Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were known for being an exceptional songwriting duo during the 1940s and 1950s.  Rodgers was the composer and Hammerstein wrote the lyrics for many Broadway musicals such as Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I  and The Sound of Music.

It was on this day, November 16, 1959, when the last Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The Sound of Music, opened on Broadway. The musical is based on The Story of Trapp Family Singers, a memoir of Maria von Trapp.  The production starred Mary Martin as Maria and Theodore Bikel as Captain Georg von Trapp.  Director Vincent Donehue was nominated for Best Musical Direction.

Since then, the musical has been revived many times and was made into a film in 1965.  It was the most financially successful film adaptation of a Broadway musical at the time, and the songs are remembered to this day.  Unfortunately, Hammerstein passed away from cancer a mere nine months after the premiere.