.
hart was a great writer.every body knows he was an alcoholic and gay
Showboat.
God Bless the Child
5 feet = 152 cm
Larry Hart looks very handsome to me.
Many people here saying they prefer Rodgers & Hart to Rodgers & Hammerstein because the former's lyrics were more witty and sophisticated than the latter's. I agree with the preference, but in Hammerstein's defense I must say that the problem wasn't that Hammerstein *couldn't* write witty and sophisticated lyrics. He often did, when he had witty and sophisticated characters to write for such as Elsa and Max in The Sound of Music--unfortunately, both of their witty and sophisticated songs in the stage show were cut from the movie version. He also did witty and sophisticated in parts of Allegro, South Pacific, The King and I, and Flower Drum Song. But for the most part, Hammerstein wasn't writing for witty and sophisticated characters; he was writing for "just plain folks," as in Oklahoma and Carousel, and the *other* parts of the musicals named above. So he (correctly) gave them just-plain-folks kinds of lyrics. Hammerstein's great achievement as a lyricist was his ability to achieve *simplicity,* one of the hardest things to do in the arts. Think "Old Man River." Or think "Edelweiss," which has persuaded millions over the years that it's a genuine old Austrian folk song--or even the national anthem of Austria!
To quote the great Noel Coward, "Dick Rodgers literally pees melody". I'm forever distressed over how mismatched Rodgers & Hart were. Larry Hart's lyrics were not worthy of the Rodger's incredible melodies.
Hart's lyrics are and have always been recognized as some of the greatest. He joins a select few: Ira Gershwin, Mercer, Sondheim, Harburg, et al. Hammerstein is not on that list. It is also opined by most students of American Popular Song that Rodgers' music was usually superior during the Hart days.
There's often a difference between what one likes, and what is actually superior.
[Clem Schubert] If that is your real name? You sound as if you are jealous of Larry Hart's genius!! Tell that to some of the greatest vocalist who have sung his songs. Vocalists whom you have probably never heard of like Ella and Sarah and Doris and Nancy and Linda and Stefani and Barbara and that is what I can come up with just off the top of my head without any research. In other words, drop the Schubert part of your name because you KNOW NOTHING about music!!
I find it perplexing and truly much worse that anyone is making assumptions about another's sexuality without any verifiable evidence and not present to set the record straight. Other than salacious gossip why would anyone care. The reasons provided (living with one's mother, being short as well as viewed as unattractive, and regular disappearances for a brief time now and again) don't mean anything. People lived with family members for large parts of their lives with greater frequency than they do these days. And as far as disappearing, the man was an alcoholic. Maybe he was out tying one on and then recuperating and wanted to be away from prying eyes. I almost feel obligated to defend someone when such a major biographical offering is "deduced" without any substance. By the way, I am gay and am always happy and proud to learn someone with such talent as Mr. Hart had is gay but not without reliable information. What's next, that he was a communist, purchased prostitutes, didn't actually write all that is attributed to him. Let's just appreciate the music. Food for thought and a little balancing act.
I agree the generalizations and stereotyping is frustrating in navigating with these kinds of stories. But there are far too testimonies from people in Larry's life who can confirm that he had affairs or affectations with men. What makes these stories and accounts hard to corroborate was the culture of which Larry lived in where it was common to turn a blind eye, and even ouright ignore or not speak of the truth that was out there plain and simple. God knows what someone like Dorothy Rodgers would have thought of of Larry's daliances. She was, btw, an incredibly difficult and homophobic woman. I read two different Larry Hart biographies. I also read a Richard Rodgers biography and the way people remember things from opposite sides is always slightly different. Not wrong, just different. And it shows how at odds both Dick and Larry were. I do believe they loved each other as friends, but it was complicated. This story is incredibly messy. I'm proud of what I did here, but this is one of the episodes I wish I could do over, with a better sense of how to tackle these videos now. Anyway, thanks for watching.
Perhaps my favorite video on RUclips. Thank you for this.