# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/21 "2003-12-29T17:53:10Z")
My nomination for the “What! Nobody Mentioned?” musical is **A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to the Forum**. You know, back when Stephen Sondheim wrote songs with melodies. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/22 "2003-12-29T18:15:29Z")
“Springtime For Hitler”! Oh wait… ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/23 "2003-12-29T18:46:22Z")
In no particular order: **West Side Story** **1776** **Brigadoon** **My Fair Lady** **The Music Man** Very, very difficult to confine my list to five, but these are probably the ones I’ve watched most and have nearly (or completely) memorized. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/24 "2003-12-29T18:48:53Z")
I finally got around to watching SITR over the holiday and, huh? What is the big deal? I expect the villagers with torches to be along any moment but my word that movie was dull! Amongst my top picks (most of which have already been mentioned by others but so what) are: Wizard of Oz; Top Hat; Flying Down to Rio; Gilda (hey, Rita Hayworth sings, it’s a musical); Hedwig; Moulin Rouge!; Summer Stock (I’m a sucker for a good tractor-riding number); oh I could go on but now I have so many songs running through my head I may need Thorazine. ---
**Author:** ![Tremmie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Tremmie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tremmie)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/25 "2003-12-29T18:53:09Z")
Best musical in the last 20 years **Southpark: bigger, longer, and uncut** , probably best ever too 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/26 "2003-12-29T21:57:53Z")
Another vote for **West Side Story** , a hearty second to **South Park** , and how has no one mentioned **The Sound of Music**? Sure, it’s overexposed, but that’s because it’s good. I’m a big fan of the more recent generation of broadway musicals… I’d love to see **Les Miz** or **Rent** filmed… I’m psyched that **Phantom of the Opera** will be hitting the big screen soon… ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/27 "2003-12-29T22:16:10Z")
What, no votes for Mary Poppins? For shame. ---
**Author:** ![noddygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/47e85d/32.png) [@noddygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noddygrrl)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/28 "2003-12-29T22:39:19Z")
Cabaret Oliver! Hedwig and the Angry Inch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Umbrellas of Cherbourg ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/29 "2003-12-29T23:41:47Z")
1. Singing in the Rain 2. Wizard of Oz 3. Cabaret/Chicago (tied due to Fosse) 4. West Side Story 5. Hedwig/Tommy (tie) I would’ve also done the Siging in the Rain as 1-5, but West Side Story and Oz I picked more for their cinematic cultural significance (ie/ you know they’re important when they are parodied so damn often). Interesting to see that _Evita_ hasn’t really made anyone’s top five. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/30 "2003-12-30T06:41:46Z")
My Fair Lady Singin’ in the Rain Fiddler on the Roof Moulin Rouge Chicago Not necessarily in that order. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/31 "2003-12-30T07:20:17Z")
1. **Singin’ in the Rain**. It really is the best ever; just the opening credits put a big stupid grin on your face that doesn’t go away. The coolest part is it’s a musical that manages to be hip _and_ corny at the same time. 2. **Moulin Rouge**. I’ve heard people complain that they copped out by not doing original music, which seems to be missing the point. It’s such a spectacular bit of movie-making; the scene of them dancing on clouds above Paris with the moon singing to them is what movie musicals are all about. 3. **High Society**. Grace Kelly is smokin’ hot. And Louis Armstrong & his band as the chorus puts it over the top. 4. **The Band Wagon**. Cyd Charisse is also smokin’ hot. And she gets to do more in this one in than in _An American in Paris_. I’m not a huge fan of this one, really, but included it in the same way you include _Citizen Kane_ in best-of lists – it’s just (along with _Singin in the Rain_) one of the definitive movie musicals. 5. **The Little Mermaid**. Why wouldn’t Disney movies be included in these lists? Musicals are _supposed_ to be corny and overly sentimental. The music is great – I listened to it in college without shame – and the lyrics are still really, genuinely clever. My honorable mentions would go to **Fantasia** , **An American in Paris** , and **Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory**. And dishonorable mention goes to _Dancer in the Dark_ for taking brilliant music and turning it against me in one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/32 "2003-12-30T07:33:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Francesca \* > \*\*_Sweeney Todd_ tops my list, easily. \*\* Well, if we’re going to count filmed stage performances than **Sunday in the Park with George** wins hands down with me, no contest. (which interestingly hasn’t been mentioned yet despite mention of at least 3 other Sondheim works in this thread thus far). I’ll add to that: - **The Rocky Horror Picture Show** and second **Willy Wonka…** and **JCS**. And since no one’s mentioned it yet, I’ll add **Singin’ in the Rain** ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/33 "2003-12-30T08:01:21Z")
1. **The Music Man** (the Robert Preston/Shirley Jones version, NOT that dreadful Disney crap released last year) 2. **Singing In The Rain** 3. **The Sound Of Music** 4. **West Side Story** (the best musical from a composition standpoint, but by no means my favorite) 5. **Fiddler On The Roof** Some other time my list might be different, but those are the ones that come to mind right now. I’m pretty sure my number one pick will always be **The Music Man**. I see it about once a year, and enjoy it every time. It’s just one big smile of a film. Makes me feel good. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/34 "2003-12-30T09:11:25Z")
In no particular order: Sound of Music - Music Man - nearly perfect movie musical…and my goodness, the choreography. Still beyond amazing. Top Hat West Side Story - which I really don’t love, but I’ve got to put it on the list. Beauty and the Beast - also a nearly perfect movie musical…so what that they were animated. Honorable mention - Chicago, Sweet Charity, Hedwig, Easter Parade (I love it. I don’t care what anyone says, I love that movie), Oliver! ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/35 "2003-12-30T12:35:47Z")
Personally, and in no particular order: **The Music Man** (the Robert Preston version, and not, ahem, the Matthew Broderick one…what were they thinking… :smack: ) **Chicago** (yes, it was recent. yes, it was excellent) **Into the Woods** (Sondheim is a genius) **TOMMY** (I wasn’t around for the 70s, but I have played the pinball game) **1776** (somewhat obscure, but very well done) Why, no my movie-watching experience is not that broad, why do you ask? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/36 "2003-12-30T13:56:59Z")
My criteria for determining favorite musicals is ‘Will I sing straight through this every time I watch it?’ Using that as a guideline: _Top Hat_ (although the “Continental” number in _The Gay Divorcee_ is my favorite Fred&Ginger piece; the movie is only about an hour-and-a-half long, and this number takes up more than 20 minutes of it). _Cabaret_ _Beauty and the Beast_ _Gigi_ _The Wizard of Oz_ _A Hard Day’s Night_ Actually, _Rocky Horror_ fits this criteria too. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/37 "2003-12-30T16:37:48Z")
Does **The Blues Brothers** count? It’s an interesting survey piece featuring blues, rock, soul, and gospel, mixed in with car chases. ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/38 "2003-12-30T21:41:15Z")
**White Christmas** - Danny Kaye is a criminally underappreciated singer/dancer/comedic actor. **Love’s Labours Lost** - Shakespeare, Gershwin, Branagh; what more could you ask? **The Sound of Music** **The Wizard of Oz** **Animal Crackers** - hurray for Captain Spaulding! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/39 "2003-12-30T22:17:00Z")
I may as well post my list: 1. Singin’ In The Rain 2. Mary Poppins 3. White Christmas 4. West Side Story 5. South Park (You have to admit, the composition was first rate) I hate, hate, hate Cabaret. And Grease, God help us all. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573/40 "2003-12-31T00:49:30Z")
I’m writing this without reading the threads so as not to be influenced, and all of course are strictly my imho. It’s amazing how completely different my answers are than if you’d asked “top five Broadway musicals” (which would be a cool thread for somebody else to start just to compare notes): IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER 1- 1776- One of the best musicals ever done also qualifies as one of the best movies ever made about American history, musical or otherwise. The characterizations are near perfect, at once showing the men of the Continental Congress as living, breathing, admirable and flawed mortals but without needless bashing of the sort so often done by academics desperately seeking name recognition, and the love song twixt John & Abigail (taken almost entirely from their real life letters) is one of the most beautiful and sweetly erotic songs ever to appear in a motion picture (all the more spectactular considering it’s sung by two over-30 actors you have no desire to see nekkid). The gamble of bringing the B’way cast, none of whom had ever had starring roles in a movie with a budget this major (Daniels’ supporting role as Hoffman’s father in THE GRADUATE was probably the biggest claim any of them had) may not have paid off at the box office, but it most certainly paid off by making the movie immortal (and if when I can get to the afterlife I find out Benjamin Franklin does not sound like Howard DaSilva I’m going to fire off an angry letter). 2= EVITA Probably a controversial choice, but I actually liked this movie. While in some ways I thought the production was a bit prosaic, there were moments that worked beautifully, such as the morph between illegitimate peasant girl Evita banned from her father’s funeral and Evita’s own funeral (only 20 years later) at the beginning. The decision to give Madonna “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” may initially have been just to give her more screentime and soundtrack time, but it worked, and the way they subtly insinuated prostitution with the slow tango montage worked much better than the stage version (in which her sleeping her way to the top is seen as almost unbroken and instantaneous), and who knew Antonio could sing like that? Plus, using the balcony of the real Casa Rosada totally and successfully exploited the advantages of celluloid over stage. 3- Fiddler On The Roof What on Earth can you say about this movie that hasn’t been said a million times? Topol IS Tevye, Paul Mann IS Lazar, and even the “way too old for the role” Leonard Frey was perfect in retrospect. 4- Scrooge- I’ll admit one reason that I’m placing this one on here is because nobody else will probably and I’ve always thought it was underrated. The duet sung twixt the young/hopeful Finney-as-Scrooge and the old-futureless Finney-as-Scrooge worked beautifully, the romantic songs were lovely, the Ghost of Christmas Present’s song is irresistably joyous, and this remains my favorite ever telling of the Christmas Carol. 5- The King and I The book on which it is based is almost totally fabricated, the plot is at best P.I. by our standards and at worst outright racist, Brynner is the dream of every third rate impersonator, and the depiction of East Meets West couldn’t even take place in the same universe as MISS SAIGON, but when Yul begins swinging Deborah and there’s more silk flying than on Cleopatra’s barge, I just don’t care! Honorable Mention: Best Little Whorehouse in Texas- Dolly, Charles Durning, Robert Mandan and even Jim Nabors were so perfect in their roles that you could almost forgiven the horrible miscasting of Dom Deluise in a role that’ve been better played by a Robert-Duvall-as-over-the-top-Jimmy-Swaggartish character and the presence of Burt Reynolds (who is, admittedly, at his least annoying in this movie, being as it was before he made the shift from everybody’s obnoxious smug playboy brother-in-law to everybody’s obnoxious and unbearably embittered former playboy brother-in-law). My votes for FIVE WORST MOVIE MUSICALS (with less commentary): CAMELOT- Richard Harris was a great actor, Vanessa Redgrave was/is a great actress, the score and libretto were good and England would seem a logical choice to film, but they seemed to have forgotten any sense of fun or frivolity from the stage version or the fact that maybe just maybe it’d be good idea to cast more than one person with a nice singing voice. MAN OF LA MANCHA- Compared to this movie “LAST TANGO IN PARIS” must have seemed like “the feel good comedy of the year!” GIGI- even I’m not gay enough for this one (though I do love Hermione Gingold in anything- ever read her autobiography, HOW TO GROW OLD DISGRACEFULLY ? ) MAME (Lucy’s becoming less a wacky redhead than a henna haired mummy right in front of our eyes, she’s about as sophisticated as a gas station urinal, she’s been doing the same schtick on screen more than a decade after its expiration date and the original non-musical is an impossible-to-improve on classic that was still in recent memory at the time, but what have we got to lose?) AT LONG LAST LOVE (wtf?) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-five-movie-musicals-ever/221573.md?page=3)