Oscar Hammerstein II six for lyrics or book, and two as producer of the Best Musical ("South Pacific" and "The Sound of Music"). Rodgers and Hammerstein began writing together before the era of the Tonys: "Oklahoma!" opened in 1943 and "Carousel" in 1945, and the Tony Awards were not awarded until 1947. They won a special Pulitzer Prize in 1944 for "Oklahoma!" and, with Joshua Logan, the annual Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950 for "South Pacific". The Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theater Studies at Columbia University was established in 1981 with a $1-million gift from his family. His advice and work
Oscar Hammerstein II Sound of Music", as well as the musical film "State Fair" (and its stage adaptation of the same name), and the television musical "Cinderella", all featured in the revue "A Grand Night for Singing". Hammerstein also wrote the book and lyrics for "Carmen Jones", an adaptation of Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen" with an all-black cast that became a 1943 Broadway musical and a 1954 film. An active advocate for writers's rights within the theatre industry, Hammerstein was a member of the Dramatists Guild of America. In 1956, he was elected as the eleventh president of the non-profit organization. He continued