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 of Michigan in 1985 and played college football for head coach Bo Schembechler's Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1981 to 1985. As freshman in 1981, he played on the offensive line and started one game at the middle guard position. As a sophomore in 1982, Hammerstein was moved to the defense. He started one game at defensive tackle in each of the 1982 and 1983 seasons. Hammerstein emerged as a regular starter in 1984. He started all 12 games at defensive tackle for the 1984 Michigan team, while his brother Mark Hammerstein started four games on the offensive line. During