I Love Musicals

‘Singin’ in the Rain’ film poster

I owe my love of musicals to my mum.

To say she loved them would be quite the understatement.

My mum at Kew Gardens (1957)

While her favourite viewing was Indian films and programmes, she liked watching English language films too.

Sometimes, she’d keep us company watching whatever TV programme or film we were interested in, but musicals were the one genre she’d happily watch, no encouragement needed.

All through my growing up years and beyond, I remember my mum would just burst into song for no reason, and it would usually be a song from one of her favourite musicals, so it was a little like being in a musical.

Thanks to her, I watched and fell in love with films like ‘Meet Me in St Louis’, ‘Show Boat’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, ‘An American in Paris’, all the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films, ‘The Sound of Music’ to name but a very few.

‘Meet Me in St Louis’ film poster

‘Top Hat’ film poster

My all-time, top of the list favourite musical to this day is ‘Singin’ in the Rain’, starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor.

Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds and Gene Kelly performing 'Good Morning’ from ‘Singin’ in the Rain’

I have watched it so many times, I’ve lost count, and just the thought of it makes me smile.

Instead of simply telling a mediocre story that happens to have great songs, the film focuses on a pivotal moment in the industry when sound was introduced.

The film gives a good idea of the struggles studios faced trying to incorporate only the sounds they wanted filmgoers to hear without the intrusion of any extraneous noises.

Having to address simple things like where to place conspicuously large mikes, to pick up actors’ dialogue; realising that popular silent movie stars had voices and/or accents that didn’t match their looks…

The title song is great, but my favourites are ‘Good Morning’, ‘Moses Supposes’ and the brilliantly choreographed ‘Make ‘em Laugh’.

And while I love the scenes with Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, for me it’s Donald O’Connor who makes the film so enjoyable.

When I introduced the boys to the film – they were in their early teens – the scene they loved most was O’Connor’s ‘Make ‘em Laugh’, and they replayed it many times. In fact, it’s the one thing that stands out for them whenever I mention the film.

And now, over to you. Do you like musicals? If you do, do you have a favourite? Or, conversely, do you find them boring and pointless?