# Top Five Movie Musicals Ever **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 29, 2003, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573 "2003-12-29T13:18:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/1 "2003-12-29T13:18:25Z")
What do you think the top five movie musicals, ever, are? My list (and this is totally off the top of my head, I reserve the right to come back later and tweak it): **Best Ever** : _All That Jazz_. I’m currently dating a fellow musicals freak, and he says _Chicago_ has bumped it out of the “best ever” spot – I say “nay,” just because the opening is so. freaking. great. **Best Fred and Ginger** : _The Gay Divorce_. This is my personal favorite, because it’s got “Night and Day,” the five most romantic minutes ever committed to celluloid. Yes, I know that _Top Hat_ is probably better, but _I don’t care._ **Best of the MGM era** : _Neptune’s Daughter_ Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban doing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” – intercut with Red Skelton and Betty Garrett doing the same. Delightful. **Best from the '50s and '60s** : _My Fair Lady_. So sumptuous. **Favorite Idiosyncratic Choice** : Ken Russell’s version of _The Boy Friend_, with Tommy Tune, Twiggy, and the classic Glenda Jackson cameo. How did we all live through taking all those drugs? Note: It’s not a mistake that _Singin’ in the Rain_ isn’t on the list. Sue me. I like it, I don’t love it. ---
**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:** [December 29, 2003, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/2 "2003-12-29T13:29:58Z")
1. **Singin’ in the Rain** The best by far. Nothing comes close. 2. **Chicago** – extremely good traditional musical 3. **Moulin Rouge** – made Chicago possible, and the song choices were inspired. 4. **42nd Street** – Busby Berkeley, Harry Warren, and one of the most cynical ending ever shown in a musical. 5. **The Music Man** – edges “The King and I” by a hair Honorable mentions: Cabaret, The King and I, Golddiggers of 1935, Footlight Parade, Top Hat, and Everyone Says I Love You. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/3 "2003-12-29T13:34:08Z")
I don’t really like musicals much, with a few exceptions ; \*\*Tommy Fiddler on the Roof A Hard Day’s Night All That Jazz\*\* ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/4 "2003-12-29T13:38:19Z")
**Singin’ In The Rain** Perversity aside it is the best. **How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying** The most upbeat. **Guys and Dolls** The most Damon Runyon. **West Side Story** The most Shakespeare. There’s about 200 at number 5 but I’ll be partisan **Strictly Ballroom** Baz Luhrmann appears from nowhere. Or if you are after the best **dance** movie ever made (not available on DVD) Carlos Saura’s **Carmen** will do. ---
**Author:** ![kris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@kris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kris)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/5 "2003-12-29T13:55:28Z")
The top of my list BY FAR is **Les Miserables** - The stage show, haven’t seen any film versions! Seen it twice in London and it is THE BEST! By the way this is not up for debate okay? it is the best! 😃 2, **Moulin Rouge** 3, **The Lion King** - film was great, stage show is superb! the opening number is outstanding! 4, **Grease** - seen both film and stage show! both still good. 5, **We Will Rock You** - London stage show - based around rock group Queen. Storyline a bit “iffy” but songs are great! ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/6 "2003-12-29T14:01:22Z")
. . . it all boils down to opinion. Five favorite musicals? Five most influential musicals? Anyway, off the top of my head, decade by decade: 1930s— **Gold Diggers of 1933** (not as famous as _42nd Street_, but a better movie overall) 1940s— **Springtime in the Rockies** (1942). Quintessential wartime fluff. Betty Grable _and_ Carmen Miranda! 1950s— **The Band Wagon** (1953) 1960s— **A Hard Day’s Night** (1964) 1970s— **Saturday Night Fever** (1977) 2000s—\*\*Moulin Rouge! \*\* (the exclamation mark is in the title, not an editorial addition) ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/7 "2003-12-29T14:08:51Z")
And now I realise that no-one has mentioned _The Rutles_ yet. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/8 "2003-12-29T14:33:00Z")
I’m not sure that **All That Jazz** really qualifies as a musical because the songs are not part of the storyline or all sung by the characters, but it is definitely one of my favorite movies. As **Eve** noted, any Top 5 list is going to be so subjective as to be meaningless, but here are my own personal Top 5 Movie Musicals . . . 1. **Chicago** 2. **Sweet Charity** 3. **Cabaret** 4. **1776** 5. **West Side Story** ---
**Author:** ![YoudNeverGuess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a587f6/32.png) [@YoudNeverGuess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YoudNeverGuess)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/9 "2003-12-29T14:35:57Z")
\*\*1. Singin’ in the Rain 1. Singin’ in the Rain 2. Singin’ in the Rain 3. Singin’ in the Rain 4. Singin’ in the Rain\*\* (This is not a typo - really - nothing else _does_ come close) A while after that I’d put the _Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, West Side Story, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes_ and maybe then _Top Hat_ and _Everyone Says I Love You_. If Disney’s allowed you’ve got to include _The Jungle Book_ and _Beauty and the Beast_. I think _Strictly Ballroom_ and _Saturday Night Fever_ (love that!) are great films but I wouldn’t really class them as musicals because as far as I remember the characters don’t sing. I’d say they’re more about dance. _Moulin Rouge_ comes WAY down on my list. It’s visually great but other than that it’s rubbish - don’t get me started… ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/10 "2003-12-29T14:42:10Z")
Ther are far too many even with my Hollywoodcentric first pass I miised **Cabaret** but one of my all time **watching** favourites is **O Lucky Man** - a very different musical. ---
**Author:** ![Live\_Better\_Electrically](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@Live\_Better\_Electrically](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Live_Better_Electrically)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/11 "2003-12-29T14:42:35Z")
Here are five of my favorites, not necessarily in any order: 1. **Jesus Christ Superstar** 2. **The Pajama Game** 3. **Bye Bye Birdie** 4. **Viva Las Vegas** 5. **1776** There are so many great ones, I could go on and on. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/12 "2003-12-29T14:43:43Z")
**Eve, gobear** – of course the lists will be totally arbitrary and subjective! So what? This is just for fun. And as for how to _define_ musicals – well, that’s its own can of worms, isn’t it? I personally don’t see the need to have the songs “part of the storyline” or “sung by the characters,” but it’s probably a worthwhile distinction. Elsewhere in my top ten: _Hair_ (yeah, I know it’s not good, but it gets me crying at least twice every time – “Easy to Be Hard” and then the whole last 20 minutes or so); _On the Town; Hedwig and the Angry Inch._ ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/13 "2003-12-29T14:45:58Z")
Oooh, and _Bye Bye Birdie_! Another “watch it at least once a year” fave. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/14 "2003-12-29T14:48:28Z")
Anything Busby Berkeley is great stuff, but I’ve got to say, I loved Camelot (still makes me cry), Cabaret (still makes me cry), Guys ‘n’ Dolls, All That Jazz, and Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/15 "2003-12-29T14:51:25Z")
_Hedwig and the Angry Inch_ is the most recent one I’ve seen. Great movie how did I forget it. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/16 "2003-12-29T15:30:47Z")
Me too, re: Hedwig. Loooooved that movie. The music was so awesome…I’ve never heard/seen a musical like it. ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/17 "2003-12-29T15:57:36Z")
Singing in the rain, definitely… But… NO ONE mentions the Wizard of Oz? Come ooooon. It’s more than just a classic. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/18 "2003-12-29T16:28:01Z")
_Sweeney Todd_ tops my list, easily. Especially the Angela Lansbury production. Then _My Fair Lady_ for the sing-along fun. Then _Cabaret_ for its darkness. Honourable mentions go to Fiddler on the Roof, Jesus Christ Superstar, Mary Poppins, Into The Woods, and Cats (don’t laugh). ---
**Author:** ![Breezy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@Breezy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breezy)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/19 "2003-12-29T16:51:26Z")
I wouldn’t try to rank them as to which is my favorite, but here are a few that I LOVE: **Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Grease Wizard of Oz** ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/20 "2003-12-29T16:59:24Z")
Singin’ in the Rain Meet Me in St. Louis (I give it #2 becasue it was originally written for the screen, not adapted from a stage version) West Side Story (excellent cinematography) The Music Man (one of the few book musicals where the book actually sounds like vernacular, rather than simply setting up the next song.) Saturday Night Fever (I know, 99% of its appeal was Travolta, but 99% of MMISL was Judy Garland.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573.md?page=2)