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When you can’t speak, you sing. When you can’t sing, you dance. That’s the formula used in musicals. And it’s with that formula that movie musicals have been a long-lasting part of the formula since Hollywood’s Golden Age. Some movie musicals were made specifically for the big screen, while others have been adaptations of beloved stage musicals. What they all have in common is how they make us feel when a song touches our hearts.
For every major movie musical like Grease, The Sound of Music, or West Side Story, there are a handful of movie musicals that time has forgotten. And they just so happen to be as brilliant as the aforementioned masterpieces. In the vast catalog of toe-tapping musicals, these five films may have been forgotten, but there is no denying how incredible they are. From a made-for-television movie based on a cult classic Off-Broadway smash to a Barbra Streisand-led masterpiece that is not Funny Girl, these five films are perfect to watch and even sing-along to!
1
‘Once’ (2017)
Music is one of the most universally shared elements across cultures. Though we may not share the same language, music still has the strength to unite us. Music brings people together, so when it comes to love, there’s something beautiful when a song unites two hearts. That’s what happens in one of the most romantic movie musicals of all time, Once. Directed by John Carney, the indie musical film tells the story of a struggling Irish busker (Glen Hansard) and a Czech immigrant (Markéta Irglová) who connect through music over an eventful week in Dublin. Through their collaboration as songwriters, Guy and Girl form a deep, romantic bond while navigating their past, heartbreak, and separate personal lives that don’t always intertwine but collide. Playing out like a documentary come to life, Once is more than just the Academy Award-winning song, “Falling Slowly.” Once is a masterful film that broke the conventions of the genre and reshaped movie musicals.
We often see movie musicals as massive, grand spectacles. Here, Once was all about emotional connection and intimacy. The film, shot in 17 days, was a low-budget, lo-fi, realistic indie work where the song guided the story. Rather than the characters breaking out into song, the music comes as the performers are actively writing, playing, or busking. It led to a grittier aesthetic than most polished, dazzling musicals. Yet, that’s where the charm arrives. The chemistry between the two leads was predictable, as they found a romantic connection and became a real-life, albeit short-lived, couple, further proving the power of song and music’s intimacy. The story is not one that has been forgotten because Once was given the Broadway treatment in 2011, starring Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti, where it was heavily awarded. We fondly remember the musical more than the film, but we will forever know where it all started.
2
‘Pennies From Heaven’ (1981)
Sometimes, audience expectations and box office numbers go hand in hand. And based on that correlation, a film’s legacy is predetermined. For a film like Pennies From Heaven, the Herbert Ross-directed romantic movie musical was a box-office bomb, but it didn’t actually reflect the product. That’s where the disconnect came for the 1981 film. The dark experimental musical set in Depression-era 1930s America, focusing on Arthur Parker (Steve Martin), a disillusioned sheet music salesman in a bleak marriage to his wife, Joan (Jessica Harper). He pursues a timid schoolteacher named Eileen “Lulu” Everson (Bernadette Peters) while using fantastical, lip-synced musical numbers from the era to escape his miserable, cruel reality. While exploring the grim reality of the Depression and the artificial happiness of popular entertainment through themes of yearning, sexual frustration, and despair, Pennies From Heaven is a melancholic, stylized wonder that honored our adoration for the genre.
Just like how we use musicals to escape, so does Arthur, allowing for an instant connection. Though it may not have been considered as one then, Pennies From Heaven is essentially a jukebox musical. The soundtrack featured some of the era’s greatest songs, including “I Want to Be Bad,” “Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries,” and the titular track. And yes, before Christopher Walken‘s infamous turn in the “Weapon of Choice” music video, he razzle-dazzled with a gritty performance of “Let’s Misbehave.” The concept may have seemed risky at the time, but the musical sequences coming from the characters’ minds reflect concepts that future movie musicals would take up, including Chicago, Nine, and Kiss of the Spider Woman. Pennies From Heaven was an unconventional movie that was ahead of its time. Despite the three Academy Award nominations, Pennies From Heaven is lost in limbo.
3
‘Reefer Madness’ (2005)
In 1936, a propaganda exploitation film about the dangers of drugs and abuse was released called Reefer Madness. More than six decades later, Dan Studney and Kevin Murphy took that film as inspiration for a cult-classic musical satire. It was so beloved that, in 2005, it was given the film treatment. First premiering at the Sundance Film Festival before a 4/20 television debut, Reefer Madness took the source material and transformed it into a campy, high-energy musical that mocked hysteria. A story-within-a-story, the film is framed by the Lecturer (Alan Cumming) who warns the audience about the “leafy green assassin,” marijuana. His story tells the tale of Jimmy Harper (Christian Campbell) and Mary Lane (Kristen Bell), a wholesome, all-American couple whose lives fall to pieces after Jimmy is lured into a reefer den by a dealer named Jack (Steven Weber) and his girlfriend, Mae (Ana Gasteyer). As Jimmy’s life spirals into a world of jazz, sex,, and violence, Mary soon becomes corrupted as well. A surrealistic song-and-dance romp that features animated dancing pot brownies, zombies, and Jesus (Robert Torti), Reefer Madness was on the level of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, yet never received the hype.
Reefer Madness is nothing short of a hidden gem. Though it never had the chance to be a blockbuster, Reefer Madness earned a devoted following that helped it reach beyond its initial audience. Reefer Madness not only satirized the original propaganda film, but it also helped to normalize cannabis use before that conversation became fully mainstream. It found its footing thanks to the sensational ensemble and the intoxicating soundtrack, filled with hilarious power ballads and enchanting production numbers. The story’s absurdity allowed for a balance between over-the-top humor and the mockery of fear and misinformation manipulation. Though New York City has yet to see a major revival of the film, each April, when Reefer Madness is shown to new audiences, the desire grows more fervent. Perhaps after the successful 2024 run in Los Angeles, it may lead to a resurgence of those revival calls!
4
‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’ (1982)
In 1980, country superstar Dolly Parton proved her worth as a movie star after the massive success of 9 to 5. It was a major factor in her becoming sought after in Hollywood. The problem was that nothing would reach that same appeal. Even if she offered her delightful vocals to a project. A risky project, Parton joined Burt Reynolds for the movie musical adaptation of the 1978 stage musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Spoofing the 1982 pornographic film Memphis Cathouse Blues, the film tells the story of the real-life Texas brothel known as the Chicken Ranch, where Madam Miss Mona Stangley (Parton) and her sheriff lover Ed Earl Dodd (Reynolds) attempt to protect their reputable establishment from a sensationalist TV reporter, Melvin P. Thorpe (Dom DeLuise), aiming to shut it down. Even though it may be racier than many family-friendly musicals, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a rousing, foot-stomping romp that deserves to be discussed alongside the classics.
The title might be controversial, the time-sensitive satire may be dated, and some of the original tracks were swapped out for toned-down, less campy pieces, but at the end of the day, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is exactly what it set out to be. At its core, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a feel-good musical extravaganza that celebrates community over the proposed scandal sensationalized by the media. If there’s anything that is best remembered from the film, it’s Parton’s rendition of “Hard Candy Christmas.” Though if you ask any country lover where the song originated, they most certainly would not know it came from a musical. At the end of the day, Parton and her ’80s resume always point back to 9 to 5. The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a victim of timing.
5
‘Yentl’ (1983)
There are very few individuals who can do it all quite like Barbra Streisand. She can sing. She can act. And she can direct. In 1983, she made her directorial debut with the romantic musical drama Yentl. Inspired by Isaac Bashevis Singer‘s short story, the film tells the story of Yentl (Streisand), a young Jewish woman in 1904 Poland who disguises herself as a man named Anshel to study Talmudic law. After her father passes, she defies tradition to pursue education, but complicates her life by falling in love with her study partner, Avigdor (Mandy Patinkin), while drawing the attention of Hadass (Amy Irving). A mesmerizing exploration of gender roles, education, faith, and personal freedom, Yentl was a passion project for Streisand. Earning great success, a handful of awards and nominations, and a launching pad for Streisand’s directing career, Yentl became a misunderstood masterpiece because it didn’t have the same mainstream appeal as the rest of her glorious body of work.
Yentl was always going to be a tough sell. The story was powerful, yet niche. Though it was about faith and gender perception, the sentimental romance was softened, moving away from the more complex queer themes of gender fluidity. Though if you made Yentl for the first time today, it would be applauded. The musical structure did not align with the traditional musical layout, in which characters break out into song. Instead, they served as intimate, internal monologues. Then, came the production of it all. An unfortunate perception, but one nonetheless, many critics feared Yentl was a vanity project that displayed Streisand’s ego and power. Streisand fought for creative control to make the project more commercial, but, given the climate, it backfired. Yentl was a film about breaking down barriers created by a woman who was breaking down barriers in the process. Yet the film is often remembered only for the iconic song “Papa, Can You Hear Me?” Yentl is not Funny Girl, nor is it A Star is Born. For that, it’s forgotten. The truth is, Yentl might be a grander project than both.
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Michael Block
Almontather Rassoul
