It’s difficult to choose the best musical movies of all time because there are so many well-acted ones with iconic songs. Yes, we’re calling these the “best” but they are certainly some of the most loved.
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1. A Hard Day’s Night – 1964
Many music fans have watched the films of The Beatles arriving in the U.S. in 1964. The foursome smiled and waved as hundreds of teenagers seemingly screamed their adoration and many cried. Just a few weeks after the band appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, they began work on A Hard Day’s Night, which was originally called Beatlemania. The movie’s theme is the difficulty mature adults have accepting the antics of the boyish band members.
Songs in the movie include: “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “I Should Have Known Better,” and “If I Fell.”
Here are some of the largely unknown facts about the film courtesy of Flavorwire:
- In Germany, the movie was called Yeah Yeah Yeah, Tutti Per Uno (All for One) in Italy and, in France, it was called Quatre Garçons Dans Le Vent (Four Boys in the Wind).
- The movie was completed within four months.
2. West Side Story – 1961
Steven Spielberg released a new version of West Side Story, bringing the musical drama to a new audience. The original and remake both take a modern turn on William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The retelling pits two teenage gangs —the Jets (a white gang) and the Sharks (a Puerto Rican gang)—against each other. The dilemma: Tony of the Jets and Maria, whose brother leads The Sharks, fall in love.
The original film’s cast includes Richard Beymer as Tony, Natalie Wood as Maria, and Rita Moreno as Anita. The film, which won 10 Academy Awards, includes iconic songs such as “Maria,” “Tonight,” “America,” “I Feel Pretty,” and “Somewhere.”
Here are a few tidbits about the film:
- When Rita Moreno won an Academy Award for her role, she became the first Hispanic actress to do so.
- The singing voices of Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer were both dubbed.
- The film is one of the highest-grossing of all time.
3. Grease – 1978
Grease was written by an advertising copywriter named Jim Jacobs and a high school art teacher named Warren Casey in 1971, reports Good Housekeeping. The original version had all types of racy scenes and profanity that didn’t make it into the 1978 film that starred John Travolta as Danny Zuko and Olivia Newton-John as Sandy Olsson. The U.S.-born Zuko and Australian Olsson fall in love during the film set in the 1950s.
The soundtrack of the movie was the second best-selling album of the year in 1978, including songs “You’re the One That I Want,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and “Grease.”
Here are some little-known facts about the film from Good Housekeeping:
- Henry Winkler was originally offered the role of Danny Zuko but declined it for fear of being typecast. Winkler went on to take the part of The Fonz in the ABC television show Happy Days, which premiered in 1974 and ended in 1984.
- Singer Marie Osmond was considered for the role of Sandy but turned it down due to her objections to Sandy’s bad-girl transformation.
4. Tommy – 1975
The satirical operetta film is based on The Who’s 1969 rock opera, Tommy. The story— and songs on the album—center on a “deaf, mute, and blind boy” who is a pinball wizard. The all-star cast includes the members of The Who, Ann-Margret, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, Jack Nicholson, and Elton John.
Here are some little-known facts about the film from TVTropes:
- The parents of Roger Daltrey’s character were played by Ann-Margret and Oliver Reed. Daltrey was only about three years younger than Ann-Margret and just over four years younger than Reed.
- Mick Jagger was offered the role of The Acid Queen but didn’t take it because he couldn’t sing three of his own songs. Tina Turner was cast.
5. Dreamgirls – 2006
The 2006 movie is loosely based on the story of The Supremes and Motown Records. The all-star cast includes Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson. Dreamgirls was originally a 1981 Broadway play.
Here are some little-known facts about the movie from IMDB:
- Denzel Washington turned down a role because he does not sing.
- Jennifer Hudson beat out 782 actresses for the role of Effie White.
Photo by Paramount Pictures/Fotos International/Getty Images
