AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals - They're at it again!

[The Original BJ]

That was Damien's personal list.

The AFI will not be nearly as idiosyncratic.

[Eric]

The worst musical ever made is ... followed by ... One From The Heart

Loved it.

Darling Lili wasn't bad either.

[99-1100896887]

How discerning they are!
While I might have a problem with the placing of the ranks of some of them, I do not have problem with their awful ones, although I would quibble with their choice of West Side Story, which, seen by nearly everyone at some time, made it possible for lots of kids in the "dramatic hinterlands" to see that they might have a chance on the stage, or the films. I know . I taught some of them.

Thanks for posting this, Damien.

[Damien]

My top 25 musicals are (since this is in connection with the AFI, I kept it to American pictures, so no Une Femme Est Une Femme, A Hard Day's Night, or The Harder They Come. Hell, I guess I also have to omit Oliver!, which would have been in my top 10) :

1. The Band Wagon (Vincente Minnelli)
2. Victor/Victoria (Blake Edwards)
3. Funny Face (Stanley Donen)
4. Meet Me In St. Louis (Vincente Minnelli)
5. A Star Is Born (George Cukor)
6. The Wizard Of Oz (Victor Fleming et al)
7. An American In Paris (Vincente Minnelli)
8. The Pirate (Vincente Minnelli)
9. On The Town (Stanley Donen ad Gene Kelly)
10. Bells Are Ringing (Vincente Minnelli)
11. Darling Lili (Blake Edwards)
12. Yolanda And The Thief (Vincente Minnelli)
13. Sweet Charity (Bob Fosse)
14. Good News (Charles Walters)
15. Brigadoon (Vincente Minnelli)
16. Love Me Tonight (Rouben Mamoulian)
17. Swing Time (George Stevens)
18. Star Spangled Rhythm (George Marshall)
19. Chicago (Rob Marshall)
20. Footlight Parade (Lloyd Bacon)
21. It’s Always Fair Weather (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly)
22. Thank Your Lucky Stars (David Butler)
23. Cover Girl (Charles Vidor)
24. The Sound Of Music (Robert Wise)
25. Calamity Jane (David Butler)

The worst musical ever made is Thousands Cheer, followed by Moulin Rouge, One From The Heart, All That Jazz and Golden Dawn.

Also putrid in no particular order are Funny Girl, Carousel, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Camelot, Hair, Hello Dolly!, Can Can, Half A Sixpence, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, West Side Story, Sing Your Way Home (even if it is an Anthony Mann picture), Grease 2, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Radio Stars On Parade and The Muppet Movie.

[Big Magilla]

Oh, Eric. Gotta love the inclusion of Gold Diggers of 1933, Love Me Tonight and The Pajama Game on your best list, but personally I can't stand Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory except for The Candy Man which comes early in the film. I've never understood the popularity of either that film or that other phony exercise in nostalgia, A Christmas Story, but that's me. New York, New York, except for Liza's belting of the title tune is not a terrific musical and the love/hate relationship between Liza and De Niro is one of the worst screen pairings of the 70s, one of Scorsese's misfires IMO.

On the other hand, I have a special fondness for Easter Parade, Yankee Doodle Dandy, My Fair Lady and Hair that knows no bounds. Easter Parade is one of the first films I remember seeing in a theatre as a child. Total fascination then as now, with Judy, Fred, Ann Miller and even that fella with the umbrella, Peter Lawford, at the top of their game. The flag waving in Yankee Doodle Dandy may be overdone (even if it is no more shameless than the flag waving of most World War II films) but the razzmatazz of Cagney's performance and the supporting work, particularly of Frances Langford is, to use an outmoded word, swell.

My Fair Lady was the first Broadway musical I saw. The film version is a beautiful recreation of it, a perfect stage to screen transfer. Hair, on the other hand, is a complete re-invention of the original stage production, which was more of a review than a cohesive story which the film successfully expands. Twyla Tharp's choreography constantly amazes.

I also love State Fair in both its original 1945 version and the silly, but fun, 1962 re-make. White Christmas isn't great, but it's harmless fun as is that other 1954 Irving Berlin compilation, There's No Business Lilke Show Business. Marilyn's rendition of Heat Wave equals her Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and the friction between her and Ethel Merman is palpable. They don't look like they had to pretend to dislike one another.

[criddic3]

Terrible Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) Easter Parade (1948) Evita (1996) Grease (1978) Hair (1979) The Lion King (1994) My Fair Lady (1964) State Fair (1945) White Christmas (1954) Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

-- Eric

Wait... Easter Parade and Yankee Doodle Dandy are terrible? Why?!

They are both easily among the most enthusiastic, enjoyable musicals ever made with quite good performances (especially James Cagney).

The fact that they play Easter Parade every year on at least one channel during Easter is always a delight to me. Astaire and Garland in fine form.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Okay, that was annoying (although not the worst movie ever), and at least some kids like it a bit (my judgment may be slightly clouded by the fact that I had a solo in the stage production in sixth grade as one of the factory guys singing "Toot Sweet").

Evita was enjoyable, with a better-than-usual performance from Madonna. Yes, it sometimes feels like an extended music video, but it works as entertainment.

While My Fair Lady isn't my favorite musical, it is enchanting most of the time.

Why include The Lion King as a musical, when you don't mention Beauty and the Beast or any other animated films?

Most of the others I agree with you on, although some are more enjoyable than others. For instance, White Christmas was never as good as Holiday Inn, despite some nice moments.

I'll have to make a list of my own.

[Eric]

Oh, and what's wrong with Matthew Rush, Eric. Not a fan? Have you seen The Recruits? Hot. Hot. Hot.

If I was a fan of slabs of beef, I'd fuck a slaughterhouse. But I don't entirely disagree with you on Max C. in Grease 2.

I'm not surprised by the hate for All That Jazz, really. It's surely something of an anti-musical. More of a horror movie, even. (Certainly it's more successful at both genres than Rocky Horror.)

[Penelope]

From this list, my top 10 would be:

1. The Band Wagon
2. 42nd Street
3. Victor/Victoria
4. Oliver!
5. Meet Me in St. Louis
6. A Star is Born
7. West Side Story
8. Chicago
9. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
10. An American in Paris

Re: All that Jazz. I'm surprised by all the hate. I quite like this movie.

[flipp525]

From the list:

10 great and/or underrated musicals (I'd have included Dumbo, but there aren't enough songs, imo)
All That Jazz (1979)

Two hours of my life I'll never get back. God, that movie is awful. Jessica Lange and Ann Reinking have absolutely nothing to do and the entire thing just drags into an oblivion.

Oh, and what's wrong with Matthew Rush, Eric. Not a fan? Have you seen The Recruits? Hot. Hot. Hot.

[Eric]

From the list:

10 great and/or underrated musicals (I'd have included Dumbo, but there aren't enough songs, imo)
All That Jazz (1979)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)
Love Me Tonight (1932)
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
New York, New York (1977)
The Pajama Game (1957)
Purple Rain (1984)
Victor/Victoria (1982)
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971)

Terrible
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
Easter Parade (1948)
Evita (1996)
Grease (1978)
Hair (1979)
The Lion King (1994)
My Fair Lady (1964)
State Fair (1945)
White Christmas (1954)
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

[criddic3]

Obviously, Hello, Dolly! has flaws, but it is still fun to watch from time to time. I agree that someone else should have played the part at the time, what with Carol Channing, Ginger Rogers, Pearl Bailey and others still around at the time.

Damien, I loved Thank Your Lucky Stars when i saw it as a kid. They should release that one on DVD.

[Damien]

I gave up on this list almost immediately as soon as I saw that Blake Edwards's beautiful, elegiac Darling Lili wasn't included (which I checked right after I looked for Victor/Victoria).

I did just notice, though, that they did have the intelligence to include the two really terrific WW 2 all-star musicals, Star Spangled Rhythm and Thank Your Lucky Stars, while keeping off the worst one (and my choice as worst movie of the 1940s), Thousands Cheer.

Magila, I too absolutely DESPISE All That Jazz.

[Big Magilla]

The problem with the casting of Streisand in Hello, Dolly! is that it was a missed opportunity to cast someone who would have been perfect for the part. Of all the actresses mentioned at the time, I was hoping they would give it to Irene Dunne who really wanted to make a comeback. But of course few ticket buyers in 1969 knew who the hell Irene Dunne was and it's all about the bottom line so they cast Streisand who tried to run roughshod over the production as she did all her films. It wasn't Kelly who put her down, though, but Matthau who informed her in no uncertain terms "you may be the singer on this picture, but I'm the actor."

Another problem with the casting is Marianne McAndrew who must have been someone's mistress or something. There were lots of ingenues who could have done better, but none I suppose would look subservient enough to support Streisand. Michael Crawford and Tommy Tune are fun, though.

[criddic3]

I completely agree with Magilla about Mame. I saw it as a kid. I loved musicals. Still do.

I can't tell you how many times I saw Oklahoma! or The Music Man back then, but wow was this version just Lame or what? Lucille Ball was terrible. Liked her in a few of her big-screen movies, usually those that starred Bob Hope or in her 30's films like Stage Door, but she was all wrong for Mame. They really should have hired Angela Lansbury.

__

I have to say, though, that I don't think Hello, Dolly! is a bad movie. It has some good numbers and the chemistry between Streisand and Matthau (the best member of the cast probably) was fun. It was too long and overbloated a bit, but that was the order of the day for musicals. Kelly was also not on this picture out of choice. I mean, when he did On the Town and Singin' in the Rain, he asked the studio to let him direct, with Donen. You are right when you say Streisand was too young, but she played the part well. It's one of only a few films I've really liked her in. Despite all this, the Academy did nominate the film for Best Picture.

[OscarGuy]

The one thing I noticed about this list and gives me a great deal of respect for the AFI is the inclusion of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It may not be the best made movie ever but it's incredibly fun to yell at on the big screen.