The Great Musicals on Film and TV
by roark183 | created - 12 Jan 2013 | updated - 30 Jan 2023 | PublicThis list will take a while to create. I am a big fan of musicals. I believe musicals generally should be uplifting and cheerful about life. Generally that means they will not be about war and violence, though war may be taking place in the background, such as in Sound of Music and South Pacific. There are exceptions where violence & upset are very prominent, such as Evita and West Side Story, which are great musicals due to the effect they created.
Two musicals, Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera, have seen many more productions and longer runs on stage than any other stage musical. A current stage production of Phantom of the Opera holds the record for being the longest continuous stage production, as it has been running in New York continuously since 1988 (24 years through 2012). Les Miserables ran for 16 years into 2003. Compare that to the Broadway runs of South Pacific at six years, Sound of Music at four years and My Fair Lady at six years. This does not bode well for mankind's views about entertainment, in that he would favor the sad stories over much more cheerful ones. However I will retain my optimistic view of musicals, because it is the cheerful ones that I enjoy most.
A search of IMDb lists 23,096 musicals through 2012. Within that number are 138 films IMDb considers to be musicals prior to 1928 (introduction of sound to films). Some of those 138 films date back as early as 1900. It escapes me how one could call a film without singing (let alone speech) to be a musical. Simply having an organ or piano play music, during the showing of a film, does not constitute a musical. Clearly IMDb's idea of what a musical consists of needs some attention.
In the IMDb glossary, IMDb defines a musical as a work that "includes unrealistic episodes of musical performance". However, that is simply too vague, simplistic and incomplete a definition. Dictionary.com says a musical is a performance "in which the story line is interspersed with or developed by songs, dances, and the like". This is much closer to the real definition of a musical. A musical is a performance (either stage, cinema or TV) wherein at least a portion of the plot dialog is expressed in SPONTANEOUS song, rather than in prose. It is key in the definition to indicate that spontaneous song is part of the plot dialog. Simply having songs, sung to an audience within a film, does not constitute a musical. Spontaneous dancing is another important component of a musical, and should accompany much of the singing.
The film, Walk the Line (2005) with Joaquin Phoenix & Reese Witherspoon, has a lot of music & song and is a great film. However, it is not a musical by definition, because there is no spontaneous singing in the plot dialog. All the singing in that film is done in performance for an audience within the plot of the film.
For me, a musical must be acted with real people to show how real people feel about real things. This eliminates animated films from consideration on this list. Some may be partly animated, such as Song of the South (1946), but the singing of plot dialog is done by actors in that film, not caricatures.
The following films are often credited as musicals, but in fact are not, as they do not have singing in the story line.
All That Jazz (1979)
(film about the production of a stage musical, but not a
musical unto itself)
Cabaret (1972)
(film about a singer, but not a musical unto itself)
The Jazz Singer (1927)
(For the life of me, I can't understand how you can
credit a silent film as a musical.)
Love Me or Leave Me (1955)
(Very fine story about a singer, but not a musical unto
itself)
Pal Joey (1957)
(Story about the building of a night club with singing,
but not a musical unto itself)
That's Entertainment, Part II (1976)
(a documentary about musicals)
Ziegfeld Follies (1945)
(a series of disjointed vaudeville acts done on film in a
tribute to Florenz Ziegfeld)
Great musicals should be in color. Color adds a great deal to the upbeat feeling in a film. Nowadays there is no reason to not make a musical in color. Therefore it is easy for me to say the great musical era started in the 1940s, as color took hold in the film industry. This great era of musicals started wanning in the late 1960s. There were a few great musicals in the 1970s, but by 1980 the great musical era had died. Since 1980 great musicals have been very few, Chicago (2002) being most prominent.
Personally I believe this was partly caused by music in our society becoming less harmonious and more and more just grating noise. Nobody sings heavy metal or acid rock music spontaneously in the shower or to friends on the spur of the moment, so it has no place in a musical. Keep in mind that the definition of a musical is spontaneous singing & dancing embedded in the plot.
Much of the verbiage in modern singing cannot be comprehended, as it is just noise. That factor excludes such music from musicals, since the plot is widely explained in song in musicals. One must be able to understand the verbiage in the dialog in a film to understand the plot. Modern music is making this increasingly difficult.
Rock of Ages (2012) with Tom Cruise, while technically a musical, the music has no harmony. The music is grating. It's just noise - no harmony. So the music in a great musical must be harmonious and pleasant.
A major factor, in the greatness of musicals, is the effect the film has had on the industry. One looks at how prominent it was in the film industry. One considers how the songs of the film are received socially. Do people have those songs running in their minds? Do they sing the songs to others, or even to themselves? This would show the film had a great effect on that individual.
A final consideration in the greatness of a film is the plot. One of my favorite musicals is Silk Stockings (1957) with Fred Astaire & Cyd Charisse. In addition to being a musical, it is a comical satire on communist Russia. At that time Russian society was very suppressed and this film shows how silly that was. Other films such as Annie (1982/1999) & Oliver (1968) show the plight of children in poverty. Bugsy Malone (1976) is a satire on the violence in the prohibition era.
Most musicals (not all) tend to fall into two categories of plot - 1) Romance and 2) Musical Revue. The romance category is where the plot centers on a developing romance with all it's trials and tribulations, such as in Brigadoon (1954), Camelot (1967), Funny Face (1957) and My Fair Lady (1964).
I define a "musical revue" as a story about the development of a musical, a musical team, or the story of a musical personality. If it's about the development of a musical, it's usually a stage production within the film. That stage performance is almost never shown in the musical film, as the film is about its development, and film time being a consideration. So a musical revue is a musical within a musical of sorts. Examples include The Band Wagon (1953), There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), Anything Goes (1956), and A Chorus Line (1985). Chicago (2002) included musical revue as a subplot, but was majorly about murder & crime culture.
I can't say that I have seen all these films. I have seen a little more than half of them. In any case, I cannot attest that they all meet these definitions and standards. Some have been included because of the plot or the effect they had on the industry. I will find out how they fit in as I continue to see them. If anyone knows of a musical I have missed, that they feel should be included, I would certainly like to know about it.
Picking the top eleven (can't cut it to ten), I would select:
Bugsy Malone (1976)
(Included here, as it is great for children, being acted
entirely by children making a satire of violence in the
prohibition era.)
Camelot (1967)
(Included here because in addition to being a musical fan,
I am a big fan of the King Arthur legend.)
Chicago (2002)
(Included here because it is by far the greatest film
musical since the 1970s.)
Funny Girl (1968)
Hello, Dolly! (1969)
(Barbara Streisand's commanding voice and comedic
acting carried both of these films into greatness.)
My Fair Lady (1964)
(In addition to the great songs, I enjoy the comedic
cattiness between Eliza and Higgins, as well as his
comedic indifference to human feelings and emotion.)
Silk Stockings (1957)
(The most striking thing about this film is the satire on
socialism. There are very few musicals having social
commentary, and it is a pleasure to see one with satire
on socialism, coupled with great upbeat singing & dance.)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
(I include this film here because IMDb's rating is so high
and because Paramount thinks so highly of its creation.
(see That's Entertainment (1974) documentary)
To me romance and revue are themes that are too trite
to bring the film to the top. Nevertheless, Gene Kelly and
Donald O'Connor had to have some credit in this list.)
Song of the South (1946)
(Political correctness by Disney (producer) virtually
suppressed this film out of existence. Even today, the
DVD version is suppressed by IMDb, as the IMDb link to
Amazon doesn't work. This is done in the mistaken belief
the film is racist because it depicts a poor Black man,
Uncle Remus. In reality Uncle Remus helps a young white
boy resolve problems in life by telling him animal stories.
It's a great musical for children, as Uncle Remus' stories
are accompanied with cartoons depicting his stories.
There are too few great children's great musicals.)
Sound of Music (1965)
(This film has music that is widely sung and played, even
today. Flash mobs, singing Do Re Me, have been
performed around the world - Korea, Brussels and else
where. The plot is very uplifting, as it depicts a real life
escape from the Nazis as they took over Austria in 1938.
There are two romances and children do a great deal of
the singing. )
South Pacific (1958)
(I really like Mitzi Gaynor's singing and dancing. She is
about the most upbeat actress / singer I can think of.
It is that quality of her upbeat singing that has carried
this film into familiarity, even today.)
These are in no particular order except alphabetical. However, for me, My Fair Lady is #1, and Silk Stockings is #2.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MUSICALS AND OPERAS
People often confuse operas and musicals. They are different genres with different followings. A reference in the NY Times very clearly explains the difference:
New York Times
Opera? Musical? Please Respect the Difference; by Anthony Tommasini; 7 July 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/theater/musical-or-opera-the-fine-line-that-divides-them.html
"Both genres seek to combine words and music in dynamic, felicitous and, to invoke that all-purpose term, artistic ways. But in opera, music is the driving force; in musical theater, words come first. This explains why for centuries opera-goers have revered works written in languages they do not speak."
Thus people who listen to Mozart's Figaro generally prefer to hear it in Italian. However, a translation of My Fair Lady to Italian would miss all the English nuances in the original.
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1. 1776 (1972)
G | 141 min | Drama, Family, History
A musical retelling of the American Revolution's political struggle in the Continental Congress to declare independence.
Director: Peter H. Hunt | Stars: William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, Ken Howard, Donald Madden
Votes: 10,306 | Gross: $6.10M
2. An American in Paris (1951)
Passed | 114 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
Three friends struggle to find work in Paris. Things become more complicated when two of them fall in love with the same woman.
Director: Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary
Votes: 36,895 | Gross: $4.50M
3. Anchors Aweigh (1945)
Passed | 140 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Musical
A pair of sailors on leave try to help a movie extra become a singing star.
Directors: George Sidney, Joseph Barbera, William Hanna | Stars: Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, Gene Kelly, José Iturbi
Votes: 9,436
4. Annie (1982)
PG | 127 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A spunky young orphan is taken in by a rich eccentric, much to the chagrin of the cantankerous woman who runs the orphanage.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Aileen Quinn, Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Ann Reinking
Votes: 49,533 | Gross: $57.06M
Annie is a great story of a girl coming out of an orphanage into the heart of a really rich man in New York. I don't like this version quite as much as the 1999 TV movie, but it's a close call. Again I don't understand why a child cannot get top billing, when such a film centers around that child's role.
5.
The Wonderful World of Disney (1997–2023)
Episode:
Annie
(1999)
Unrated | 90 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
A little orphan girl catches the attention of a kind man named Mr. Warbucks, who wants to adopt her, but the cruel, strict orphanage owner has a scheme to keep Annie - and her reward money.
Director: Rob Marshall | Stars: Kathy Bates, Alan Cumming, Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth
Votes: 5,797
This is a great story of children in an orphanage and a very rich benefactor. It is surprising to me that children in a leading role, such as Annie in this film, do not get top billing. Alicia Morton did a fine job, and I believe should be more highly recognized for that.
6. Annie Get Your Gun (1950)
Passed | 107 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
The story of the great sharpshooter Annie Oakley, who rose to fame while dealing with her love/professional rival, Frank Butler.
Directors: George Sidney, Busby Berkeley | Stars: Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Louis Calhern, J. Carrol Naish
Votes: 5,277 | Gross: $8.00M
7. Annie Get Your Gun (1957 TV Movie)
106 min | Musical, Western
Irving Berlin's stage musical about Annie Oakley and Frank Butler.
Director: Vincent J. Donehue | Stars: Mary Martin, John Raitt, William O'Neal, Reta Shaw
Votes: 114
8. Anything Goes (1956)
TV-PG | 106 min | Musical, Romance
Bill Benson and Ted Adams are to appear in a Broadway show together and, while in Paris, each discovers the perfect leading lady for the plum female role. Each promises the prize role to ... See full summary »
Director: Robert Lewis | Stars: Bing Crosby, Donald O'Connor, Zizi Jeanmaire, Mitzi Gaynor
Votes: 1,029
For me, Mitzi Gaynor made this film. I really like the beat of her singing. I confess I am a big Mitzi Gaynor fan. Would that she had done more musicals. Bing Crosby & Donald O'Connor do great, but their singing just doesn't carry the beat that Mitzi's does.
9. Babes in Arms (1939)
Unrated | 94 min | Comedy, Musical
A group of vaudevillians struggling to compete with talkies hits the road hoping for a comeback. Frustrated to be left behind, all of their kids put on a show themselves to raise money for the families and to prove they've got talent, too.
Director: Busby Berkeley | Stars: Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Charles Winninger, Guy Kibbee
Votes: 2,849
10. The Band Wagon (1953)
Passed | 112 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A pretentiously artistic director is hired for a new Broadway musical and changes it beyond recognition.
Director: Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Oscar Levant, Nanette Fabray
Votes: 12,582
Fred Astaire & Cyd Charisse perform fabulously with their dancing. I do wish that Cyd own voice had been used. I think she does a fine job of singing in what I have heard of her.
11. The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)
Passed | 109 min | Comedy, Musical
A married musical team splits up so the wife can become a serious actress.
Director: Charles Walters | Stars: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Oscar Levant, Billie Burke
Votes: 3,502
12. Brigadoon (1954)
Passed | 108 min | Fantasy, Musical, Romance
Two Americans on a hunting trip in Scotland become lost. They encounter a small village, not on the map, called Brigadoon, in which people harbor a mysterious secret, and behave as if they were still living two hundred years in the past.
Director: Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, Cyd Charisse, Elaine Stewart
Votes: 9,376
I don't really care for this film a great deal. The music just doesn't have the beat for me. I don't find myself holding the songs in my head as I do for other great musicals. However, the film does feature two of the greatest musical artists, Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. The film does have general broad appeal.
13. Bugsy Malone (1976)
G | 93 min | Comedy, Crime, Family
The classic gangster story of Bugsy Malone told with an all-child cast.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Jodie Foster, Scott Baio, Florence Garland, John Cassisi
Votes: 19,462 | Gross: $2.78M
What makes this film so great is that it is a spoof on the violence of the Roaring Twenties, entirely depicted with child actors. Paint guns are used instead of Tommy guns. All the cars are peddle powered. Instead of bootlegging liquor, they're bootlegging sarsaparilla. Considering all the violence in movies today, it would be great to see some more spoofs on today's violence. That this film was done as a musical, makes it even greater. The kids carried it off as a great job.
14. Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
Approved | 112 min | Comedy, Musical
A rock singer travels to a small Ohio town to make his "farewell" television performance and kiss his biggest fan before he is drafted.
Director: George Sidney | Stars: Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margret, Janet Leigh, Maureen Stapleton
Votes: 9,334 | Gross: $13.13M
15. Calamity Jane (1953)
Passed | 101 min | Musical, Romance, Western
The story of Calamity Jane, her saloon, and her romance with Wild Bill Hickok.
Director: David Butler | Stars: Doris Day, Howard Keel, Allyn Ann McLerie, Philip Carey
Votes: 10,851
Doris Day's singing carries a great beat. This is her greatest musical. Would that she had done more great musicals. I am surprised she was not employed more in musicals, because her career coincided with the great musical era.
16. Call Me Madam (1953)
Approved | 114 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Washington hostess Sally Adams becomes a Truman-era US ambassador to a European grand duchy.
Director: Walter Lang | Stars: Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor, Vera-Ellen, George Sanders
Votes: 1,463
17. Camelot (1967)
G | 179 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
The story of the marriage of England's King Arthur to Guinevere. The plot of illegitimate Mordred to gain the throne and Guinevere's growing attachment to Sir Lancelot, threaten to topple Arthur and destroy his "round table" of knights.
Director: Joshua Logan | Stars: Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero, David Hemmings
Votes: 7,482 | Gross: $31.10M
I am surprised this musical does not have wider appeal than it does. I have particular interest in the Arthurian legend, on which this film is based. The music carries with me.
18. Camelot (1982 TV Movie)
150 min | Musical
Part of the cable series "HBO Theatre", this is a videotaped presentation of the 1980 Broadway revival of the musical.
Director: Marty Callner | Stars: Richard Harris, Andy McAvin, James Valentine, Meg Bussert
Votes: 441
I don't normally comment on performances I haven't seen, and this is one I haven't. However, Camelot is one of my favorite musicals, perhaps because I am such a fan of the King Arthur legend.
I went to see a stage performance of Camelot in the early 1980s. Richard Burton was supposed to perform as Arthur, but he developed some medical problems and could not appear. So Richard Harris took his place and did very well.
19. Can-Can (1960)
Approved | 131 min | Comedy, Musical
In 1896 Paris, a female nightclub proprietor fights against the forces of public morality for the right to feature her performers doing the risqué dance, the Can-Can.
Director: Walter Lang | Stars: Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan
Votes: 2,491
20. Carmen Jones (1954)
Approved | 105 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
Contemporary version of the Bizet opera, with new lyrics and an African-American cast.
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge, Pearl Bailey, Olga James
Votes: 5,925
This is not a good film. I don't know what happened that Otto Preminger would do such a poor job of directing. I have heard Marilyn Horne sing much better. Obviously a great number of people like this film. Dandridge is a great actress. Belafonte is not such a great actor, but had he been allowed to sing, he might have helped pull this film off the dump heap.
Much of the dialog is stilted, not in the pompous sense, but in the sense of being unnatural. Much of the singing is operatic, instead of straight song. A reviewer in IMDb said the reason Marilyn Horne & Hutcherson were substituted in singing was because neither Dandridge nor Belafonte could sing opera. Well, they goofed. This film would have been infinitely better off had Dandridge & Belafonte done the singing. It's not an operatic story, and the singing just doesn't fit the story. Being opera, it's occasionally difficult to understand. Since song tells part of the plot in a musical, the singing here detracts seriously from the film.
The story is mildly interesting and is the only saving grace for this film. Big mistake not to have Dandridge and Belafonte do their own singing. They are both great singers, when allowed to.
I include this film on this list in tribute to Dorothy Dandridge, as many people apparently consider this one of her finest musicals. But something happened in the production to make this a very stilted
21. Carousel (1956)
Approved | 128 min | Drama, Fantasy, Musical
Fifteen years after his death, a carousel barker is granted permission to return to Earth for one day to make amends to his widow and their daughter.
Director: Henry King | Stars: Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Cameron Mitchell, Barbara Ruick
Votes: 6,803
22. Chicago (2002)
PG-13 | 113 min | Comedy, Crime, Musical
Two death-row murderesses develop a fierce rivalry while competing for publicity, celebrity, and a sleazy lawyer's attention.
Director: Rob Marshall | Stars: Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Taye Diggs
Votes: 243,439 | Gross: $170.69M
This is undoubtedly the greatest film musical since the 1970s and no film musical has come close since. The music carries with me. It has a bit of satire on the violence in the Roaring Twenties.
23. Cinderella (1957 TV Movie)
90 min | Musical, Family, Comedy
Although mistreated by her cruel Stepmother (Ilka Chase) and stepsisters Portia (Kaye Ballard) and Joy (Alice Ghostley), Cinderella (Dame Julie Andrews) is able to attend the royal ball through the help of a Fairy Godmother (Edie Adams).
Director: Ralph Nelson | Stars: Julie Andrews, Ilka Chase, Edie Adams, Howard Lindsay
Votes: 1,228
24. Cinderella (I) (1965 TV Movie)
G | 84 min | Family, Fantasy, Musical
Although mistreated by her cruel stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella is able to attend the royal ball through the help of a fairy godmother.
Director: Charles S. Dubin | Stars: Ginger Rogers, Walter Pidgeon, Celeste Holm, Jo Van Fleet
Votes: 3,231
25. Cinderella (1997 TV Movie)
G | 88 min | Family, Fantasy, Musical
Although mistreated by her cruel stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella is able to attend the royal ball through the help of a fairy godmother.
Director: Robert Iscove | Stars: Brandy Norwood, Bernadette Peters, Veanne Cox, Natalie Desselle Reid
Votes: 9,687
26. The Court Jester (1955)
Approved | 101 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A hapless carnival performer masquerades as the court jester as part of a plot against an evil ruler who has overthrown the rightful King.
Directors: Melvin Frank, Norman Panama | Stars: Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury
Votes: 13,955 | Gross: $0.02M
27. Cover Girl (1944)
Passed | 107 min | Comedy, Music, Musical
Rusty Parker wins a contest and becomes a celebrated cover girl; this endangers her romance with dancing mentor Danny.
Director: Charles Vidor | Stars: Rita Hayworth, Gene Kelly, Lee Bowman, Phil Silvers
Votes: 5,943
28. Damn Yankees (1958)
Approved | 111 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A frustrated fan of the hopeless Washington Senators makes a pact with the Devil to help the baseball team win the league pennant.
Directors: George Abbott, Stanley Donen | Stars: Tab Hunter, Gwen Verdon, Ray Walston, Russ Brown
Votes: 3,447
29. Down Argentine Way (1940)
Approved | 89 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
An American girl on vacation in Argentina falls for a wealthy racehorse owner.
Director: Irving Cummings | Stars: Don Ameche, Betty Grable, Carmen Miranda, Charlotte Greenwood
Votes: 1,365
This film is just OK. Singing is not really great, except Carmen Miranda. I'm no big fan of Betty Grable or Don Ameche.
IMDb does not call it a musical, but to me it does meet the definition. There is not a great deal of spontaneous singing, but there is some.
30. Dreamgirls (2006)
PG-13 | 130 min | Drama, Music, Musical
A trio of black female soul singers cross over to the pop charts in the early 1960s, facing their own personal struggles along the way.
Director: Bill Condon | Stars: Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover
Votes: 77,304 | Gross: $103.37M
31. Easter Parade (1948)
G | 103 min | Musical, Romance
A nightclub performer hires a naive chorus girl to become his new dance partner to make his former partner jealous and to prove he can make any partner a star.
Director: Charles Walters | Stars: Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Peter Lawford, Ann Miller
Votes: 11,093 | Gross: $9.03M
32. Evita (1996)
PG | 135 min | Biography, Drama, History
The hit musical based on the life of Eva Perón (Evita Duarte), a B-picture Argentinian actress who eventually became the wife of Argentinian president Juan Domingo Perón, and the most beloved and hated woman in Argentina.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Madonna, Jonathan Pryce, Antonio Banderas, Jimmy Nail
Votes: 37,583 | Gross: $50.05M
This film is generally a sad story, and so does not fall in with my general idea of what musicals should entail. There is much disagreement and animosity shown in the film. However, it is a musical and much of the music carries with me. The entire film dialog is done in song.
It's a biography of Eva Peron, a much revered and controversial individual in Argentine history. The film has had great appeal, possibly because Madonna starred as Eva Peron. Who better to narrate and tell about Eva's backbiting, aristocratic rise, than Che portrayed by Antonio Banderas. Lyricist Tim Rice did not intend for Che Guevara to be portrayed, but the character, Che, depicts him very, well cutting at Eva's rise in eyes of the people.
33. Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
G | 181 min | Drama, Family, Musical
In pre-revolutionary Russia, a Jewish peasant with traditional values contends with marrying off three of his daughters with modern romantic ideals while growing anti-Semitic sentiment threatens his village.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Topol, Norma Crane, Leonard Frey, Molly Picon
Votes: 47,890 | Gross: $80.50M
This is a story of a poor Jewish family in pre-revolutionary Russia, around 1900 to 1910. It deals with the four daughters of a poor peasant and the rapidly changing social views about marriage. Through most of the film, it's a happy story with fine singing. However, the film leaves one with a very sad feeling, not the sort of feeling I look for in a musical. However, the film has had wide appeal and some of the singing does carry with me.
34. Funny Face (1957)
Not Rated | 103 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
An impromptu fashion shoot at a book store brings about a new fashion model discovery in the shop clerk.
Director: Stanley Donen | Stars: Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Kay Thompson, Michel Auclair
Votes: 33,028
Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn are both great in this musical romance. I am a huge admirer of Audrey Hepburn and do wish that she had been allowed to do more singing. Both Astaire & Hepburn are great in this film.
35. Funny Girl (1968)
G | 151 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
The life of Fanny Brice, famed comedienne and entertainer of the early 1900s. We see her rise to fame as a Ziegfeld girl, subsequent career, and her personal life, particularly her relationship with Nick Arnstein.
Director: William Wyler | Stars: Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif, Kay Medford, Anne Francis
Votes: 25,173 | Gross: $58.50M
This is a biographical film of Fanny Brice, a musical comedienne in the 1930s & 40s. Barbara Streisand, herself a great musical comedienne, does a superb job of singing and carrying off the comical image of Brice. Streisand's voice is so commanding in this film that much of the music carries with me. I can't say enough about Streisand's great singing in this film. Omar Sharif does a fine job of acting, portraying the object of Brice's romance. There is a sequel to this film, also starring Barbara Streisand, called Funny Lady (1975), also a musical.
36. Funny Lady (1975)
PG | 136 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Story of singer Fanny Brice's stormy relationship with showman Billy Rose.
Director: Herbert Ross | Stars: Barbra Streisand, James Caan, Omar Sharif, Roddy McDowall
Votes: 5,960 | Gross: $40.06M
This is a sequel to Funny Girl (1968), depicting the later life of Fanny Brice. This film was not nearly as widely appreciated as the prequel, Funny Girl (1968).
37. The Gang's All Here (1943)
Passed | 103 min | Musical, Romance
A soldier falls for a chorus girl and then experiences trouble when he is posted to the Pacific.
Director: Busby Berkeley | Stars: Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda, Phil Baker, Benny Goodman
Votes: 2,058
38. The Gay Divorcee (1934)
Approved | 107 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A woman thinks a flirting man is the co-respondent her lawyer has hired to expedite her divorce.
Director: Mark Sandrich | Stars: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Alice Brady, Edward Everett Horton
Votes: 8,640
39. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
Approved | 91 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Showgirls Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw travel to Paris, pursued by a private detective hired by the suspicious father of Lorelei's fiancé, as well as a rich, enamored old man and many other doting admirers.
Director: Howard Hawks | Stars: Jane Russell, Marilyn Monroe, Charles Coburn, Elliott Reid
Votes: 43,042 | Gross: $12.00M
This film is undoubtedly the most famous film for both Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russel. It is also undoubtedly the finest musical performance of either of those ladies. I am not a great fan of Marilyn Monroe's singing, but paired with Jane Russel, they do very well together. Their singing has a great beat and it carries with me very well.
40. Gigi (1958)
G | 115 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Weary of the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training enjoy a platonic friendship which may not stay platonic for long.
Directors: Vincente Minnelli, Charles Walters | Stars: Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gingold
Votes: 24,508
I am not a big fan of Leslie Caron. Ms Caron is pretty drab in musicals. Musicals are supposed to be upbeat, and Caron only drags them down. Audrey Hepburn played Gigi in the stage version, and MGM would have done much better to give Hepburn the role instead of Caron.
Nevertheless this musical has long had wide appeal to others than myself.
41. Girl Crazy (1943)
Passed | 99 min | Comedy, Musical
A philandering young playboy is sent to college somewhere in the American West, and organizes a show, together with his sweetheart, to save the college from closure due to falling enrollments.
Directors: Norman Taurog, Busby Berkeley | Stars: Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Gil Stratton, Robert E. Strickland
Votes: 2,245 | Gross: $3.77M
42. Going My Way (1944)
Passed | 126 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
When young Father O'Malley arrives at St. Dominic's, old Father Fitzgibbon doesn't think much of the church's newest member.
Director: Leo McCarey | Stars: Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Frank McHugh, James Brown
Votes: 13,457 | Gross: $16.30M
43. Good News (1947)
Approved | 93 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Golden Globe winner June Allyson and Peter Lawford star in this enjoyable musical about a football hero who falls in love with his French tutor.
Director: Charles Walters | Stars: June Allyson, Peter Lawford, Patricia Marshall, Joan McCracken
Votes: 2,819
44. Grease (1978)
PG | 110 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Good girl Sandy Olsson and greaser Danny Zuko fell in love over the summer. When they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance?
Director: Randal Kleiser | Stars: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway
Votes: 300,701 | Gross: $188.76M
Grease is a story of a high school romance. It plays on the aged adage of hiding one's feelings in order to appear "cool" to others. The music has good beat to it, but the plot is rather trite. The film did open up the field of musicals to the high school crowd, so had a large effect on the film industry in that respect.
Grease was followed up by the sequel Grease 2 (1982), starring Michelle Pfeiffer. Now I am definitely a big Pfeiffer fan, but this sequel is pretty poor by any standard, so is not included here.
45. Guys and Dolls (1955)
Not Rated | 150 min | Comedy, Crime, Musical
In New York, a gambler is challenged to take a cold female missionary to Havana, but they fall for each other, and the bet has a hidden motive to finance a crap game.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine
Votes: 19,378 | Gross: $13.00M
This is a musical of a double romance. The background of these romances is a dichotomy of gambling against the righteousness of a Christian charity organization. Frank Sinatra, while appearing in many musicals, just did not cut the grade for truly great musicals. This one is probably his greatest. I like this film more for it's plot than for the music, and also because I am a fan of Jean Simmons. Marlon Brando does star in the film and sing, but I'm not a great fan of his singing.
46. Gypsy (1962)
Approved | 143 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Based on the Broadway hit about the life and times of burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee and her aggressive stage mother, Mama Rose.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Rosalind Russell, Natalie Wood, Karl Malden, Paul Wallace
Votes: 6,998 | Gross: $13.01M
This film is biographical of Gypsy Rose Lee, a stripper with more pizazz than other strippers. Natalie Wood plays Gypsy in conflict with her mother, who is constantly trying to control her life.
47. The Harvey Girls (1946)
Passed | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, History
On a train trip West to become a mail-order bride, Susan Bradley (Judy Garland) meets a cheery crew of young women travelling out to open a "Harvey House" restaurant at a remote whistle-stop.
Director: George Sidney | Stars: Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, John Hodiak, Angela Lansbury
Votes: 4,864
48. Hello, Dolly! (1969)
G | 146 min | Adventure, Comedy, Musical
Matchmaker Dolly Levi travels to Yonkers to find a partner for "half-a-millionaire" Horace Vandergelder, convincing his niece, his niece's intended, and his two clerks to travel to New York City along the way.
Director: Gene Kelly | Stars: Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Marianne McAndrew
Votes: 16,975 | Gross: $7.24M
Barbara Streisand seems to have carried forward the great musical era in the late 1960s with Funny Girl (1968) and this film. Again Streisand's commanding voice carries this film. Walter Matthau greatly contributes, as he does a fine job with his singing as well. The comedy between Matthau and Streisand adds greatly. Much of the music carries with me.
49. High Society (1956)
Not Rated | 111 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
With socialite Tracy Lord about to remarry, her ex-husband - with the help of a sympathetic reporter - has 48 hours to convince her that she really still loves him.
Director: Charles Walters | Stars: Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Celeste Holm
Votes: 17,535 | Gross: $13.00M
50. Holiday Inn (1942)
Passed | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
At an inn which is open only on holidays, a crooner and a hoofer vie for the affections of a beautiful up-and-coming performer.
Directors: Mark Sandrich, Robert Allen | Stars: Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds, Virginia Dale
Votes: 17,629 | Gross: $8.18M
51. In the Good Old Summertime (1949)
Approved | 102 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
In turn-of-the century America, Andrew and Veronica are co-workers in a music shop who dislike one another during business hours but unwittingly carry on an anonymous romance through the mail.
Director: Robert Z. Leonard | Stars: Judy Garland, Van Johnson, S.Z. Sakall, Spring Byington
Votes: 4,309 | Gross: $6.30M
52. It's Always Fair Weather (1955)
Passed | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
Three soldiers meet ten years after their last meeting in New York, and find out that they have little in common now.
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly | Stars: Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Cyd Charisse, Dolores Gray
Votes: 3,985
53. Jailhouse Rock (1957)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Music, Musical
After serving time for manslaughter, young Vince Everett becomes a teenage rock star.
Director: Richard Thorpe | Stars: Elvis Presley, Judy Tyler, Mickey Shaughnessy, Vaughn Taylor
Votes: 9,834 | Gross: $4.00M
54. Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
G | 106 min | Drama, History, Musical
Film version of the musical stage play, presenting the last few weeks of Christ's life told in an anachronistic manner.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Ted Neeley, Carl Anderson, Yvonne Elliman, Barry Dennen
Votes: 29,935 | Gross: $24.48M
55. The King and I (1956)
G | 133 min | Biography, Drama, Musical
A widow accepts a job as a live-in governess to the King of Siam's children.
Director: Walter Lang | Stars: Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr, Rita Moreno, Martin Benson
Votes: 27,925 | Gross: $21.30M
The King and I has a very touching plot. It also has some very happy moments as the King dances with Anna, as well as at the banquet dinner.
However, the music & singing does not have a good beat to it. Yul Brynner won an Academy award for this film. I very much doubt it was for his singing. Deborah Kerr was nominated as best actress, and I doubt it was for her singing either. But fine acting by both.
56. Kismet (1955)
Approved | 113 min | Adventure, Musical, Fantasy
A roguish poet is given the run of the scheming Wazir's harem while pretending to help him usurp the young caliph.
Directors: Vincente Minnelli, Stanley Donen | Stars: Howard Keel, Ann Blyth, Dolores Gray, Vic Damone
Votes: 1,683
57. Kiss Me Kate (1953)
Passed | 109 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
An ex-husband and wife team star in a musical version of 'The Taming of the Shrew'; off-stage, the production is troublesome with ex-lovers' quarrels and two gangsters looking for some money owed to them.
Director: George Sidney | Stars: Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, Keenan Wynn
Votes: 6,815 | Gross: $4.38M
58. Les Girls (1957)
Approved | 114 min | Comedy, Musical
The former members of a dance troupe are suing because of recently published memoirs. Each one insists on own point of view.
Director: George Cukor | Stars: Gene Kelly, Mitzi Gaynor, Kay Kendall, Taina Elg
Votes: 3,059
I like this film mainly for Gene Kelly and Mitzi Gaynor. It's their singing, dancing and acting that carry the film for me. It has an interesting plot twist in the end.
59. Les Misérables (2012)
PG-13 | 158 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker's daughter. The decision changes their lives forever.
Director: Tom Hooper | Stars: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried
Votes: 346,106 | Gross: $148.81M
The title is very descriptive of the plot - generally depressing. The ending is upbeat, but you sit through 2 hours of depression and misery to get to the last 1/2 hour of cheer.
This film musical has been produced and re-produced more times than any other musical (or possibly any other film for that matter). I quit counting the list at IMDb after 30, and that didn't even include the ones from the silent era. So I won't be including all the various productions of this musical, just this one. I can do without the misery, but the film must be included on this list due to the vast number of productions.
To me, the misery of this tale defeats the purpose of a musical, but a musical it is. Ninety-five percent of the dialog is in song, but less than 5% of that song has any rhythm to it. Most of the plot dialog is not written for song, but is verbalized as if it is in song, but without rhythm. There are very few instances of song with rhythm. The singing is harmonious and the words can be understood, so one can follow the plot, but almost no rhythm.
It's a story of an escaped French convict, being chased thru his life by a single French lawman. In the course of running away from the law, he commits himself to raising the daughter of a former employee of his, and sees her to marriage with a man, whose life he saved. The story culminates in the unsuccessful Paris uprising in June 1832. But it does show one last scene, as if the uprising was successful. Perhaps that's just to cheer everyone at the end.
60. Li'l Abner (1959)
Approved | 114 min | Comedy, Musical, Family
As Sadie Hawkins Day approaches, Daisy Mae hopes to win the hand of Li'l Abner by catching him in the traditional race.
Director: Melvin Frank | Stars: Leslie Parrish, Stubby Kaye, Peter Palmer, Howard St. John
Votes: 1,496
This is a film about a truly backwoods, Appalachian community imposed upon (fortunately unsuccessfully) by big government to relocate. It's a combination of romance and political satire. The music has a good beat and carries with me.
61. Mamma Mia! (2008)
PG-13 | 108 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
The story of a bride-to-be trying to find her real father told using hit songs by the popular 1970s group ABBA.
Director: Phyllida Lloyd | Stars: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Stellan Skarsgård
Votes: 274,498 | Gross: $144.13M
62. Man of La Mancha (1972)
PG | 132 min | Drama, Fantasy, Musical
The funny story of mad but kind and chivalrous elderly nobleman Don Quixote who, aided by his squire Sancho Panza, fights windmills that are seen as dragons to save prostitute Dulcinea who is seen as a noblewoman.
Director: Arthur Hiller | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Sophia Loren, James Coco, Harry Andrews
Votes: 4,779 | Gross: $3.79M
This film depicts the high moral standards of one, Don Quixote, portrayed by Peter O'Toole (singing dubbed). Sophia Loren also stars and does sing in her own voice. I can't say much for the plot and the singing of this film. It's really not very entertaining. However, the film does include the song "The Impossible Dream". That is the film's one redeeming feature. This is a really terrific, uplifting song about holding one's honor and moving towards the goal of the betterment of mankind. It is for that song alone, written by Joe Darion, that I include this film on this list.
63. Mary Poppins (1964)
G | 139 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
In turn of the century London, a magical nanny employs music and adventure to help two neglected children become closer to their father.
Director: Robert Stevenson | Stars: Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns
Votes: 186,114 | Gross: $102.27M
64. Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956)
Not Rated | 112 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
In 1950s Las Vegas, a gambling rancher and a ballerina discover that some people have luck at cards while others have luck at love.
Director: Roy Rowland | Stars: Dan Dailey, Cyd Charisse, Agnes Moorehead, Lili Darvas
Votes: 993
This is obviously not a well known film, as IMDb doesn't even show any images of the film. However, there are some great YouTube sequences of Cyd Charisse that draw my attention to this film. I am a big fan of Cyd Charisse. Dan Daily plays his usually bland, but agreeable self.
65. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Passed | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family.
Director: Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor, Lucille Bremer
Votes: 27,689 | Gross: $7.57M
66. Mother Wore Tights (1947)
Approved | 107 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
In this chronicle of a vaudeville family, Myrtle McKinley (class of 1900) goes to San Francisco to attend business school, but ends up in a chorus line. Soon, star Frank Burt notices her ... See full summary »
Director: Walter Lang | Stars: Betty Grable, Dan Dailey, Mona Freeman, Connie Marshall
Votes: 796
67. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
PG-13 | 127 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A poor Bohemian poet in 1890s Paris falls for a beautiful courtesan and nightclub star coveted by a jealous duke.
Director: Baz Luhrmann | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent
Votes: 299,431 | Gross: $57.39M
68. The Music Man (1962)
G | 151 min | Comedy, Family, Musical
Traveling con artist Harold Hill targets the naïve residents of a small town in 1910s Iowa by posing as a boys' band leader to raise money before he can skip town.
Director: Morton DaCosta | Stars: Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett, Hermione Gingold
Votes: 19,176 | Gross: $14.95M
69. The Music Man (2003 TV Movie)
TV-G | 150 min | Comedy, Family, Musical
A masterful con artist tries to bilk a staid Midwestern community, with unexpected results, in this contemporary rethinking of the legendary Broadway musical and lively 1962 film, updated ... See full summary »
Director: Jeff Bleckner | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Kristin Chenoweth, Victor Garber, Debra Monk
Votes: 2,193
70. My Fair Lady (1964)
G | 170 min | Drama, Family, Musical
In 1910s London, snobbish phonetics professor Henry Higgins agrees to a wager that he can make crude flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, presentable in high society.
Director: George Cukor | Stars: Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway, Wilfrid Hyde-White
Votes: 101,855 | Gross: $72.00M
This is my favorite musical. I would that Audrey Hepburn's singing voice had been allowed more use in the film. I think she did a fine job in the little singing she did that was allowed. I like the beat of Rex Harrison's voice as well as that of Stanley Holloway. I do feel that Jeremy Brett's singing is bland, but even his songs carry with me. The comedy of the plot adds a great deal to the interest of the film. The final scene is quite inquisitive and unexplained, but that's the way George Bernard Shaw wrote the original play, so there it lies.
71. New York, New York (1977)
PG | 155 min | Drama, Music, Musical
An egotistical saxophonist and a young lounge singer meet on VJ Day and embark upon a strained and rocky romance, even as their careers begin a long, uphill climb.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Liza Minnelli, Robert De Niro, Lionel Stander, Barry Primus
Votes: 21,896 | Gross: $16.40M
72. Oklahoma! (1955)
G | 145 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
In Oklahoma, several farmers, cowboys and a traveling salesman compete for the romantic favors of various local ladies.
Director: Fred Zinnemann | Stars: Gordon MacRae, Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson, Charlotte Greenwood
Votes: 14,080
73. Oklahoma! (1999 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 180 min | Musical, Romance, Western
Cowboy Curly McClain tries to win the heart of a girl in a singing and dancing extravaganza.
Director: Trevor Nunn | Stars: Maureen Lipman, Hugh Jackman, Josefina Gabrielle, David Shelmerdine
Votes: 2,271
74. Oliver! (1968)
G | 153 min | Drama, Family, Musical
After being sold to a mortician, young orphan Oliver Twist runs away and meets a group of boys trained to be pickpockets by an elderly mentor in 1830s London.
Director: Carol Reed | Stars: Mark Lester, Ron Moody, Shani Wallis, Oliver Reed
Votes: 41,420 | Gross: $16.80M
75. On the Town (1949)
Passed | 98 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Three sailors wreak havoc as they search for love during a whirlwind 24-hour leave in New York City.
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly | Stars: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller
Votes: 18,789
76. Paint Your Wagon (1969)
PG-13 | 164 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
Two unlikely prospector partners share the same wife in a California gold rush mining town.
Director: Joshua Logan | Stars: Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, Jean Seberg, Harve Presnell
Votes: 14,885 | Gross: $31.68M
One does not usually think of Lee Marvin or Clint Eastwood as singers, but they both sing in this film. It's a story of a perverted consensual romance between one woman and two men in a mining town in the late 1800s. For me, the greatest part of the film is Lee Marvin singing "Wand'rin Star". I must say that this film endears me more to Lee Marvin. It's not just his singing. It's his comedy as well, that carries this film for me.
77. The Pajama Game (1957)
Approved | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
An Iowa pajama factory worker falls in love with an affable superintendent who had been hired by the factory's boss to help oppose the workers' demand for a pay raise.
Directors: George Abbott, Stanley Donen | Stars: Doris Day, John Raitt, Carol Haney, Eddie Foy Jr.
Votes: 4,107
I like Doris Day's singing so much I decided to include this film here. I like the upbeat singing and that it ends happily.
I do object to the use of a musical to cheer for unionism. The union in this film encourages workers to not do their jobs, or do them poorly, even damaging company equipment, while still being paid to produce. I find nothing cheerful about that. But the romantic encounters are interesting.
Doris Day is great, despite her perverted political views in the film.
78. Peter Pan (1960 TV Movie)
100 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
In this magical tale about the boy who refuses to grow up, Peter Pan and his mischievous fairy sidekick Tinkerbell visit the nursery of Wendy, Michael, and John Darling.
Director: Vincent J. Donehue | Stars: Mary Martin, Cyril Ritchard, Lynn Fontanne, Maureen Bailey
Votes: 2,344
79. The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
PG-13 | 143 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A young soprano becomes the obsession of a disfigured and murderous musical genius who lives beneath the Paris Opéra House.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson
Votes: 130,715 | Gross: $51.27M
This is a tragic story which has been told and retold many times in film musicals, at least 13 times on film & TV. I have included the most recent here for consideration. It has certainly had an effect on the industry. But the tragedy of the story precludes it from being a really great musical. However, due to the vast number of productions and its continuance on Broadway stage, it must be included on this list.
80. The Pirate (1948)
Approved | 102 min | Adventure, Comedy, Musical
A girl is engaged to the local rich man, but meanwhile she has dreams about the legendary pirate Macoco. A traveling singer falls in love with her and to impress her he poses as the pirate.
Director: Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Walter Slezak, Gladys Cooper
Votes: 5,614 | Gross: $2.96M
Judy Garland & Gene Kelly star together in this film. It doesn't really hold with me. Both have done better.
81. Porgy and Bess (1959)
Not Rated | 138 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A woman whose past is scorned by nearly everyone around her meets a man who'd love her regardlessly- if only everyone else would allow them to.
Directors: Otto Preminger, Rouben Mamoulian | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis Jr., Pearl Bailey
Votes: 1,915
This film is called an opera. But to me, it seems a mixture of opera and musical. It starts off distinctly as opera, because I can't understand what's being sung. However, much of the singing is in the style of being a musical, as well as opera.
82. Royal Wedding (1951)
Not Rated | 93 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A brother and sister dance act encounter challenges and romance when booked in London during the Royal Wedding.
Director: Stanley Donen | Stars: Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, Peter Lawford, Sarah Churchill
Votes: 6,110
83. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
Approved | 102 min | Musical, Romance, Western
When a backwoodsman in 1850s Oregon brings a wife home to his farm, his six brothers decide that they want to get married too.
Director: Stanley Donen | Stars: Jane Powell, Howard Keel, Jeff Richards, Russ Tamblyn
Votes: 27,110 | Gross: $9.40M
84. Shall We Dance (1937)
Approved | 109 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A ballet dancer and a showgirl fake a marriage for publicity purposes, then fall in love.
Director: Mark Sandrich | Stars: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore
Votes: 7,857
85. Show Boat (1951)
Approved | 108 min | Drama, Family, Musical
The daughter of a riverboat captain falls in love with a charming gambler, but their fairy tale romance is threatened after his luck turns sour.
Director: George Sidney | Stars: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, Joe E. Brown
Votes: 5,382
86. Silk Stockings (1957)
Approved | 117 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A Russian government official is sent to Paris to bring back her comrades; she soon gets a taste of Paris life and falls in love with an American movie producer.
Director: Rouben Mamoulian | Stars: Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Janis Paige, Peter Lorre
Votes: 4,329
This film is a combination of romance, comedy and satire with a bit of a musical revue in the background. It is one of my favorite musicals, probably #2 behind My Fair Lady (1964). I love it for its comedy & satire of socialism. I love it for Fred Astaire & Cyd Charisse's dancing, both together and apart. I love it for the upbeat singing. The combination of upbeat singing and the satire on socialism make this a truly great musical.
87. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
G | 103 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood.
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly | Stars: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen
Votes: 260,769 | Gross: $8.82M
Most film musicals in the 1940s, 50s and 60s were adaptations from stage musicals to film. "Singin' in the Rain" was the reverse. The song, Singin' in the Rain was used in various films from as early as 1929. But the plot of "Singin' in the Rain" was not done on stage until 1983, 30 years after the film.
Paramount Studios made this film and glorified it in their documentary, "That's Entertainment" (1974), as the greatest musical. IMDb ratings tend to bear that out, however I beg to disagree. It is a great musical, and well might be in the top ten. However, I feel the plot is just a bit trite to be considered at the very top. Other musicals have much more interesting plots with great music as well. But this musical does include several very famous song and dance sequences. Debbie Reynolds raises the tone of the film very well. It shows Donald O'Connor's famous dance sequence, where he runs up against a wall and flips over. He also does his famous tongue twisting Moses Supposes lyric. Anyone who could get through that has got to be great. I believe Donald O'Connor to be one of the most under-rated cinematic dancers on film. I put his dancing right up there with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.
88. Song of the South (1946)
G | 94 min | Animation, Comedy, Family
The kindly story-teller Uncle Remus tells a young boy stories about trickster Br'er Rabbit, who outwits Br'er Fox and slow-witted Br'er Bear.
Directors: Harve Foster, Wilfred Jackson | Stars: Ruth Warrick, Bobby Driscoll, James Baskett, Luana Patten
Votes: 15,238 | Gross: $63.72M
This is a great children's musical of a type that is sorely lacking today. It has been suppressed through the years, as it was wrongly thought to be racist. The idea that racism is portrayed in the film is pure nonsense. It shows a backwoods, down home black man, Uncle Remus, helping a young boy see the right way to deal with problems in his life. This is partly done by Uncle Remus telling stories of animals, with those stories animated.
89. The Sound of Music (1965)
G | 172 min | Biography, Drama, Family
A young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker, Richard Haydn
Votes: 261,170 | Gross: $163.21M
This is a story, with some basis in fact, of romance that takes place in Austria, just as the Nazis are taking over Austria in 1938. The music has become so time honored that it has been lately performed in several very well done flash mob sequences that are visible on YouTube. It's the story of a couple of romances, one that doesn't work out, and another that does. It includes an interesting escape from the Nazis that adds interest to the plot.
90. South Pacific (1958)
Approved | 157 min | Musical, Romance, War
On a South Pacific island during World War II, love blooms between a young nurse and a secretive Frenchman who's being courted for a dangerous military mission.
Director: Joshua Logan | Stars: Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr, Ray Walston
Votes: 9,814
I am a great fan of Mitzi Gaynor, and it must have been this film that led me to that. She performed well in several other musicals as well, but it's her singing and dancing in this one that is most remembered. Many of the songs run in people's minds still, over 50 years later.
There is a stage musical being planned within this film, giving it a quality of a musical revue. However, that's a minor plot compared to the two romances in the film set against the background of WW II with some degree of intrigue. The background of the war makes the musical more interesting than just simple romance.
91. South Pacific (2001 TV Movie)
135 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
During World War II, love is found between a career Navy nurse (Glenn Close) and an enigmatic French plantation owner (Rade Serbedzija), while a Princeton-educated marine (Harry Connick, Jr... See full summary »
Director: Richard Pearce | Stars: Glenn Close, Harry Connick Jr., Rade Serbedzija, Jack Thompson
Votes: 1,006
This is a good story and the songs of course are great. However Glenn Close just doesn't cut it as Nellie Forbush. Close uses other dancers & singers to conceal her lack of talent in those areas, as opposed to Mitzi Gaynor, who did her dancing & singing out in the open, where she was the prominent dancer. Close does her dancing where she is not so prominent, and other dancers carry the scene for her.
Still, if the Mitzi Gaynor version is just not available or around, then this one might do. It's best if you have seen the Mitzi Gaynor version so you can imagine her in the role, as you watch Glenn Close.
92. Star! (1968)
G | 176 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A musical biography of Gertrude Lawrence, who led a hustling and bustling life on the stage.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Julie Andrews, Richard Crenna, Michael Craig, Daniel Massey
Votes: 2,272 | Gross: $9.16M
93. State Fair (1945)
Passed | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
Each member of the Frake clan has his/her own reason for attending the annual Iowa State Fair.
Director: Walter Lang | Stars: Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews, Dick Haymes, Vivian Blaine
Votes: 4,498
94. Summer Stock (1950)
Approved | 108 min | Musical, Romance
A small-town farmer, down on her luck, finds her homestead invaded by a theatrical troupe invited to stay by her ne'er-do-well sister.
Director: Charles Walters | Stars: Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven
Votes: 4,810
Interesting musical revue with Judy Garland and Gene Kelly. It takes place on a farm and the local community is up in arms about having a musical play in their community. It was Garland's last musical with MGM, as she had so many personal problems that delayed production. The film features at the end one of Garland's greatest performances, "Get Happy". This piece does seem out of place with the rest of the musical being portrayed within the film. I understand it was placed in the film at the last minute.
95. Swing Time (1936)
Passed | 103 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Roguish gambler/dancer "Lucky" Garnett is challenged by his fiance's father to come up with $25,000 to prove he's worthy of her hand. But after he falls in love with a dance instructor, Lucky'll do anything to keep from earning the bucks.
Director: George Stevens | Stars: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore, Helen Broderick
Votes: 14,588
96. Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)
Approved | 93 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Two turn-of-the-century baseball players, who work in vaudeville during the off-season, run into trouble with their team's new female owner and a gambler who doesn't want them to win the pennant.
Director: Busby Berkeley | Stars: Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, Gene Kelly, Betty Garrett
Votes: 4,077
This is the story of a couple of romances against the background of a baseball team trying for the pennant. There is a good mixture of comedy with the romance.
97. There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
Approved | 117 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
Molly and Terry Donahue, plus their three children, are The Five Donahues. Son Tim meets hat-check girl Vicky and the family act begins to fall apart.
Director: Walter Lang | Stars: Ethel Merman, Marilyn Monroe, Donald O'Connor, Dan Dailey
Votes: 6,703
Perhaps they brought Marilyn Monroe into this film for publicity. She does play a semi-major role, but the film is not centered around her. It's centered around a fictional musical family. Mitzi Gaynor and Donald O'Connor do play lead roles.
98. Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
G | 138 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
In New York City during the Roaring Twenties, would-be flapper Millie Dillmount's self-appointed mission to marry her boss is complicated by white slavers and true love.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Julie Andrews, James Fox, Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Channing
Votes: 7,035 | Gross: $34.34M
This is a musical set against a background of human smuggling and slavery into prostitution in the 1920s. This gives the plot some interest, but I'm more interested in the singing, which has a great beat.
99. Top Hat (1935)
Not Rated | 101 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
An American dancer comes to Britain and falls for a model whom he initially annoyed, but she mistakes him for his goofy producer.
Director: Mark Sandrich | Stars: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton, Erik Rhodes
Votes: 20,714 | Gross: $3.88M
100. West Side Story (1961)
Approved | 153 min | Crime, Drama, Musical
Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.
Directors: Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise | Stars: Natalie Wood, George Chakiris, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn
Votes: 121,234 | Gross: $43.66M
This is a story of a tragic Romeo & Juliet romance. Competing street gangs with racial overtones take the place of the Capulets and the Montagues, set in New York City. The gangs exemplify their racial differences, as does the romance, which cuts across racial boundaries.
I believe this is the only tragic musical that I regard as really great. To me, it's the greatest adaptation of the Romeo & Juliet tale into a musical. The tragedy makes this a difficult accomplishment, but the film is widely recognized & revered.
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