Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II weren't afraid to try things. For example, Oklahoma! has a ballet scene in it. They believed they could make a musical out of James Michener's book Tales of the South Pacific, a collection of stories from Michener's time spent there. From that came the musical South Pacific. South Pacific hit Broadway in 1949 and it was a huge success. It was also controversial. The play openly addressed racism, as did the film in 1958. Short but powerful, I want to share this song with you.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAZ8yOFFbAc

Cable:
You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!