ONLY FAGGOTS DON'T WATCH MUSICALS - Uncuck your dumbfuck, libtard mind, and get ready for this empirically correct fact I'm about to spit....

[Snuckening2]

The Producers (1967) is a film about producing a musical and has only one song. The OG film is not a musical. It became a full musical on Broadway in 2001 starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. Nathan Lane is a flaming homosexual.

-Springtime For Hitler
-Prisoner of Love

I haven't watched it in two or three years, but I remember at least those two songs, from the (in-movie) musical, plus if I'm remembering right, there are other songs sung, in stuff like the auditions scenes.

But sure, it's more a comedy, than a musical.

I've never seen any stage musicals, though. Even movies/recordings of stage musicals, the only ones I can think of that I've seen, are Hamilton, and a 00s musical of Frankenstein, I think with Bennidict Cumberbatch. Other than that, it's just movie adaptations of stage musicals (which I don't really differentiate from any other musical movie)

I wouldn't claim to be any great "expert" on movie musicals- I've only been into them 3 or 4 years; I love the genre, and know enough to make a few recommendations, but there's still a bunch of classics I haven't seen... But stage musicals are completely out of my wheelhouse.

AND you even only mention the film version of Little Shop of Horrors, which is devoid of the best song in the stage version:

No Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera (1986) - my dad's favorite musical, RIP papa

No Zydrate Anatomy from Repo the Genetic Opera (2008 ). Null can't go long without mentioning it on MATI.

To be frank, I am disappointed, OP.

I've seen an old, 1920s version of 'Phantom of the Opera', I think (I remember it as a pretty straight horror, with no musical elements; But it's been a while, I could be wrong) , but not the 80s Andrew LLoyd Webber one.

And I've seen Repo man (an all-time fave), Repo Men, even a complete trainwreck called "Repo Chick", but haven't got around to Repo the Genetic Opera, yet. It's on my "to do" list.

And sure, that 'Gas' song's pretty good... But it's no 'Son, Be A Dentist...' (and 'Feed Me' is pretty tough competion, too)

Not that there aren't a bunch of great 80s/90/00s musicals (S.O.B, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Crybaby, Moulin Rouge. Canibal the musical, I'm not a huge Tim Burton fan, but Sweeny Todd was pretty good. Plenty others), but I was trying to focus mostly on the "golden age" of the genre, pre-1970

I wish I knew who thought people singing on roller skates in a musical about trains would be a good idea. No one was going to say "no" to the guy known for Cats in the 1980s though.

Seems like there's been a few attempts to "re-invent" the stage musical- Early 70s had that weird fad of hippy/religious stage musicals- 'Hair', "Joseph's Technicolor Dreamcoat', 'Godspell', 'Jesus Christ Superstar' (I've only seen Hair. Not a huge fan tbh). 90's had weird stage musicals, about rattling bin-lids and 44 gallon drums, in cut-off denim overalls.

But the weirdest has to be the 80's, Andrew Lloyd Webber thing, with cats, and rollerskates, and fuck knows what else. I know it's a cliche that everything in the 80s came from too much coke, but those Lloyb Webber Broadway shows SCREAM "too much coke".

OP, who is dumb enough to use culture war bullshit...

Damn, I really stepped on some toes with the video games cracks, huh?

 

[Seventh Star]

Musicals are for pretentious faggots and rug munching cat women.

OP, pick your poison, do you sniff farts and swallow cumtinis for breakfast or are you a full blooded WBA associated wife beating lesbian?

 

[Snuckening2]

Musicals are for pretentious faggots and rug munching cat women.

OP, pick your poison, do you sniff farts and swallow cumtinis for breakfast or are you a full blooded WBA associated wife beating lesbian?

Look, there's no need to lash out like that. KF is a non-judgemental space, that embraces even the most massive, poo-jabbing faggots.

You don't need to live in denial. Love is Love.

 

[Your Starter for 10]

I like the baked beans scene with Ann Margaret from Tommy.

 

[trekkor]

I adore My Fair Lady for various reasons, but I have resigned to the fact that the modern reaction online over it is pretty much centered around "Henry Higgins was an incel chud, probably closeted, should be erased from the story". It used to be quite common that the stage shows would end with Higgins and Eliza kissing, but some places now end with her not even returning to him, pretty much ending this very cheerful musical on a massive downer. Also calling Rex Harrison unattractive, despite women IRL back in the days throwing themselves at him, and in one case, killing herself because he wanted to divorce her.

I haven't tipped my toes into the online fandom of The Music Man, but I can guess there's whinging over Robert Preston being quite a bit older than his female love interest (in the 1962 film version). If anyone wants to see a very pretty musical that takes place in an idyllic pre-WWI small American town, this is the one to watch. Several fun songs as well, though I think the love ballads are a bit boring.

 

[Snuckening2]

I adore My Fair Lady for various reasons, but I have resigned to the fact that the modern reaction online over it is pretty much centered around "Henry Higgins was an incel chud, probably closeted, should be erased from the story". It used to be quite common that the stage shows would end with Higgins and Eliza kissing, but some places now end with her not even returning to him, pretty much ending this very cheerful musical on a massive downer. Also calling Rex Harrison unattractive, despite women IRL back in the days throwing themselves at him, and in one case, killing herself because he wanted to divorce her.

I haven't tipped my toes into the online fandom of The Music Man, but I can guess there's whinging over Robert Preston being quite a bit older than his female love interest (in the 1962 film version). If anyone wants to see a very pretty musical that takes place in an idyllic pre-WWI small American town, this is the one to watch. Several fun songs as well, though I think the love ballads are a bit boring.

The songs in My Fair Lady are great, and it has some funny bits (Eliza's Dad is hilarious), but I think Pygmalion (1938 adapatation of the same story) handles the overall story better. My Fair Lady is still a classic, but they did over-play how unlikable Higgins is meant to be. He just doesn't act like a real person; They try to make him the rich, autistic scientist, so lost in his work that he can't remember how to relate to people. But they dial it up too high, so he just doesn't act like any actual human being, rich and autistic or not. Some of the most classic songs in any musical, though.

 

[Shart Attack]

Damn, I really stepped on some toes with the video games cracks, huh?

Your opening is basically, "Masculine stereotypes, masculine stereotypes, MANLY MEN, cucks, capeshit, everything is getting gayer, let's watch musicals to make those video-gaming, anime-watching fags straight again." Retarded culture war nonsense. You could've just left it at, "Musicals are underrated, and the stereotype that they're gay movies for women is wrong. Here are some recommendations and why they're great, etc."

For relatively modern musicals, I liked Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog back when I was in college. I might re-watch it in the near future now. I'm curious how it's held up.

 

[Calandrino]

I've seen an old, 1920s version of 'Phantom of the Opera', I think (I remember it as a pretty straight horror, with no musical elements; But it's been a while, I could be wrong) ,

It's a silent film but I suppose you could do karaoke with the intertitles

Surprised nobody mentioned the very first talkie, The Jazz Singer

 

[Pee Cola]

Andrew Lloyd Webber is the cancer that killed musicals.

 

[Absurdity]

I would watch a Schindler's List musical.

 

[Snuckening2]

Your opening is basically, "Masculine stereotypes, masculine stereotypes, MANLY MEN, cucks, capeshit, everything is getting gayer, let's watch musicals to make those video-gaming, anime-watching fags straight again." Retarded culture war nonsense. You could've just left it at, "Musicals are underrated, and the stereotype that they're gay movies for women is wrong. Here are some recommendations and why they're great, etc."

But everything IS getting gayer.

And I don't know if I share your assumption, that the sexual/"gender" landscape of today (in terms of men, especially) is somehow BETTER than the era where men were "MANLY masculine stereotypes" (ie functional, capable, productive adults with usefull skills that bennefitted themselves and those around them, rather than being permanently stalled in adolescence, and obsessed with useless, childish time-wasting), but saw no contradiction between those "MANLY masculine stereotypes", and stuff like enjoying musicals, or dancing.

I thought it was pretty obvious that I was mostly just shitposting, as an excuse to talk about old musicals (but I admit; I let my genuine beliefs creep in, in a shitposty way). I'm surprised it's being taken this seriously. This is KF, not Reddit; I thought people here were used to dealing with people coming from political perspectives they may not share, and would still be able to stay on-topic, and not get distracted with political bullshit.

There's a thousand threads in autistic thunderdome, for "culture war"/sexual politics slap-fighting. If that's what you want, go there.

But whether you do or don't approve of my beliefs about modern sexual politics (which I thought were pretty obviously stated in a joking, shitposty, deliberately exagerated way, not meant to be taken seriously... but maybe I was too subtle...), the thread was clearly made to discuss actual musicals.

Andrew Lloyd Webber is the cancer that killed musicals.

Nah, the genre was dead a decade before Webber; He was a failed attempt to REVIVE the corpse;

He was just the most spectacular trainwreck, of many failed attempts- The hippys tried to revive the genre in the 70s, with Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph's Technicolor Dreamcoat, Godspell, and that weird fad for hippy/religious musicals. In the 90s there was a wierd trend for "industrial" musicals.

But the genre was dead before the 70s; Every decade pre-70s, the highest-grossing movies lists were filled with musicals; 70's and after, there's only ever been a handful of semi-successful musicals, as a kind of "nostalgia"/"retro" genre. Virtually never any real "blockbuster" successes, like those that dominated every decade pre-1970.

 

[Pomniman]

Since you're talking about the 70s, I actually liked Phantom of the Paradise quite a bit, but mostly because of how slapstick it was along with how hard it went at the likes of Phil Spector and The Beach Boys. De Palma's very hit or miss for me but that movie in particular seemed to play to all of his strengths.

 

[Snuckening2]

Since you're talking about the 70s, I actually liked Phantom of the Paradise quite a bit, but mostly because of how slapstick it was along with how hard it went at the likes of Phil Spector and The Beach Boys. De Palma's very hit or miss for me but that movie in particular seemed to play to all of his strengths.

Yeah, 70s had some classics- Willy Wonka, Tommy, Cabaret, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, Rocky Horror, Scorsese's New York New York. I have seen Phantom of the Paradise, but it was like 10 years ago, when i was still in that mindset where I wasn't really giving musicals a chance; I need to re-watch it.

 

[Shart Attack]

There's a thousand threads in autistic thunderdome, for "culture war"/sexual politics slap-fighting. If that's what you want, go there.

That's not what I want. That's why I'm saying it's dumb to open a musicals thread with it, and it'd be better to just talk about how great musicals are on their own merits. You dumbass.

If we're talking 70s musicals, don't forget The Muppet Movie (1979). It doesn't necessarily have the most memorable musical numbers ever or anything, but as a musical film it's still one of the greats.

 

[The Internet Dick]

Every muscle in his body was under his complete control.

I watch Fred Astaire in Top Hat about once a year or so, and you're right: his absolute control is riveting to watch. Martial artists could watch and learn from him. The closest I can come to a sports comparison would be the featherweight boxer Willie Pep. Watching Pep move in his old fights, particularly those when he went against Sandy Saddler, I'm halfway convinced Pep was a secret Astaire disciple.

 

[Breadbassket]

If you're a fan of blackface and well-produced minstrels shows watch Swanee River

If you're a fan of whiteface and Asians pretending to be European check out Pacific Overtures by Stephen Sondheim. The cast requires an abundance of male Asian actors who must play male and female parts so its not put on very often.

If you're a fan of stories about not so great figures look into Assassins. Using the framing device of an all-American, yet sinister, carnival game, the semi-revue portrays a group of historical figures who attempted (successfully or not) to assassinate Presidents of the United States, and explores what their presence in American history says about the ideals of their country.

If you're a fan of American Psycho, someone made a musical about it for some reason.

 

[trekkor]

The songs in My Fair Lady are great, and it has some funny bits (Eliza's Dad is hilarious), but I think Pygmalion (1938 adapatation of the same story) handles the overall story better. My Fair Lady is still a classic, but they did over-play how unlikable Higgins is meant to be. He just doesn't act like a real person; They try to make him the rich, autistic scientist, so lost in his work that he can't remember how to relate to people. But they dial it up too high, so he just doesn't act like any actual human being, rich and autistic or not. Some of the most classic songs in any musical, though.

I actually really like Higgins being this massive autist who doesn't care for societal customs since that pairs nicely with Eliza, a woman he's trying to integrate into that world. If their roles were switched, Higgins would be very similar to Eliza in that he's also be a rude and loudmouthed, not really caring about what people think about him, but wanting a small comfort that has been denied by social class. People seem to forget the story highlighted how ridiculous Higgins' "hatred" towards women was (and I'd argue he didn't hate them at all; he respected his mother a lot and he didn't really think Eliza was worthless because she was a woman, but he tried to show he wasn't swayed by a feminine touch in his life and that could be read as fear of romantic attachment) and when he realized he'd gone too far, he pulled back. Just before Eliza succeeds in speaking "proper", he sits her down and offers her gentle words and that was enough for Eliza. The very last song in the movie is Higgins realizing Eliza has outgrown him, but he's started to change and wants her around, seeming almost ashamed of how his prior boasting and harshness showed how ugly he'd become.

I do get your argument that he could come across as too much and thus unlikable, but I'd say there are enough signs in the story that Higgins could be approachable and kind, but he just needed a firm kick in the backside for that to register to him. Hence why Eliza coming back and hearing him listening to her voice is a strong way to end the story - she has proof of him being an actual human being with feelings and she was the one to coax them out. It's as much about Eliza changing as it is Higgins.