Top 10 Classic Musicals (1940-70s)
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Date: 2023-11-20
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Comments and reviews: 30
The
I thought that they did a pretty good job when choosing the top ten film musical adaptations. So many years to be covered. But this is -- well, let's say you can tell the people doing picking were not very knowledgeable about golden era musicals. Hair is a period piece with a fine rock score and various random things happening on stage. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum had some OK broad and bawdy comedy and the first of many forgettable Sonheim scores.
Show Boat, the groundbreaking 1927 production that was the first modern musical with integrated book and song. First time whites and blacks together on stage, dealt with serious issues of alcoholism, interracial marriage, gambling addiction, desertion. Yet full of great songs happy and tragic, anchored by the great anthem Ol' Man River. The Pulitzer Prize winning South Pacific, full of classics including Some Enchanted Evening and Bai'i Hai. My Fair Lady which starred Julie Andrews and featured Lerner and Loewe's masterpiece score. The book was mostly drawn verbatim from the book and film dialogue of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. The spirited verbal exchange between the two stars rivaled the second act songs for giving pleasure.
When making such a list, look for how often a show has been revived on Broadway or presented elsewhere in major productions. Not how many times revived necessarily but the expense and starpower and buzz.
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I thought that they did a pretty good job when choosing the top ten film musical adaptations. So many years to be covered. But this is -- well, let's say you can tell the people doing picking were not very knowledgeable about golden era musicals. Hair is a period piece with a fine rock score and various random things happening on stage. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum had some OK broad and bawdy comedy and the first of many forgettable Sonheim scores.
Show Boat, the groundbreaking 1927 production that was the first modern musical with integrated book and song. First time whites and blacks together on stage, dealt with serious issues of alcoholism, interracial marriage, gambling addiction, desertion. Yet full of great songs happy and tragic, anchored by the great anthem Ol' Man River. The Pulitzer Prize winning South Pacific, full of classics including Some Enchanted Evening and Bai'i Hai. My Fair Lady which starred Julie Andrews and featured Lerner and Loewe's masterpiece score. The book was mostly drawn verbatim from the book and film dialogue of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. The spirited verbal exchange between the two stars rivaled the second act songs for giving pleasure.
When making such a list, look for how often a show has been revived on Broadway or presented elsewhere in major productions. Not how many times revived necessarily but the expense and starpower and buzz.
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Joejoe
Here is My List. The correct List.
10. Easter Parade
9. An American In Paris
8. Ziegfield Girl
7. Meet Me In St. Louis
6. The Sound Of Music
5. For Me and My Gal
4. Singing in The Rain
3. The Wizard Of Oz
2. Marry Poppins
1. My Fair Lady
Honorable Mentions: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Gili Anchors Aweigh Presenting Lily Mars Babes on Broadway A Star is Born 7 Brides for 7 Brothers Camelot Oklahoma Brigadoon Funny Face Harvey Girls Summer Stock Snow White and 7 Dwarfs Cabaret Tommy Pocket Full Of Miracles Carousel
The King And I Showboat Fiddled on The Roof
Awwwww Hell! The shorter list would be Bad Golden Years of Hollywood Musicals. There isn't any
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Here is My List. The correct List.
10. Easter Parade
9. An American In Paris
8. Ziegfield Girl
7. Meet Me In St. Louis
6. The Sound Of Music
5. For Me and My Gal
4. Singing in The Rain
3. The Wizard Of Oz
2. Marry Poppins
1. My Fair Lady
Honorable Mentions: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Gili Anchors Aweigh Presenting Lily Mars Babes on Broadway A Star is Born 7 Brides for 7 Brothers Camelot Oklahoma Brigadoon Funny Face Harvey Girls Summer Stock Snow White and 7 Dwarfs Cabaret Tommy Pocket Full Of Miracles Carousel
The King And I Showboat Fiddled on The Roof
Awwwww Hell! The shorter list would be Bad Golden Years of Hollywood Musicals. There isn't any
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fanjoy
If you are focusing on Broadway musicals, I do not understand using all the film adaptations - yes, it would be visually boring to play the original cast soundtracks, but you've kind of set yourself up here but focusing on the films. You wouldn't put Cats here and use footage from the recent film, would you? Point being: if you're doing the Broadway shows, use their music and whatever footage you can find. I don't think you guys would do that. Sooooo - do best golden age musical films straight up.
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If you are focusing on Broadway musicals, I do not understand using all the film adaptations - yes, it would be visually boring to play the original cast soundtracks, but you've kind of set yourself up here but focusing on the films. You wouldn't put Cats here and use footage from the recent film, would you? Point being: if you're doing the Broadway shows, use their music and whatever footage you can find. I don't think you guys would do that. Sooooo - do best golden age musical films straight up.
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Thomas
Kiss me Kate is one of my favorites. Very funny story and classic songs. One lesser known musicals from that period is Brigadoon. It was my the same men who wrote My Fair Lady and Camelot. Its about a Scottish town that only appears every 100 years. An American finds in by accident and falls in love with one of the villagers. It has romance and fantasy and beautiful music. It was made into a movie on the 50s with Gene Kelly. Worth checking out.
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Kiss me Kate is one of my favorites. Very funny story and classic songs. One lesser known musicals from that period is Brigadoon. It was my the same men who wrote My Fair Lady and Camelot. Its about a Scottish town that only appears every 100 years. An American finds in by accident and falls in love with one of the villagers. It has romance and fantasy and beautiful music. It was made into a movie on the 50s with Gene Kelly. Worth checking out.
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Chiara
More diversity, please! No mention of STORMY WEATHER with one of the most talented casts of all time, including Bill Bojangles Robinson, Lena Horne and the Nicholas Brothers! The original WIZ? Or CARMEN JONES starring the AMAZING Dorothy Dandridge? And how DARE YOU list Hello Dolly without giving a nod to African-American icon PEARL BAILEY slaying the role of Dolly Levi in the very first all-black-cast Broadway production in the 60s?
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More diversity, please! No mention of STORMY WEATHER with one of the most talented casts of all time, including Bill Bojangles Robinson, Lena Horne and the Nicholas Brothers! The original WIZ? Or CARMEN JONES starring the AMAZING Dorothy Dandridge? And how DARE YOU list Hello Dolly without giving a nod to African-American icon PEARL BAILEY slaying the role of Dolly Levi in the very first all-black-cast Broadway production in the 60s?
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Nick
Hair, Hello Dolly and Funny Thing Happened should have been nowhere near the top 10. Carousel is my favourite musical and was R&Hs favourite of their own work. Show Boat is one of the very greatest American musicals and didnt get even an honourable mention (possibly because its pre-1940, but even so.
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Hair, Hello Dolly and Funny Thing Happened should have been nowhere near the top 10. Carousel is my favourite musical and was R&Hs favourite of their own work. Show Boat is one of the very greatest American musicals and didnt get even an honourable mention (possibly because its pre-1940, but even so.
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Danny
Wow wow wow! The golden age of Musical definitely had a lot of great hits and this list doesn't encompass all of them but damn, they sure got a lot of the big timers indeed. Fiddler on the Roof, Okahoma, Hello Dolly and Sound of Music are such instant classics! Tradition!
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Wow wow wow! The golden age of Musical definitely had a lot of great hits and this list doesn't encompass all of them but damn, they sure got a lot of the big timers indeed. Fiddler on the Roof, Okahoma, Hello Dolly and Sound of Music are such instant classics! Tradition!
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Deidre
I was only 5 or 6 when I first saw South Pacific and hated the movie, from the record we had I'd already fallen in love with I'm gonna wash that man out of my hair I took a liking to the DVD after I skipped the songs I don't like, like Bal'i Hai & Some Enchanted Evening.
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I was only 5 or 6 when I first saw South Pacific and hated the movie, from the record we had I'd already fallen in love with I'm gonna wash that man out of my hair I took a liking to the DVD after I skipped the songs I don't like, like Bal'i Hai & Some Enchanted Evening.
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Michael
South Pacific is often considered the greatest American musical. It doesn't have a single bad song and successfully integrates jazz and melodic (European) music traditions. Bernstein looked toward it when writing the music of West Side Story.
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South Pacific is often considered the greatest American musical. It doesn't have a single bad song and successfully integrates jazz and melodic (European) music traditions. Bernstein looked toward it when writing the music of West Side Story.
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Alana
1940-1970 is a pretty generous window for Golden Age musicals. Most theatre historians cut the Golden Age off somewhere around the mid-60's. Definitely before Hair, which sparked its own era of musical theatre into the 70's/early 80's.
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1940-1970 is a pretty generous window for Golden Age musicals. Most theatre historians cut the Golden Age off somewhere around the mid-60's. Definitely before Hair, which sparked its own era of musical theatre into the 70's/early 80's.
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Chris
A good list, though there are so many brilliant musicals during this age, I'm not sure it's possible to do a top 10 unless you were to use a specific data point. (Most profitable, most awards, etc)
But no mention of Camelot?
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A good list, though there are so many brilliant musicals during this age, I'm not sure it's possible to do a top 10 unless you were to use a specific data point. (Most profitable, most awards, etc)
But no mention of Camelot?
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Sarah
nice list rodgers and hammerstein did do cinderella that was also good the sound of music and oklahoma my personal faves along with grease also adaptations were beauty and the beast rent those were also great les mis cats
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nice list rodgers and hammerstein did do cinderella that was also good the sound of music and oklahoma my personal faves along with grease also adaptations were beauty and the beast rent those were also great les mis cats
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Liz
My top ten musicals are as follows No1 Easter parade No2 An American in paris No3 white Christmas no4 sound of music
No5 south pacific no6 carousel No 7 Carmen jones no 8 the music man no9 okhlahoma no 10 showboat
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My top ten musicals are as follows No1 Easter parade No2 An American in paris No3 white Christmas no4 sound of music
No5 south pacific no6 carousel No 7 Carmen jones no 8 the music man no9 okhlahoma no 10 showboat
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LaLayla99
Showboat? It is considered the first true musical with the songs integrated into and forwarding the plot. It also had an integrated cast and dealt with issues like racism, which was not common then.
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Showboat? It is considered the first true musical with the songs integrated into and forwarding the plot. It also had an integrated cast and dealt with issues like racism, which was not common then.
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Bill
Question: is this list best musicals OR best MOVIE musicals? Those two lists would get different rankings in my book. For example, Hello Dolly might be in my top ten of musicals but NOT movie musicals.
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Question: is this list best musicals OR best MOVIE musicals? Those two lists would get different rankings in my book. For example, Hello Dolly might be in my top ten of musicals but NOT movie musicals.
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JayShaun
The king and I and my fair lady are honorable mentions? What the heck are you basing this top 10 on cause clearly you're biased towards certain types of music or you're not that into musicals.
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The king and I and my fair lady are honorable mentions? What the heck are you basing this top 10 on cause clearly you're biased towards certain types of music or you're not that into musicals.
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Sara
What about Singin in The Rain? Its considered the best musical of all time.
meet me in St. Louis
On the town
Seven brides for seven brothers
Calamity Jane
Sooooo many more!
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What about Singin in The Rain? Its considered the best musical of all time.
meet me in St. Louis
On the town
Seven brides for seven brothers
Calamity Jane
Sooooo many more!
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Mary
This list confused me at first -- it's actually rating the musicals themselves, not the movies of those musicals. Is there a top 10 list of best movies of classic Broadway musicals?
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This list confused me at first -- it's actually rating the musicals themselves, not the movies of those musicals. Is there a top 10 list of best movies of classic Broadway musicals?
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Janine
My top 5 Favorites of this time period
1. Sound Of Music
2. Guys And Dolls
3. West Side Story
4. A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
5. Oklahoma
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My top 5 Favorites of this time period
1. Sound Of Music
2. Guys And Dolls
3. West Side Story
4. A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
5. Oklahoma
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GravesRWFiA
you include gypsy and 'forum but SOUTH PACIFIC doesn't even rate an honorable mention? is this a list of top musicals or of ones you had access to footage of?
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you include gypsy and 'forum but SOUTH PACIFIC doesn't even rate an honorable mention? is this a list of top musicals or of ones you had access to footage of?
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Shelby
I only know Hello Dolly from WALLE and did Music Man and Singing in the Rain come out during this era? If so, they should be on the list as well as My Fair Lady!
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I only know Hello Dolly from WALLE and did Music Man and Singing in the Rain come out during this era? If so, they should be on the list as well as My Fair Lady!
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mm
I think my top 5 musicals of all time are
1 Hamilton (no doupt)
2 heathers
3 fiddler on the roof
4 dear Evan hansen
5 kulkurin valssi (dont juge me)
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I think my top 5 musicals of all time are
1 Hamilton (no doupt)
2 heathers
3 fiddler on the roof
4 dear Evan hansen
5 kulkurin valssi (dont juge me)
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Deidre
On Moonlight Bay & By The Light Of The Silvery Moon 2 Doris Day & Gordon MacRae Movies & her with Howard Keel in Calamity Jane are 3 classics to me.
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On Moonlight Bay & By The Light Of The Silvery Moon 2 Doris Day & Gordon MacRae Movies & her with Howard Keel in Calamity Jane are 3 classics to me.
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Lester
I had no idea Michael Crawford was in so many musicals! I knew he was in Phantom, but my only other memory of him was in Some Mothers Do Ave Em!
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I had no idea Michael Crawford was in so many musicals! I knew he was in Phantom, but my only other memory of him was in Some Mothers Do Ave Em!
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Jota
Cabaret and Hair are not classic musicals. They are of the first modern musicals. Very obvious when you listen to the music style and the themes.
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Cabaret and Hair are not classic musicals. They are of the first modern musicals. Very obvious when you listen to the music style and the themes.
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Lester
I had no idea Michael Crawford was in so many musicals! I knew he was in Phantom, but my only other memory of him was in Some Mothers Do Ave Em!
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I had no idea Michael Crawford was in so many musicals! I knew he was in Phantom, but my only other memory of him was in Some Mothers Do Ave Em!
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Elodie
Too many great musicals are not on this list: Singin' in the Rain, an American in Paris, (My Fair Lady just an honorable mention? Seriously)
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Too many great musicals are not on this list: Singin' in the Rain, an American in Paris, (My Fair Lady just an honorable mention? Seriously)
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Christopher
As much as I enjoy these videos, the narrators spoil it. They need to keep the narration to a minimum then we can enjoy the songs
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As much as I enjoy these videos, the narrators spoil it. They need to keep the narration to a minimum then we can enjoy the songs
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A.
Why? Why is Seven Brides for Seven Brothers NEVER mentioned in these videos. that musical has beautiful numbers in it. ugh so underrated
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Why? Why is Seven Brides for Seven Brothers NEVER mentioned in these videos. that musical has beautiful numbers in it. ugh so underrated
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arp212
Well Fiddler on the Roof is my fav, but I don't think it's the best ever. (see also: top 10 reasons people become orthodox Jews)
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Well Fiddler on the Roof is my fav, but I don't think it's the best ever. (see also: top 10 reasons people become orthodox Jews)
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