Musicals

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

I don't often watch musical movies as a general rule so I surprised myself with two that I like back to back.

 

Flower Drum Song:  Miyoshi Umeki was the heart and sole of the movie and I never thought she got the credit she deserved.  One thing has always bothered me: The father was pushed into putting his money in the bank after being robbed while returning from the bank.  He had gone there to get smaller bills from $100.00.  After putting his money in the bank he had to go there to get his money in cash.  How did he gain anything by doing that?

 

South Pacific:  Great movie in every respect save one: they kept messing around with the blurring of the edges of some scenes and going ridiculously monochrome on other scenes.

[watab kid]

i rather enjoyed oklahoma when i saw it , i liked the music man when my high scholl put it on , and i liked a lot of the movies after the war that i grew up on , a lot of tallent on display , most of it was upbeat , i think by design , 

west side story had its downside yet i liked it very much , 

 

then there wads Xanadu , i raher liked olivia newton ................she and farrah  had that look ,  ive always preferred brunets and redheads but those two sorta grubbed the eye , kinda like marilyn and jane did when i was younger , they worked at it but made it look natural , 

probably wy i always prefered redheads and burettes  , they didnt work at it they just are ...............

[Rye Miles #13621]

I loved West Side Story when I was a teenager, I saw it years later and thought it was terrible! 😂

[Pat Riot]

I have never cared for “musicals”. I did enjoy the Rocky Horror Picture Show. 

[Rye Miles #13621]

I enjoyed Hair, that wasn’t bad but I’m not a fan of musicals in general.

[Blackwater 53393]

I’m not a fan of musicals either! I generally try to avoid them, but my grandson’s high school troupe did “Little Shop Of Horrors” last weekend.  I saw all three performances and enjoyed it much more than I had expected to.  
 

Kale wasn’t thrilled about doing a musical either, but he got a big role that was mostly a speaking part with lots of action, (he loves and excels at the physical stuff) and his singing performance was very well done!

 

The show was funny and the players were into the story!  It worked!

[Subdeacon Joe]

I didn't like musicals except for The Music Man and The Producers for a long time. 

 

But I've come to like several others,  My Fair Lady,  Phantom of the Opera,  Kiss Me, Kate, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,  Silk Stockings, American In Paris, Paint Your Wagon, Camelot,  A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum, Gypsy,  The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Grease , Jesus Christ Superstar,  Godspell, Rocky Horror,  Easter Parade, Meet Me in St. Louis,  

On the Town,  Yankee Doodle Dandy, Holiday Inn, The Harvey Girls, Anchors Away.

 

 

DANG!!! Yeah,  I had to search for the titles because I just plain suck at remembering titles, but that is a longer list than I thought!

[Subdeacon Joe]

Oh! Fiddler On the Roof, Willy Wonka,  Mary Poppins,  Mama Mia, the Leslie Ann Warren version of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast,  Funny Face with Fred Astair and Audry Hepburn,  Singing In the Rain. 

[Cypress Sun]

3 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

I have never cared for “musicals”. I did enjoy the Rocky Horror Picture Show. 

 

I had heard about RHPS, so I went with some friends to see it. Got kicked out. Some idiot squirted me with a squirt gun, told him to stop, in no uncertain terms, he did it again. The rest of what happened is hearsay....and you'll not hear me say it.

 

In general, don't like musicals myself, well maybe...is The Wizard of Oz considered a musical?

[Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428]

Musicals wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for all the singing and dancing....  😁

 

 

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

I loved Paint Your Wagon. Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin actually sang. Western Musical.

[Pat Riot]

52 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

I didn't like musicals except for The Music Man and The Producers for a long time. 

Uh, you like musicals. Your list tells the story. 

[Subdeacon Joe]

17 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

Uh, you like musicals. Your list tells the story. 

 

Now I do, but for the first 35 years of my life, more or less, except for those 2 I didn't.   My wife slowly corrupted me.

[Rye Miles #13621]

Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar were both good. Saw them live not the movies.

[Pat Riot]

55 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

Now I do, but for the first 35 years of my life, more or less, except for those 2 I didn't.   My wife slowly corrupted me.

When I was a kid my Dad & Mom would take us to drive-in movies. Most of the time they were good movies, BUT my Dad found a drive-in that would play musicals occasionally. This was utter torture to me. 
I found that if I sang along, even though not knowing the words, I would be sent to the snack bar for things. I would return with whatever I was sent for then go to the bathroom - code for going elsewhere and not coming back until the movie was over. 
I am pretty sure the indicator I have gone to hell will be me in a waiting room with songs from musicals piped in over loud speakers. 

[Jackson Haller]

Was the OP watching TCM recently?!

 Yes, I am a big fan of musicals. I get it; some people can't abide characters breaking into song, but not me!  Musicals were part of my childhood; my mother introduced them to me at a young age, and my love of them continued into adulthood and lead me into Opera as well; a serious and very enjoyable passion of mine for several decades!

Many of the musicals mentioned above I've enjoyed over the years and I  have a special place in my heart for some of the filmed adaptations of the R&H musicals.

Recently watched "Oklahoma" and "Jesus Christ, Superstar" and enjoyed both very much! 

Nice to see I'm not alone, but sadly I think it's a fading genre who's heyday has passed.  

[Blackwater 53393]

15 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

I am pretty sure the indicator I have gone to hell will be me in a waiting room with songs from musicals piped in over loud speakers. 

I’m right there with ya’!!

[J-BAR #18287]

Watch Ann-Margret in Bye Bye Birdie and tell me you're not in love.

[MizPete]

7 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I enjoyed Hair, t

Oh, Jeez, it was so sad.  Good music, though.

2 hours ago, Jackson Haller said:

"Jesus Christ, Superstar"

Good one.

[Rip Snorter]

My folks were into Broadway Musicals - I got to go to quite a few as a Teenager.  Original casts!  Memories I value.

[Black Angus McPherson]

4 hours ago, Cypress Sun said:

 

I had heard about RHPS, so I went with some friends to see it. Got kicked out. Some idiot squirted me with a squirt gun, told him to stop, in no uncertain terms, he did it again. The rest of what happened is hearsay....and you'll not hear me say it.

 

In general, don't like musicals myself, well maybe...is The Wizard of Oz considered a musical?

 

Your friends should have warned you about the interactive nature of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  Water guns, newspapers, playing cards and toast are standard fare for showings.  And if it bothers you when people talk back to the movie then this show is definitely not for you.  Is it weird?  Yes.  There's a reason it's usually shown at midnight shows.  Is the music good?  I think so.  Rock Opera.   More "Tommy" than "Oklahoma".  Audiences have gotten more and more rowdy over the years.

 

I used to work an area that had regular weekend midnight showings of RHPS.  Fights in the audience were not uncommon. Usually due to the use (overuse?) of drugs, which were much more common.

 

Back to the original topic.  I'm a fan of most musicals.  There are a couple I do not like.  Their names escape me at the moment.

 

A holiday favorite is "1776".

 

Angus

 

[Smokin Gator SASS #29736]

I've always liked the Fred Astair and Gene Kelly movies. Watched many Mario Lanza movies too. Doris Day.

[DocWard]

Since I sang in choir and did the show ensemble thing back in high school, and choir in college, I suppose it is natural that I have some affinity for musicals. Singing in the Rain, An American in Paris and others come immediately to mind. Fred Astaire gave us unmatched grace, Gene Kelly gave us grace with athleticism. Besides, without musicals, we wouldn't have some great music, and AB and I would've had to pick another song for our wedding. Someone to Watch Over Me comes from the musical, Oh, Kay!

Edited May 7, 2025 by DocWard

[Rip Snorter]

6 hours ago, Black Angus McPherson said:

 

Your friends should have warned you about the interactive nature of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  Water guns, newspapers, playing cards and toast are standard fare for showings.  And if it bothers you when people talk back to the movie then this show is definitely not for you.  Is it weird?  Yes.  There's a reason it's usually shown at midnight shows.  Is the music good?  I think so.  Rock Opera.   More "Tommy" than "Oklahoma".  Audiences have gotten more and more rowdy over the years.

 

I used to work an area that had regular weekend midnight showings of RHPS.  Fights in the audience were not uncommon. Usually due to the use (overuse?) of drugs, which were much more common.

 

Back to the original topic.  I'm a fan of most musicals.  There are a couple I do not like.  Their names escape me at the moment.

 

A holiday favorite is "1776".

 

Angus

 

Oddly enough, back in the late'70's, my favorite pub, the Old Black Lion, was patronized by Rocky Horror Show cast - they came in raincoats to have a drink at the intermission.  Met Marianne Faithful and her then boyfriend - a nasty fellow.  Smarter than he looked - if he had pushed a bit more, I'd have put him on the floor.

[Subdeacon Joe]

8 hours ago, Black Angus McPherson said:

 

A holiday favorite is "1776".

 

It's weird...I usually don't think of that as a musical!  

[watab kid]

im not sure if white christmas would count as a musical but that and many more made before and after the war were wonderful , im a fan because hey are nostalgic to my young days ,that time is gone and long forgotten but its vivid in my memory ., my grandparents inspired me to the roaring 20s too , i do enjoy old movies of that era , 

 

my parents were born in the early 20s so it was a part of my life as was the depression , these things dont get forgotten for at least two gen=elations , my kids dont know of them we seldom talked of that with the current educational system not teaching our history in the correct way , i did educate them of the 20s , the thirtys lost souls and outlaws a little , my father would have been a better source but he was 300 miles away , i regret that they didnt know him better , even though i couldnt find the good in him as a kid in later ;life i did and i found the respect i wish i had offered , he would have been a very valuable resource to them , 

 

the one thing ive found in old age i wished i had known in youth was the value of asking questions and listening to answers given nobdy knows when you will go way - have you shared some valuable info  today ? i ask because looking back on my  day i did not , i went to a grandsons tennis match and never got to speak to him  , i think he  knew i was there , but they lost , not what we would have liked to have happened but hey , you cant always  win ...evin if you have never lost before , he has lost but he has won way more yjan he has lost the last couple years , at his age it hurts [at mine it doesn't] i know age will make it more palatable , i do feel bad for him but i realize in the great scheme of things it will all work out ,   

[Subdeacon Joe]

16 hours ago, J-BAR #18287 said:

Watch Ann-Margret in Bye Bye Birdie and tell me you're not in love.

 

Well, some 4 letter word that starts with L! 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

On 5/7/2025 at 6:04 AM, Pat Riot said:

I have never cared for “musicals”. I did enjoy the Rocky Horror Picture Show. 

Why?

[Pat Riot]

1 minute ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

Why?

Because it was more of a party than a movie. 

[Choctaw Jack]

I'm not usually a fan of musicals, but ,like Big Sage, I've always enjoyed Paint Your Wagon.

Lee Marvin did a great job, but to me, Ray Walston was a standout. Clint Eastwood's acting was good, but his singing, not so much.

Another musical I like (surprisingly to me) is Chicago.

No real standouts, but a good ensemble cast. Not a fan of Richard Gere , but his portrayal of a shyster lawyer seems to fit his personality. 

Choctaw

[Black Angus McPherson]

16 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

It's weird...I usually don't think of that as a musical!  

 

Yeah, that is weird.  1776 has some great music.

 

Angus

[Subdeacon Joe]

33 minutes ago, Black Angus McPherson said:

 

Yeah, that is weird.  1776 has some great music.

 

Angus

 

I know.  I love it for its music.   But I never thought of it as a musical.  My wife is as huge fan of musicals, she's the person that got me liking them, and I said to her, "You know what musical we missed? 1776!" She blinked and said,  "Yea! That is a musical, isn't?"  To us it was just a good movie. 

[DocWard]

On 5/8/2025 at 2:37 AM, watab kid said:

im not sure if white christmas would count as a musical

 

One of the best, in my book.

[Tex Jones, SASS 2263]

Grease.  Olivia Newton John!

[watab kid]

On 5/9/2025 at 5:57 PM, DocWard said:

 

One of the best, in my book.

thanks , also one of mine , music man and sound of music also left impressions , 

 

its not that i didnt watch a lot of them , there were so many with frank sinatra and others after the war settings or even during the war settings , and they were a contrast to the prewar things i liked as well , 

 

i guess another i miht call out as a highlight of my life might be the one with fred asaire , when he did sining in the rain , 

 

i cant argue with grease , nor would i disagree with hair for that matter , at the time it seemed innovative and contemporary 

 

ill add real quick i also liked a couple films that included the synchronized swimming with easter williams 

Edited May 13, 2025 by watab kid