The Sound of Music: Greatest Musical of All Time?

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are we talking film or stage musicals here? cuz if its film I gotta go with Singin the Rain.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 2 February 2005 17:47 (nineteen years ago) link

One more vote for Cole Porter. R and H are fine but neither their tunes nor lyrics are as sophisticated. Kiss Me Kate is ace. As for the best musical, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is my vote.

― everything, Wednesday, 2 February 2005 18:10 (nineteen years ago) link

Cherbourg is something more than a mere musical. So I'd say "Mary Poppins" is best of all, not least of which because I can imagine every song being covered - well - by Tom Waits.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 18:13 (nineteen years ago) link

I guess I'm biased b/c I was in two productions of Sound of Music by the time I was 12. But if you don't get anything at all out of "Edelweiss" I'm sorry but you're dead inside.

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 18:17 (nineteen years ago) link

Highpoints of "Mary Poppins:"

8. Spoonful of Sugar - Julie Andrews
14. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - Julie Andrews
16. Stay Awake - Julie Andrews
18. I Love to Laugh - Julie Andrews
20. Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag) - Julie Andrews
24. Chim Chim Cher-Ee/March Over the Rooftops - Julie Andrews
25. Step in Time - Dick Van Dyke
28. Let's Go Fly a Kite - Dave Tomlinson

Taking Sides: "Edelweiss" vs. "Feed the Birds"

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 18:23 (nineteen years ago) link

Broadway Melody of 1940 has both "Begin the Beguine" and "I Concentrate on You." I'd take either one over the entire R&H catalog.

― Austin (Austin), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 18:29 (nineteen years ago) link

"Feed the Birds" scared the shit outta me as a kid, probably cuz the Bird Lady (played by Ma Joad) looks like she's gonna be feed herself in about 5 minutes.

I read "musical" as "stage musical," which thanks to Disney recycling "Poppins" has now become.

Rodgers & HART certainly were sophisticated.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 18:32 (nineteen years ago) link

Sound of Mucus is end-stage Rodgers & Hammerstein, and it shows.

Yeah - The Sound Of Music isn't even the best drummer in the Beatles. Carousel all the way for me.

Widen it, and I'm a big fan of posho Slade-Reynolds. Salad Days and Free As Air.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 2 February 2005 18:35 (nineteen years ago) link

where's the Fosse love!?!? Cabaret, All That Jazz, Sweet Charity...

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 2 February 2005 18:42 (nineteen years ago) link

"Cherbourg is something more than a mere musical."

How, exactly?

― everything, Wednesday, 2 February 2005 18:43 (nineteen years ago) link

Phantom of the Opera?

― Bryan Moore (Bryan Moore), Thursday, 3 February 2005 00:11 (nineteen years ago) link

clearly, it's mary poppins.

but i will also nominate dancer in the dark.

― reo, Thursday, 3 February 2005 00:14 (nineteen years ago) link

oh, anyone for grease!?

― reo, Thursday, 3 February 2005 00:17 (nineteen years ago) link

Fosse's the man. All That Jazz rulz.

"Once More With Feeling" is the only great recent musical.

Cole Porter--d'oh! And American in Paris has great stuff.

Anything with fred Astaire is a great musical, even if there's no music.

― iang, Thursday, 3 February 2005 01:19 (nineteen years ago) link

I mean, if we're talking film I'm almost inclined to put "All That Jazz" ahead of "Singin in the Rain".

and what, no votes for "Velvet Goldmine"??!??

― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 3 February 2005 01:23 (nineteen years ago) link

There's great stuff in it, but the studio's last minute edits make it pretty incomprehensible.

We just happened to watch "All That Jazz" the other night. Just amazing.

― iang, Thursday, 3 February 2005 01:59 (nineteen years ago) link

oh shit, how about "a song is born" !?

― reo, Thursday, 3 February 2005 05:51 (nineteen years ago) link

"stop the planet of the apes, i want to get off."

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Thursday, 3 February 2005 08:52 (nineteen years ago) link

Into The Woods, people...

― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 3 February 2005 09:04 (nineteen years ago) link

I'd go for My Fair Lady, The Music Man or Pirates Of Penzance. Maybe Kiss Me Kate, but it's been a while since I've heard it.

― John Fredland (jfredland), Thursday, 3 February 2005 10:22 (nineteen years ago) link

What about best ORIGINAL film musical, ie all songs written for the movie? I think that eliminates almost every one that's been mentioned save Phantom of the Paradise?

btw, The Lonely Goatherd and So Long, Farewell could be used on me for torture.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 3 February 2005 17:33 (nineteen years ago) link

another vote for UofC hear

― Felonious Drunk (Felcher), Thursday, 3 February 2005 17:37 (nineteen years ago) link

Is a movie defined as something that shows in a theater?

If not, "Once More With Feeling" still wins by a landslide.

― iang, Thursday, 3 February 2005 17:40 (nineteen years ago) link

Sound of Music has a great story but I can't stand most of those songs. I'd rate Cabaret, Singing in the Rain, Rocky Horror, Hair, Top Hat, West Side Story hell even Evita, Man of La Mancha, and Jesus Christ Superstar over Sound of Music any day. But I guess in a broad popular sense Sound of Music is the "greatest ever." The Wizard of Oz would be a close contender though for popularity.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 3 February 2005 18:06 (nineteen years ago) link

Just for the record, if you don't give a rat's ass about Buffy (like, say, me) "Once More With Feeling" is a complete waste of time.

― Austin (Austin), Thursday, 3 February 2005 19:01 (nineteen years ago) link

seriously though, mary poppins? aside from 'feed the birds' there's nothing 'musical' about it. rodgers has pooped out better melodies.

― irrigation can save your people, Thursday, 3 February 2005 19:02 (nineteen years ago) link

Wait wait wait wait -

where's the Fosse love!?!? Cabaret...

I thought Fosse was "just" a choreographer (& director) - Kander & Ebb wrote the songs for Cabaret, right?

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 3 February 2005 19:05 (nineteen years ago) link

Just for the record, if you don't give a rat's ass about Buffy (like, say, me) "Once More With Feeling" is a complete waste of time.

I love Buffy and I can't stand that fucking episode. I second the "complete waste of time."

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 3 February 2005 19:39 (nineteen years ago) link

If you love musicals I can't see how you couldn't love "WMWF" (although clearly, you guys have done just that.)

Whedon's commentary track alone supplies a nice checklist of influences worth following. The song Tara sings to Willow is the best Kate Bush song in years, the counter-point multi-melodies are prime, the 30s screwball pastiche is a hoot--I don't get the love lack.

― iang, Thursday, 3 February 2005 23:36 (nineteen years ago) link

South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut

― Matt Chesnut, Friday, 4 February 2005 00:15 (nineteen years ago) link

I don't get the love lack.

The music sucks and none of the actors can sing except for Anthony Head. It came across as a really forced and self-indulgent chance for the wannabe singers in the cast to show off their "musical talent." Plot wise, it's not even a particularly interesting Buffy episode. But then I suppose I don't really love musicals. I love certain musicals that happen to have great music (much of the stuff mentioned in this thread), great dancing (Fred Astaire, Gene Kelley, Fosse), a great story (Sound of Music, Cabaret, anything with Nazis really), or any combination of the above. But I don't just "love musicals" in the unconditional manner that would be necessary to enjoy that Buffy episode.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Friday, 4 February 2005 02:08 (nineteen years ago) link

I choose "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 4 February 2005 02:42 (nineteen years ago) link

I concur in Morbius' opinion with a separate vote for The Most Happy Fella

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Friday, 4 February 2005 04:36 (nineteen years ago) link

I think I agree with B2D.

I like Sound of Music, but there are better R&H works.

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Friday, 4 February 2005 04:40 (nineteen years ago) link

I mean, I agree about WSS pwning.

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Friday, 4 February 2005 04:43 (nineteen years ago) link

OK, it took me a while to think about it but I have to go with the safe and obvious choice: Singin in the Rain.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Friday, 4 February 2005 04:50 (nineteen years ago) link

I was half tempted to say South Park: BLU myself, but I'm glad somebody else did. While not the best musical ever, it's probably the best constructed screen musical in many, many years (as I confirmed to myself the other day when I rewatched it).

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Friday, 4 February 2005 10:11 (nineteen years ago) link

Another good recent musical is 8 Women. Plus it has Catherine Deneuve and Ludivine Sagnier in it...a pity I can't speak French....

― jedidiah (jedidiah), Friday, 4 February 2005 16:06 (nineteen years ago) link

If you love musicals I can't see how you couldn't love "WMWF" (although clearly, you guys have done just that.)

Strikes against OMWF:

1) The singing is atrocious.
2) The songwriting is nu-Broadway rock-opera hell.
3) Did I mention the singing is atrocious?

My favorite musicals:

West Side Story
Singin' In The Rain
Candide
Joseph and the Amazing Techniocolor Dreamcoat
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut
Chicago
Damn Yankees
The Lion King
My Fair Lady

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 4 February 2005 16:23 (nineteen years ago) link

seven years pass...

can you imagine how hard it must have been for wealthy land owning austrian families in the 1930s? those poor von trapps.

― Mordy, Monday, 24 December 2012 02:24 (eleven years ago) link

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