Musicals (before 1940)
by mainemoviefanaticDaisy | created - 15 Aug 2011 | updated - 23 Aug 2011 | PublicAll the musicals we own from before 1940.
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1. Born to Dance (1936)
Passed | 106 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
On leave, a sailor falls in love with a young lady aspiring to become a Broadway dancer, but their relationship is jeopardized by an established Broadway star, who is also enamored by him.
Director: Roy Del Ruth | Stars: Eleanor Powell, James Stewart, Virginia Bruce, Una Merkel
Votes: 1,931
Musicals for the Dream Factory - volume 3 (9)
2. Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)
Passed | 101 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A Broadway producer is reluctant to hire his high school sweetheart for the leading role in a new show, so she decides to take advantage of a rumor started by a gossip columnist.
Directors: Roy Del Ruth, W.S. Van Dyke | Stars: Jack Benny, Eleanor Powell, Robert Taylor, Una Merkel
Votes: 1,993
Musicals for the Dream Factory - volume 3 (9)
3. Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937)
Passed | 110 min | Musical, Romance
Steve Raleigh wants to produce a show on Broadway. He finds a backer, Herman Whipple and a leading lady, Sally Lee, however his wife Caroline Whipple forces Steve to use a known star, not a... See full summary »
Director: Roy Del Ruth | Stars: Robert Taylor, Eleanor Powell, George Murphy, Binnie Barnes
Votes: 1,358
Musicals for the Dream Factory - volume 3 (9)
4. Dames (1934)
Passed | 91 min | Comedy, Music, Musical
A multimillionaire decides to boycott "filthy" forms of entertainment such as Broadway shows.
Directors: Ray Enright, Busby Berkeley | Stars: Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Zasu Pitts
Votes: 2,428
Warner Bros - Dick Powell
5. Dancing Lady (1933)
Passed | 92 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
An attractive dancer is rescued from jail by a rich man who helps her to have her first big opportunity at a musical play on Broadway.
Director: Robert Z. Leonard | Stars: Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone, May Robson
Votes: 2,664
Part of the Clark Gable Signature Collection
6. Flying Down to Rio (1933)
Passed | 89 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A bandleader woos a Latin flame who is already engaged to his employer.
Director: Thornton Freeland | Stars: Dolores Del Río, Gene Raymond, Raul Roulien, Ginger Rogers
Votes: 4,020 | Gross: $2.01M
Astaire and Rogers: The Complete Film Collection (10)
7. The Gay Divorcee (1934)
Approved | 107 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A woman thinks a flirting man is the co-respondent her lawyer has hired to expedite her divorce.
Director: Mark Sandrich | Stars: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Alice Brady, Edward Everett Horton
Votes: 8,635
Astaire and Rogers: The Complete Film Collection (10)
8. Roberta (1935)
Passed | 106 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
An American jazzman and his buddy woo a Russian princess and a fake countess in Paris.
Director: William A. Seiter | Stars: Irene Dunne, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Randolph Scott
Votes: 3,643
Astaire and Rogers: The Complete Film Collection (10)
9. Top Hat (1935)
Not Rated | 101 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
An American dancer comes to Britain and falls for a model whom he initially annoyed, but she mistakes him for his goofy producer.
Director: Mark Sandrich | Stars: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton, Erik Rhodes
Votes: 20,690 | Gross: $3.88M
Astaire and Rogers: The Complete Film Collection (10)
10. Follow the Fleet (1936)
Passed | 110 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A Navy sailor tries to rekindle a romance with the woman he loves while on liberty in San Francisco.
Director: Mark Sandrich | Stars: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Randolph Scott, Harriet Nelson
Votes: 4,721
Astaire and Rogers: The Complete Film Collection (10)
11. Carefree (1938)
Passed | 83 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A psychiatrist falls in love with the woman he's supposed to be nudging into marriage with someone else.
Director: Mark Sandrich | Stars: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Ralph Bellamy, Luella Gear
Votes: 4,315
Astaire and Rogers: The Complete Film Collection (10)
12. Swing Time (1936)
Passed | 103 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Roguish gambler/dancer "Lucky" Garnett is challenged by his fiance's father to come up with $25,000 to prove he's worthy of her hand. But after he falls in love with a dance instructor, Lucky'll do anything to keep from earning the bucks.
Director: George Stevens | Stars: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore, Helen Broderick
Votes: 14,576
Astaire and Rogers: The Complete Film Collection (10)
13. Shall We Dance (1937)
Approved | 109 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A ballet dancer and a showgirl fake a marriage for publicity purposes, then fall in love.
Director: Mark Sandrich | Stars: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore
Votes: 7,847
Astaire and Rogers: The Complete Film Collection (10)
14. The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939)
Approved | 93 min | Biography, Drama, Musical
The story of the dancing team who taught the world to two-step.
Director: H.C. Potter | Stars: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edna May Oliver, Walter Brennan
Votes: 2,789 | Gross: $1.12M
Astaire and Rogers: The Complete Film Collection (10)
15. Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
Approved | 95 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Romantic antics abound among the guests at a luxury hotel, including a stage director, an eccentric millionaire, and the daughter of a financial backer.
Director: Busby Berkeley | Stars: Dick Powell, Adolphe Menjou, Gloria Stuart, Alice Brady
Votes: 2,956
Warner Bros - Dick Powell
16. 42nd Street (1933)
Passed | 89 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
When the leading lady of a Broadway musical breaks her ankle, she is replaced by a young unknown actress, who becomes the star of the show.
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels, George Brent, Ruby Keeler
Votes: 13,029 | Gross: $2.30M
Warner Bros - Dick Powell
17. Hollywood Cavalcade (1939)
Passed | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, History
Starting in 1913 movie director Connors discovers singer Molly Adair. As she becomes a star she marries an actor, so Connors fires them. She asks for him as director of her next film. Many silent stars shown making the transition to sound.
Directors: Irving Cummings, Buster Keaton, Malcolm St. Clair | Stars: Alice Faye, Don Ameche, J. Edward Bromberg, Alan Curtis
Votes: 454
Alice Faye Collection 2 (5)
18. Footlight Parade (1933)
Passed | 104 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Chester Kent struggles against time, romance, and a rival's spy to produce spectacular live "prologues" for movie houses.
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell
Votes: 6,083 | Gross: $3.49M
19. Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)
Passed | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
A wealthy composer rescues unemployed Broadway performers with a new play, but insists on remaining anonymous.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler
Votes: 9,136 | Gross: $4.80M
20. Pigskin Parade (1936)
Passed | 93 min | Comedy, Musical, Sport
Married coaches Slug and Bessie find hillbilly football tosser Amos and the team gets invited to the Yale Bowl.
Director: David Butler | Stars: Stuart Erwin, Patsy Kelly, Jack Haley, The Yacht Club Boys
Votes: 792
Marquee Musicals (20th century fox)
21. On the Avenue (1937)
Passed | 89 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A Broadway producer satirizes an important New York family. The family sues but their daughter falls in love with the producer.
Director: Roy Del Ruth | Stars: Dick Powell, Madeleine Carroll, Alice Faye, The Ritz Brothers
Votes: 657
Alice Faye Collection (4)
22. The Jazz Singer (1927)
Passed | 88 min | Drama, Music, Musical
The son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz singer.
Director: Alan Crosland | Stars: Al Jolson, May McAvoy, Warner Oland, Eugenie Besserer
Votes: 11,064 | Gross: $7.63M
23. Rose of Washington Square (1939)
Approved | 86 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A singer becomes a star in the Ziegfeld Follies, but her marriage to a con man has a bad effect on her career.
Director: Gregory Ratoff | Stars: Tyrone Power, Alice Faye, Al Jolson, William Frawley
Votes: 666
Alice Faye Collection 2 (5)
24. Rhythm on the Range (1936)
Approved | 87 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Cowboy Jeff Larabee returns from the east and meets Doris Halloway, a young girl, that he regards as a vagabond, till he learns that she's the owner of the ranch where he works. He tries to... See full summary »
Director: Norman Taurog | Stars: Bing Crosby, Frances Farmer, Bob Burns, Martha Raye
Votes: 362
part of Double Feature with Rhythm on the River
25. Varsity Show (1937)
Approved | 120 min | Musical, Romance
A former student who is now a big Broadway show producer with three flops to his reputation, is invited back to direct the College's annual student stage show.
Director: William Keighley | Stars: Dick Powell, Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians, Ted Healy, Rosemary Lane
Votes: 501
26. Babes in Arms (1939)
Unrated | 94 min | Comedy, Musical
A group of vaudevillians struggling to compete with talkies hits the road hoping for a comeback. Frustrated to be left behind, all of their kids put on a show themselves to raise money for the families and to prove they've got talent, too.
Director: Busby Berkeley | Stars: Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Charles Winninger, Guy Kibbee
Votes: 2,848
27. Three Smart Girls (1936)
Approved | 84 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Three sisters scheme to reunite their divorced parents before their wealthy father marries a conniving gold digger.
Director: Henry Koster | Stars: Binnie Barnes, Charles Winninger, Alice Brady, Ray Milland
Votes: 1,528 | Gross: $3.00M
28. First Love (1939)
Approved | 84 min | Comedy, Musical, Mystery
An orphaned boarding school graduate secretly attends a prestigious ball, where she falls for the boyfriend of her snobbish cousin.
Director: Henry Koster | Stars: Deanna Durbin, Robert Stack, Eugene Pallette, Helen Parrish
Votes: 762
29. The Smiling Lieutenant (1931)
Passed | 93 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
An amorous lieutenant is forced to marry a socially awkward princess, though he tries to keep his violin-playing girlfriend on the side.
Director: Ernst Lubitsch | Stars: Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert, Miriam Hopkins, Charles Ruggles
Votes: 4,111
30. One Hour with You (1932)
Passed | 78 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
An unhappily married couple try to come between a happy one.
Directors: George Cukor, Ernst Lubitsch | Stars: Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Genevieve Tobin, Lili Damita
Votes: 2,912
31. The Love Parade (1929)
Passed | 107 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
The queen of mythical Sylvania marries a courtier, who finds his new life unsatisfying.
Director: Ernst Lubitsch | Stars: Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Lupino Lane, Lillian Roth
Votes: 2,613
32. Monte Carlo (1930)
Passed | 90 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A countess flees to Monte Carlo on the day of her wedding, where she is courted by a count posing as a hairdresser.
Director: Ernst Lubitsch | Stars: Jeanette MacDonald, Jack Buchanan, Claud Allister, Zasu Pitts
Votes: 1,427
33. Everybody Sing (1938)
Passed | 91 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Judy Bellaire (Judy Garland) is the center of trouble at her exclusive, very conservative private school. She is expelled when she starts singing in a jazzy style in her music class. Mayhem... See full summary »
Director: Edwin L. Marin | Stars: Allan Jones, Judy Garland, Fanny Brice, Reginald Owen
Votes: 658
34. Manhattan Merry-Go-Round (1937)
Passed | 89 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Gangsters take control of a record company and use toughguy tactics on unwilling performers.
Director: Charles Reisner | Stars: Phil Regan, Leo Carrillo, Ann Dvorak, Tamara Geva
Votes: 178
35. Moonlight Sonata (1937)
86 min | Romance, Drama
Mr. Paderewski performs classical piano works including Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata", which enhances the bond between two young lovers, just as his having previously played this same lovely melody had brought the girl's parents together.
Director: Lothar Mendes | Stars: Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Charles Farrell, Marie Tempest, Barbara Greene
Votes: 124
36. The Greeks Had a Word for Them (1932)
Passed | 79 min | Comedy
Ex-showgirls and roommates Polaire Gwynn (Madge Evans) and Schatze Citroux (Joan Blondell) are reunited with their sometime friend and former co-worker, Jean Lawrence (Ina Claire), when she... See full summary »
Director: Lowell Sherman | Stars: Joan Blondell, Madge Evans, Ina Claire, David Manners
Votes: 530
37. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
PG | 102 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes.
Directors: Victor Fleming, King Vidor | Stars: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr
Votes: 428,191 | Gross: $2.08M
Wizard of Oz three disc collector's edition includes other versions
38. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Approved | 83 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
Exiled into the dangerous forest by her wicked stepmother, a princess is rescued by seven dwarf miners who make her part of their household.
Directors: William Cottrell, David Hand, Wilfred Jackson, Larry Morey, Perce Pearce, Ben Sharpsteen | Stars: Adriana Caselotti, Harry Stockwell, Lucille La Verne, Roy Atwell
Votes: 215,196 | Gross: $184.93M
39. The Broadway Melody (1929)
Passed | 100 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A pair of sisters from the vaudeville circuit try to make it big time on Broadway, but matters of the heart complicate the attempt.
Director: Harry Beaumont | Stars: Bessie Love, Anita Page, Charles King, Eddie Kane
Votes: 7,996 | Gross: $6.12M
40. The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
Passed | 176 min | Drama, Musical
The ups and downs of Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., famed producer of extravagant stage revues, are portrayed.
Director: Robert Z. Leonard | Stars: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Luise Rainer, Frank Morgan
Votes: 8,979
41. Stand Up and Cheer! (1934)
Passed | 68 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A little girl's (Shirley Temple) toe-tapping musical numbers uplift the nation during the Depression in this charming classic that includes Temple's rendition of "Baby Take a Bow.
Director: Hamilton MacFadden | Stars: Warner Baxter, Madge Evans, James Dunn, Sylvia Froos
Votes: 577
Shirley Temple Sweetheart Collection (16)
42. Bright Eyes (1934)
Approved | 85 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
An orphaned girl is taken in by a snobbish family at the insistence of their rich, crotchety uncle, even as her devoted aviator godfather fights for custody.
Director: David Butler | Stars: Shirley Temple, James Dunn, Jane Darwell, Judith Allen
Votes: 2,460
Shirley Temple Sweetheart Collection (16)
43. Curly Top (1935)
Approved | 75 min | Family, Musical, Romance
Wealthy Edward Morgan becomes charmed with a curly-haired orphan and her pretty older sister Mary and arranges to adopt both under the alias of "Mr. Jones." As he spends more time with them, he soon finds himself falling in love with Mary.
Director: Irving Cummings | Stars: Shirley Temple, John Boles, Rochelle Hudson, Jane Darwell
Votes: 2,104
Shirley Temple Sweetheart Collection (16)
44. Captain January (1936)
Passed | 77 min | Comedy, Family, Musical
A little girl named Star lives with the lighthouse keeper who rescued her when her parents drowned. A truant officer decides she should go to boarding school, but she's rescued by relatives.
Director: David Butler | Stars: Shirley Temple, Guy Kibbee, Slim Summerville, Buddy Ebsen
Votes: 1,492
Shirley Temple Sweetheart Collection (16)
45. Dimples (1936)
Passed | 79 min | Family, Musical
Dimples Appleby lives with the pick-pocket grandfather in 19th century New York City. She entertains the crowds while he works his racket. A rich lady makes it possible for the girl to go legit. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" is performed.
Director: William A. Seiter | Stars: Shirley Temple, Frank Morgan, Robert Kent, Helen Westley
Votes: 971
Shirley Temple Sweetheart Collection (16)
46. Stowaway (1936)
Approved | 87 min | Adventure, Family, Musical
A young girl lost in Shanghai is taken in by an American playboy and his girlfriend.
Director: William A. Seiter | Stars: Shirley Temple, Robert Young, Alice Faye, Eugene Pallette
Votes: 1,480
Shirley Temple Sweetheart Collection (16)
47. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938)
Approved | 81 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Rebecca's Uncle Harry leaves her with Aunt Miranda who forbids her to associate with show people. But neighbor Anthony Kent is a talent scout who secretly sets it up for her to become a radio broadcaster.
Director: Allan Dwan | Stars: Shirley Temple, Randolph Scott, Jack Haley, Gloria Stuart
Votes: 1,918
Shirley Temple Sweetheart Collection (16)
48. Little Miss Broadway (1938)
Passed | 72 min | Drama, Family, Musical
An orphan is provisionally adopted by the manager of a hotel populated by show-business people. The hotel's owner doesn't like the entertainers and wants the girl returned to the orphanage.
Director: Irving Cummings | Stars: Shirley Temple, George Murphy, Jimmy Durante, Phyllis Brooks
Votes: 950
Shirley Temple Sweetheart Collection (16)
49. Just Around the Corner (1938)
Passed | 70 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Shirley helps her idealistic architect father get his dream of a slum-clearance project; the little miss dances with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Based on Paul Gerard Smith's book "Lucky Penny."
Director: Irving Cummings | Stars: Shirley Temple, Joan Davis, Charles Farrell, Amanda Duff
Votes: 687
Shirley Temple Sweetheart Collection (16)
50. The Little Princess (1939)
Approved | 93 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A little girl is left by her father in an exclusive seminary for girls, when her father fights in the Second Boer War. Later, when he is presumed dead she is forced to become a servant.
Directors: Walter Lang, William A. Seiter | Stars: Shirley Temple, Richard Greene, Anita Louise, Ian Hunter
Votes: 6,729
Shirley Temple Sweetheart Collection (16)
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