The following is a brief timeline of major film musicals.

Pre-21st Century

1927 The Jazz Singer

The Jazz Singer was one of the first major "talkies" in the late 1920s. It is a precursor to the first film musical, The Broadway Melody which would follow two years later. The storyline is about a about young Jewish man, played by Al Jolson, who wants to become a jazz singer. The movie featured seven songs, including "Blue Skies," "Toot-Toot-Tootsie," and "Mammy" and some dialogue.

1929 The Broadway Melody

The Broadway Melody was the first Hollywood musical because it combined singing and dancing with a background plot. It was advertised as ALL TALKING, ALL SINGING, ALL DANCING! The story is a romance involving several different characters who are all aspiring actors and actresses on Broadway. The movie featured several songs, including "You Were Meant For Me," "Give My Regards to Broadway" and "Broadyway Melody."

1933 Footlight Parade

Footlight Parade was one of the most extravagant movies of it's time. It included several elaborate singing and dancing scenes, including the famous 15 minute number "By a Waterfall," which had 100 girls in bathing suits performing a synchronized swimming routine and making a giant human fountain on top of a revolving wedding cake.

1939 The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz is one of the most famous film musicals and one of the most popular movies of all time. Everyone from kids to senior citizens love __The Wizard of Oz__. The movie tells the story of Dorothy, a young Kansas farm girl, played by Judy Garland, whose dreams take her into an adventure through the magical land of Oz. The most famous song from the movie is "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

1952 Singin' in the Rain

Singin' in the Rain is considered by many critics to be the best film musical ever made. It is a comic, satirical spoof of the dawn of the Hollywood sound era, and the confustion caused by the introduction of "talkies" in Hollywood. Famous songs include "Singin' in the Rain," "Make 'Em Laugh," and "Moses Supposes."

1961 West Side Story

West Side Story won 10 academy awards and was considered one of the best movies of the 1960s. It tells the Romeo and Juliet type story of Tony, an American, and Maria, a Puerto Rican, who fall in love but must deal with the disapproval of their families and friends. The story takes place in the gang-filled streets of New York City. Popular songs include "Maria," "America," and "Tonight, Tonight."

1965 The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music is a musical about a romance between a nanny who used to be a nun and a widower with seven children in 1930s and their escape from the Nazi's in Austria. The movie won five oscars, and was one of the most popular musicals in the 1960s. Popular songs include "Do-Re-Mi," "Edelweiss," and "The Sound of Music."

1978 Grease

__Grease__, the most famous musical of the 1970s, tells the love story of two high school students, the preppy Sandy and the greaser Danny and their friends, the Pink Ladies and the T-birds. Popular songs from the movie include "Summer Lovin'" "Grease Lightning," and "Beauty School Dropout"

1996 Evita

One of the only non-cartoon musicals to come out in the 1990s, Evita tells the story of Evita Duarte, the wife of Argentinian president and dictator Juan Perón. The film starred Maddona, and popular songs included "Don't Cry for me Argentina," and "You Must Love Me."

21st Century

Click on each one of the links on the main page to see detailed plot descriptions, musical conventions and pictures from __Moulin Rouge __(2001), __Chicago __(2002), __The Phantom of the Opera __(2004) and __Rent __(2005).