Rodgers and Hammerstein It was a great success, winning Rodgers and Hammerstein their lone Oscar, for the song "It Might as Well Be Spring", but it was also unadventurous material for them, compared with several of their Broadway shows. In 1962, an unsuccessful remake of the musical film was released. In 1969, the St. Louis Municipal Opera presented the world stage premiere of "State Fair" starring Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. The production was directed by James Hammerstein, supervised by Richard Rodgers and choreographed by Tommy Tune. "State Fair" finally arrived on Broadway on March 27, 1996, with Donna McKechnie and Andrea McArdle, produced
James Hammerstein Richard Rodgers. The first play he produced was "Blue Denim", by James Leo Herlihy and William Noble, and the first play he directed was the comedy "Absence of a Cello" in 1964. The "New York Times" wrote: "James Hammerstein has staged the piece with a great deal of verve." His other directing credits include "The Indian Wants the Bronx", "Wise Child" and "Butley". Hammerstein directed the New York City Opera production of "The Sound of Music" in 1990. He co-directed the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical "State Fair" in 1996. Among the other Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals he directed were