Gertrude Lawrence Hammerstein II quoted from an essay on death written by poet and novelist Rabindranath Tagore. Lawrence was buried in the champagne-coloured gown worn for the "Shall We Dance?" number in the second act of "The King and I", and she was interred in the Aldrich family plot in Lakeview Cemetery in Upton, Massachusetts. She was the first person for whom the house lights were dimmed in all Broadway (Manhattan) theatres due to her death. In early 1953, Lawrence's name was included on a list of Columbia University professors who had died the previous year and were honoured with a memorial
Rodgers and Hammerstein the mystery guests on episode number 298 of "What's My Line", which first aired on February 19, 1956; blindfolded panelist Arlene Francis was able to correctly identify them. The pair made a rare feature film appearance in MGM's 1953 production "Main Street to Broadway", in which Rodgers played the piano and Hammerstein sang a song they had written. They also appeared in the trailer for the film version of "South Pacific" in 1958. While Rodgers and Hammerstein's work contains cheerful and often uplifting songs, they departed from the comic and sentimental tone of early 20th century musicals by seriously addressing