I was recently asked what my favourite musicals were. Well now, that’s not a fair question, is it? So we narrowed it down to favoured movie musicals, and that made the decision making much easier. Here’s my top ten, although, I am not committing myself to this list and would never say that it’s in any particular order. It’s hard because some I have seen many, many, many times, and one is very recent. Plus I was told that animated Disney movies can not be on the list. So there goes Beauty and the Beast, which I have seen approximately 300+ times.
Top 10 Movie Musicals Randomly:
10-“Mary Poppins”. I had the soundtrack on vinyl and Kathy Rose and I listened to it a lot. Like, A LOT a lot. And not when we were 6, no, when we were in high school.
9- “Tommy”. My favourite scene used to be the one with Ann-Margaret and the baked beans, but now any moment featuring Keith Moon as Uncle Ernie pwns. Creepy, creepy perv.
8-“Wizard of Oz”. But only because no movie musical list would be complete without it. The music when the wicked witch is riding her bike, wow, who’s mother is that song for again? ;)
7-“Grease”. Summer Lovin’ indeed. I first saw this in the gymnasium of Niagara District Secondary School and I think I might have been 8. Instantaneous addiction.
6-“Hair”. For as long as I have been breathing, I have known the words to this musical. I sang the lyrics to Sodomy while riding in a grocery cart when I was 2 and embarrassed the hell out of my mother.
5-“Sweeney Todd”. With Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Well, truth be told, it’s better sung by Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury, but the movie is so beautiful and scary and wonderful. I can’t wait for the dvd release.
4-“Chicago”. I didn’t bother watching this movie for ages, which is weird, because it’s exactly the kind of thing I love. It took working on a production of it in sunny Windsor to really get what it’s all about. Shame that Bob Fosse died 15 years too early to choreograph it properly.
3-“Rocky Horror Picture Show”. I love every moment of this movie. I love Meatloaf. I really do. And I love that it’s Susan Sarandon in it, who I picture talking to Sean Penn in “Dead Man Walking” and get the giggles. Seriously, I must be sick.
2-“Gypsy”. The original one with Natalie Wood and Rosalind Russel. Sure, the later one with Bette Midler will do in a pinch, but for real, R.R. as the fame-crazed Mama is pure brilliance. I could watch this movie over and over again. Ok, I have watched this movie over and over again.
1-“Cabaret”. Oh Liza Minnelli. Oh Joel Grey. And this song. Wow. Show stopper. This movie was made the same year I was born and I believe it’s my birthright to feel ownership towards it. I have listened to the soundtrack many, many times. And despite it missing some great songs from the stage production, it is still perfect. Yes, I said it, PERFECT.
Honourable mentions: “Annie”, “Fame”, “Sound of Music”, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, “Little Shop of Horrors”, “A Chorus Line”, “West Side Story”, “Popeye”, “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut “, “The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T”, “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” and “Rock and Roll High School”.
Edited to say: I am well aware that there is a space missing between numbers 8 and 9. I have tried to add one, I have even tried to add two, but no dice. For some reason 8 and 9 want to be very, very close together and I can’t be bothered to stop it any further.
I too, have Mary Poppins on vinyl. I used to lipsynch along to it in my room with made up little dance routines. And no, that was not when I was in high school.
And yes, who’s mother has the Wicked Witch bike-riding song as her theme indeed? I have no idea what you are talking about. ;)
Chicago? Well, thanks to you I watch it whenever it comes on. Richard Gere/George Costanza singing and all.
In my list I would have had Sound of Music and Little Shop of Horrors (which I see get honourable mention in your list here). And the one movie musical which would get -10000000 points would be South Pacific. Everytime I hear “Happy Talk” I die a little inside. God I hate that movie. I’m going to wash it right out of my hair.
Lets not forget Cannibal! The musical.
“Lost without food, they must turn to the ultimate horror…EATING EACH OTHER…and, of course, SINGING and DANCING!”
Oh, and of course: Silence! The Musical
Oh, and it’s not full-length, but I want to add the Planet of the Apes one from The Simpsons. “He can talk!” “He can talk!” “He can talk!” “He can talk!” “I CAN SINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG!!!!”
Ooh, yeah, good ones. I also loved “A Streetcar Named Marge” on The Simpsons. Also brilliant.
And the Betty Ford Clinic one where they have a hockey player who I think had the same number on his jersey as Bob’s.
CABARET!!!! Oh I love it! It’s a masterpiece!!! Joel Grey is brilliant! I could watch it a thousand times.