Best Cast of a movie musical ever, what's your favorite?

[massofmen]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 11:16am

Annie 1982 version

Albert Finney
Bernadette Peters
Tim Curry
Carol Burnett
Ann Reinking


I cannot think of a better cast in a movie musical. 
Anyone else?

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 11:23am

Chicago.

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 11:38am

So funny enough, I actually loved the cast of Dreamgirls.....except Jennifer Hudson, who has a tremendous voice but I just found dry and boring in the role.  But Beyonce, Anika Noni Rose, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover, Jamie Foxx, Ken Page, Hinton Battle and so on were all perfectly cast in their roles.

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 11:43am

Fred and Ginger.

I still hope for the day that the West End production of "Top Hat" makes its way over here.

 

 

[trentsketch]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 11:50am

How are we defining best? For example, the cast of Oliver! doesn't feature many big names for film (if any), but the cast is so strong in these roles. The film works because the huge ensemble cast seemingly has just the right actor in every part.The spectacle of the huge production numbers doesn't overshadow the quality of acting, dancing, and singing onscreen. 

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 12:00pm

I do agree with 1982 Annie cast as well as Oliver!
But I do wonder if the Sound of Music and Grease are not pretty well some of the best casting. Whether or not it’s just that they are both so iconic.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 12:15pm

Honestly, I love the cast of Damn Yankees and The Pajama Game. They are primarily the original Broadway casts minus one lead that was a Hollywood star (DY: Tab Hunter. PG: Doris Day)

[BentleyB]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 12:39pm

I would agree on "Chicago" it was the first that came to mind.  While the casting for "Annie" was great the movie overall was horrendous. The made for TV re-do actually worked and I actually think that cast actually better, but I saw the original about a month after it opened on Broadway and no-one will ever beat Dorothy Loudon's Miss Hannigan.  

[BentleyB]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 12:39pm

I would agree on "Chicago" it was the first that came to mind.  While the casting for "Annie" was great the movie overall was horrendous. The made for TV re-do actually worked and I actually think that cast actually better, but I saw the original about a month after it opened on Broadway and no-one will ever beat Dorothy Loudon's Miss Hannigan.  

[Midnight Radio]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 12:46pm

Little Shop of Horrors. Period.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 1:00pm

It's a guilty pleasure, but... Hairspray. 2007. I mean, that was a stacked cast.

[Carol Channing, or Change]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 1:07pm

I'd have to agree with Midnight Radio and go with Little Shop of Horrors. It's one of my favorite musicals, and to be honest some of the movie cast members seemed to be even better than their original Off-Broadway counterparts (based on the cast recording, I didn't see it live). Man, those urchins could SING!

It makes me wary about the remake I've heard is going to happen. Why remake perfection?

Updated On: 7/2/20 at 01:07 PM

[Tag]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 1:19pm

White Christmas
The Wizard of Oz
The Sound of Music
Mary Poppins

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 1:55pm

I love the cast of The Music Man — Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, leads and also some great supports,  Hermione Gingold, Paul Ford, Buddy Hackett, Pert Kelton and Ron Howard.

ETA: And the Buffalo Bills barbershop quartet.

Updated On: 7/2/20 at 01:55 PM

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 3:18pm

For as big of a cast Into the Woods is I was super impressed there were very few weak links. I would maybe say Anna Kendrick was the weakest but her "On the Steps of the Palace" was great

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 3:23pm

Grease is perfection. 

[trentsketch]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 3:25pm

Music Man's cast is great, too. The Pick-a-little Ladies sold that number on the screen. 

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 3:46pm

Music Man, Fiddler on the Roof both pretty great.

Also ... is it cheating to say Hamilton?

[noradesmond]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 4:08pm

trentsketch said: "How are we defining best? For example, the cast of Oliver! doesn't feature many big names for film (if any), but the cast is so strong in these roles. The film works because the huge ensemble cast seemingly has just the right actor in every part.The spectacle of the huge production numbers doesn't overshadow the quality of acting, dancing, and singing onscreen."

Ron Moody as Fagin is absolutely one of my personal favorite performances in a movie musical. 

[noradesmond]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 4:14pm

Stage Door Sally said: "I love the cast of The Music Man — Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, leads andalsosome great supports, Hermione Gingold, Paul Ford, Buddy Hackett, Pert Kelton and Ron Howard.

ETA: And the Buffalo Bills barbershop quartet."

Oh, man, do I agree!! I think Shirley Jones was the weakest, although I love her and can't think of who else could have done it well. Hermione Gingold and Paul Ford are both hilarious and really set the gold standard for those roles. 

[fosterfan2]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 6:08pm

Chicago,Oliver,The Sound of Music,Mary Poppins,The Wizard of Oz,Meet Me in St.Louis(1944)

Rita Moreno in West Side story.

Updated On: 7/2/20 at 06:08 PM

[ImaginaryManticore]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 6:45pm

rattleNwoolypenguin said: "For as big of a cast Into the Woods is I was super impressed there were very few weak links. I would maybe say Anna Kendrick was the weakest but her "On the Steps of the Palace" was great"

I thought the casting was pretty spot-on too, apart from Johnny Depp who was awful. I wish they'd been in a movie that captured the spirit of the musical better.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 7:13pm

poisonivy2 said: "Music Man, Fiddler on the Roof both pretty great.

Also ... is it cheating to say Hamilton?"

Fiddler on the Roof may be my second favorite movie musical, but I think that Norma Crane was a real weak link.  She brought nothing to the role of Gold IMO.

[ggersten]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 7:21pm

I think Oklahoma had a pretty great cast (yes, even Rod Steiger). Singin' in the Rain had Rita Moreno.... I'm not a Zellwegger fan.... As for films that kept much of Broadway cast - there also are 1776 and Lil Abner.  

[Jarethan]

Posted: 7/2/20 at 7:29pm

The things that come to mind for me are:

-- Chicago (Zellweger, Zeta-Jones, Gere, Latifah, Reilly, and down to most of the very small roles)

-- The Bandwagon (Astaire, Charisse, Buchanan, Levant, Fabray)

-- 1776 (no stars, but perfect casting)

-- The Music Man cast, including Shirley Jones, even if I don't love the movie

-- Gigi (Caron, Chevalier, Jourdan, Gingold, Jewell)

-- (cheating) That's Entertainment

Interestingly, Cabaret may have won more Oscars for acting than any other movie musical, but I don't include it. Other that Minelli and Gray, and maybe York, none of the other roles were interesting to me or the actors particularly memorable.  I also have to admit that, almost 50 years later, I periodically cringe at Minelli's performance.

 

 

Updated On: 7/4/20 at 07:29 PM