The Musicals List REDUX

[Matt]

There are several films performing very well so far that were not discussed even in passing once in this thread. How was I or others getting their feet wet in the genre supposed to know of these great films if contributors just assume everyone's seen them? It's a bit frustrating and one hopes people won't assume as much in future lists

In the interest of not assuming, here's a short, necessarily incomplete, list of what I feel are essentials for viewing in the genre (even if they don't end up on my list). Less essential personal favorites appear in brackets:

Early MGM musicals:
Broadway Melody (1929) - terrible film, but a trendsetter and a huge hit
The Merry Widow (1934) - Lubitsch, Chevalier, MacDonald
[Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935) - a screwball comedy disguised as a musical; introduced a couple of classic songs and has some great dancing. I absolutely adore Buddy Ebsen in this.]
The Great Ziegfeld (1936) - maybe not an essential musical, but crucial for understanding the MGM aesthetic
The Wizard of Oz (1939)

MGM's Arthur Freed production unit:
Babes in Arms (1939) - if you hate this, go ahead and skip Strike Up the Band, Babes on Broadway, and Girl Crazy: they're pretty much identical
Strike Up the Band (1940)
Babes on Broadway (1941)
[Panama Hattie (1942) - a personal favorite with great numbers by Lena Horne and the Berry Brothers]
For Me and My Gal (1942) - Gene Kelly's first film, paired with Judy Garland in her first "grown-up" role
Cabin in the Sky (1943)
Girl Crazy (1943)
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
The Harvey Girls (1946)
Good News (1947)
The Pirate (1948)
Easter Parade (1948)
Words and Music (1948) - the best of MGM's composer biopics
On the Town (1949)
Annie Get Your Gun (1950)
Royal Wedding (1951) - the one where Astaire dances on the ceiling
Show Boat (1951)
An American in Paris (1951)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
The Band Wagon (1953)
Brigadoon (1954)
[It's Always Fair Weather (1955) - a moody sequel to On the Town; hard to love, but some fantastic musical numbers (including Dolores Gray's finest moments on film)]
Gigi (1958) - some people love this film, but there's no accounting for taste

MGM's Joe Pasternak production unit:
In the Good Old Summertime (1949)
[That Midnight Kiss (1949) - Mario Lanza's first and most charming film]
Summer Stock (1950)

MGM's Jack Cummings production unit:
Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940) - Fred Astaire's first lead role for MGM
[Two Weeks with Love (1950)]
Kiss Me Kate (1954)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

Early Warner Bros. musicals:
42nd Street (1933)
Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) - Ginger Rogers sings a verse of "We're in the Money" in Pig Latin - an eternal source of joy
[Footlight Parade (1933) - another (proto-)screwball comedy with over-the-top Busby Berkeley musical numbers]
Dames (1934)
Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935) - features the stunning "Lullaby of Broadway" number

Astaire and Rogers at RKO:
The Gay Divorcee (1934)
Top Hat (1935)
Swing Time (1936)
Shall We Dance (1937)

I'll let others post on essential Fox and Paramount musicals, as those are weak spots for me. Esther Williams, too.

[knives]

I've got to admit much like Zedz with Pinocchio, the music of the Lubitsch musicals is the least interesting aspect about them and won't likely be making my list as a result (that said they also stick out the least in my mind and I generally consider them to be his weakest work).

[Matt]

KISS ME KATE

Of course. I'm way, way more tolerant of Kathryn Grayson than most...this is almost surely her one film that even her most vocal detractors can agree on.

Actually, I can't stand her in this movie. It's going to wind up somewhere in the lower half of my list because, despite some wonderful numbers ("Too Darn Hot," "Why Can't You Behave?," "Tom, Dick, or Harry") with Ann Miller, Tommy Rall, Bobby Van, and Bob Fosse, most of the musical-within-a-musical, for me, is grating.

I do actually like Grayson in That Midnight Kiss with Mario Lanza (mentioned above).

[domino harvey]

At some point I plan to briefly thumbnail/comment on every musical I've seen for much the same purpose of Matt's list above-- I don't want anyone looking at the list in six months and going, "Why didn't someone at least tell me about Small Town Girl?!"

[knives]

I've been considering picking that one up for the list, is it worth the fact it's from hell?

[domino harvey]

I've been considering picking that one up for the list, is it worth the fact it's from hell?

It's actually one of the best Warner Archives transfers I've seen, with lush Technicolor untouched by Warner's color uglification

[Matt]

I've got to admit much like Zedz with Pinocchio, the music of the Lubitsch musicals is the least interesting aspect about them

This is not the case for The Merry Widow. The music, originally written by Franz Lehár and spruced up for the film by Rogers & Hart, is quite good.

[knives]

It's still the case for me. Oddly enough I find The Love Parade's music to be the most memorable. Though that scene on the train in I think Monte Carlo comes close. I honestly forgot that The Merry Widow kept any of the music and I most recently saw it about a month ago.

[Shrew]

I agree with The Love Parade being the best of the Lubitsch musicals, though the music and songs themselves may well be better in The Merry Widow. But Love Parade's sequences showcase a lot of Lubitsch's wit and early mastery of sound (all the constant playing with diegetic and non-diegetic in the opening bit, and the dogs joining in) that are the spark of a lot of Musical greatness. And all that gets less apparent in the later films, the musical bits of which increasingly center around trading double entendres. Monte Carlo makes the next best use of integrating the visual and musical wit, and Merry Widow does have just plain better hummable music and they might earn places on this list. As much as I prefer Smiling Lieutenant overall as a film, I'd agree that it lacks snap as a musical.

But whatever, Love Me Tonight is the best out of this Chevalier/MacDonald bunch. It excels both visually and musically.

[knives]

Honestly I don't know what I loved more, Take Me Out to the Ball Game or my sister's reaction to it. She was so angry about how the romance turned out it was the most hilarious thing in the world. Beyond that though the movie was such an addicting act of escalation. I'm not sure if Sinatra's little attempt to swoon Williams was topped for impact, but the musicality of the film just seemed to fill out the film more and get more absurd as the movie went along. It was ridiculous in all of the right ways.

Even in the face of the great music, great comedy, great direction, general novelty of Sinatra playing a dork, and a perfect introduction to Esther Williams I think my favorite part was the backgrounds which are painted and artificial like the grandest pieces of animation. I know it's an odd thing to single out, but I almost couldn't follow the movie I was so enamored with each new background.

God I'm not sure what else to talk about I'm just so enamored. One thing I guess that took me by surprise is just how superfluous the story was. In general I know that plot isn't a major motivator in musicals, but even by that standard this was nothing. I mean the villain (wonderfully if sparingly played by Edward Arnold) would have all of his problems solved just by betting for the winning team. It's total lovable nonsense. This leads into my second favorite part actually that of the final song. From all I've heard this seems the most Berkeley, but the movie goes all Burn After Reading and relays the falling action to us in song just so they can have time to sing about how great musicals and to a lesser extent America is. This should be totally horrible, but either through gumption or it just going beyond that level of ridiculous the film it never feels like this. It just comes across as a great deal of fun. This little project is getting off to a great start.

[tarpilot]

Wow, really excited for that now. Perhaps a double feature with the long-overdue The Gang's All Here...

[domino harvey]

Heads-up, TCM is playing Lili Monday at 415pm EST-- they've actually got a lot of musicals coming up, some quite rare, so it might be worth a perusal of the schedule

[Tribe]

Matt, thanks for mentioning On the Town. It's the first musical I fell in love with and turned me on to the genre. Yeah, it's corny (aren't they all for the most part), but it's damn exhilarating, the cast is simply superb, and the musical numbers are all top notch, all in the context of a portrait of a thoroughly charming albeit mythical New York City where even the cast members long for an even older nostalgic version of the city. Not to mention that Ann Miller is a sweetheart.

[domino harvey]

(...) I think my favorite part was the backgrounds which are painted and artificial like the grandest pieces of animation. I know it's an odd thing to single out, but I almost couldn't follow the movie I was so enamored with each new background.

If you love artificial backgrounds, you are in the right genre. Two of my favorite examples are in my top ten, Li'l Abner (God, I hope there's a way for people to see this one, since it's OOP and going for ~$75 on Amazon-- is it on Netflix or downloadable? It's ESSENTIAL) and Daddy Long Legs, which I actually used to teach set design in my musicals unit.

And yes, Take Me Out to the Ball Game is far better than its also-ran status would have most believe-- it's long been a personal fave. Most of the ol' gang from On the Town is in attendance and numbers from this era don't get much bawdier than "Yes Indeedy"!

[Tribe]

If you love artificial backgrounds, you are in the right genre. Two of my favorite examples are in my top ten, Li'l Abner (God, I hope there's a way for people to see this one, since it's OOP and going for ~$75 on Amazon-- is it on Netflix or downloadable? It's ESSENTIAL)

Is there any truth to Jerry Lewis having a bit, uncredited part in this?

[matrixschmatrix]

L'il Abner isn't available on Netflix, but you can watch it on Amazon's downloadable video thing for $5.99

[domino harvey]

If you love artificial backgrounds, you are in the right genre. Two of my favorite examples are in my top ten, Li'l Abner (God, I hope there's a way for people to see this one, since it's OOP and going for ~$75 on Amazon-- is it on Netflix or downloadable? It's ESSENTIAL)

Is there any truth to Jerry Lewis having a bit, uncredited part in this?

Yes, he falls victim to Stupefyin' Jones! It's a very short cameo.

[domino harvey]

L'il Abner isn't available on Netflix, but you can watch it on Amazon's downloadable video thing for $5.99

A quick search on FilesTube reveals this is available for downloads of questionable legality as well, but if that's the only way you can see it and so long as it's in the proper VistaVision format...

If push comes to shove, I'll rip my DVD and share it via PM, so long as people actually watch it. I mean, few musicals have remained as relevant!

[Tribe]

My Preliminary Top Ten:
01-On the Town (Donen/Kelly, 1949)
02-Singin' In the Rain (Donen/Kelly, 1952)
03-All That Jazz (Fosse, 1979)
04-The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Demy, 1964)
05-Meet Me In St. Louis (Minnelli, 1944)
06-Kiss Me Kate (Sidney, 1953)
07-Guys and Dolls (Mankiewicz, 1955)
08-Les Demoiselles de Rochefort (Demy, 1967)
09-An American In Paris (Minnelli, 1951)
10-Cabin In the Sky (Minnelli, 1943)

[domino harvey]

07-Guys and Dolls (Mankiewicz, 1955)

Nice! I know it's not a popular choice, but this is one of my favorites too (it's just out of my top ten), and Jean Simmons should have won an Oscar for "If I Were A Bell"

[matrixschmatrix]

few musicals have remained as relevant!

Haha, the comments on that are precious. What is the connection between Glenn Beck and musicals, anyway?

[domino harvey]

Li'l Abner is brilliant in that it is a true satire, both playing on liberal misconceptions of the South while baldly mocking Southern conservatism by presenting its hyper-xenophobia at face value. It's no surprise both sides think the film is secretly in agreement with their views!

[Tribe]

07-Guys and Dolls (Mankiewicz, 1955)

Nice! I know it's not a popular choice, but this is one of my favorites too (it's just out of my top ten), and Jean Simmons should have won an Oscar for "If I Were A Bell"

Years ago, my first reaction to it was: "Marlon Brando? Musical?!?! It can't possibly work!" But it really does, notwithstanding Brando's obvious lack of comfort with the material. Vivian Blaine is magnificent and any number with Stubby Kaye just swings in this. And the opening, with that classic studio version of Times Square, is so darn compelling. Glad there are other fans of this here.

[domino harvey]

Per zedz's suggestion, were I to cobble together a Top Five musical numbers, this would be a fair list:

01 "America" West Side Story
Speaking of unpopular films on this forum, I don't get the general animosity towards this one at all. It's not without its flaws, but it is arguably the last great musical of the classic era, one of the few big budget musicals that's actually worthwhile, and the only deserving musical to win Best Picture. Explaining its charms needs no further defense than "America," a number so good that it single-handedly won its two participants Oscars. If I had to choose one number to stand for everything a song and dance number can do within a musical, this is the time capsule representative.

02 "Pass That Peace Pipe" Good News
And here's the other side of the coin, an audacious, gaudy, giddily enthralling number that comes out of nowhere in the narrative and absolutely tears the walls off the joint. If you're not agog with awe as this one unfolds, give up on the genre. Pay attention to the number of edits, too, if you really feel like getting your mind blown.

03 "Give Me a Band and My Baby" My Sister Eileen
It's easy to do a lot with a lot, but here Fosse's choreography is confined to his four stars in the fixed widescreen vista of a gazebo and anyone with an eye to dance and choreography should watch this more than once, as there's some phenomenal orchestrations working in tandem here that are a lot more complex than they appear on first glance.

04 "Stillman's Gym/Baby, You Knock Me Out" It's Always Fair Weather
In the world of the musical, no one is exempt from participation in the jubilant excursions into song and dance. While this is hardly the first musical to take masculine figures and transpose them into the world of the musical, rarely has it been done with as much gusto, as Cyd Charisse gallivants around with burly boxers in and out of the ring in this unstoppable two-part number.

05 "Stereophonic Sound" Silk Stockings
Even the most mediocre musicals usually manage to pull out at least one or two memorable numbers, but here's the king of that phenomenon. A hilarious diatribe on the excesses of cinema neediness in the mid 50s via aspect ratios, Technicolor, and yes, StereoPhonic Sound, told in long takes in a practically bare set with Fred Astaire and the hilarious Janis Paige (never as good as she is here) exchanging acrimonious cinema skepticism. A personal favorite for the self-reflexive film fan in me.

EDIT: And how could I forget "The Windy City" from Calamity Jane, with that stunning crane shot that follows Doris Day up the "escalator," or either of the dream ballets from Daddy Long Legs (the most unfairly maligned numbers in the history of the genre), or or or or there's just a wealth of material that such a list is an exercise in perversity. So, good work, zedz!

[knives]

(...) I think my favorite part was the backgrounds which are painted and artificial like the grandest pieces of animation. I know it's an odd thing to single out, but I almost couldn't follow the movie I was so enamored with each new background.

If you love artificial backgrounds, you are in the right genre. Two of my favorite examples are in my top ten, Li'l Abner (God, I hope there's a way for people to see this one, since it's OOP and going for ~$75 on Amazon-- is it on Netflix or downloadable? It's ESSENTIAL) and Daddy Long Legs, which I actually used to teach set design in my musicals unit.

And yes, Take Me Out to the Ball Game is far better than its also-ran status would have most believe-- it's long been a personal fave. Most of the ol' gang from On the Town is in attendance and numbers from this era don't get much bawdier than "Yes Indeedy"!

I'll definitely have to check out Li'l Abner and fortunately a B&M store by me has a massive musical selection of which Daddy Long Legs is a member. Maybe when I get through
The Pirate I'll go for an other round of purchases. I only hope that all the backgrounds to these film are nearly as wonderful.