As soon as there were ’talkies,’ there were literally musicals; the very first motion picture with full sound (The Jazz Singer) was, in fact, a musical. Twentieth century cinema introduced the world to the popular movie musical that’s remained admired and adored as a Hollywood staple, continuously captivating fans. The spellbinding genre shined brightly during this period in Hollywood, with countless pictures being released featuring dazzling and famous stars. Famed performer Gene Kelly danced his way into the hearts of moviegoers in critically acclaimed pictures like An American in Paris and Singin’ in the Rain, while queen of the silver screen Julie Andrews enchanted audiences as a nanny in both Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music.
Many famous faces would take on the musical genre, giving fans of the song and dance pictures a plethora of iconic and endearing characters they couldn’t help but love; yearly 100 years after the first one, movie musicals in the 21st century still remain beloved.. The legendary Judy Garland was a musical darling who appeared in arguably three of the genre’s greatest films: as Dorothy Gale in the cinema wonder The Wizard of Oz, Esther Smith in Meet Me in St. Louis, and as aspiring actress Esther Blodgett in A Star Is Born. Such outstanding performances and star-making roles helped spread the popularity of the lively genre in the entertainment industry. Aside from the great black-and-white movies, these are Hollywood’s best classic musicals.
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9 Guys and Dolls
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The 1955 musical Guys and Dolls features some of classic Hollywood’s most admired and gifted performers, including Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons and Marlon Brando, and follows the duo as notorious gambler Nathan Detroit (Sinatra) bets his pal Sky Masterson (Brando) that he cannot get the virtuous Sarah Brown (Simmons) to go out on a date with him. Despite his lack of vocal skills, Brando was cast in the picture due to the actor being the world’s biggest box office draw by a landslide, a choice Sinatra was dismayed by. He himself had coveted the role of Sky Masterson but was instead cast as Detroit, causing on-set relations with Brando to become strained.
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The talented greats were infamously frosty towards one another, with Sinatra calling Brando “the world’s most overrated actor” and referring to him as “mumbles.” Despite on-set discord, Guys and Dolls was a box office success and spawned the hit musical number “Luck Be a Lady,” and took home the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
8 A Star is Born
Warner Bros.
Silver screen icon Judy Garland won a Golden Globe for her intimate performance as Esther Blodgett in 1954’s A Star is Born, playing an aspiring actress who finds fame by appearing in a musical alongside fading Hollywood actor Norman Maine, whom she later has a tumultuous marriage with. Garland had previously portrayed the character in a 1942 Lux Radio Theater broadcast, and she and then-husband Sid Luft had formed Transcona Enterprises to specifically produce the project to the big screen.
It is the first remake of the 1937 film, and the movie star’s brilliant delivery of “The Man That Got Away” is arguably the most impactful and important musical sequence in the entire picture. Garland was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for A Star is Born, and when she lost to Grace Kelly, Groucho Marx sent her a telegram after her ceremony and declared her loss “the biggest robbery since Brinks.” Regardless, the emotionally-driven film is arguably Garland’s finest, and Time called it “just about the greatest one-woman show in modern movie history.”
7 My Fair Lady
Twentieth century cinema legend Audrey Hepburn famously starred in the 1964 musical dramedy My Fair Lady, in which she plays a poor Cockney flower seller named Eliza Doolittle who agrees to a wager with the arrogant phonetics professor Henry Higgins that he can make her presentable in high society. Hepburn’s casting of Doolittle was met with some criticism in the industry, as Julie Andrews had originated the role on stage yet wasn’t offered the part due to producers believing Hebpurn was the more bankable star.
Though the actress sang in Funny Face, her vocals were dubbed by singer Marni Nixon, whose voice was considered more suitable for the character and songs; upon hearing the news Hepburn walked off the set in tears. My Fair Lady proved to be a critical and commercial success, winning eight Academy Awards and further elevating Hepburn as a revered and respected talent; Time magazine said her “graceful, glamorous performance” was “the best of her career.”
6 Mary Poppins
Buena Vista Distribution Company, Inc.
Robert Stevenson directed Disney’s 1964 musical fantasy Mary Poppins, in which the renowned Julie Andrews makes her feature film debut as the magical titular character who employs music and adventures to help two neglected children mend their relationship with their father. The beloved picture memorably co-stars Dick Van Dyke as Bert, a cockney jack-of-all-trades who is the close friend of Poppins and is accustomed to her magical ways. Together, the pair famously perform the mouthful musical number “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” and the movie’s mix of animation with live action created dazzling and vibrant visuals.
Mary Poppins is widely considered to be Walt Disney’s crowning achievement and became the biggest box-office draw in Disney history at the time, earning over $100 million. Andrews’ star-making role earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress and was lauded by critics and audiences alike, with Variety proclaiming her performance as a “signal triumph…she performs as easily as she sings, displaying a fresh type of beauty.”
5 An American in Paris
Famed actor and dancer Gene Kelly headlined the 1951 musical comedy An American in Paris, appearing as American ex-GI Jerry Mulligan who stays in post-war Paris to become a painter and ends up falling for the charming Lise Bouvier; things take a complicated turn when his artwork attracts the attention of a lonely American heiress who likes more than just Mulligan’s paintings. The storyline of the picture is interspersed with dance numbers that were choreographed by Kelly and is set to composer George Gershwin’s music and numbers, most notably “I Got Rhythm” and “Love Is Here to Stay.”
The actor coincidentally discovered co-star Leslie Caron in Paris and brought her to Hollywood for the project. An American in Paris features a then unprecedented 17-minute ballet sequence, and was the most expensive production number ever filmed at the time. The musical comedy was a monumental success, winning six Academy Awards and earning the status as one of the best musicals of all time.
4 Singin’ in the Rain
Loew's Inc
The insanely talented Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor starred together in the 1952 romantic comedy musical Singin’ in the Rain, following three performers caught up in the transition from silent films to “talkies” in late 1920s Hollywood. In the iconic sequence in which Kelly dances and sings the title song while spinning an umbrella and splashing through puddles, the acclaimed dancer was battling a 103 degree fever, and the elaborate number took multiple days to get through.
Reynolds was not a dancer when she made the picture, which caused Kelly to be especially hard on her about; he insulted her for her lack of dance experience and caused the actress to become so upset she was found by Fred Astaire crying under a piano. Kelly would later apologize for his behavior, which he recognized was unkind and was surprised she was still willing to speak to him afterwards. Reynold’s would say years later, “Singin’ in the Rain and childbirth were the two hardest things I ever had to do in my life.” In 1989, the musical was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
3 The Sound of Music
20th Century Fox
Based on Maria von Trapp’s memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers (but a historically inaccurate movie adaptation), the 1965 hallowed musical drama The Sound of Music stars the lovely Julie Andrews as a young Austrian postulant in Salzburg, Austria who is sent to the villa of a retired naval officer and widower to be governess to his seven children (a year after doing roughly the same for Mary Poppins). Maria brings love and music into the lives of the von Trapps, ultimately marrying the officer and becoming the matriarch of the children and singing group; they newly formed family must find a way to survive when their homeland is lost to the Nazis.
Andrews was screenplay writer Ernest Lehman’s first and only choice for the role of Maria, and shined in her performance of the picture’s title song atop the stunning hills, powerfully belting the lyrics. Other cherished songs from the musical include the toe-tapping “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” “Maria,” and “My Favorite Things.” The Sound of Music broke box-office records in 29 countries and went on to win five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
2 West Side Story
Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins’ engrossing 1961 romantic musical drama West Side Story famously follows star-crossed lovers between rival street gangs who face building tensions over their romance that leads to a heartbreaking tragedy. The brilliant Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer portray Maria and Tony, two teenagers who fall madly and deeply in love only to receive the ire of their fellow gang members and friends. Wood’s singing in the emotional picture was dubbed by Marni Nixon, but she was nonetheless praised for her commanding yet delicate portrayal of the lovesick and restless Maria.
West Side Story is full of colorful and exciting dance sequences, dynamite performances and beautifully written songs that helped make it one of the greatest musical films of all time. It holds the record for most Academy Award wins, nabbing 10 including the highly coveted Best Picture. The New York Times commended the film, proclaiming that “moving the story from stage to screen is to reconstruct its fine material into nothing short of a cinema masterpiece.” A modern remake of the classic movie was directed by Steven Spielberg in 2021, also garnering Oscar nominations.
1 The Wizard of Oz
MGM
Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, Victor Fleming’s 1939 musical fantasy The Wizard of Oz is a cinematic wonder that is both a beloved and revered picture that continues to captivate audiences everywhere. Judy Garland was just 16 when she was cast as Dorothy Gale in the film based on L. Frank Baum’s children’s book, beating out famed child star Shirley Temple for the role. The Wizard of Oz was notable for its use of Technicolor, and while it was not the first movie to be shot in color, the musical’s bright design and saturated palette truly made it stand out from the rest. When Dorothy first arrives in the magical Land of Oz, her world transforms from black and white to a stunningly vibrant assortment of Technicolor beauty, enthralling audiences.
The land of Oz features some of the most memorable characters in movie history, and has some of the best witches of the 20th century. Garland’s stunning performance of the moving ballad “Over the Rainbow” would become her signature tune, and it would win the Academy Award for Best Original Song. According to the Library of Congress, the musical is the most seen film in movie history and has become the source and inspiration behind countless contemporary pop culture works.
