A Musicals Film Guide

"Fantasy trips for the audiences" with Singin' In the Rain and Easter Parade

My favorite movie genre of all time is probably the musical. And not just any musical but the MGM musicals of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Frank Sinatra said, “Musicals were fantasy trips for the audiences of their day.” Not only were they an escape from the daily worries of their original audience but they took a little girl from Massachusetts on imaginary trips by way of the singing and dancing. MGM musicals aren’t “thinking” movies nor are they supposed to be; they are “fantasy,” “innocence,” and “loveliness” as Elizabeth Taylor noted, and I think we, as human beings, crave those things. Musicals answer that call.

“MGM seemed to acquire talent the way you and I pick up paper clips - by the handful,” Donald O’Connor once said and he wasn’t kidding. When the “proverbial second female lead” (Ann Miller in On The Town) has background singers such as Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, you know they were dripping in talent. And, as Peter Lawford said, “The films we made here had a certain style. A look that was unmistakable. Whether it was the directing or the writing or the scenery, the costumes, the lighting, I don't really know. But, somehow you could always tell that it was an MGM movie, especially the musicals.”

“Forget your troubles, come on get happy!” (sang Judy Garland) as you go on a “fantasy trip” full of colorful costumes, flimsy plot, incredible depth of talent, and some of the best song and dance numbers ever performed on film. I hope you enjoy Singin’ in the Rain and Easter Parade!