Ranking Every Rodgers and Hammerstein Movie from Worst to Best

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[00:00:01]There really is no songwriting duo more influential to musical theater than Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

[00:00:08]Together they wrote nine Broadway musicals, 11 if you count State Fair and Cinderella. Several of these would be adapted to the big screen in some fantastic and memorable productions and some would come off as less than ideal.

[00:00:22]In the adaptation process, choices are made, scripts are rewritten, songs and scenes are cut, and often a musical can get lost on its way to the big screen.

[00:00:32]So, which of their musicals survived the process and which didn't?

[00:00:37]Welcome to Movie Musical Mania. Today, we are ranking the film adaptations of the musicals of Rogers and Hammerstein.

[00:00:44]Now, there are numerous pieces of media based on their work, so I had to make qualifications for the ranking. The movies could not be made for TV in some capacity, which eliminated the multiple Cinderellas and the 2001 South Pacific remake. And it also could not be a remake, which eliminated 1962 State Fair and the animated version of The King and I. That leaves the selection pool down to Oklahoma, The King and I, Carousel, South Pacific, Flower Drum Song, State Fair, and The Sound of Music.

[00:01:15]Just a fair warning, I will not be judging these films on the musical material itself, like how much I like the story or the music. I have my own separate ranking of the stage shows. I hope to approach these films from the lens of how effective they work as movies and how successful the adaptation process was. I also would like to say that I truly tried to give these movies a fair shot. I have seen every movie here at least twice and many of them I have seen innumerable amount of times.

[00:01:43]The Rogers and Hammerstein movies are what got me into musical cinema in the first place. So, I can probably quote these movies front to back. Anyway, let's get into it.

[00:01:59]Number seven, Carousel.

[00:02:02]Based on the 1945 musical, which was Rogers and Hammerstein's second stage collaboration, Carousel was released by 20th Century Fox in 1956. The movie was directed by Henry King and starred Shirley Jones and Gordon McCrae. Runtime 2 hours and 8 minutes, making it the second shortest film on this list. While this was the first film released in Cinemascope 55, the film garnered zero Oscar nominations, the only film on this list to do so. Since it was made by Fox and not a Rogers and Hammerstein affiliated company, they had less creative input and many musical numbers were cut.

[00:02:35]I have a personal vendetta against this movie. Carousel is my favorite of the Rogers and Hammerstein musicals with a gorgeous and heartbreaking story and score, but man was it fumbled on its way to the big screen. I already made a whole video about that, so go check that out. But the gist of it is this. The leads are miscast. There's way too much concentration on selling a new widescreen process than telling the story of a doomed romance. The cutting between location photography and studio photography is more jarring in this than any other. The cinematography is boring, wide, and static, and there are several other offenses. Much of the score, which is fairly oporatic in nature, was cutter turned to dialogue, including what I considered to be Rogers and Hammerstein's best song, If I Loved You.

[00:03:20]The bench scene is perhaps one of the best pieces of musical theater ever, and the first half is reduced to dialogue in the movie, while only the latter half of the song remains. Also, while I adore Carousel on the stage, there are some minor issues with the stage play, such as the ending, which I've described as a pity ticket. A positive ending is okay, but alluding to a happier fate for Billy simply isn't deserved. If it's a tale of redemption, I want to see him do more than whisper a few words in Julie's ear.

[00:03:49]If it's a cautionary tale, then let's not see him walk up into the heavens. I mean, he expressly goes to hell in the source material, Liliam, and Hammerstein wanted a happier, ambiguous ending, but this not okay. In other words, Billy is not sufficiently dynamic. And while this isn't as much of an issue on the stage, the film suddenly feels unsatisfying without a proper arc. Later, I will demonstrate how the movies of Flower Drum Song and The Sound of Music improved on their respective stage shows an Opportunity Carousel failed to grasp.

[00:04:20]If anything, it fails to reach any of the artistic prowess of the stage show and instead reads as a cash grab. There are certainly good things about the movie, though. Barbara Ruick is very good as Carrie, and the beautiful songs are recorded well, beautifully. The location shooting is gorgeous, but I feel that Carousel is perhaps a story better fit for dark, intimate places and not a quaint East Coast village.

[00:04:43]This setting works well for the stage because the scenery only suggests. But when Julie and Billy's problems are put front and center in front of real life sailboats, the open sea, and a clam bake, it gets distracting. Hopefully, one day we will have a proper adaptation of a great musical. Verdict: 3 out of 10.

[00:05:09]Number six, South Pacific.

[00:05:13]Based on the 1949 musical, the 1958 film was produced by South Pacific Enterprises, an independent company that gave Rogers and Hammerstein creative control. This movie was directed by Joshua Logan, who also directed the stage show and starred Mity Gainer and Ozano Brazy. Runtime 2 hours 37 minutes, making it the second longest movie on this list. The film won best sound at the Oscars. Now, this certainly is not a terrible movie musical, but it has its issues. First, let's talk about the elephant in the room. I can't say I'm a fan of the color filters that saturate the screen during the musical numbers, and the haze filters are distracting. It makes the gorgeous horizon look garish, but at least they're an interesting talking point, and sometimes when timed with the music and dialogue are kind of effective, like in this moment. I don't care for the supporting cast, even Wanita Hall, who is recreating the role from Broadway. The day fornight filters are, as to be expected, bad. And the choice to start the movie at the beach instead of with our main characters was um confusing at best, and it starts the pacing of the movie out at an absolute crawl. I dislike how it becomes a war film for like the last 20 minutes, but a very poor one at that. In a similar fashion, the sound of music gets much more serious when confronted with the problems of World War II. But in that film, the suspense is palpable. Whereas South Pacific feels like Joshua Logan wanted to make a war film, but a didn't know how and b was saddled with making it a musical. And this brings me to the film's biggest issue. Joshua Logan, who is an incredibly inept director in all three of his offenses to the movie musical cannon. The actors feel aimless at times, if not struggling through incredibly odd blocking that lacks motivation. The musical numbers are shockingly static despite the lively sweeping score, and the film overstays its welcome. Even with a 2hour, 37minute runtime, this is the shortened version, as over 10 minutes of footage was removed for general release.

[00:07:18]Despite its flaws, the gorgeous score by Rogers and Hammerstein is certainly one of their best. When the action isn't interesting, the locations are. There are several times when I zone out watching this movie and I find myself watching a tree in the background. Also, I personally think that Mity Gainer and Rosano Brazie are great as a Nelly and a meal, respectively. And this film brought back a song cut from the stage show My Girl Back Home. Although parts of I'm going to wash that man right out of my hair and some of the reprises were trimmed. Verdict: Skip the Movie, listen to the soundtrack. Four out of 10.

[00:07:58]Number five, State Fair.

[00:08:02]State Fair is different than the other films on this list since it is the only one written directly for the screen and not adapted from a stage show, although there would be a subsequent Broadway adaptation. I know I said I didn't include remakes on this list and this film was technically a remake of the 1933 film, but this is the first time it was a musical directed by Walter Lang.

[00:08:22]This movie was released by Fox in 1945.

[00:08:25]The movie's runtime is 1 hour 40 minutes, the shortest of the movies on this list. It was nominated for two Oscars, winning best song for It Might as well Be Spring. In terms of the viewing experience, I feel like there was a large gap in quality from South Pacific and Carousel to State Fair, meaning that State Fair is a better watch despite the lower budget. It is an extremely pleasant, funny, romantic movie and has a few charming songs. The only reason it is below the remaining films on this list is because the film is less of a musical than a movie with songs. It might as well be spring and arguably it's a grand night for singing are the only songs that really advance the plot. This isn't Hammerstein's fault. They were simply hired to write songs for Hollywood, an experience that left a bad taste in their mouths. The film is a fun watch, but really fails to say anything of substance like the others do. although admittedly it never desires or attempts to do so. Verdict number four, Oklahoma.

[00:09:33]Based on the first collaboration between Rogers and Hammerstein in 1943, the film adaptation of Oklahoma was released by the Magna Theater Corporation in 1955.

[00:09:42]Making it with an independent studio, just like the film adaptation of South Pacific, gave Rogers and Hammerstein much more creative control over the project. It was the first film to use the Todd AO format. Runtime 2 hours and 20 minutes and the third longest movie on this list. It was directed by Fred Zinnamman and starred Shirley Jones and Gordon McCrae. The film earned four Oscar nominations in one, two for best scoring and best sound recording.

[00:10:08]Oklahoma's movie had so much potential, and while so much goes well, quite a bit doesn't. Let's go over what goes well.

[00:10:16]Shirley Jones made her big screen debut.

[00:10:18]The screenplay is adequate and charming.

[00:10:21]Charlotte Greenwood is a riot, and the orchestrations, costumes, locations, and cinematography are beautiful. The cast is mostly pretty good and the inclusion of some gimmicky things like Will jumping off a train at the end of Kansas City, the burning of the hay stack, or Jud and Lorie's horse going wild actually really take advantage of the medium to the film's benefit. Now for the less than stellar. Gloria Graham's Ado Annie is devoid of comedy and melody. Jud's song Lonely Room was cut, which I feel negatively impacts his character, and the pacing is too slow.

[00:10:54]Here's my controversial take.

[00:10:57]Pacing-wise, I find The Movie of Oklahoma to be a little full of itself.

[00:11:01]The movie would be a better watch if it was a little breezier. While there are certainly dark and dramatic elements to Oklahoma, it is by and large a musical comedy. In my opinion, if the film was going to take the epic dramatic work route, it is a wonder the song Lonely Room was cut. I'm glad the wonderful and sometimes horrific ballet remains.

[00:11:20]Though I know this film helped usher in the road show era and Oklahoma was going to be a smash, but I believe it is a movie meant to be viewed sans intermission. That being said, this film is a completely adequate adaptation of the stage show, a beautiful watch and a superb rendering of the score. Verdict, 7 out of 10.

[00:11:47]Number three, Flower Drum Song.

[00:11:51]Based on the 1958 musical, this 1961 film was released by Universal Studios, making it the only film on this list not owned by Fox in some capacity. Runtime 2 hours 11 minutes, making it the third shortest movie on this list. It was nominated for five Oscars, but won none.

[00:12:08]In all honesty, I find Oklahoma and Flower Drum Song to be fairly tied, but Flower Drum Song is in my mind a more enjoyable watch. Flower Drum Song's score will always have a special place in my heart. While I have never seen a stage production of the show, I understand that the shifting of musical numbers benefits the movie, such as You Are Beautiful being sung by Wangta to Melee much later in the film instead of to his aunt at the beginning. Since the only cut song, Like a God, served a similar function to the Broadway show, albeit in the middle of act one, You Are Beautiful, becomes a more poignant and dramatic moment since it has been moved near the film's climax.

[00:12:47]Don't Marry Me becomes an effective 11:00 number instead of sitting around in act one. And the other generation seems much more fitting near the beginning of the story instead of act two as it is in the musical. This song introduces the central conflicts of the musical westernization as well as generational and cultural differences and the song is therefore a good number to introduce the family. Making Fantan Fanny the audience's introduction to Linda is also a smart move instead of just making it another number at the nightclub because it's directly juaposed with Mley's innocent 100 million miracles and shows the extreme ends of these characters.

[00:13:25]I appreciate that the film preserves several of the Broadway performances.

[00:13:29]The faux San Francisco set is actually something I really like. Similar to the Guys and Dolls set, it's like the caricature of real life and is very fitting for a musical. It sets the characters firmly in a manufactured 1950s dreamland, which fits Flower Drum Song's themes on tradition versus modernization.

[00:13:47]I appreciate the innovativeness with the I enjoy being a girl number because this is when the film remembers it is a film and can use the medium to its advantage.

[00:13:56]I also have to applaud the film for at least attempting the authentic casting of the Asian characters. Flower Drum Song became the first major Hollywood feature film to have a majority Asian-American cast in a contemporary Asian-American story and it would be the last film to do so for more than 30 years until the Joy Lock Club in 1993.

[00:14:14]According to the New York Times, despite my praise, there are certainly dislikes. Every transition in this film is a dissolve, and it saps the film of its energy as it runs along. It becomes very tedious, and there are places where a jump cut would have vastly improved the pace of the movie. Also, the number really doesn't seem to serve a purpose except that the filmmakers wanted a parade. Mostly, this film lacks the grandeur of the remaining two on the list. Oklahoma certainly has higher production values, but Flower Drum Song thrives on being a lower budget romp.

[00:14:47]Verdict, seven out of 10.

[00:14:56]Number two, The King and I.

[00:15:00]Based on the 1951 musical, the film was released by 20th Century Fox in 1956. It was directed by Walter Lang who also directed State Fair and starred Yule Brener and Deborah Carr. Run time 2 hours 13 minutes which is the fourth longest movie on this list. Just like Carousel, it was made by Fox and not a Rogers and Hammerstein affiliated company. So they had less creative input and many musical numbers were cut. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won five for best art direction, best actor, best scoring, best costumes, and best sound recording.

[00:15:33]When it comes to costumes and set design, this one takes the cake. This is perhaps the most beautiful Rogers and Hammerstein film. I mean, The Small House of Uncle Thomas ballet alone should have won an Oscar. Irene Sheriff, the costume designer for the Broadway show, returned for the movie and won the Oscar for best costumes. Ule Bunner and Deborah Carr are perhaps the best cast leading duo of the films in this video with amazing chemistry and Marne Nixon's dubbing job for Deborah Carr is the best work of her career. Seriously, the voices match so well, it's insane.

[00:16:06]Unfortunately, while Walter Lang directs the cast well, the action feels very stagy and confined to the sets. But I don't mind because every frame is gorgeous. Comparatively, Oklahoma State Fair and The Sound of Music feel much less manufactured than this one does.

[00:16:22]Even though Deborah Carr and Ule Brener occasionally feel trapped by the scenery, their out of thisworld performances still jump off the screen.

[00:16:29]20th Century Fox's treatment of the King and I score interests me in the same way that Carousels does. But unlike Carousel, which I still feel features a fair bit of singing, the King and I score is obliterated. Again, check out my Carousel video to see why this may have happened. In the first place on the stage, not much of the runtime is actually devoted to singing. Going strictly off the most complete recordings of each show and not considering numbers that were strictly instrumental like overtures on tracks and ballets. Carousel's vocal score runs over an hour while Oklahoma and South Pacific sit around 50 minutes to 55. The King and I comparatively sits just over 40 minutes. For the film, the song Western People Funny was removed, which is probably for the best. If the soundtrack album is to be trusted, the songs My Lord and Master, I have dreamed and shall I tell you what I think of you were filmed but cut from the picture, while the first half of The Song of the King was turned into dialogue. This leaves large chunks of the film without song, becoming in effect an extremely high budget remake of Anna and the King of Syam. I particularly mourn the loss of I have dreamed because it is one of my favorite songs and makes the tragic fate of the couple even more heartbreaking. Tuptim as a result feels quite watered down in the movie. I am biased though. I have dreamed is my second favorite Rogers and Hammerstein song after if I loved you, but we already discussed how that turned out.

[00:17:54]Anyway, it's a wonderful, witty, and heartwarming film with great performances, and it is completely worth a watch. Verdict: 8 out of 10.

[00:18:08]And lastly, number one, The Sound of Music.

[00:18:12]Based on the 1959 musical, the film was released by 20th Century Fox in 1965.

[00:18:18]It was directed by Robert Weise and starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plamer. Runtime 2 hours 54 minutes, the longest movie on this list, although it doesn't feel like it. It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and took home five, the same amount as The King and I, including best picture, best film editing, best director, best sound, and best scoring. This should be no surprise that it is number one, for it truly stands as one of the best films of all time. The cast is superb, so much that I don't even care that Julie Andrews has a British accent in Austria. The film has heart, good pacing, beautiful open air photography, and one of Rogers and Hammerstein's catchiest scores. Pretty much The Sound of Music has everything The King and I had going for it, but less confined to a set. The Sound of Music probably wins the award for most improvement of the stage show. While South Pacific and Carousel failed to live up to their respective stage counterparts, The King and I in Oklahoma to a certain degree met the standard.

[00:19:15]I've already discussed that the movie of Flower Drum Song improved on its stage version, but The Sound of Music becomes a whole other beast that stands on its own. And it also is worth considering that while revival of the other big hits tend to stay fairly faithful to the original material, revival of the Sound of Music often incorporate songs and elements of the movie, most notably adding the songs I have of Confidence and Something Good, which were written for the movie. That has to mean something, right?

[00:19:43]In his screenplay, Ernest Leman rearranged the musical numbers for the better. My Favorite Things, originally sung in the abbey before Maria leaves, now becomes Maria's song to the children during the thunderstorm, which fit the childlike lyrics much better. This scene replaced the lonely goat herd, which would be used later as an exhibition of the singing troop. Elsa's songs were cut, I believe, so that Maria was the character that brought music into the household. I have confidence was added for the movie, which gave the story momentum and invited us into Maria's mind as she prepared for her adventure.

[00:20:16]and the song An ordinary Couple was replaced by the far superior Something Good.

[00:20:22]Maria was aged down, which makes sense for her freespirited character, and the Nazis suddenly become a real tangible threat in the third act. Robert Weise amps up the suspense, making it a wonderful watch. The dynamic between Maria and the captain is just as delightful as the one between Anna and the King in The King and I. Leisel and Ralph as the subplot feel a little more real than the Bplot couple in The King and I, probably because Leisel is an extremely relatable character. Simply, this movie is perfect in my eyes, and I have zero notes for it. This film deserves its status as a classic and is certainly one of the best films of all time. There is a reason its legacy lives on. Verdict: 10 out of 10.

[00:21:04]With these films, the legacy of Rogers and Hammerstein lives on more concretely than with any number of stage revival.

[00:21:12]Let me know your ranking and thank you for watching. Please like and subscribe.

[00:21:17]This is Movie Musical Mania.