Live Action Musical Movie Hall of Fame

Marilyn Manson did a persona based on the Child Catcher.


Ha! that's pretty funny story. One time in college, I had some Creative Thinking class, I'm not even sure what we were suppose to learn...anyway the instructor thought we should watch a movie and discuss it, so I said how about A Clockwork Orange. So we watch it..and geez! you should have heard the groans from the kids in the class I don't think any of them liked it.

Into the Woods



Finished this up today.

I’m still not quite sure what to make of this. It seemed to be a bit of a mess of a film in many ways, but I didn’t completely dislike it. I don’t know how the movie version compares to the stage version, but I remember seeing a few complaints about it when it first came out, some saying it was too dark, others that it wasn’t dark enough.

A bit of a mixed bag, but definitely not all bad.

So glad you enjoyed The Pajama Game, Citizen...it's absolutely superb and inexplicably died at the box office during its original release. I know you love Doris Day so I knew that I would clinch it for you, and this was one of her best performances. I also agree with you regarding John Raitt and now that you mention it, Howard Keel would have made a great set, his chemistry with Day having already been proven with Calamity Jane.

I love "Posh" too...flawlessly performed by Lionel Jeffries, but was never that keen on The Roses of Success...I think it brings the film to a dead halt. If the truth be told, my favorite musical moment in the film is "Doll on a Music/Truly Scrumptious".

I have to disagree with that. I don't like baseball but I really liked Damn Yankees. I don't like country western music, yet I like all of the musical artist bio pics on country western singers. I don't think the subject matter is as important as if the movie is entertaining or not.

I love Damn Yankees...it was the first musical I appeared in when I was in high school...that show was SO much fun, love the score.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

I remember exactly how I felt about this as a child, that it was a curious mixture of almost embarrassing silliness and fun. I think it was probably one of the first movies I saw that I would characterise as a guilty pleasure - I knew it wasn’t in the slightest bit cool, but I secretly enjoyed it anyway.

As an adult, I feel, well, exactly the same. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is not cool. It’s fantastical, far too long and corny as anything, plus it has a terrible title, but it’s still a lot of fun. I like the weird inventions and the period costumes and locations. The child catcher is still a bit creepy - possibly even creepier.

It’s not a personal favourite, but it is a classic children’s adventure, with a good writing pedigree that includes Ian Fleming and Roald Dahl on the credits.

Beyond the title track and the sugary Truly Scrumptious, the songs are not as memorable as, say, the ones in Mary Poppins, and perhaps this is where it falls down a little. And it does have its corny side which makes it hard to take as seriously as some of the other contenders.

I can't remember which song was Roses of Success?

I PM'd Citizen about this, but I thought I would mention here that I re-watched 1776 over the weekend and the print I watched actually included a number that was cut during the film's original release, a song called "Cool, Considerate Men", which was freaking brilliant. A richly unique musical experience that just gets better every time I watch it...the movie is almost 3 hours long but never felt it.

I've liked Howard Keel in every musical I've seen him in

How you guys doing?

Was this your first time seeing that film with that number back in it?


And you want to know something? I thought you didn't like the man. Honestly. I thought I read that somewhere.



I just have my rewatches of 1776 and West Side Story and I am done. I may do that this weekend. Not sure yet. And as this is your first time experiencing a HoF with me, you will know that after I watch those I will go crazy posting my thoughts about all the films.


I was disappointed in the film. I owned the cast recording for years before I ever saw the movie. I don't know if I didn't like the story, or if I didn't like the way the songs were performed, but it just wasn't as good as I thought it would be. Whereas, I was definitely NOT disappointed in the stage production that I saw. I absolutely loved it (although I did feel it was one of the most depressing musicals that I'd ever seen). Do you prefer the film version over the stage version that you saw?

Was this your first time seeing that film with that number back in it?

How you guys doing? I'm planning on watching West Side Story this weekend. I saw it long time ago but don't remember much of it. Do you guys like Forman's Hair. I saw it probably 20 times and went for a stage vesion too. I wonder why did I forget about this. And I love Dirty Dancing too, just wasn't sure if it is a musical.

I disagree about Chitty Chitty Bang Bang being "not cool". It's a fantasy adventure about a flying car. That's awesome. Plus it has candy that whistles, a cool Grandpa, a castle in a land without children, a creepy child-catcher, Benny Hill as a toymaker, and Dick Van Dyke.

How is that "not cool"?

Swing Time



I also like the scene in the snow when they sing "A Fine Romance". They don't really get to show off their dancing skills in that scene, but it's a cute scene.

How you guys doing? I'm planning on watching West Side Story this weekend. I saw it long time ago but don't remember much of it.