When it comes to the subject of movie musicals, it always seems like a handful of numbers from classic films are always presented as being the best of the genre. And, to be fair, they deserve that attention. Whether it involves Judy Garland pining to be “Over the Rainbow” or James Cagney giving a new meaning to patriotism with “Yankee Doodle Dandy” or Gene Kelly getting happily soaked while “Singin’ in the Rain,” everyone knows these numbers by heart.
Today, we’re going in the opposite direction with segments from 10 films that never quite achieved classic status but nonetheless feature larger than life musical sequences that are too much fun.
“The Apache Dance” from “Dough Boys” (1930)
Many film scholars deride Buster Keaton’s early talkies at MGM, but these films (while imperfect) had more than their fair share of inspired moments. One highlight from this output found Keaton doing a violently frenetic Apache dance while dressed in drag. Keaton’s brilliant stoneface reaction to the mayhem enacted on him made the sequence all the more hilarious.
“Banjo on My Knee/Swanee” from “Banjo on My Knee” (1936)
This obscure 20th Century Fox production is notable for a wonderful musical segment with a young Buddy Ebsen doing a song-and-dance number that is followed with Barbara Stanwyck making a surprise turn as his dance partner.
“What a Rumba Does to Romance” from “College Swing” (1938)
Another obscure 1930s flick finds two funny people with very different performing styles – bombastic Martha Raye and quietly eccentric Ben Blue – doing a hilarious Astaire-Rogers turn in an otherwise forgettable musical-comedy.
“The Sping” from “Panama Hattie” (1942)
This adaptation of the popular Broadway musical was widely considered to be a dud except for the star-making appearance of Lena Horne in her first appearance in an MGM offering. Horne was a gorgeous force of talent in this Caribbean-tinged number, and she is happily joined by the Berry Brothers, an energetic dance trio whose film output has not received the ongoing love that they deserve.
“Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree” from Private Buckaroo (1942)
This jukebox musical from Universal Pictures offered a wonderfully strange rendition of the Andrews Sisters’ chart-topping hit, with Shemp Howard brought in as the object of some rather unladylike behavior from the sibling trio.
“Coffee Time” from “Yolanda and the Thief” (1946)
One of the most notable box office flops from MGM’s Golden Age was this excessively stylish musical that was designed to launch Lucille Bremer to superstardom. That didn’t happen – no fault of Bremer, whose extravagant dance number with Fred Astaire under Vincente Minnelli’s direction showed that she was a genuine talent who should have gone further at the studio.
“Am I in Love?” from “She’s Working Her Way Through College” (1952)
Gene Nelson was one of the most talented stars of the movie musical genre, but he is barely recalled today because most of his work was at Warner Bros., which didn’t produce the sterling works that MGM churned out. As this number shows, Nelson excelled as a singer, dancer, acrobat and comic actor. Outside of his supporting role in “Oklahoma!” (1955), he never got the attention he deserved.
“Once a Year Day” from “The Pajama Game” (1957)
Another Warner Bros. musical that doesn’t get the love it deserves, this adaptation of the Broadway hit expanded on the stage show with this riotous sequence at a company picnic, with inventive choreography by Bob Fosse and a rare big screen star turn by the talented dancer Carol Haney.
“Let the Punishment Fit the Crime (A More Humane Mikado)” from “The Cool Mikado” (1963)
This odd British production updated the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta “The Mikado” to a contemporary setting. It didn’t quite work, although a saving grace was Broadway funnyman Stubby Kaye giving a witty and charming version of an updated riff on one of the most amusing songs in “The Mikado.”
“The Musical Extravaganza” from “What a Way to Go!” (1964)
Shirley MacLaine teamed with Gene Kelly in this send-up of old-school musical show-stoppers. Kelly is great, of course, but this film offered a much-needed reminder of MacLaine’s talent as a dancer – too bad she didn’t do more movie musicals.