Skip content
Happy Talk by Oscar Hammerstein II
  Send as gift   Add to Wish List

Almost ready!

In order to save audiobooks to your Wish List you must be signed in to your account.

      Log in       Create account
Phone showing make the switch message

Limited-time offer

Get two free audiobooks when you make the switch!

Now’s a great time to shop indie. When you start a new membership supporting local bookstores with promo code SWITCH, we’ll give you two bonus audiobook credits at sign-up.

Make the switch
Libro.fm app with gift bow

Gift audiobook credit bundles

You pick the number of credits, your recipient picks the audiobooks, and your local bookstore is supported by your purchase.

Start gifting

Happy Talk

A "This I Believe" Essay

$2.09

Narrator Oscar Hammerstein II

This audiobook uses AI narration.

We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.

Learn more
Length 5 minutes
Language English
  Send as gift   Add to Wish List

Almost ready!

In order to save audiobooks to your Wish List you must be signed in to your account.

      Log in       Create account

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, musical librettist and producer Oscar Hammerstein explains the importance of declaring your happiness, even in the face of global conflicts and personal disappointments, in "Happy Talk", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program compel listeners to re-think not only what and how they have arrived at their own personal beliefs, but also the extent to which they share them with others.

Featuring a star-studded list of contributors that includes John McCain, Isabel Allende, and Colin Powell, as well as pieces from the original 1950's series including Helen Keller and Jackie Robinson, the This I Believe book collection also contains essays by a Brooklyn lawyer, a woman who sells yellow pages advertising in Fort Worth, TX and a man who serves on the state of Rhode Island's parole board. The result is a stirring, funny and always provocative trip inside the minds and hearts of a diverse group of Americans whose beliefs, and the incredibly varied ways in which they choose to express them, reveal the American spirit at its best.

This short audio essay is an excerpt from the audiobook edition of NPR's This I Believe anthology.

Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960) was librettist, playwright, producer, and director who is best known for his collaborations with Richard Rodgers. As Rodgers and Hammerstein, the pair were key players during the golden age of musical theater, creating wildly successful classic plays such as The Sound of Music, The King and I, Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, and the television musical Cinderella. Hammerstein co-wrote more than 850 songs, winning eight Tony Awards as well as two Academy Awards for Best Original Song.

Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960) was librettist, playwright, producer, and director who is best known for his collaborations with Richard Rodgers. As Rodgers and Hammerstein, the pair were key players during the golden age of musical theater, creating wildly successful classic plays such as The Sound of Music, The King and I, Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, and the television musical Cinderella. Hammerstein co-wrote more than 850 songs, winning eight Tony Awards as well as two Academy Awards for Best Original Song.

Phone showing make the switch message

Limited-time offer

Get two free audiobooks when you make the switch!

Now’s a great time to shop indie. When you start a new membership supporting local bookstores with promo code SWITCH, we’ll give you two bonus audiobook credits at sign-up.

Make the switch
Libro.fm app with gift bow

Gift audiobook credit bundles

You pick the number of credits, your recipient picks the audiobooks, and your local bookstore is supported by your purchase.

Start gifting