AFI's 100 Years, 100 Musicals? (1 Viewer)

[Scott Leopold]

I've enjoyed the AFI's specials so far, and was wondering why they've not yet done one on musicals. I dropped them a line yesterday and received the following response:

Thank you for your interest in the American Film Institute. This has been proposed. A decision will be made and announced in early 2003.

While I'm assuming it's a foregone conclusion that Singin' in the Rain will be #1, I'd be curious to see what else they'd include.

 

[BarryR]

I'm sure alot of people would be surprised there would even be 100 to find! Our amnesia-ridden culture should be gently reminded how thousands of musicals enlivened movie screens from 1927 through the 1950s, gradually tapering off to sporadic events to the present day. A lost glory. :frowning:

 

[Mitty]

While I'm assuming it's a foregone conclusion that Singin' in the Rain will be #1, I'd be curious to see what else they'd include.

The Wizard of Oz (might actually sneak in and steal #1)
West Side Story
The Sound of Music
My Fair Lady
Yankee Doodle Dandy
The Jazz Singer
An American in Paris
Gigi
Going My Way
Oliver!
All of the above either were included in the AFI 100 or won Oscars, so they're almost a foregone conclusion.
Also:
42nd Street
A Star is Born (1954)
Beauty and the Beast (Disney)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Cabaret
A Hard Day's Night (British? I'm sure the AFI would somehow justify it's inclusion )
Funny Girl
Oklahoma!
Mary Poppins
The Music Man
The King and I
The Rocky Horror Picture Show? (would they dare?)
They'd probably sneak in Moulin Rouge to give a hopeful see-we-still-make-musicals! feel to the broadcast.

 

[Eric Peterson]

I can't see them pulling this countdown off. I just don't think that there's enought [bold]QUALITY[/bold] material.
I have two basic reasons that I don't think this would work.

1. The musical has also been nearly a dead artform for almost 30 years. Sure there are a handful here & there, but many of those are somewhat underground.

2. The normal AFI procedure is nominating 400 films and voting for 100 from there. They would really be scraping the bottom of the barrel if they had to nominate 400 musicals. Every musical that has even a remote touch of greatness would certainly be included in the final 100.


I could maybe see a countdown of the top 50 and maybe do another countdown based on another subject. Some thoughts would be - Greatest Film Moments, Greatest Films based on true stories(people), Greatest Films about Film or heaven forbid maybe a countdown of the greatest directors, but I don't know if the general public would be able to handle anything aside from Hitchcock, Spielberg, & Lucas.

 

[DeeF]

Ok, I wrote down all I could think of, not in any order except how they came to wacky brain: (No question, not enough musicals for a "Best Of")

Movie Musicals

1. Singing in the Rain
2. On the Town
3. It's Always Fair Weather
4. The Bandwagon
5. Royal Wedding
6. Anchors, Aweigh!
7. An American in Paris
8. Showboat (1936)
9. Showboat (1951)
10. State Fair (1945)
11. State Fair (1960)
12. Oklahoma!
13. Carousel
14. The King And I
15. South Pacific
16. Flower Drum Song
17. The Sound of Music
18. Brigadoon
19. My Fair Lady
20. Gigi
21. Camelot
22. Paint Your Wagon
23. The Wizard of Oz
24. Meet Me In St. Louis
25. The Harvey Girls
26. Summer Stock
27. Annie Get Your Gun
28. A Star is Born (1954)
29. Yolanda and the Thief
30. High Society
31. Can Can
32. The Music Man
33. The Unsinkable Molly Brown
34. Oliver!
35. Scrooge
36. Dr. Doolittle (1967)
37. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
38. West Side Story
39. A Little Night Music
40. Gypsy
41. Sweet Charity
42. Cabaret
43. How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
44. Guys and Dolls
45. A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
46. Funny Face
47. Les Girls
48. There's No Business Like Show Business
49. 42nd Street
50. Goldiggers of 1932
51. The Jazz Singer
52. Whoopee!
53. Going My Way
54. The Bells of St. Mary's
55. Grease
56. Little Shop of Horrors
57. Moulin Rouge
58. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
59. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
60. Top Hat
61. The Gay Divorcee
62. Flying Down To Rio
62. Calamity Jane
63. Tea for Two
64. Lost Horizon (1973)
65. Kiss Me, Kate
66. Ziegfield Follies
67. The Boy Friend
68. Dick Tracy
69. Broadway Melody
70. What A Way To Go
71. Babes in Arms
72. Strike Up The Band
73. Good News
74. Kismet
75. Can't Help Singing
76. The Jolson Story
77. Snow White
78. Dumbo
79. Pinocchio
80. Cinderella
81. Sleeping Beauty
82. The Jungle Book
82. Mary Poppins
83. Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang
84. Thoroughly Modern Millie
85. Beauty and the Beast
86. The Little Mermaid
87. Peter Pan
88. Aladdin
89. The Lion King
90. Pocohantas
91. Hercules
92. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
93. Gulliver's Travels
94. Gay Puree
95. Victor, Victoria
96. Everyone Says I Love You
97. The Pajama Game
98. Damn Yankees
99. Bells Are Ringing
100. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

The names I've left off are various studios groupings: Paramount, Warners, Betty Grable, Alice Faye, etc. because I can't think of the titles.

 

[Al B. C]

Hedwig and The Angry Inch gets my vote. I enjoyed the crap out of that.

 

[Seth Paxton]

No Moulin Rouge or Hedwig. It's the first 100 years and MR and Hedwig came after that point.

Moulin would certainly get mentioned during the show though.

A couple of others to consider:

Hair
Tommy

Dee left off the already mentioned Yankee Doodle Dandy which would easily be on the list.


I wonder if they might also include concert films like Stop Making Sense, The Last Waltz, and Woodstock. If they did it would open things up even more. I certainly think they should at least.

 

[DeeF]

Well, since we don't have enough, we don't have to start limiting.

But those last three concert films are not musicals. They are documentaries.

If I had to make a distinction, I might say that a musical is a movie where some of the dialogue between characters is sung, in a completely fantaisical way, yet they don't hear it as singing, but as dialogue.

So, Dick Tracy wouldn't be considered a musical, even though it has some filmed musical numbers. But if we eliminate Dick Tracy, we ought to eliminate Cabaret, because it uses a very similar format. The dialogue scenes do not contain music or songs. The songs are all performed diegetically on the stage of the Kit Kat.

I forgot Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar, and many others. But maybe animated films should be separated, I don't know.

 

[BarryR]

The problem is one of perception too--from every era there are a number of "top" musicals, even if few today ever heard of them. You could put in Rouben Mamoulin's 1932 LOVE ME TONIGHT as a valid entry, and several good early talkies like HALLELUJAH (1929), the first black musical. APPLAUSE (1929) is a very important title from this period too. And how about the 1936 SHOWBOAT? The Nelson Eddy/Jeanette McDonald musicals? The period from 1929-1939 was very rich in musicals, even if it seems an academic exercise nowadays, and that's the problem. Think of all the Busby Berkeley musicals, aside from the better known ones...and others featuring huge names in their time, such as KID MILLIONS (1934) with Eddie Cantor (including WHOOPEE!). So many are regulated to TCM now, and it's no wonder many are completely overlooked. Right now any AFI count would be pretty much scouring more familiar titles. Oh yeah, and as someone mentioned, let's not forget Alice Faye and Betty Grable. We need a reintroduction to the musical genre alright; it's a wonderful history the AFI should promote.

 

[george kaplan]

Here are musicals I think are worthy of a list (in no particular order):
Victor/Victoria
My Fair Lady
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
The Music Man
The Court Jester
In the Good Old Summertime
The Wizard of Oz
Hello, Dolly!
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (british?)
How To Succeed in Business without Really Trying
The Blues Brothers
Hans Christian Andersen
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
West Side Story
Fantasia
Holiday Inn
Bedknobs & Broomsticks
Grease
The Sound of Music
That Thing You Do!
White Christmas
Going My Way
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Anchors Aweigh
Jailhouse Rock
South Pacific
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Star Spangled Rhythm
Mary Poppins
Singin' in the Rain
Royal Wedding
The King & I
and that's just off the top of my head. Yes, a couple of those may stretch the traditional idea of a musical, but I think if past lists are any indication they tend to use broad definitions.
And hopefully they would include A Hard Day's Night.

 

[BarryR]

By the way, aren't we premature about the the Top 100 musicals of the last 100 years? Wouldn't it be more accurate to wait until 2027 when THE JAZZ SINGER celebrates its 100th? Sient movie musicals are distinctly rare.

 

[Scott Leopold]

I came up with the following list of 165 American musicals:

1776
42nd Street
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A Little Night Music
A Star Is Born
Aladdin
All That Jazz
An American in Paris
Anchors Aweigh
Annie
Annie Get your Gun
Applause
April in Paris
Aristocats
Babes in Arms
Balls Are Ringing
Band Wagon
Beach Blanket Bingo
Beauty & the Beast
Bedknobs & Broomsticks
Blues Brothers
Born to Dance
Boy Friend
Brigadoon
Broadway Melody
By the Light of the Silvery Moon
Bye Bye, Birdie
Cabaret
Calamity Jane
Camelot
Can-Can
Cannibal, the Musical
Can't Help Singing
Can't Stop the Music
Carmen Jones
Carousel
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Cinderella
Court Jester
Cry Baby
Damn Yankees
Dangerous When Wet
Doctor Doolittle
Dumbo
Easter Parade
Everyone Says I Love You
Evita
Fiddler on the Roof
First Nudie Musical
Flower Drum Song
Flying Down to Rio
For Me And My Gal
Funny Face
Funny Girl
Gay Divorcee
Gay Puree
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Gigi
Going My Way
Gold Diggers of 1933
Good News
Grease
Grease 2
Gulliver's Travels
Guys & Dolls
Gypsy
Hair
Hallelujah
Hallelujah, I'm a Bum
Hans Christian Andersen
Happiest Millionaire
Harvey Girls
Head: The Monkees
Hedwig & the Angry Inch
Hello Dolly
Hercules
High Society
Holiday Inn
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Hunchback of Notre Dame
In the Good Old Summertime
It's Always Fair Weather
Jailhouse Rock
Jazz Singer
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jolson Story, The
Jungle Book
Kid Millions
King & I, The
King Creole
Kismet
Kiss Me Kate
Lady & the Tramp
Les Girls
Lion King
Little Mermaid
Little Shop of Horrors
Lost Horizon
Man of La Mancha
Mary Poppins
Meet Me in St. Louis
Million Dollar Mermaid
Moulin Rouge
Muppet Movie, The
Music Man
My Fair Lady
Neptune's Daughter
Newsies
Night & Day
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Oklahoma!
Oliver!
On Moonlight Bay
On the Town
Paint Your Wagons
Pajama Game
Pal Joey
Peter Pan
Pinnochio
Pirate, The
Pocohantas
Robin & the 7 Hoods
Robin Hood (Disney)
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Royal Wedding
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Shall We Dance?
Show Boat
Showboat (1936)
Singin' in the Rain
Singing Fool
Sleeping Beauty
Snow White & the 7 Dwarves
Song of the South
Sound of Music
South Pacific
South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut
Stars & Stripes Forever
State Fair
Strike up the Band
Summer Stock
Sweet Charity
Swingin' in the Rain
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Tea for Two
There's No Business Like Show Business
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Top Hat
Unsinkable Molly Brown, The
Victor/Victoria
Viva Las Vegas
West Side Story
What a Way to Go
White Christmas
Whooppee!
Willy Wonka
Wiz, The
Wizard of Oz
Xanadu
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Yentl
Yolanda and the Thief
Ziegfield Follies

Granted, some are a stretch, and some would never be considered. I left off a ton of Elvis movies, and didn't include any Shirley Temple or singing cowboys; I also missed a lot of early musicals, mainly becuase I don't know enough about them. I didn't include Tommy and a couple others because I wasn't sure if they'd be considered by the AFI. While I think it might be difficult for them to come up with a list of 400 legitimate choices, I'd still like to see them come up with a top 100 list, if for no other reason than to show people the rich heritage of musicals, and what a wide variety is truly available.

 

[BarryR]

Quite a list--I'd add LIL ABNER (1959) and, ahem, KING OF JAZZ (1930).

 

[Seth Paxton]

Silent movie musicals are distinctly rare.

Good call.
How about - AFI's 70 years, 100 musicals.

 

[Seth Paxton]

Blues Brothers, yes, we shouldn't forget that one for this list. Tons of great music, often used as plot dialog.

 

[John Kilduff]

"Earth Girls Are Easy" (This has musical numbers..."Brand New Girl", "The Ground You Walk On", "The Appliance Symphony", "Baby Gonna Shake" and "'Cause I'm A Blonde", plus excellent background music that acts as a compliment to the action on-screen. Example: In Valerie's nightmare, note the usage of The Jesus And Mary Chain's "Who Do You Love?")

"Krush Groove", "Beat Street" and "Breakin'"-Rap musicals...how come these titles were forgotten? Granted, "Breakin'" isn't "Singin' In The Rain", but it has dance numbers out the wazoo.

"Streets Of Fire"-I don't care what they say. This is a musical...

As a note regarding "Stop Making Sense", "The Last Waltz" and "Woodstock"...I think the AFI would consider these as musicals. The Internet Movie Database does, and I, for one, think that "Stop Making Sense" is THE definitive concert movie. Other examples: "Elvis-That's The Way It Is" and "U2: Rattle And Hum".

"The Muppet Movie", "The Great Muppet Caper", "The Muppets Take Manhattan" and "Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird"...these are all great musicals, with those great characters...The Muppets!

"Dirty Dancing", "Flashdance", "Footloose", "Saturday Night Fever", "Urban Cowboy" and "Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon"-Great examples of "Popsicals", that popular late-70s-through-the-80s combo of a killer soundtrack with an otherwise straightforward movie.

Did you mention "Oliver & Company"? If not, include that.

So, to sum up, these titles should be added:

"Earth Girls Are Easy"
"Krush Groove"
"Beat Street"
"Breakin'"
"Streets Of Fire"
"Stop Making Sense"
"The Last Waltz"
"Woodstock"
"Elvis-That's The Way It Is"
"U2: Rattle And Hum"
"The Muppet Movie"
"The Great Muppet Caper"
"The Muppets Take Manhattan"
"Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird"
"Dirty Dancing"
"Flashdance"
"Footloose"
"Saturday Night Fever"
"Urban Cowboy"
"Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon"
"Oliver & Company"

Sincerely,

John "Type what you know" Kilduff

 

[Scott Leopold]

While I don't know what criteria the AFI will follow (if they do eventually do this), I personally wouldn't include concert films. I consider them closer to a documentary than a musical. I also wouldn't consider movies with prominent soundtracks in this category. Granted, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack was a true phenomenon, but I'd never consider the movie a musical. Following that formula, Top Gun would also have to be considered a musical. As for the rap musicals, the only one I ever saw all the way through was Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo--that in itself should explain why I forgot them. I tried to include all the Disney musicals I could think of. I've never seen Oliver & Company, so it never came to mind.

 

[Jon_Are]

Four words:

This Is Spinal Tap

("talkin' 'bout mud flaps my girl's got 'em")

Jon

 

[Nicholas Vargo]

What about "Back to the Beach"?

That's considered a musical, as not only does it have some filmed musical numbers ("Jamaica Ska", "Surfin' Bird", "California Sun", "Some Things Live Forever"), but even Roger Ebert considers it a musical. When it was released in 1987, he called the film "the funniest, quirkiest musical comedy since 'Little Shop of Horrors'". If you don't believe he said that, go to his website and search for his review for this movie and see for yourself.

"Back to the Beach" should deserve a place if AFI does a musicals list. it's a musical, no matter what you guys say.

 

[BarryR]

THIS IS SPINAL TAP, eh? I would then also nominate the quasi-musical WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, a hilarious follw up on amateur musical productions.