Secrets From Movie Musicals
Who doesn’t love a good musical? The costumes, the addicting songs, the glitzy sets? Whenever a movie incorporates choreography and live singing we’re THERE. Some of the most celebrated and revered films from the golden age of cinema happen to be musicals. With the expansive themes and interesting stories, it’s no wonder why so many of these classic films stick with people decades after they premiered. While we’re usually enamored by what’s happening on-screen, some of the best moments go entirely unseen.
Put on your tap shoes and tune the instruments, because we’re going behind the scenes of the most famous movie musicals of all time!
Grease
Come on greased lightnin’! Rev up your engine and peel out of the schoolyard. It’s time to max out and see how far we can fly! Grease is one of those films that somehow continues to stand the test of time. There’s just something about John Travolta that we can’t help but love. Despite all of its non-PC moments and themes, Grease still stands as one of the most quotable musicals of all time.
It was also an interesting way to portray high school. Remember all of Rizzo’s iconic scenes? Every now and then people could spot a hickey on her neck! That’s not movie magic. Those were authentic hickeys! Instead of makeup, Jeff Conaway applied them himself with his own lips!
Singing In The Rain
Everyone has that one trick they can do at parties to impress people. For some, it’s a coin trick. Others like to do something with cards. Then there are dancers. Those people can do things that would put Spider-Man to shame. If Spidey’s a fan of classic films, then he’s probably seen Donald O’Connor use Hollywood magic to scale a wall and somersault off of it in Singing in the Rain.
Given that this was before CGI, O’Connor did the trick without assistance! Unfortunately, due to his smoking habit, it took a lot out of him. He was hospitalized for exhaustion after doing the trick too many times. When he got out and back onto the lot, he had to do it all over again!
West Side Story
West Side Story is a great play and movie. This tale follows two rival gangs and the love that arises between two of their most unlikely members. Think of it as Romeo and Juliet with a lot more singing and dancing. Since people weren’t fighting with swords, it could be hard to keep the tension up. These were teenagers after all.
To ensure everyone was in the right mood, the filmmakers had an idea. They actively encouraged the two ensembles to prank each other! That way their rivalry would come across as a lot more authentic for the cameras. What do you think of this directing tactic?
The Wizard of Oz
The hard part about playing a villain is people believing you’re actually wicked. The better you are at your job, the more frightened people become. This is exactly why The Wicked Witch of the West doesn’t have more screen time in the Wizard of Oz. Yes, the movie is all about Dorothy. However, we really didn’t get to see much of the film’s antagonist.
As it turns out, it’s because the actor was too good at her job! Margaret Hamilton was such a great witch that her performance kept scaring people! A lot of her scenes ended up being cut because she was too frightening.
Cabaret
What do Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Cabaret have in common? Aside from both of them featuring music and singing, there’s not much. However, one massive thing they share is their love for the same sets! After filming wrapped on Willy Wonka, the studio decided to reuse some of the sets and soundstages for future products.
The ones based in Munich were immediately broken down and reused for Cabaret! Does this mean the movie also smelled like chocolate and cheap Oompa-Loompa labor? That’s also probably why everyone gave such a sweet performance in both flicks! We wonder how Sally Bowles would’ve fared as the owner of the famed chocolate factory.
My Fair Lady
Audrey Hepburn was a class act. She was the face of a generation, starred in some of the most memorable movies of all time, and had a diva attitude to back up her power and grandiose nature. Despite being a total peach, sometimes she would sour while at work. During the production of My Fair Lady, Hepburn was told rather bluntly that her singing voice wasn’t up to snuff.
This critique was enough to make her storm off the set! Given that she was always a professional, she quickly returned. When she arrived back the next day she gave her apologies and then jumped right back to work on the next scene.
A Star Is Born
Movies aren’t always filmed on enclosed lots behind security gates and walls. To get the right shot you sometimes have to venture out into the world and film where a ton of people can see what’s happening. Sometimes that can even be a good thing! At the 2017 Coachella Festival, the cast and crew of the latest remake of A Star is Born decided to make an appearance.
To get the shots they needed of Lady Gaga singing to a crowd, they had to work with the Coachella attendees. One scene in particular needed a LOT of extras. After locking up their phones, fans were able to watch a live and secret performance of Gaga acting like she had severe stage fright!
Funny Girl
Barbara Streisand is everything. She’s the moment. She’s an icon. She’s also a very funny girl. That’s probably what makes the film Funny Girl such an outstanding adventure! It’s full of music, glitz, drama, and twists! Things were really heating up behind the scenes, too. During filming, Streisand had not one, but two affairs!
Streisand and Omar Sharif had a brief get-together between scenes. She then went on to have some intimate moments with on-stage co-star Sydney Chaplin. Unfortunately, this resulted in Streisand’s marriage to Elliott Gould falling apart shortly after the film came out! Who knew this iconic musical had such a scandal behind it?
The King and I
If you haven’t seen The King and I please pause what you’re doing and watch it. Even if musicals aren’t your thing, the sets and costumes alone are enough to fall in love with this incredible film. Not only are the stories and lessons important, but the costume designer put their blood, sweat, and tears into this project. They also probably gained a few pounds of muscle before everything was said and done.
Each of the gowns worn by Deborah Kerr’s character weighed quite a bit. It wasn’t uncommon for each garment to be over thirty or FORTY pounds! Was she trying to join the royal guard as a weightlifter? Those outfits probably doubled as body armor or something.
On The Town
Sometimes life reflects art and vice-versa. While actors are paid to portray fictional people, sometimes their characters share some intimate secrets with the person playing them. It may sound weird, but having that commonality is enough to tap into a character’s psyche and deliver a great performance. That or someone says something and both the actor and character have to lie.
In On the Town, Frank Sinatra knows what he likes. He also knows who he isn’t interested in. When his co-star asks (jokingly) if he has a secret love for Ava Gardner, Sinatra’s character laughs it off. It wasn’t for play though. Sinatra actually WAS seeing Ava Gardner in secret in New York!
Guys and Dolls
Things are lonely at the top, it’s not always the most comfortable place to be. Just because you’ve reached the peak of your career doesn’t mean that you’re ahead of everyone else. This is especially true in Hollywood! Despite Frank Sinatra being one of the most famous crooners ever, he wasn’t always considered the top of Hollywood’s elite. After being cast in Guys and Dolls, Sinatra thought he would have top billing.
However, just because you’re a great singer doesn’t make you an incredible actor. Sinatra’s dream role ended up going to the famously non-singing Marlon Brando! This rubbed Ol’ Blue Eyes the wrong way. Throughout the entire filming, he held a grudge against the veteran actor!
Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge is an amazing musical about a theatre famous for its cabaret, nightlife, and salacious nature. When Baz Lurhmann brought his version of the famous French club to the big screen, audiences were blown away! The guy just has a knack for making a larger-than-life idea appear even grander in reality. One of his trickiest feats to pull off had very little to do with the Moulin Rouge.
It was all about making the five-foot-ten-inch John Leguizamo into a shorter and more bombastic drunken form of himself. To do that, the actor had to stay on his knees throughout many of his scenes. He was so devoted though he did it all without complaint. After filming wrapped he ended up needing physical therapy due!
All That Jazz
Everyone’s a critic. When a new album or film is released, there’s always a group of people who feel their opinion on it is more important than others. Most of the time this is decidedly false. When a professional from the same industry weighs in, that’s when people start to listen. Stanley Kubrick, often considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time, loved movies of all types.
He even enjoyed ones that had nothing to do with the genres he frequently worked in. After seeing the smash-hit film All That Jazz, Kubrick couldn’t help but give his opinion on the work. As it turns out, he considered it the greatest movie he had ever seen! That’s pretty high praise from the guy who brought us 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is one of the greatest sing-along movies ever. It has a compelling story, catchy songs, and Julie Andrews. What more do you want in a film? If you’re one of its shining stars, Charmian Carr, all you want is Christopher Plummer. We’re right there with you Charmian. Part of the film tackles Leisl’s blossoming love during a turbulent time.
When the cameras weren’t rolling, Carr was dealing with her own feelings. Despite the thirteen-year age gap, she had a strong attraction to the film’s leading man. Plummer later stated in an interview the attraction was mutual! However, being a gentleman, he understood their relationship would never go further than flirting.
Hairspray
You can’t stop the beat! You also can’t stop rampant tooth decay. On the set of Hairspray’s remake, Amanda Bynes’ character was always chomping down on sweets. Even if it was only for show, that didn’t stop a certain dentist (i.e. her father) from getting worried. What good would his daughter be if her perfect smile was ruined?! Thankfully, it was all for show.
Until it wasn’t. Despite eating around 40 a day, Bynes assured her dad she wasn’t actually eating candy all the time. While it may have been a fib, her chompers seem to be okay. We’re pretty sure she can afford new teeth with all that Hollywood and Nickelodeon cash.
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! is one of those musicals where the story doesn’t make a lot of sense, but the music is too good not to enjoy it. Basically, a young lady is getting married and walks her dad down the aisle. The trouble is she has three possible fathers because her mom doesn’t know who her dad is! When the film was announced, Pierce Brosnan was excited to take part.
However, it had nothing to do with the script. He just wanted to be in a movie with Meryl Streep! Honestly, wouldn’t we all? It seems even in the well-connected world of film, some people are still star-struck when certain colleagues make an appearance on set.
Fame
Fame is one of those movies that feels larger than life. While it has some down-to-earth moments and relatable characters, something about it was bigger in that world. That’s probably because the biggest pop superstar ever was almost cast in both the movie and the show! Madonna didn’t have just one, but multiple screen tests and auditions to be part of the project.
While she didn’t get the part, it did help boost her career and goals. After passing up on Madonna (for some reason) the director kept her in mind for another project. Luckily the superstar wasn’t salty about being passed over and was willing to take the lead in another iconic movie musical, Evita!
Dreamgirls
Regardless of what movies seem to imply, people aren’t always the same height. Given that we’re all different, it can be tough for filmmakers to get a shot of people with equal talent but different heights. It’s a good thing movie magic and lifted shoes exist! During the filming of Dream Girls, both of these tools were used for Anika Noni Rose.
To make sure she shared a frame with Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson, Rose had to wear super-high heeled shoes. The crew thought it best to have her wear six-inch heels throughout the number! Imagine doing all that dancing in those! Someone, please give her an Oscar just for that.
Bye Bye Birdie
They just don’t make movies like they used to. This phrase is often thrown around, and sometimes it’s true. In 1963, audiences were treated to the iconic film Bye Bye Birdie. Despite only being in the industry for a few years, people were mesmerized by the vocal and acting talent of Ann-Margret. This superstar on the rise attracted the cameras in ways people had never seen before.
To help out her career and make the film even better, the director wanted to shoot some special opening and closing numbers for the film. Since it had already wrapped, the studio said he had to use his own money! It cost him $60,000, but it ended up being one of the most incredible scenes in cinema history.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
What’s better than a Tim Burton movie? A Tim Burton musical. Burton’s take on the macabre and fantastic Sweeney Todd became an instant classic thanks in part to the star power of its cast. Not only did he manage to get Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter for the leads, but he also managed to book Sacha Baron Cohen as well! Of course, everyone still had to audition.
To prove he had the musical chops, Cohen decided to sing some show tunes for Burton. During the audition, he sang the entire score from Fiddler on the Roof! After delivering the mini-Broadway performance, Cohen secured the role and became one of Depp’s foes in the film!
The Wiz
Diana Ross, the Boss, also known as Ms. Ross, is a cultural icon. This diva has seen, done, and sang about it all. She’s even starred in movies! One of her best roles is from The Wiz! This retelling of The Wizard of Oz is full of great actors, singers, and dancers. It also has some pretty incredible effects for its time.
Of course, even with all the special safety measures and whatnot, people can still get hurt. During filming, Ross ended up having to be hospitalized after a scene. Apparently, a certain lighting effect was so bad it almost caused her to lose the ability to see! That would have been horrific. Thankfully, she was all right, and her sight and singing voice remained intact.
Oliver!
One of the greatest skills an actor can acquire is how to cry on command. Delivering emotions is already part of the job. But true sadness and heartbreak can be tough to mimic. You may need some additional help for certain melancholy scenes if you can’t create tears on your own.
On the set of Oliver! Mark Lester was having this exact problem. Thankfully, there was a natural solution to get those tears flowing. It also was sitting on the craft service table! The crew ended up cutting an onion and holding it up to his face right before he broke out into “Where Is Love?”
Evita
Madonna isn’t just a musical superstar. She can act too! If you didn’t have the chance to catch her in Evita, then you already have something to watch for movie night. Not only did Madonna serve some great moments, she even made it into the record books for her role in the film! Due to her 85 costume changes, she was inducted into The Guinness Book of World records!
The only star to wear more clothing in a movie was Julie Andrews. She wore 125 pieces of costuming for the musical Star! With closets like that, we wonder if either of them ever bought clothes for themselves again.
Little Shop of Horrors
Rick Moranis fights off a dangerous and singing man-eating plant from space. If that doesn’t read like the coolest tagline to a musical then we don’t know what does. Little Shop of Horrors is one of the campiest and weirdest musicals to ever grace the stage and screen. The entire premise of a murderous plant that sings about being evil is so bizarre that people can’t help but love the tale. Almost any fan can sing the songs verbatim at the drop of the hat.
The only one that doesn’t get as much love is “Mean Green Mother From Outer Space”. The song is full of phrases that aren’t exactly family-friendly. While the original soundtrack has the song in its entirety, the version sung at the Oscar’s had to be censored.
Annie
Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how much money you’re offered. Some jobs just aren’t worth the stress. Even in Hollywood, when you’re offered a stupidly amounts of cash to do something, people will say no if it’s not to their liking. Sometimes, all it takes is for a co-star they don’t like to be on the same project! Despite it being a classic story, not everyone wanted to work on Annie.
Even if they do, if the rest of the cast isn’t to their liking, they’ll pass! When Steve Martin was offered a spot in the film version he was pretty stoked. However, he ended up pulling out because his ex-girlfriend, the legendary Bernadette Peters, was also supposed to star in it! How heart-broken do you have to be to pass something like that up?
Fiddler on the Roof
Part of what makes Fiddler on the Roof so beautiful is the fact that it’s a timeless tale about family, change, and the ever-growing understanding that sometimes tradition and new ideas can coexist. Those things still take time for some people to fully celebrate. It can also be hard to express those ideas in a musical. Fiddler ended up doing something very low-tech to help drive that message home.
During “Sunrise, Sunset” the lighting is extremely important. Most movie sets are able to deliver the specifications to make it perfect. To really capture its beauty, you don’t need fancy electricity. Instead, all you need are some carefully placed candles. Hundreds upon hundreds of them!
Oklahoma!
Just because someone is cast in a musical doesn’t mean they can sing. Some of the best and brightest stars on the planet get musical roles without knowing how to carry a tune. You could hand them the exact notes and sounds and it would still be terrible. It’s a blessing that people have learned how to edit sound enough to make even the worst songbird sing and tweet beautifully.
This tech isn’t new either. Back in 1955 the movie adaptation of Oklahoma! was getting ready to premiere. However, people were nervous about Gloria Grahame. She was a great actress, but couldn’t sing to save her life. The filmmakers ended up having to edit her performance note by note after filming to make it sound like she could reach her notes!
La La Land
Real life inspires art all the time. That’s kind of one of the foundations of art: create something based on what you know. Even the less-than-positive moments of someone’s life can lead to some beautiful art. It can even be funny! In La La Land we’re treated not only to some great art but some exceptionally relatable scenes. Remember when Mia gets rudely interrupted during the audition?
That wasn’t a work of fiction! Ryan Gosling experienced the exact situation in a previous audition. He thought it would be a great and realistic addition to the film. He was absolutely right. Things aren’t always easy for stars, sometimes they get interrupted just like the rest of us.
Chicago
One of the most tragic characters in any musical has to be Amos from Chicago. This guy is a devoted husband, a hard worker, and a pretty decent singer. That still doesn’t earn him any respect from his wife or the greater city of Chicago. While he blends into the wallpaper for most of the film, he does get a shining moment all to himself in “Mister Cellophane”.
John C. Reilly really came alive during this number. He also had some say over his character’s appearance! Reilly’s love of clowns was brought to the screen and he applied his own clown makeup for the number. Talk about being a multi-talented star.
Footloose
Wouldn’t it suck if there was a wedding without dancing? It’d be even worse if a whole town wasn’t allowed to dance! If you can understand that then you already know the plot of Footloose. Kevin Bacon’s legendary performance helped make the song Footloose a hit at everyone’s wedding, Bar Mitzvah, and house party. It became such a hit that whenever it came on people tried to get Bacon to recreate the dance!
After a while, that got annoying so he started paying DJs NOT to play the song! Apparently, while Bacon did some of the moves, his dance double did the majority of the footwork. We can imagine that request got tired, especially since the song is still popular today!
Enchanted
It is a well-known fact that women often have to endure terrible discomfort for the sake of entertainment and this was no different when it came to Enchanted. Princess Giselle, played by the talented Amy Adams is seen throughout the movie wearing larger-than-life dresses, as she comes from a fairytale world. When she first pops up in rowdy New York City, she is seen wearing a huge puffy wedding gown. As it turns out, this dress weighed forty-five pounds.
Adams’ stunt double had to teach her how to move in this dress and she has described it as ‘‘grueling’’ and added that “the entire weight was on my hips, so occasionally it felt like I was in traction’’. Beauty is pain.
Mary Poppins
We have known and loved Mary Poppins ever since we saw it. Julie Andrews’ charming characterizations, Dick Van Dyke’s infamous cockney accent, and of course the cartoon penguins would win over anyone. However, it turns out the author of the book did not love what the filmmakers did with her story. She reportedly approved the casting of Dame Julie Andrews but nothing else. She was so upset by all the changes that she left the premiere in tears.
She was most rattled by how bubbly and kind Mary Poppins was when she was supposed to be cold and intimidating. She also hated the ending, in which Mrs. Winnifred Banks gives up campaigning for women’s rights to stay home as a housewife. We can definitely understand why she didn’t like this alteration.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
In this musical fantasy adventure film from the late 60s, we followed an inventor on his journey to a fantastical land with his children and girlfriend. This musical contains some great and simultaneously silly songs. And as a musical should, it has quite amusing choreography. However, Dick Van Dyke who played Caractacus Potts had issues keeping up with the dance numbers.
During the time of this film, it was still considered very normal to smoke nonstop. Van Dyke was reportedly smoking up to a whopping 40 cigarettes a day. This meant he was not in the best possible shape, and so he found all the dancing and jumping around very taxing.
Into The Woods
In this fantasy musical, we were treated to an all-star cast portraying an array of characters. Of course, the star everyone was most excited to work with had to be Meryl Streep. This legendary actress has left even the biggest Hollywood A-listers starstruck. So imagine how shocked everyone was when she almost died in front of them! Director Rob Marshall and co-star James Corden must’ve been shocked!
Corden recalled the incident which took place during rehearsals when Streep jumped on a table and her foot got caught in her costume. She started falling backward, head first towards a concrete floor. We have a pregnant Emily Blunt to thank for acting quickly and catching Streep before she hit the floor.
Sister Act
Carrie Fisher was and still is, a queen of more than just a galaxy far, far away. The legendary actress and mental health advocate touched millions of lives. Both her presence on the screen and her work off of it were only small glimpses into her many talents and passions. Not many people know that she was also a highly sought-out writer. Her script work can be found all around Hollywood!
Even the mega-successful Sister Act, starring Whoopi Goldberg, had a touch of Fisher’s magic. A lot of Whoopi’s dialogue was redone by Fisher. That just makes the movie better. However, Disney wasn’t exactly having it. The House of Mouse doesn’t like to share.
Rocky Horror Picture Show
It’s astounding. Time is fleeting. Madness takes its toll…But listen closely, because we have a doozy of a secret for you. It’s no surprise that Dr. Frank N Furter has some skeletons in his closet. The mad scientist from another world came to our planet in search of love. Instead, he ended up with that ungrateful brute Rocky! No matter how you look at it, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of the most iconic cult films of its kind.
If you look a bit closer while watching you’ll even see that everyone gets to play an important role. Even the skeleton in the clock is a big deal! Why? It’s not a prop! That’s an ACTUAL skeleton that used to be inside a human body!
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Were any of y’all aware that Michael Cane is a knight? His full title is Sir Michael Caine! Also, he takes his duties as an actor VERY seriously. Despite all of his critically-acclaimed roles, one of his most memorable was playing Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol. Caine’s normally jolly and approachable demeanor VANISHED when he turned into the infamous Ebenezer Scrooge.
He’s gone on to say that his purpose was to deliver a Shakespearean-level and serious performance as if the Muppets weren’t even there. The contrast between the serious tone and the Muppets muppeting around is cinema GOLD. Everyone won that winter! What makes it all better was that the director LOVED Sir Michael Cane’s approach to the project!
Moulin Rouge!
Everyone can be a great singer and dancer! All it takes is time, dedication, pain, suffering, and a bit of talent. Before Moulin Rouge! nobody thought that Nicole Kidman was the singing and dancing type. Okay, maybe a few did, but not everyone. Proving them all wrong, she delivered a song and dance like no other and helped bring Moulin Rouge! to the big screen!
It’s a beautiful love story of gargantuan proportions! With some huge dance numbers, a few injuries may be a given. Even after fracturing some ribs and messing up her knee, Kidman knew that the show must go on! She continued to film her scenes from a wheelchair until she was well enough to get her legs back into the picture.
Singin’ in the Rain
Singin’ in the Rain is a classic musical with some fancy footwork threaded throughout its plot. The entire movie is a fun and addictive romp that has delighted millions throughout the years. That doesn’t mean making it was a cakewalk. Debbie Reynolds is a star of stage and screen, she’s no newcomer to film. When she was cast in Singin’ she was certain this was her big break! It was, but that didn’t mean it was easy.
Gene Kelly, another dancing star of legendary proportions, was so harsh on her dancing abilities that Reynolds had a breakdown. She also decided to study with Fred Astaire to get better. All the work paid off. However, not before her feet turned into a bloody mess from dancing nearly non-stop for twelve hours!
West Side Story
Recently remade by famed director Steven Spielberg, West Side Story is one of the best-known movie musicals out there. It’s got catchy and memorable songs, elaborate dance numbers, and some pretty stellar performances by actresses like Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno. However, if you look these two ladies up, you might notice they look different than they do in the film. That’s because they were both given heavy brown face paint.
Despite the movie being about Puerto Rican migrants, the directors didn’t see the need to cast a Puerto Rican actress as the lead. And Rita Moreno was given the same treatment despite being from Puerto Rico! An uncomfortable piece of trivia that reminds us of Hollywood’s unsavory past.