The MoFo Top 100 Musicals Countdown

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The Band Wagon was my number four. Fantastic film and I'm surprised it's so low - just so great in every department. I haven't seen many Minnelli films but from what I have, he's a great.
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Being a childhood favorite carried more weight when I made my musical ballot compared to past ballots. Besides, I watched Charlotte's Web for the group watch and still loved it.

I've seen The Band Wagon but I don't remember it.

5. Charlotte's Web (#79)
17. Calamity Jane (#84)



Ah, I thought it might have been a live group chat or something.
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Charlotte's Web JUST missed my list. #26

If you didn't emotionally react to Charlotte's last song, then I don't care to know you.

I haven't seen Bandwagon.

Seen: 12/22
List: 0
Should've been on list: 1 (The Burden)



Charlotte's Web JUST missed my list. #26

If you didn't emotionally react to Charlotte's last song before dying, then I don't care to know you.

Spoiler alert, sister.



Spoiler alert, sister.

'Sibling', if you would. I'm non-binary over here.


And sorry, I didn't know we were avoiding spoilers for 50+ year old films.



The Band Wagon is a great musical and has a terrific set of songs throughout, great comedy, Fred dancing and cutting up, Oscar Levant bringing the funny (although it's reported that he was hard to work with, I still like him in several musicals), the beautiful and smoldering Cyd Charisse, etc. etc. It almost made my list but there's several other Astaire movies that I wanted, so BW just missed out. Glad it made though.

Charlotte's Web is a wonderful film, with great songs, and a beautiful story with the barnyard animals forming into a touching group of friends. The stars did great voice work but like most, it was Paul Lynde as Templeton that stole the show. Just great, great stuff. Still, I didn't include any animation...not on purpose but just that there were too many live action musicals I wanted on my list. Great picks today.

So far:
#1. On the Town
#10. Gigi
#12. Calamity Jane
#25. Neptune's Daughter (one-pointer)
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I forgot the opening line.
80. The Band Wagon (1953) - Not really familiar with this one at all. I'll have to check it out one day.

79. Charlotte's Web (1973) - I'm familiar with this one - I've seen it half a dozen times or so I'd reckon, but the last time would have been long, long ago. Still, I can remember most of it pretty well. Am I too old now to break down in tears when Charlotte (SPOILERS!) dies? I do not know. Would it make me think twice about squishing that spider in the house? Depends. If I'm having a shower and a spider decides to try and share that intimate moment, it's getting squished and it's remains are going down the drain - otherwise, I might collect it and usher it outside. But back to the movie. Great animated musical, and a classic when I was a child - I probably saw it for the first time at school, and after that on video. I'm now old enough and well versed enough in pop culture to recognize the voice of Paul Lynde without having to be told it's him playing the part of rat Templeton. This didn't make my ballot. There's simply too many other musicals I love today for it to find a place, but if I were a young boy again, it would be getting votes from me.

Seen : 14/22
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And sorry, I didn't know we were avoiding spoilers for 50+ year old films.
Putting a time limit on spoilers assumes that every person will be exposed to the same films at the same time. I'm 47 and I've never read or seen Charlotte's Web, so there's that.
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80. The Band Wagon (1953) - Not really familiar with this one at all. I'll have to check it out one day.

79. Charlotte's Web (1973) - I'm familiar with this one - I've seen it half a dozen times or so I'd reckon, but the last time would have been long, long ago. Still, I can remember most of it pretty well. Am I too old now to break down in tears when Charlotte (SPOILERS!) dies? I do not know. Would it make me think twice about squishing that spider in the house? Depends. If I'm having a shower and a spider decides to try and share that intimate moment, it's getting squished and it's remains are going down the drain - otherwise, I might collect it and usher it outside. But back to the movie. Great animated musical, and a classic when I was a child - I probably saw it for the first time at school, and after that on video. I'm now old enough and well versed enough in pop culture to recognize the voice of Paul Lynde without having to be told it's him playing the part of rat Templeton. This didn't make my ballot. There's simply too many other musicals I love today for it to find a place, but if I were a young boy again, it would be getting votes from me.

Seen : 14/22
The Band Wagon is my favorite MGM musical, I was hoping it would rank a little higher than it did.



I watched Charlotte's Web in the Musical Group Watch...(more of you should've joined in!)...Glad it made the countdown


Charlotte's Web (1973)

I really enjoyed watching this one. It's such a heart felt story with lots of positivity. Yes, it's also bittersweet with Charlotte...and her story is handled so well that it's like a life lesson. People often talk about being moved by a movie and yet the same movie doesn't emotionally reach me at all. However Charlotte's Web did emotionally reach me and I was indeed moved by the story. During the movie I paused it to take a break and my wife tells me there's a bug in the closet. I look and see it's a little, light brownish spider, not unlike Charlotte. So I get a piece of paper and let the spider crawl onto the paper and I escort it outside, as I never kill spiders. Call me silly but that coincidences felt just a little bit magical to me and that's thanks to the movie...Great choice.
I liked Charlotte's Web but it wouldn't come close to making a top 25 musical list for me.



Trouble with a capital "T"
The Band Wagon is my favorite MGM musical, I was hoping it would rank a little higher than it did.
It's a good thing you voted or The Band Wagon would've been even lower. I just watched it again last night and I'm even more impressed than I was eight years ago when I last watched it.



Doris Day and Bing Crosby both probably in the top 20 biggest entertainment stars of the century.
I'm pretty sure we're going to see at least two Doris Day musicals appear on this countdown before it's over and possibly one more Bing Crosby.



I saw Tommy many years ago, but I don't remember much about it except that I didn't like it. However my parents had the Captain Fantastic pinball machine with Elton John on the backglass, (but we sold it after my mom passed away a few years ago).





I'm not much of an Elton John fan, but I watched Rocketman for the Group Watch and I liked it more than I thought I would, but not enough to consider it for my list.



I liked the 2021 version of West Side Story enough to consider it for my list, but ultimately, it didn't make the final cuts.


The first time I watched Begin Again, I thought it was just okay. I rewatched it for this countdown because a couple of people were recommending it, and I liked it a lot more on the second watch. It didn't make my list, but I'm glad that I gave it another chance.



I like Gold Diggers of 1933, and I considered it for my list, but with over 100 movies on my first draft list for this countdown, it was one of the early cuts. But I'm glad to see that it made the list without my help.


Anastasia is the first movie from my list to make the countdown. I love everything about it, especially the songs. I even have a little plush doll of Bartok the Bat that hangs upside-down. This is one of my favorite animated movies. It was #17 on my list.



I went with my mom to see Into the Woods on Broadway during its original theatrical run, and I loved it. I didn't know anything about it before seeing it. At the end of the first half, I thought it was great, but I also thought it was over. But then my mom reminded me that that was only the first half. The second half was much darker than the first half, but it was twisted and fun.

However after seeing the Broadway show, the movie just didn't live up to it. The movie was good, but it paled in comparison to the show. I don't think it would have made my list even if I hadn't seen the Broadway show, but having seen it, the movie just didn't stand a chance.

For anyone who wants to see the Broadway version, it aired on PBS, and it's available on DVD. It's also on YouTube:





Gigi is one of those movies where the music is better than the movie. I love the soundtrack, but the movie is only okay.



Calamity Jane is one of the movies that was a difficult cut from my list. I'm a big fan of Doris Day, I love the movie and the music, but I just couldn't find room for it on my list. It was Warner Bros. answer to MGM's movie Annie Get Your Gun, (which I also love). I really wanted to include it on my list, but I just didn't have room for it. I'm very happy to see that it made the list without my help.


I didn't think I had ever heard of The Burden, but I watched the video that someone posted earlier in this thread and I realized that I've seen it. I probably watched it for something here on MoFo, but I don't remember what. All I remember is thinking that it was a very strange short.



White Christmas is another movie that I love, but it was a difficult cut from my list. When we started this countdown, I was pretty sure that it would make my list, but somehow I just couldn't find room for it. I'm glad to see it made the list, but I'm very surprised to see it this low.


I saw Purple Rain many years ago, and I like a few of the songs on the soundtrack, but I'm not a fan of the movie.
Would love to see both Tommy and Rocketman make this list.



No more of mine, but I really like Charlotte's Web. The book is great and one of the few fictional books I liked as a child and, I probably should've voted for this just on the strength of that alone, but I didn't. I probably prefer the 2006 adaptation, but I've not seen the 73 version for about 30 years, so I can't be completely sure about that.
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Would love to see both Tommy and Rocketman make this list.
Ummmmm, they both DID make the list at #92 and #91.

Since Gideon has blocked me and does not see my posts at all, somebody let him know. He'll be so happy!
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Trouble with a capital "T"
I wish I would've voted for The Band Wagon but I didn't remember how good it was until I seen it again last night. Vincent Minnelli might just be my favorite auteur director, love his set designs and color schemes and the look of his films. Loved the musical numbers too especially Girl Hunt with it's modernistic jazz dancing which to me looks like a Fosse number, though it's not of course, it's Michael Kid doing the choreography.

Girl Hunt number from The Band Wagon