From: rlwilliams@gallua.gallaudet.edu
Subject: Re: Favorite musicals
Organization: Gallaudet University
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 19:58:18 GMT

In article <131011@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV>, ed@wente.llnl.gov (Ed Suranyi) writes:
> There doesn't generally seem to be much discussion of musicals in this
> newsgroup.  Perhaps that's because there are so few made nowadays, aside
> from Disney animated features.  There was a short discussion around the
> time "Newsies" came out, but that movie bombed.
> 
> So I thought I'd come up with the list of my favorite movie musicals.
> There are a couple of things to note.  First, they're almost all from
> same era -- early 1960's to early 1970's.  That's because this is the
> period I was growing up in, and many of my earliest movie memories are
> of musicals.  Second, just because I didn't include your favorite
> musical on this list doesn't mean I didn't like it.  More likely, I
> never got a chance to see it.  So I'm definitely looking for your
> suggestions.
> 
> So here are my favorites:
> 
> West Side Story -- Not only is this my favorite musical, but it's one of
> my top ten movies of all genres.  Even though I've seen it many times,
> Leonard Bernstein's music still thrills me, and Maria's speech at the 
> end of the movie always leaves me in tears.
> 
> The Sound of Music -- I know that there's a lot of critical opinion
> around that this movie is too schmaltzy, but it's a sentimental favorite
> for me.  This is the first movie I ever went to that I remember by name.
> My mother knew I liked music, so she thought I'd enjoy this movie.
> 
> Mary Poppins -- Another childhood memory.
> 
> My Fair Lady -- Perhaps the most interesting plot of any musical, and why
> not?  G.B. Shaw was no slouch.
> 
> Oliver! -- "Three Bags Full" is one of my favorite musical songs.
> 
> Fiddler on the Roof -- I know the stage version was better, but I saw
> the movie at least ten years before I saw a stage production, and I
> loved it.
> 
> Hair -- Milos Forman did the seemingly impossible.  He took the
> essentially plotless Broadway show and turned it into a real story, while
> retaining almost all of the great music.
> 
> South Pacific -- How could I ignore Rodgers and Hammerstein's greatest
> musical?
> 
> Well, that's my list.  I look forward to your suggestions.
> 
> Ed
> ed@wente.llnl.gov
> 
> 
> 
================
A. my apologies for including the entire message above but I don't know how to
delete...

B. Favorites... In no particular order...

	Oklahoma... I grew up on this one... gordon McCrea and Shirley Jones
		    have wonderful voices... such a warm movie

	The King and I... he can't sing but I still liked Yul Brenner

	South Pacific... Not the best selling musical album of all time for 
		    nothing (or at least it was for many years)

	Goodbye Mr. Chips...Not on ANYone's list so far... what the hay, I lik	
		    Petula Clark (See Next) and Peter O'Tool.

	Finnian's Rainbow... REALLY dated, pedantic, badly acted.. but I'm in
		love with Glocca Morra

	Brigadoon... I'm not a fan of Gene Kelly, but another one that I grew 
		up on... 

	Mary Poppins... Julie Andrews, need I say more?

	My Fair Lady... Audry Hepburn, need I say more?

rlwilliams