# Movie Musical Disasterpieces **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 8, 2001, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musical-disasterpieces/80405 "2001-09-08T15:53:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musical-disasterpieces/80405/1 "2001-09-08T15:53:33Z")
I confess. I love to watch a a few million dollars, hard work and ernest(but horribly misguided) dedication collapse like a house of cards. I guess it started back in the 70’s. I took a few friends out to the drive-in for a double feature. THe first movie was the new horror film _Halloween_, which scare the living crap out of everyone. But it was the second film that gave me nightmares for a week-_Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band_. I still can’t get the image of George Burns singing and dancing to _Fixing A Hole_ out of my head, and the mere thought that the song _Srawberry Fields_ could refer to a person with that name and not a piece of real estate boggles my mind. Other big budget musical messes I’ve seen are: _Can’t Stop The Music_-Did you know that the Village People was a group of clean-cut straight boys that just needed the help of Valerie Perrine and Bruce Jenner(!?!) to reach stardom? _Grease II_-Same school, older “kids”, and a cast that includes not one person with musical abilities. At least the first movie had Olivia Newton John. _The Pirate Movie_-A bunch of studio execs thought to themselves,“That other studio is filming _The Pirates Of Penzance_ with Linda Ronstadt and Kevin Kline. Why don’t we do a “hip” version with Kristy McNicol and Christopher Atkins. and update the music just slightly?” The result was a ghodawful summer forget-me-now that tried to add such hits as “Puffin’ and Blowin’” to the musical opera scene. _Xanadu_-You’ve just gotta love a roller-disco movie with elements of mythology, WWII history, and jazz. Add a touch of Electric Light Orchestra and the fancy footwork of Gene Kelly, and you’ve got a movie that will stand alone for a thousand years. Damn, I love this flick! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musical-disasterpieces/80405/2 "2001-09-08T16:21:52Z")
I shamelessly love Xanadu. I own it, both Grease movies (had to have the set), Sgt. Pepper, and the Pirate Movie as well as The Pirates of Penzance Those represent my teen years, afterall. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musical-disasterpieces/80405/3 "2001-09-08T16:38:16Z")
The two classic musical disasters were “Lost Horizon” and “At Long Last Love,” but I haven’t seen either. ---
**Author:** ![Skijumper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3e96dc/32.png) [@Skijumper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skijumper)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musical-disasterpieces/80405/4 "2001-09-08T16:42:33Z")
Anything with ONJ gets my vote. I played my Xanadu tape till it died. Sure Grease 2 was ridiculous but I have fond memories of Michelle Pfeiffer astride that motorcycle and Maxwell Caulfied looking dreamy instead of soap-opera sleazy for once. My gf hates musicals but somehow I managed to coerce her into watching **Love’s Labour’s Lost**. “It’s Shakespeare! Directed by Kenneth Branagh!” I said. Sadly, it turned out to be a bit of a long-drawn mess and the sight of Alicia Silverstone doing the two-step was way too much to handle. ---
**Author:** ![Skijumper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3e96dc/32.png) [@Skijumper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skijumper)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musical-disasterpieces/80405/5 "2001-09-08T16:44:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skijumper \* > **Anything with ONJ gets my vote.** A thumbs-up vote, that is. I mean, this woman was my _goddess_. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musical-disasterpieces/80405/6 "2001-09-08T16:46:21Z")
Paint Your Wagon Clint Eastwood SINGS! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2001, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musical-disasterpieces/80405/7 "2001-09-09T02:36:31Z")
_Dr.Dolittle_-Rex Harrison doesn’t! _My Fair Lady_-Ditto! Honest to ghod, he speaks his lines throughout all the songs assigned to him in both movies. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2001, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musical-disasterpieces/80405/8 "2001-09-09T02:50:57Z")
> [@](#): > > The two classic musical disasters were “Lost Horizon” and “At Long Last Love,” but I haven’t seen either. > > * * * Not only have I seen the Ross Hunter **Lost Horizon** , I have it and have shown it at my Bad Film Festival this year. It is truly bad. I haven’t been able to watch much of **At Long Last Love** at once, so I can’t erify that it’s bad, but by all accounts it’s worse than Lost Horizon. As I’ve remarked before, **Mn of la Mancha** is horribly miscast. Peter O’Toole and Sophia Loren are great actors. But they _can’t_ sing. And James Coco sings too well. You thought Clint Eastwood singing was bad in **Paint my Wagon**? Sean Connery sings _as James Bond_ in the first Bond film, **Dr. No**! But it’s not a musical, so it doesn’t count. ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2001, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musical-disasterpieces/80405/9 "2001-09-09T02:59:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CalMeacham \* > \*\*You thought Clint Eastwood singing was bad in **Paint my Wagon**? Sean Connery sings _as James Bond_ in the first Bond film, **Dr. No**! But it’s not a musical, so it doesn’t count. \*\* You can also catch a pre-Bond Connery singing in the 1959 Disney musical [_Darby O’Gill and the Little People_](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0052722). As for the OP, I may get in trouble, but I’m going to add _Rocky Horror Picture Show_ to the list. I love watching it and yelling lines and throwing toast, etc, but as a film on its own without all the fun cult-stuff, I really don’t think it’s that good of a movie (love the music though). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2001, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musical-disasterpieces/80405/10 "2001-09-09T03:06:04Z")
Crunchy Frog(aka Spring Surprise) is overruled. _Rocky Horror Picture Show_ is low budget camp, and as thus is ineligible. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2001, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musical-disasterpieces/80405/11 "2001-09-09T03:11:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zebra \* > \*\*Paint Your Wagon Clint Eastwood SINGS! \*\* Gonna Paint Your Wagon, Gonna Paint it Fine, Gonna use an oil-based paint Because the wood is pine! Timeless lyrics! ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2001, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musical-disasterpieces/80405/12 "2001-09-09T03:12:57Z")
Ah, I forgot about the big-budget qualifier there. I’ll try harder next time, please stop beating me. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2001, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musical-disasterpieces/80405/13 "2001-09-09T04:56:11Z")
Does _Fame_ count? This is a movie that has aged very oddly. Some parts are so goofy, your eyeballs melt while watching. Some parts still seem, dare I say, edgy, after all these years. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2001, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musical-disasterpieces/80405/14 "2001-09-09T15:34:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CalMeacham \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > The two classic musical disasters were “Lost Horizon” and “At Long Last Love,” but I haven’t seen either. > > > > * * * > > Not only have I seen the Ross Hunter **Lost Horizon** , I have it and have shown it at my Bad Film Festival this year. It is truly bad. > > I haven’t been able to watch much of **At Long Last Love** at once, so I can’t erify that it’s bad, but by all accounts it’s worse than Lost Horizon. > As I’ve remarked before, **Mn of la Mancha** is horribly miscast. Peter O’Toole and Sophia Loren are great actors. But they _can’t_ sing. And James Coco sings too well. \*\* I completely agree. I have seen all three (when will I learn) and I can verify that [B}At Long Last Love\*\* is truly that bad. It is one of those embarrassingly bad movies. At least **Lost Horizon** could be campy in places and **Man of La Mancha** had a good supporting cast. **Love** had neither saving grace. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2001, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musical-disasterpieces/80405/15 "2001-09-09T16:05:47Z")
I recently bought _Xanadu_ on DVD. If you skip past the filler material and just watch the musical bits, it’s not bad. Then again, I’m a big ELO & ONJ fan. She was just getting big when I was in the sixth grade and all the guys in my class had the hots for her. She still looks damned good at 53. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2001, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-musical-disasterpieces/80405/16 "2001-09-09T18:08:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \ > _Grease II_-Same school, older “kids”, and a cast that includes not one person with musical abilities. At least the first movie had Olivia Newton John. > \*\* Older??!! Older than the (apparently) 60 year old Stockyard Channing (or however it’s spelled) as Rizzo? \*\* > [@](#): > > _The Pirate Movie_-A bunch of studio execs thought to themselves,“That other studio is filming _The Pirates Of Penzance_ with Linda Ronstadt and Kevin Kline. Why don’t we do a “hip” version with Kristy McNicol and Christopher Atkins. and update the music just slightly?” The result was a ghodawful summer forget-me-now that tried to add such hits as “Puffin’ and Blowin’” to the musical opera scene.\*\* I could have forgiven them “Puffin’ And Blowin’” if there hadn’t been so many snotty references by Kristy McNicol to the effect of “I can’t believe how lame this music is”. I kept thinking “Kristy, you’ve been around for, what? 15 minutes? and you’re alread a has-been. This music’s been around for 100 years and people are still enjoying it. Let’s talk lame, shall we?” \*\* > [@](#): > > _Xanadu_-You’ve just gotta love a roller-disco movie with elements of mythology, WWII history, and jazz. Add a touch of Electric Light Orchestra and the fancy footwork of Gene Kelly, and you’ve got a movie that will stand alone for a thousand years. Damn, I love this flick! 🙂 \*\* But you’ve got what’shisname…the lead: The single worst male actor in existance. Plus you’ve got the scene where Olivia (who _worked_ as a muse!) and what’shisname try to convince Kelly that his classic '40’s suit wasn’t “Glitz” so they make him play dress-up. Judging from the outfits they force him into, apparently “Glitz” means “pimp-like”. Despite that, I’ll admit to a certain fondness for this one. (Plus the opening scene as the muses come out of the painting is Just Plain Cool.) “Paint Your Wagon”. A) They tossed out the original plot. Completely. Nothing remains at all. The original plot deals with a young girl, brought up in a mining camp by her prospector father. She falls in love with a young Mexican prospector. The father hits it big and sends the kid away to school. Will she love the young Mexican when she gets back? Of course she will. (I never said it was a GOOD plot, but if you’re gonna throw out the whole story, shouldn’t you replace it with an _improved_ story?) B) They tried to get all smirky (“Gosh! A WOMAN! With TWO HUSBANDS! Aren’t we naughty?!”) It coulda been done funny, as it was, it was just…smirky. Plus, I kept having images of Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood and the chick naked together. Brrrrr. C) They let Lee Marvin sing. Lee Marvin’s voice is a crime against nature, per the U.N. I have to agree with **RealityChuck** and **TV Time** though: The worst film musical is “At Long Last Love”. Cyball Shepherd and Bruce Renyolds. And an idiot “artiste” director(I think…someone involved with this mess, anyway) who though he could “improve” on the sublime Cole Porter lyrics. Feh. I wish MST3K coulda gotten their hands on this one. I haven’t seen the whole thing, but I’ve got the album (double bagged so the stench doesn’t contaminate my other records) and I’ve seen excerpts. It’s **BAD**. It’s one saving grace is Madyline Kahn: comic genius and actress extrodinare. Fenris