As soon as there were ‘talkies,’ there were literally musicals; the very first motion picture with full sound (The Jazz Singer) was, in fact, a musical. Twentieth-century cinema introduced the world to thepopular movie musicalthat’s remained admired and adored as a Hollywood staple, continuously captivating fans. The spellbinding genre shined brightly during this period in Hollywood, with countless pictures being released featuring dazzling and famous stars.
Famed performer Gene Kelly danced his way into the hearts of moviegoers in critically acclaimed pictures likeAn American in ParisandSingin’ in the Rain,while queen of the silver screen Julie Andrews enchanted audiences as a nanny in bothMary PoppinsandThe Sound of Music.Many famous faces would take on the musical genre, giving fans of the song and dance pictures a plethora of iconic and endearing characters they couldn’t help but love; yearly, 100 years after the first one,movie musicals in the 21st centurystill remain beloved.
The legendary Judy Garland was a musical darling who appeared in arguably three of the genre’s greatest films: as Dorothy Gale in the cinema wonderThe Wizard of Oz, Esther Smith inMeet Me in St. Louis, and as aspiring actress Esther Blodgett inA Star Is Born.Such outstanding performances and star-making roles helped spread the popularity of the lively genre in the entertainment industry. Aside from the great black-and-white movies, these are Hollywood’s best classic musicals.
Update Jul 12, 2025: This article has been updated with even more great classic Hollywood musicals that are worth checking out, especially as the fall season has arrived and the cold weather means some nice warm musical comforts.
14Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
Set in the sprawling and treacherous Oregon frontier in 1850 and centering on seven backwoodsmen brothers as they attempt to find wives, 1954’sSeven Brides for Seven Brothersis based on Stephen Vincent Benét’s short story “The Sobbin' Women” and chronicles the romance and subsequent marriage between the beautiful young cook Milly (Jane Powell) and strong outdoorsman Adam Pontipee (Howard Keel) as the two experience a whirlwind courtship. When Adam brings Milly to his mountain cabin, the woman is shocked to discover he has six brothers who all live uncouth lives and she attempts to help civilize the men so they too can find brides.
Seven Brides for Seven Brotherswas choreographed by Tony winner Michael Kidd, and his unusual dance sequences featured the brothers breaking out into song during mundane tasks like raising a barn and chopping wood, with filmcritic Stephanie Zacharekretrospectively calling the former dance number “one of the most rousing dance numbers ever put on screen.” The musical went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Score and was listed as one of the Greatest Movie Musicals by the American Film Institute.
13The Music Man (1962)
Based on Meredith Wilson’s sensational Broadway musical of the same name, 1962’sThe Music Manis jam-packed full of toe-tapping tunes and unforgettable performances by lead stars Robert Preston and Shirley Jones, telling the story of notorious traveling con man “Professor” Harold Hill as he sets his sights on the naïve citizens of the small town of River City, Iowa for his latest deception. Posing as a boys' band leader, Hill sets out to help the children raise money and plans to skip town with the funds in hand, but finds himself falling for the lovely but suspicious local librarian Marian Paroo.
Preston reprised his role as the scheming Harold Hill after originating the character for the stage version, though the studio offered the part to stars including Bing Crosby, Cary Grant, and Jame Cagney before Preston was officially brought on.The Music Manwas the third-highest grossing release of the year (earning $15 million) and featured fan-favorite songs like “Seventy-Six Trombones” and “Ya Got Trouble”, and Preston’s spirited performance remains one of the finest to ever appear in a musical.
12The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)
Debbie Reynolds and Harve Presnell were the ultimate silver screen dream team when they headlined Charles Walters' 1964 Western comedy musicalThe Unsinkable Molly Brown, which presents a fictionalized account of the wondrous life of famed American socialite Margaret Brown, who notably went on to survive the sinking of the RMSTitanicthat posthumously earned her the titular nickname. In the engrossing picture,cinema legend Reynoldsbrilliantly portrays the fierce and headstrong Molly Brown as she goes from rags to riches and becomes Denver royalty with her husband Johnny (Presnell), but quickly learns money doesn’t always buy happiness.
Reynolds had previously starred alongside Gene Kelly in the ’50s classic musicalSingin' in the Rain, and the dynamic actress once again showcased her exceptional vocal skills with performances of songs like “Belly Up to the Bar, Boys” and “I Ain’t Down Yet.” She earned both an Academy Award and Golden Globe nomination for her lively portrayal of the spirited Brown, and her endearing chemistry with Presnell helped make the film both a critical and commercial hit.
11Guys and Dolls (1955)
The 1955 musicalGuys and Dollsfeatures some of classic Hollywood’s most admired and gifted performers, including Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons, and Marlon Brando, and follows the duo as notorious gambler Nathan Detroit (Sinatra) bets his pal Sky Masterson (Brando) that he cannot get the virtuous Sarah Brown (Simmons) to go out on a date with him. Despite his lack of vocal skills, Brando was cast in the picture due to the actor being the world’s biggest box office draw by a landslide, a choice Sinatra was dismayed by. He himself had coveted the role of Sky Masterson but was instead cast as Detroit, causing on-set relations with Brando to become strained.
The talented greats were infamously frosty towards one another, withSinatra calling Brando“the world’s most overrated actor” and referring to him as “mumbles.” Despite on-set discord,Guys and Dollswas a box office success and spawned the hit musical number “Luck Be a Lady,” and took home the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
10Oklahoma! (1955)
From the genius minds of dynamic duo Rodgers and Hammerstein comes the acclaimed 1955 musicalOklahoma!, an adaptation of their successful Broadway production that centers on small town farm girl Laurey Williams (Shirley Jones) as she is pursued by two vastly different suitors: the charismatic cowboy Curly McLain (Gordon MacRae) and the boorish field hand Jud Fry (Rod Steiger). MacRae beat out fellow Hollywood stars James Dean and Paul Newman for the lead role, coming out triumphant due to his exceptional vocal capabilities that the other two actors lacked.
The Oscar-winningOklahoma!was the first film shot and photographed in Todd-AO, and production was overseen by both Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II to ensure the big screen extravaganza remained faithful to the stage version. The New York Times raved about the adaptation, and it was voted a “New York Times Critics Pick”, with the publicationproclaiming in their review, “A full-bodiedOklahoma!has been brought forth in this film to match in vitality, eloquence, and melody any musical this reviewer has ever seen.”
9Gigi (1958)
Vincente Minnelli directed the acclaimed 1958 romantic comedy musicalGigi, based on the Colette novella of the same name that features Leslie Caron as the eponymous Parisian beauty who is groomed to become a courtesan and learn the do’s and don’ts of high society. The precocious and free-spirited Gigi shares a platonic and wholesome friendship with notorious playboy Gaston (Louis Jourdan), and as she begins to mature and become more self-assured, the young woman captures Gaston’s eye in a romantic way despite Gigi’s refusal to be anyone’s mistress. Gaston must abandon his lothario ways if he wants to win the heart of Gigi.
Gigiwon all nine of its Academy Award nominations, including Best Motion Picture and Best Director for Minnelli, a record that was held alongsideThe Last Emperorand was not surpassed untilThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kingwon eleven in 2004. Caron delivered a phenomenal performance as the headstrong Gigi and the musical is widely regarded as the last great Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical.
8A Star is Born (1954)
Silver screen icon Judy Garland won a Golden Globe for her intimate performance as Esther Blodgett in 1954’sA Star is Born,playing an aspiring actress who finds fame by appearing in a musical alongside fading Hollywood actor Norman Maine, whom she later has a tumultuous marriage with. Garland had previously portrayed the character in a 1942 Lux Radio Theater broadcast, and she and her then-husband Sid Luft had formed Transcona Enterprises to specifically produce the project to the big screen.
It is the first remake of the 1937 film, and the movie star’s brilliant delivery of “The Man That Got Away” is arguably the most impactful and important musical sequence in the entire picture. Garland was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar forA Star is Born,and when she lost to Grace Kelly, Groucho Marxsent her a telegramafter her ceremony and declared her loss “the biggest robbery since Brinks.” Regardless, the emotionally-driven film is arguably Garland’s finest, andTime called it“just about the greatest one-woman show in modern movie history.”
7My Fair Lady (1964)
Twentieth-centurycinema legend Audrey Hepburnfamously starred in the 1964 musical dramedyMy Fair Lady,in which she plays a poor Cockney flower seller named Eliza Doolittle who agrees to a wager with the arrogant phonetics professor Henry Higgins that he can make her presentable in high society. Hepburn’s casting of Doolittle was met with some criticism in the industry, as Julie Andrews had originated the role on stage yet wasn’t offered the part due to producers believing Hebpurn was the more bankable star.
Though the actress sang inFunny Face,her vocals were dubbed by singer Marni Nixon, whose voice was considered more suitable for the character and songs; upon hearing the news Hepburn walked off the set in tears.My Fair Ladyproved to be a critical and commercial success, winning eight Academy Awards and further elevating Hepburn as a revered and respected talent;Time magazine saidher “graceful, glamorous performance” was “the best of her career.”
6Mary Poppins (1964)
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Robert Stevenson directed Disney’s 1964 musical fantasyMary Poppins, in which the renowned Julie Andrews makes her feature film debut as the magical titular character who employs music and adventures to help two neglected children mend their relationship with their father. The beloved picture memorably co-stars Dick Van Dyke as Bert, a cockney jack-of-all-trades who is a close friend of Poppins and is accustomed to her magical ways. Together, the pair famously performed the mouthful musical number “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” and the movie’smix of animation with live actioncreated dazzling and vibrant visuals.
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Mary Poppinsis widely considered to be Walt Disney’s crowning achievement and became the biggest box-office draw in Disney history at the time, earning over $100 million. Andrews’ star-making role earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress and was lauded by critics and audiences alike,with Variety proclaimingher performance as a “signal triumph…she performs as easily as she sings, displaying a fresh type of beauty.”
5An American in Paris (1951)
Famed actor and dancer Gene Kelly headlined the 1951 musical comedyAn American in Paris,appearing as American ex-GI Jerry Mulligan who stays in post-war Paris to become a painter and ends up falling for the charming Lise Bouvier; things take a complicated turn when his artwork attracts the attention of a lonely American heiress who likes more than just Mulligan’s paintings. The storyline of the picture is interspersed with dance numbers that were choreographed by Kelly and is set to composer George Gershwin’s music and numbers, most notably “I Got Rhythm” and “Love Is Here to Stay.”
The actor coincidentally discovered co-star Leslie Caron in Paris and brought her to Hollywood for the project.An American in Parisfeatures a then unprecedented 17-minute ballet sequence, and was the most expensive production number ever filmed at the time. The musical comedy was a monumental success, winning six Academy Awards and earning the status as one of the best musicals of all time.
