The Greatest Movie Musicals of the '60s

Inspired by the Paramount Theater's screening of West Side Story — tonight, Thursday August 26th, and tomorrow, Friday August 27th at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee Saturday the 28th at 3 p.m. — here are the best films of the last great decade of the Hollywood musical, the 1960s.

This list is mostly limited to the traditional Broadway-type musicals, so it doesn't include rock 'n' roll movies like A Hard Day's Night (that's another list entirely) or Riot on Sunset Strip. And, to illustrate just how much Hollywood had lost touch wih its audience in the '60s, many of the films listed below lost money at the box office.

Here, in ascending order, are The Greatest Movie Musicals of the '60s:

Finian's Rainbow (1968): Francis Ford Coppola directed this noble failure about racial tolerance, starring Fred Astaire as a superannuated leprechaun. With Petula Clark and Tommy Steele.

Paint Your Wagon! (1969): Joshua Logan directed (and was fired from) this Western musical about the gold rush, featuring the dulcet tones of Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood(!). With Jean Seberg.

Hello, Dolly! (1969): Misguided adaptation of the Broadway perennial, with Barbra Streisand badly miscast in the title role. Makes the list only for the Louis Armstrong's cameo. With Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, and E.J. Peaker.

Viva Las Vegas (1964): Elvis Presley's incredible on- and off-screen chemistry with Ann-Margret fuels this tale of a racecar-drivin' waiter and the sexy daughter of his crusty mechanic (William Demarest). Songs include "What'd I Say," "The Lady Loves Me," and the title tune. Directed by George Sidney.

Bells Are Ringing (1960): Arthur Freed produced, Vincente Minelli directed, Judy Holliday (in her last film role) and Dean Martin starred in this Comden-Green musical about a Brooklyn telephone operator who falls in love with a playwright. Songs include "Just in Time," "The Party's Over."

Gypsy (1962): Despite the fact that the two leads, Natalie Wood and Rosalind Russell, couldn't sing, still worthwhile. Wood is stunningly beautiful, even she wasn't as bodacious as the real Gypsy Rose Lee. With Karl Malden. Songs include "Let Me Entertain You," "I Had a Dream," "Everthing's Coming Up Roses."

Mary Poppins (1964): Beloved Disney flick blending live action with animation, starring Julie Andrews in the title role, and Dick Van Dyke sporting a godawful cockney accent. Songs include "A Spoonful of Sugar," "Supercalifragilistic."

Sweet Charity (1969): Subtitled "The Adventures of a Girl Who Wanted to Be Loved," Bob Fosse's first film is visually dazzling, totally '60s, and chock full of his signature choreography. Based on Federico Fellini's Nights of Cabiria, the movie stars Shirley MacLaine as the hooker with a heart of gold (or "dance hall hostess with a heart of gold," if you will). Featuring Sammy Davis Jr. as "Big Daddy." Songs include "Hey, Big Spender," "If They Could See Me Now," and "The Rhythm of Life."

The Sound of Music (1965): Some will complain that this film should be ranked higher, but I calls 'em like I sees 'em, folks. After being passed up in favor of Audrey Hepburn for the movie version of My Fair Lady, Julie Andrews got the part of Maria in this film of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music after Mary Martin created the role on the Great White Way. With singing nuns, nasty Nazis, and Christopher Plummer as Count Von Trapp. Songs include "Sixteen Going on Seventeen," "Edelweiss," and "My Favorite Things."

Funny Girl (1968): Barbra Streisand emotes for the ages as Fanny Brice, star of the Ziegfield Follies. The plot concerns her rise to fame and her ill-fated romance with gambler Nicky Arnstein (Omar Sharif). Babs shared the Oscar with Katherine Hepburn, famously saying to the statuette, "Hello, Gorgeous!" Songs include "Don't Rain on My Parade," "People," and "My Man." Folowed by a lame sequel, Funny Lady, in 1974.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966): Director Richard Lester followed up A Hard Day's Night, Help!, and The Knack (And How to Get It) with a madcap adaptation of this Broadway hit set in Ancient Rome. Zero Mostel leads a cast of old pros including Phil Silvers, Jack Gilford, Michael Hordern, and Buster Keaton. Michael Crawford and Annette Andre play the young lovers. Much to Stephen Sondheim's chagrin, about half of the songs from the show were scrapped, but "Comedy Tonight," "Lovely," and "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" made the cut.

Oliver! (1968): Lionel Bart's musical adaptation of Dickens' Oliver Twist was a hit on the London and New York stage before being brought to the screen by Sir Carol Reed (The Third Man). The title role is played by an angelic Mark Lester, but the real stars of the film are the colorful supporting characters: Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger, Ron Moody as Fagin, and Oliver Reed (Sir Carol's nephew) as the villainous Bill Sykes. Songs include "Consider Yourself," "Where is Love," and "As Long As He Needs Me" (sung by Shani Wallis shortly before Reed bludgeons her to death). Ollie's one song got cut when he proved to be a terrible singer (see also Tommy).

Bye Bye Birdie (1963): Though more than a bit dated, to say the least, this send-up of rock 'n' roll and Elvis is still enormously entertaining. The stellar cast includes Ann-Margaret, Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh, Maureen Stapleton, Ed Sullivan, and Paul Lynde (a hoot as the harried Harry McAfee). Jesse Pearson plays the title role/Elvis surrogate Conrad Birdie, whose rendition of "Honestly Sincere" is a comic highlight. Pearson never did another movie, but played a few TV roles, including "Johnny Poke" on The Beverly Hillbillies, recorded narration on a Rod McKuen LP, and wound up directing porn. Other songs include "Put on a Happy Face," "The Telephone Hour," and "Got a Lot of Livin' to Do." Followed by a made-for-TV remake and thousands and thousands of high school productions.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) and The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967): Two wildly colorful classics of French cinema from writer/director Jacques Demy and composer Michel Legrand. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a visually stunning, bittersweet love story starring Catherine Deneuve, who also stars in The Young Girls of Rochefort, along with Gene Kelly, George Chakiris and her older sister Françoise Dorléac, who died tragically in a car crash around the time of the film's release.

My Fair Lady (1964): George Cukor directed this adaptation of the long-running musical by Allen Jay Lerner and Frederick Lowe, with Rex Harrison recreating his role as Professor Henry Higgins. Adapted from George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, the story concerns Higgins's attempt to transform cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn, replacing the original Broadway Eliza, Julie Andrews) into a lady. Although Hepburn's voice is dubbed by Marni Nixon (who also dubbed Natalie Wood in West Side Story), she is wonderful in the part. Songs include "On the Street Where You Live," "The Rain in Span," and "Why Can't a Woman Be More Like a Man?"

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967): Robert Morse won a Tony Award in 1962 for his role as window washer turned executive J. Pierpont Finch, the puckish protagonist of this wickedly funny satire on American coroprate culture. Rudy Vallee, another holdover from the original Broadway production, plays J.B. Bigley. Rounding out the great cast are Michele Lee, Sammy Smith, Maureen Arthur, and Anthony "Scooter" Teague as Bud Frump. Original choreography by Bob Fosse. Songs include "I Believe in You," "The Company Way," and "A Secretary is Not a Toy." In an inspired bit of casting, Morse can be seen these days as senior partner Bert Cooper on AMC's "Mad Men."

The Music Man (1962): Robert Preston reprised his Broadway role as con man Harold Hill, who comes to a small town in Iowa to fleece the citizens, but stays because he's fallen for Marian the Librarian (Shirley Jones). Co-starring Buddy Hackett, Paul Ford, Ronnie Howard, and the Buffalo Bills (the barbershop quartet, not the football team). Songs include "Til There Was You," "Gary, Indiana," and "76 Trombones."

West Side Story (1961): One of the greatest musicals of all time, and by far the best movie musical of the '60s, the Oscar-winning West Side Story boasts wonderful music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreography by Jerome Robbins, who co-directed with Robert Wise. While Natalie Wood may not have sung her part, she is excellent as Maria, opposite Richard Beymer as Tony. Also in the cast are Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, and George Chakiris. Songs include "Tonight," "America," and "Jets Theme."

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