The Best Movie Musicals

Buried under last week’s news about Katie Couric, 9/11, Presidential politics, baseball winding down and football starting up was the American Film Institute’s release of its list of the 25 greatest movie musicals of all time. The top five were "Singin’ in the Rain," "West Side Story," "The Wizard of Oz," "The Sound of Music" and "Cabaret." The entire list is at http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/musicals.aspx.

I’m not a huge fan of musicals, but nevertheless I found myself immediately objecting to this ranking, especially "Singin’ in the Rain" being number one. I assume it is there because of Gene Kelly’s umbrella and splashy dancing. I can think of no other reason.

Certainly "West Side Story," "The Wizard of Oz," "The Sound of Music," "Mary Poppins," and even "Oklahoma" and "The Music Man" (neither of which are in the top 25) all had many more memorable songs. (A side note. One of the most-fun movies I have ever attended was a "Sound of Music" sing-along, which was sold out at $20/ticket. I eagerly await the sing-along for "The Wizard of Oz.")

If the argument is that Singin’ is a better or more-serious story, I would argue that "West Side Story," "Cabaret," and "All That Jazz" are all better stories and more-innovative films. My vote for the best movie musical would be a close call between "West Side Story" and "The Wizard of Oz." And I think Dorothy and Toto have the edge, because the story and the music are so embedded in our culture. Why? Well, because, because, because, because, because....