Oscar Hammerstein II Mathias by his first wife, and James Hammerstein by his second wife, with whom he also had a stepdaughter, Susan Blanchard. Hammerstein was one of the most important "book writers" in Broadway history – he made the story, not the songs or the stars, central to the musical and brought musical theater to full maturity as an art form. According to Stephen Sondheim, "What few people understand is that Oscar's big contribution to the theater was as a theoretician, as a Peter Brook, as an innovator. People don't understand how experimental "Show Boat" and "Oklahoma!" felt at the time they
Mike Hammerstein Mike Hammerstein Michael Scott "Mike" Hammerstein (born March 3, 1963) is a former American football player. He played college football, principally as a defensive tackle, from 1981 to 1985. He was selected as a consensus first-team All-American in 1985. He played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1986 to 1987 and 1988 to 1990. He appeared in 56 NFL games, two of them as a starter at defensive end. Hammerstein was born in Kokomo, Indiana, in 1963. He was raised in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and attended Wapakoneta High School. Hammerstein enrolled at the University