I love “The Shipoopi” from The Music Man. I don’t really care for the song that much, but I love the dancing. Tonight, I made my friends stop and watch it, even though they wanted to watch MTV or some crap like that.
Some others…
Crazy for You’s “I Can’t be Bothered Now”
Anything Goes’ “Anything Goes”
Rocky Horror Picture Show’s “Time Warp” and the Floor Show
Sweet Charity’s “Big Spender”
As a kid (and now, too) I loved the barn-raising sequence from “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” It’s been a while, so I don’t remember if there’s singing or if it’s just dancing, but it’s amazing.
There’s a wartime Betty Grable musical whose name I can’t remember, that ends in the most extrordinary way: The entire film is a straight musical until the last scene, and so one’s mind is taking it in within a song & dance context. Then the last number is a no-music piece on a huge soundstage with Betty leading several hundred women in WAC uniforms, all with rifles (I don’t remember if they were actual 8-lb. M1’s), in an incredibly precise close-order drill. Most guys don’t march that good after two months of boot camp. How I wish I’d had that tape when I was playing movies for the Marines on the USS Tripoli - it would’ve messed with their minds more than if I’d shown gay porn.
Ooo! Ooo! “Origin of Love” from the new Hedwig and the Angry Inch. If you like movie musicals, if you like movies, hell, if you’re a breathing human with more than two brain cells, this movie is a must experience. “Wig in a Box” is damn cool, too.
My favorite scene from a Musical is “I Want You Around” from Rock n Roll High School.
Thank you easy e! Imagine getting this far down the page without a mention of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers!! Choreographed by Michael Kidd, all of the dance numbers were great, but the barn-raising number is the highlight of the movie, and stands as one of the best in any musical. If you don’t know this movie, rent it. It will give you a very enjoyable evening–and you will re-wind to watch the dance numbers again.
For a completely different style, Sweet Charity is fantastic. Of course, anything by Bob Fosse is worth seeing, but this is a real treat. I can’t name a specific number ( although Hey, Big Spender comes to mind, there may be better numbers in the movie, I need to see this again.
anything with Gene Kelly. ANYTHING.
I’m probably repeating a few, but what the heck:
Gene Kelly, “Singin’ in the Rain” No better expression of the feeling of love through dance.
“Shall We Dance” from “The King and I” – Extremely good number, astounding in its subtlety and depth of meaning.
“Fly Me” from “All that Jazz” – the most erotic dance number ever committed to film.
“Hey Big Spender” from “Sweet Charity” – Fosse was a genius, but this is especially notable in the way he has each dancer doing something completely different and it all coming together into a whole.
“Lullabye of Broadway” – as pointed out, Berkeley’s numbers didn’t usually show much actual dancing, but they were brilliantly staged. Notable also in that the number shows someone dying. “42nd Street” is nearly as great – I’m a big fan of Harry Warren.
“Steam Heat” from “Pajama Game” – (anyone notice I like Fosse 
).
“Penis Dimension” from “200 Motels” – Fantastic use of a visual technique that seems to have been forgotten – pure video.
“Rhapsody in Blue” from “Fantasia 2000” – if animation counts, this deserves to be in. Excellent matching of music to story, with some nice suprises.
Just about anything with Fred Astaire.
“The Gorilla Song (If You Could See Her With My Eyes)” from Cabaret – Probably the most chilling musical number ever. When Joel Gray gets to the last line, the laughter dies on your face and you’re forced to come to grips with your own imperfections. Very strong stuff.
“Death Cab for Cutie” from “Magical Mystery Tour” – mostly because it’s the only film appearance of my favorite musical group (no, not the Beatles).
I can’t believe I’m the first to mention the sublime “Reproduction” number from Grease 2. (“Reproduction, reproduction! Put your pollen tube to work.
Reproduction, reproduction! Make my stamen go berserk.”)
“‘By a Waterfall’ from Footlight Parade”
—Well, I kinda mentioned it; this is the number with the infamous Giant Peeing Fountain.
Well lots of my favs have been mentioned so I will add
I say a Little Prayer from My Best Friends Wedding
The Jet Song from West Side Story
Tonight from West Side Story [sub]with all the all the plot threads compeating[/sub]
Suddenly Seymore and Be a Dentist from Little Shop
South Park Bigger Longer Uncut yes the entire movie
Under the Sea from the Little Mermaid
Belle and Be our Guest from Beauty and the Beast
Bare Necessities and I wanna be like you from The Jungle Book
Finally a scene that is not a musical number (no one sings) but is very musical inspired.
The Grand Central Station waltz from The Fisher King
oh and the song sung to award the video membership in that movie was great as well.
shudder. When I was a wee lad, those chimney sweeps terrified me. I couldn’t watch that scene.
Anyway. I vote for any of the numbers from White Christmas, especially Mandy. Vera Ellen in hot pants! Woo!
Oh, and Kiss the Girl from The Little Mermaid. Wow.
shudder. When I was a wee lad, those chimney sweeps terrified me. I couldn’t watch that scene.
Anyway. I vote for any of the numbers from White Christmas, especially Mandy. Vera Ellen in hot pants! Woo!
Oh, and Kiss the Girl from The Little Mermaid. Wow.
Try this link, and scroll down the the “Footlight Parade” segment for a photo of the Giant Peeing Fountain:
Well, I don’t really think the song is anywhere near the best in the movie, but the staging of that Ascot number in My Fair Lady is really something. All those black, white, and grey outfits, those huge hats, people pretty much “voguing” when the music stops… great eye candy.
Wow, too many to write down, but some of my favorites:
“So This is Love” from Disney’s Cinderella. I always believed that’s what falling in love should be like – lucky for me, it was!
“Tomorrow Belongs to Me” from Cabaret. A beautiful song, but CHILLING to watch!
Anything by Gene Kelly, but especially “Almost Like Bein’ in Love” from Brigadoon.
“Shall We Dance” from The King and I. I’ve always wanted to be swept off my feet that way!
“If I Loved You” and “What’s the Use of Wonderin’” from Carousel. Both great songs, both very moving.
“Wells Fargo Wagon” from Music Man. When Winthrop finally lets his voice loose, it’s sweet, it’s joyous, and it’s fun!
Also, confidential to Ethirlist, nice to know someone else was terrified of Mary Poppins. In my case, the “I Love to Laugh” number – not watching it so much, but listening to the soundtrack. My older cousins would play it just to watch me go into hysterics. I suspect, after many years, that it was the burst of hilarity at the end that scared me.
If including cartoons, I always wanted to fall in love the way Aurora does in “Once Upon A Dream.” Though I lived and still live near the woods - the dancing animals and Prince Phillip have totally failed to materialize.
“Kiss the Girl” of course, “Gaston” is excellently done, but “Circle of Life”… the first time I saw that (in previews) I was blown away.
I’m horrified at having left out “Marion” and “Anyone Here for Love” (“I like big muscles, and red corpuscles. I like beautiful hunk o’man.”)
I like film musicals exactly as much as I like blind taste-testing rectal suppositories, so you may take my opinion as that of an uninformed boor.
Not suprisingly, therefore, I love South Park, and more specifically, “I Can Change,” with these immortal lines which will resound through the ages:
Satan:
What if you remain a sandy butt-hole?
Saddam Hussein:
Relax, you twit!
Mother Teresa won’t have shit
On me.
Yes. I am easily amused.
More:
“Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think)” from Woody Allen’s “Everyone Says I Love You” – love it when the ghosts come to life to sing.
For that matter, Groucho’s rendition of “Everyone Says I Love You” is fun. Or “The Country’s Gone to War” in “Duck Soup.”
Back to my fave, Harry Warren – I love his songs, and Busby Berkeley always did a great job of staging them. Especially noteworthy and not mentioned are “Shuffle Off to Buffalo,” “Honeymoon Hotel,” and “The Girl at the Ironing Board” with the dancing laundry.
“The Trolley Song” from “Meet Me in St. Louis” – one of Judy Garland’s best moments.
Lena Horne performing “Stormy Weather.”
Carman Miranda’s version of “Chattanooga Choo Choo” (Harry Warren, again) in “Springtime in the Rockies.” She sings it in Portugese and it’s delightful.
“Fugue for Tinhorns,” “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat,” and “Take Back Your Mink” from “Guys and Dolls.” The movie survives despite a lot of bad decisions (casting Sinatra as Nathan Detroit; eliminating “Bushel and a Peck.” Brando, however is quite good.)
“We’re a Couple of Swells” from “Easter Parade” – Garland and Astaire.
I know you named it, but only to identify the film and not because you particularly liked it (at least that’s how it read). For the record, last time I saw that number, I cried. Absolutely no clue why. Weakness for Dick Powell I guess (though definitely not Ruby). And this link and this one have several better pictures.
Everyone keeps mentioning “Shall We Dance” from The King and I, but I think the title number from the Astaire/Rogers film Shall We Dance is far superior.
And two brief notes of dissent, since I find the “Fly Me” number incredibly unsexy (and rather stupid) and the “Ascot Gavotte” number the best thing about the otherwise generally unbearable My Fair Lady