# The First Musical Episode **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 22, 2007, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-musical-episode/393238 "2007-02-22T16:52:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-musical-episode/393238/1 "2007-02-22T16:52:53Z")
Buffy’s “Once More With Feeling” was brilliant, not only for the way it fit seamlessly into the story arcs that were going on and moved them all along nicely, but also for the simple fact that in the Buffy universe, the fact that everyone was suddenly singing and dancing had a perfectly logical reason. I doubt there is any other TV series that will have the chance to come close. Nonetheless, other series have tried the genre, well before Joss Whedon set the bar so high. Moonlighting, I remember, already known for breaking the fourth wall, once did a musical episode. Who did the first one? What was the first TV series to do a musical episode? I would exclude an episode that was about the characters doing a show – a musical within an episode, as it were – unless they also sang and danced outside the context of their internal show. Does that make any sense? ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-musical-episode/393238/2 "2007-02-22T17:52:04Z")
According to [this site](http://www.discourses.ca/v5n1io.html), I think the “Lucy Goes to Scotland” episode of I Love Lucy is the earliest, aired in 1956. I found that site while looking for the date of Chicago Hope’s musical episode “Brain Salad Surgery”, from 1997, which is my personal favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-musical-episode/393238/3 "2007-02-22T18:15:50Z")
Not the earliest by a long shot, but a little earlier than Buffy there was a musical episode of **Xena: Warrior Princess**. It was actually really good as I recall–good songs and choreography and very visually creative sets and effects. Hudson Leick (Callisto) acquitted herself quite well, as did Lucy Lawless and her sidekick. I think maybe they did a second musical episode a couple of seasons later. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-musical-episode/393238/4 "2007-02-22T18:17:47Z")
Let’s forget the all singing all dancing [Cop Rock](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cop_Rock). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-musical-episode/393238/5 "2007-02-22T18:21:06Z")
I think _Buffy_ takes the award for actually moving the arcs along with its musical. All of the earlier musicals were either stand-alones, dream sequences, or “Let’s put on a show” episodes. You could say that _OM,WF_ was the first **modern** musical TV episode, the way _Showboat_ or _Oklahoma_ was the first modern musical. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-musical-episode/393238/6 "2007-02-22T19:02:47Z")
[QUOTE=Wilson] According to [this site](http://www.discourses.ca/v5n1io.html), I think the “Lucy Goes to Scotland” episode of I Love Lucy is the earliest, aired in 1956. I found that site while looking for the date of Chicago Hope’s musical episode “Brain Salad Surgery”, from 1997, which is my personal favorite. [/QUOTE] That link is a perfect discussion of everything I was wondering about when I posted this inquiry. I love The Straight Dope. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-musical-episode/393238/7 "2007-02-22T19:04:29Z")
The Drew Carey Show didn’t have a full musical episode, but they did do quite a few numbers in its run, some more-or-less in line with a plot. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-musical-episode/393238/8 "2007-02-22T19:11:32Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] I think _Buffy_ takes the award for actually moving the arcs along with its musical. All of the earlier musicals were either stand-alones, dream sequences, or “Let’s put on a show” episodes. [/QUOTE] The Xena episode advanced the story as a portrayal of the reconciliation of Xena and Gabrielle following the death of Xena’s child Solon and the apparent death of Gabrielle’s child Hope. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-musical-episode/393238/9 "2007-02-22T20:27:03Z")
You don’t even have to be a fictional program to do a musical: earlier this month, G4’s video game review show **X-Play** premiered an episode called **X-Play: The Musical**. It actually was kinda entertaining. Chunks of the episode can be seen on youtube. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-musical-episode/393238/10 "2007-02-22T21:30:04Z")
[QUOTE=Tangent] Not the earliest by a long shot, but a little earlier than Buffy there was a musical episode of **Xena: Warrior Princess**. It was actually really good as I recall–good songs and choreography and very visually creative sets and effects. Hudson Leick (Callisto) acquitted herself quite well,… [/QUOTE] That’s because the talented Ms. [Michelle Nicastro](http://cytokines.1hwy.com/nicastro-3.html) did all of her singing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-musical-episode/393238/11 "2007-02-22T21:56:25Z")
[QUOTE=JThunder] That’s because the talented Ms. [Michelle Nicastro](http://cytokines.1hwy.com/nicastro-3.html) did all of her singing. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Yes, Psycho Barbie & Gabrielle were “dubbed” by real singers. But Xena & Ares (Lucy Lawless & the sorely missed Kevin Smith) sang quite well. The episode’s graphic design was inspired by the Waite Tarot. I loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-musical-episode/393238/12 "2007-02-22T22:22:48Z")
[QUOTE=JThunder] That’s because the talented Ms. [Michelle Nicastro](http://cytokines.1hwy.com/nicastro-3.html) did all of her singing. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Ahh, I didn’t know that. Thanks for the info and the link. She’s got a great voice and she’s a total babe! [QUOTE=Bridget Burke] The episode’s graphic design was inspired by the Waite Tarot. I loved it. [/QUOTE] Yes, it was really cool. I might have to pick up the Xena Anniversary Collection DVD just for that episode. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-musical-episode/393238/13 "2007-02-23T04:16:02Z")
Lexx’s Brigadoom episode was a great musical and it also fleshed out the past story of Kai, a key character on the show. You can hear the musical here: [Lexx’s “Brigadoom”](http://scifi.myrealm.co.uk/brigadoom2.php) ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-musical-episode/393238/14 "2007-02-23T18:46:08Z")
[QUOTE=Tangent] Not the earliest by a long shot, but a little earlier than Buffy there was a musical episode of **Xena: Warrior Princess**. It was actually really good as I recall–good songs and choreography and very visually creative sets and effects. Hudson Leick (Callisto) acquitted herself quite well, as did Lucy Lawless and her sidekick. I think maybe they did a second musical episode a couple of seasons later. [/QUOTE] Yes, but that was quite different. The first one, _The Bitter Suite_, had a reason for the singing and music and did move the story forwards, while the second one, _Lyre Lyre Hearts on Fire_, was really just a comedy episode with a twist. There was no more reason for all the singing than in any other musical, and the story didn’t move. That said, I love both those episodes. ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-musical-episode/393238/15 "2007-02-24T02:24:15Z")
Back in the 60’s Jackie GLeason revived THE HONEYMOONERS in an hour long color format complete with Ralph and ED bursting into song with the June Taylor Dancers. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-musical-episode/393238/16 "2007-02-24T11:56:35Z")
I remember when _The Love Boat_ did a musical episode. I stood aghast, and switched it off very early in.