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The Cinematheque asks a bunch of writers, including our own Jesse Walker, to name their favorite musicals.

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  1. Randolph Carter

    It’s like Busby Berkeley on poppers, getting fisted.

    um… this combined with Magnetic Fields songs… bad images! NSFW in my brain!

  2. de stijl

    1. Southpark: Bigger, Longer and Uncut
    2. That one Buffy episode
    …
    …
    I got nothing more.

  3. Homer J.

    Ooh, why did they have to ruin a perfectly serviceable wagon story with all that fruity singing?

  4. Jake Boone

    I completely agree with Jesse’s #1 pick.

  5. South Park, yup.

  6. The Grand Wazoo

    I once threatened my wife’s life if she watched Madonna’s “Evita” again in my presence.

  7. Clint Eastwood & Lee Marvin

    Gonna paint your wagon, gonna paint it fine, gonna use oil-based paint, ’cause the wood is pine!

  8. Pro Libertate

    highnumber! Wrong! The greatest musical of all time is. . .

    The Blues Brothers!!!!

    I cannot believe that I have to tell you this. Go look at the lake-which-is-not-a-sea–one hour!

  9. JasonL

    “Oh, Bwoomhilda, you’re so wovewy!”

    “Yes, I know it. I can’t heeelp it …”

  10. MP

    Even my mother hates musicals. Blech.

  11. Reinmoose

    THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG!?
    Clearly nobody took this survey seriously

    In other news:
    Moses supposes his toeses are roses but Moses supposes erroneously. Moses, he knowses his toeses aren’t roses as Moses he knowses his toeses to be!

  12. Reinmoose

    oh no!
    make that:
    Moses supposes his toeses are roses but Moses supposes erroneously. Moses, he knowses his toeses aren’t roses as Moses supposes his toeses to be!

  13. FinFangFoom

    I can’t believe Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was only picked once.

  14. Lamar

    I’m sure a well-rounded case could be made for Rocky Horror Picture Show.

  15. Neu Mejican

    Latcho Drom?
    The Rake’s Progress?
    Einstein on the Beach?
    Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, Naqoyqatsi?

  16. Pro Libertate

    Ugh–no.

  17. Pro Libertate

    That was directed at Lamar.

  18. ProGlib’s “ugh–no” I believe covers both Lamar’s and Neu Mejican’s comments.

  19. de stijl, Got it for you.

    1 South Park: BLaU
    2 Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Once More with Feeling”
    3 Team America: World Police
    4 The Blues Brothers
    5 The Simpsons “Treehouse of Horror V” (the one with the inside out chorus line)

  20. I’m sure a well-rounded case could be made for Rocky Horror Picture Show.

    And I kinda liked that episode of the Drew Carey show that ended with the dance-off between the Druscilla, Queen of the Desert crowd and the Rocky Horror crowd.

  21. Warren

    The Music Man (Morton DaCasta, 1962) – A real movie musical, completely liberated from its stage origins, with a sophisticated score and an anti-bluenose streak.

    I have no idea what you mean by this Jesse. I’d be hard pressed to think of a musical less liberated from the stage than DaCasta’s MM.

    I think Cabernet deserves more respect.

  22. I think Cabernet deserves more respect.

    TWC?

  23. Reinmoose

    Reefer Madness anyone? The 2005 Showtime Original?

    Also Warren, unless I’m missing something, I believe you mean Cabaret?

  24. Warren

    DOH!

  25. Neu Mejican

    You guys are soooo in the box with these responses…

    If we are staying mainstream…the first 20 minutes of Moulin Rouge rocked.

    But let’s go with
    Urgh, a Music War?
    Decline of Western Civilization?
    32 short Films about Glenn Gould.

  26. Neu Mejican

    Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Once More with Feeling”

    The only thing worse was the musical episode of Scrubs

  27. joe

    Kill the wabbit,
    Kill the Wabbit!

  28. Neu Mejican

    Damn, now everyone will think I am joe.

  29. Neu Mejican

    Well of course, joe, the whole loony toons catalogue beats most of the suggestions…

  30. Randolph Carter

    Jesus Christ Superstar

    rocked

    I will now be mocked

    I could totally write a musical.

  31. de stijl

    lunchstealer,

    I just thought of one that absolutely must be on the list: Talking Head’s True Stories.

    Awesome, awesomer, awesomest.

    In college, we used to get ‘shroomed out of melons and watch it over and over. There’s one scene where a bunch of kids in 4-H tee-shirts are walking through a lot singing Hey Now and when it was over we HAD TO rewind and watch it again because it was so freaking awesome.

    John Goodman “I’m 6’3″, and maintain a very consistent panda bear shape.” Swoozie Kurtz, The Preacher guy, Spaulding Gray and his family at the dinner table. It’s a celebration of special-ness!

    Did I mention it was awesome?

  32. SIV

    The list needs ground rules.No documentaries
    (The Last Waltz?) No short features (Warner Bros Cartoons).

    Not a Ken Russel movie among them-not even Tommy

    Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, Naqoyqatsi
    aside from my opinion on how bad these are they lack singing.Count these and you might as weel count anything with a musical score

  33. I was previously unaware of this, but I do have to admit that the description drips with awesomenity.

  34. Warren

    And no one even mentions Song of the South. Negligence? Political correctness? Or just too pedestrian to mention?

  35. Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, Naqoyqatsi
    aside from my opinion on how bad these are they lack singing.Count these and you might as weel count anything with a musical score

    There’s singing in 2001 – Hal’s “Daisy” was a breakaway pop hit, but “Atmospheres” was more of a comic pastische.

  36. Pro Libertate

    Warren,

    I was singing “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” to my daughter the other day. Does that make me a bad father?

  37. de stijl

    From True Stories:

    Hey Now

    All the kids are great, but the little girl in glasses is the best EVAR.

    Click on the related links. Some great songs: People Like Us, Dream Operator, Love For Sale, Wild Wild Life, Puzzling Evidence etc.

  38. Good call, de stijl! Great movie. G-R-E-A-T, great. Pops Staples? A-F*CKING-MEN!

    (Talking Heads worst album, though)

  39. Neu Mejican

    SIV,

    Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, Naqoyqatsi
    aside from my opinion on how bad these are they lack singing.Count these and you might as weel count anything with a musical score

    If you are going to be pedantic, please be correct. All three contain singing.

  40. Neu Mejican

    Randolph Carter…

    Have you ever heard Scratch Acid’s version of Damned for All Time?

  41. joe

    Good pick, de stijl.

    Picture a house. Picture a lot of houses.

    I liked the “Puzzling Evidence” scene best.

  42. SIV

    Sorry, I meant LYRICS.

    I only saw the first one-dragged in by hippies.
    Yet another good reason to hate hippies.

  43. SIV

    That godawful Phillip Glass score (I know I’m being redundant) actually had singing? Not just synth and sample emulating the voice?

    All I remember is the boredom and the pain

  44. Randolph Carter

    NM,
    Indeed I have. I liked it, but nothing compared to the Tenacious D “Heaven on their mind” cover. Wowee.

  45. de stijl

    Talking Heads worst album, though

    If by “worst” you mean “second best right after Little Creatures“, then absolutly!

  46. Talking Heads albums properly ranked (including live albums):

    1. Remain in Light
    2. The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads
    3. Speaking in Tongues
    4. More Songs About Buildings and Food
    5. Talking Heads 77
    6. Fear of Music
    7. Naked
    8. Stop Making Sense
    9. Little Creatures
    10. True Stories

    I reserve the right to revise this list without any notice.

    I am still a big fan of even their worst album.

  47. Pro Libertate

    I admit it! I like The Sound of Music! Ha, ha, ha! These are a few of my favorite things! Doe, a deer! Yes, and even “Edelweiss“. It’s in my head, God help me!

    [Insert maniacal laughter]

  48. I actually really really like Naked, but that may be just because of how awesome “Mr. Jones” and “Nothing but Flowers” are.

  49. Naked has got to be their most underrated album, perhaps because it seems more like a David Byrne solo album.

    Best David Byrne solo album: Feelings

  50. I just like the album art on that one.

  51. Mr. Nice Guy

    How about Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny? That movie is a hilarious homage and satire of rock opera stuff. Stupid funny and intelligent funny throughout…

  52. stephen the goldberger

    True Stories kicked ass, both the movie and the album. Talking Heads’ worst album is More Songs about Buildings and Food. A shame since it had the best title and cover art.

    Remain in Light is the best with Speaking in Tounges and Fear of Music Battling out for number 2

  53. stephen the goldberger

    as to musicals other than True Stories, i also liked Tommy, Help!, A Hard Day’s Night, and Jesus Christ Superstar

  54. Neu Mejican

    SIV,

    Sorry, I meant LYRICS.

    Again, if you are going to be pedantic, be accurate. All three had lyrics. Just because you don’t understand Hopi, doesn’t mean there wasn’t lyrics.

  55. Neu Mejican

    Remain in Light is the best

    Absolutely.

  56. Jonathan Hohensee

    Among the more contemporary musicals, I think that Hedwig and the Angry Inch beats them all by a long shot (although there are a lot of great competitors).
    And I think that, although Singing in the Rain deserves all the props it gets (and more), I’m kind of sad that it’s popularity often overshadows An American in Paris. Among other older musicals, I also liked It’s Always Fair Weather and Gigi.

    And no one even mentions Song of the South. Negligence? Political correctness? Or just too pedestrian to mention?
    After seeing it, to me the only appeal I found out of it was the thrill of seeing a “banned” film (and the ability to brag to all of your friends that you’ve seen it) and the animated sequences. To me it isn’t shocking enough or intresting enough to really warrent watching again

  57. koyaanisqatsi is pretty banging, guys.

    i didn’t see it as a very depressing film, which is what i was told it was. i saw it as this homage to humans creating order out of chaos, surviving where they shouldn’t, and spontaneous order and all cool shit like that.

  58. Someone told me that seeing Koyaanisqatsi outdoors with a fireworks display afterwards while peaking is really cool.

    I’m not sure what they were talking about.

  59. poco

    ITA with your interpretation, dhex. Plus it’s an interesting trip back to the 70s (cars, hairstyles, et al).

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