Casual Fridays

Today I thought we'd try something a little different: a Top 10 list. They seem to be pretty popular around the interwebs, and a topic popped into my mind that I thought would be fun to try and tackle: favorite musical numbers from my favorite musical movies. This turned out to be a lot harder than I anticipated so before we get down to my picks, here are a few disclaimers. 

-I decided not to include any Disney or animated movies in this list (except for Newsies--I don't really count that one as a Disney film) because I could probably do a Top 10 list for Disney movies alone and if I included other animated films it would just make the pool too big. 

-This list is in alphabetical order by movie title because I couldn't think of any other way to possibly organize it because trying to pick my actual favorite musical is definitely impossible.

-There were certain song and dance numbers that could have made this list but didn't because I couldn't find a good video on the internet for said number (i.e. I'll Capture Your Heart from Holiday Inn). 

-And finally, I know this is supposed to be a Top 10 list, but the songs I've chosen from any particular musical are not necessarily my favorite songs from each movie. It would actually be impossible to choose a favorite song from say, The Sound of Music, so instead of torturing myself with that kind of pressure, I decided to limit myself to one number per musical and tried to choose one that I either feel is under-appreciated for its brilliance or some other such random criteria. 

Now that I've already shown my complete incompetence for making Top 10 lists, enjoy scenes from some of the greatest musicals to ever grace the big screen.

1. We Got Annie from Annie

Annie is real nostalgic for me because my Mom is a huge fan of this show. She played Annie in high school, she had an Annie music book and played all the songs from the show while we kids were growing up, and she took me to see the show when I was a little girl--just the two of us. I chose We Got Annie because even though this song isn't in the stage show, I think it's a great addition, and I love the dancing and joyfulness in this scene. 

2. Hushabye Mountain from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

My little sister went through a period of obsession with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and I mean, really, who can blame the kid? What a great movie. This is still one of my go-to movies when I'm sick, and even though the child-catcher is totally creepy, every single musical number in this film is gold. It was really hard choosing just one for this list. Also, I always wanted that music box when I was a kid. I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

3.  We Should Be Together from Little Miss Broadway

Ok, so here's the thing. I probably could have done a Top 10 list of favorite Shirley Temple scenes, but I decided to just pick one. It wasn't easy, but this is what I decided on. I love this song, and I love the tapping. Shirley Temple films have a special place in my heart because I used to watch them with my Grandmother. She had probably all of them taped from television on VHS tapes, and it was always special watching them with her. I think we watched this one and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm the most. 

4.  Marian the Librarian from The Music Man

Okay, it kills me but this video cuts off halfway through the number. I had a hard time finding good videos for The Music Man, but I just could not omit it from this list. The problem is that youtube is flooded with videos from the Matthew Broderick version, but in my opinion, the Shirley Jones version is the only one worth watching. Do yourself a favor and just go watch the whole movie sometime this weekend. I love it. I'm not lying when I say I can sing every word to every song from this movie. 

5. King of New York from Newsies

Love, love, love this film. Was anyone else out there as big of a Spot Conlon fan as I was? He was probably the scrawniest kid in the movie, but he was the one I had a crush on in 4th grade. And who can resist a young Christian Bale singing and dancing before he became Batman? If you've never seen this movie, you should probably watch it just for that.

6. Kansas City from Oklahoma!

Oklahoma! was another difficult movie to choose from but the dancing in Kansas City put it over the top. This is one of my favorite musicals, and I once convinced my friend Jon to watch it with me. He's never forgiven me for it. I'm not exactly sure why he hated it so much but I guess 2 hours and 25 minutes of old-time singing and dancing is just a little much for some guys. Sorry Jon!

7. Sobbin' Women from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

You guys, I know I said it would be impossible to pick my favorite musical of all time, but if it absolutely came down to it, this one might win. I will never get tired of this movie, and in fact, when Cody and I started dating and I realized he had never seen it, I immediately made him watch it. I'm not gonna say his liking it was a pre-requisite for marriage, but.....it totally was. (I love you, honey!) I can't imagine anyone not liking this film. It's a gem.

8. Good Morning from Singin' In The Rain

I couldn't not include a scene from Singin' In The Rain on this list and Good Morning was actually a pretty easy choice for me. Even though I love Make 'Em Laugh and Moses Supposes and oh, EVERY song in this movie, Good Morning is my favorite. It's so fun, and I love these three dancing together. 

9. The Lonely Goatherd from The Sound of Music

How do you choose a single song from The Sound of Music to include on a list like this? I'm not sure, but I picked The Lonely Goatherd because I don't think it gets enough credit. Julie Andrews is the bomb dot com, and if I could only choose one famous person in this world to sing a duet with, she wins hands down. Her singing chops (especially in her prime) are incomparable.

10. Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me from White Christmas

Oh hey, Rosemary Clooney! I absolutely love this number, and I think it's one of the most forgotten ones in the film. Maybe because it's near the end or maybe because it's not super-flashy like some of the others, but whatever the reason, it was an easy one to choose for this list. Cody and I watch this movie every year while we decorate our Christmas tree, and I love it. Even though this is a Christmas movie, it's one I'll watch any time of year.

We have a few honourable mentions because Top 10 lists are hard, y'all. Or maybe this was just a really ambitious one to start with. Either way, be sure to check out these videos too.

-Stepsisters Lament from Cinderella

-I Whistle a Happy Tune from The King and I

-Under the Bamboo Tree from Meet Me In St. Louis

-The Man That Got Away from A Star Is Born

-America from West Side Story

Okay, so let's hear it. What did I leave out? What would your Top 10 be? Are you a fan of musicals? Have you seen any of my favs? What are your favorites?