Best/Worst Musical Movies- Page 2

[Demitri2]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 2:41pm

BEST:

Funny Girl (worked as well as the show if not better)
Lil Abner (by no means a good movie but a great stage to film transfer)
Little Shop of Horrors (same reason as Lil Abner)
Chicago
Music Man (thank God they used Preston)
West Side Story (unfortunately although it received a slew of awards it hasn't aged that well)
Oliver (should have used the "less is better" motto though...way overblown)
Carousel (great cast, superb score and wonderful technicolor)
King And I
Sound of Music (surpassed the stage version)
Annie Get Your Gun (underrated)
Show Boat ('36 version)
Cabaret (like "Chicago", I loved the way they integrated the musical numbers)

WORST:

Mame
Annie
Chorus Line
The Wiz
South Pacific (yea those color gels really sucked)
A Little Night Music (no thanks to an overweight Liz as "Desiree")
Finian's Rainbow
On A Clear Day (Minnelli needed to tone down Streisand's performance)
Bye Bye Byrdie (not as bad though as the TV version with Jason Alexander)

FAIR:

Gypsy (Natalie Wood was the best Louise ever)
Hello Dolly (have found it more enjoyable as time has passed)
Evita (pretty faithful to the stage version regardless of Madonna)
Phantom
Fiddler
Oklahoma
Call Me Madam (interesting only as a study of Merman's shows)
Half A Sixpence
Sweet Charity (only worthwhile for "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This")
Camelot
Hair
Bells Are Ringing (nice to see Judy Holliday recreate her role but kind of runs out of steam))

Worst movie musicals NOT based on a stage vehicle:

"A Matter of Time" (a horror!)
"Les Damoiselles De Rochefort"
"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"
"Doctor DoLittle"
"Funny Lady"
"Yentl" (did anyone like this movie anyway?)
"Star Is Born" '74 (even worse today)

[Esther2]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 2:51pm

BEST
Cabaret
My Fair Lady
The King and I
West Side Story
Sound of Music
Chicago

WORST
Phantom
Anything Goes (Both versions)
A Chorus Line
South Pacific(both Versions)
Bye Bye Birdie (Both versions)
The Wiz

[lvpblues]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 2:56pm

BEST:

The King and I
The Sound of Music
Show Boat ('36)
The Pajama Game

WORST:

Mame
A Little Night Music
Camelot

[Elphaba]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 2:56pm

Best: Chicago

Worst: A Little Night Music, with Liz Taylor

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 3:01pm

I can't even decribe my loathing for A Chorus Line..blah

[justme2]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 3:14pm

frontrowcenter,

I know the point you are trying to make with me, and I, as a HUGE fan of movies from the 1930's ,understand why the number is in the movie. I understand how vaudeville worked, and know it made sense that there was a blackface number in the movie.

However, I still shudder, as Irene Dunne in blackface was not enjoyable to watch. Nor is Fred Astaire in blackface enjoyable to watch. I love the hell out of the Bill Bojangles Robinson tribute number, but blackface still makes me shudder. It has nothing to do with the movie itself, nor the actor/actress in blackface. I just don't enjoy seeing white actors hamming it up in blackface.

[JoMarch]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 3:24pm

Best
Sound of Music
Grease
West Side Story

Worst
A Chorus Line
Phantom of the Opera

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 3:48pm

Best:
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
HIGH SOCIETY
EASTER PARADE
DAMN YANKEES
STATE FAIR (1945)
WEST SIDE STORY
CHICAGO
CABARET
HAIR
GYPSY ('62 & '93)
ANNIE ('99)
BYE BYE BIRDIE ('63)
ROCKY HORROR
PIRATES OF PENZANCE
42ND STREET
EVITA
SHOW BOAT ('36 & '51)
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
FLOWER DRUM SONG
BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
SINGING IN THE RAIN
OKLAHOMA
BELLS ARE RINGING
KISS ME KATE
ON THE TOWN
ANNIE GET YOUR GUN
TOMMY
OLIVER
SWEET CHARITY
BRIGADOON
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
GOOD NEWS
THE PAJAMA GAME
HELLO DOLLY
GENTLEMAN PREFER BLONDES
MY FAIR LADY
FINIAN'S RAINBOW
CABIN IN THE SKY
FUNNY FACE

Worst (mostly because of bad casting or changes for the ones that were based on plays. I don't necessarily hate all of these, just wish they were a lot better):
MAME
MAN OF LA MANCHA
A CHORUS LINE
ANYTHING GOES ('36 & '56)
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
PORGY AND BESS
PAL JOEY
STATE FAIR (1962)
SOUTH PACIFIC
CAMELOT
PAINT YOUR WAGON

Updated On: 8/22/05 at 03:48 PM

[billygoatgirl300]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 4:08pm

Best: Chicago

Worst: A Chorus Line

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 4:11pm

Greatest of ALL TIME:
Sound of Music

Best:
Fiddler on the Roof
West Side Story
The King and I
My Fair Lady

[bjivie2]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 4:24pm

I'm with Sally, I can't even put in to words how much Chorus Line makes me cringe.

Don't forget Forum for the Worst list, and the TV Gypsy for the Best list.

And btw, Thoroughly Modern Millie was BASED on that movie.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 4:34pm

Who said that it wasn't?

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 4:38pm

Grease 2 is the best AND the worst!

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 4:38pm

I wanted to put Grease 2 on my best list, but I was scurred. :-P

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 4:41pm

What is the point of living if you can't enjoy some serious camp?

[JoMarch]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 4:43pm

Whoops. How could I have forgotten the Wiz under Worst?

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 4:54pm

I loved FUNNY LADY! There are some great numbers in that film even though it tries a bit too hard by using the FUNNY GIRL formula.

By the way are we talking about stage to screen or just movie musicals in general?

[luvliza89]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 5:04pm

Best for me:
Star Is Born (Judy Garland version)- probably my favorite movie of all time, and "Born In A Trunk" is one of the best numbers on film with Judy.

Funny Girl-Glad they got to use "My Man" at the end of the film. Made it more powerful I think. Plus love the addition of "I'd Rather Be Blue" and Streisand's version of "I'm the Greatest Star" is a better rendition then that on the OCR.

Cabaret-Although not following the stage version closely, the movie itself is fantastic. There is just SO much going on in that movie under the surface it's amazing.

[Broadwaygirl22]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 5:47pm

Best:
West Side Story
The Music Man(The 2003 one with Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth)
Chicago

Worst:
A Chorus Line
Oklahoma
Hair

[BroadwayBound06]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 5:54pm

Reefer Maddness needs to come out on video. I wish I had Showtime.
And I recently bought "Cannibal the Musical" I haven't watched it yet. Is it worth it? Updated On: 8/22/05 at 05:54 PM

[J. BOWDEN HAPGOOD]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 5:58pm

Best:
The Music Man (1962 with the amazing Robert Preston)
West Side Story

Worst:
Bye Bye Birdie ( one of my favorites on stage; the script changes for the film are detestable.)
South Pacific (not just the gels but also for the acting: WORST I've ever seen in a musical. Gotta question Joshua Logan's directorial abilities.)

[justme2]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 6:11pm

oooh, I forgot about South Pacific. LOVE the music, hate the movie.

[jasonf]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 6:49pm

Slight hijack here --
Someone mentioned they didn't like WSS because of the switch of Gee, Officer Krupke and Cool. I actually think this change makes SO much more sense. In the movie, Cool is a release after the rumble, Krupke acts as a pre-rumble release, also showing a much greater "innocence" almost in the fact that they are joking around. To me, this works so much better than it does in the play!

But anyway, favorites:
West Side Story
Sound of Music
Chicago
Fiddler on the Roof
1776 (I don't think anyone mentioned this one - it's one of my favorites!)
My Fair Lady

Worst:
Chorus Line!!!
Brigadoon (I love Gene Kelly, but this movie just did nothing for me)
Camelot - great score, movie is WAYYYYY too long!

[Magdalene]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 9:16pm

Goodness, I would get stoned if I posted a list! I seem to like a lot of the ones many of you listed as worst (though it might just be a touch of nostalgia!)

[PerforMeg]

Posted: 8/22/05 at 11:31pm

I forgot CAROUSEL under worst.

ANNIE qualifies for both categories, imo.