Singin’ in the Rain, 1952, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor. Directed by Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen. Technicolor. 103 minutes. In 1920s Hollywood, there is no greater onscreen couple than Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean …
Category: Classic Musicals
The Gay Divorcee
The Gay Divorcee, 1934, RKO Radio Pictures. Starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers. Directed by Mark Sandrich. B&W, 107 minutes. Traveling from Paris to London, Guy Holden (Fred Astaire) meets Mimi Glossop (Ginger Rogers) in a most unfortunate manner. Mimi’s dress …
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins, 1964, Walt Disney Productions. Starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke. Directed by Robert Stevenson. Technicolor, 139 minutes. The wind’s in the east and mist’s coming in, causing jack-of-all-trades Bert (Dick Van Dyke) to look to the sky. In …
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953, Twentieth Century Fox. Starring Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell. Co-starring Charles Coburn. Directed by Howard Hawks. Technicolor, 91 minutes. Sassy showgirls and best friends Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe) and Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell) are boarding the ship …
Going My Way
Going My Way, 1944, Paramount Pictures. Starring Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Risë Stevens. Directed by Leo McCarey. B&W, 126 minutes. Father Fitzgibbons (Barry Fitzgerald), the aging priest of St. Dominic’s parish, is facing hard times. The church is five months …
Shall We Dance (1937)
Shall We Dance, 1937, RKO Radio Pictures. Starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton. Directed by Mark Sandrich. Music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin. B&W, 109 minutes. Ballet dancer Petrov (Fred Astaire), aka Peter P. Peters, is …
Swing Time
Swing Time, 1936, RKO Radio Pictures, Starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore. Music by Jerome Kern & Dorothy Fields. Directed by George Stevens. B&W, 102 minutes. Quite possibly the best musical from the Depression era, including all other Astaire/Rogers …
Top Hat
Top Hat, 1935, RKO Radio Pictures. Starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers. Directed by Mark Sandrich. Music by Irving Berlin. B&W, 100 minutes. A simple story told with wit and charm, a top-notch score by Irving Berlin, and of course, the …
You Were Never Lovelier
Down in Buenos Aires, Maria Acuña is causing her two younger sisters some concern. Some big concern. Their father, Edwardo Acuña, wants his daughters married off in order of age, and Maria is next. Problem is, she has no interest …
Classic for a Reason 