The History of Movie Musicals and the Best Picture Oscar Part 1

Part 1 of The History of Movie Musicals and the Best Picture Oscar. In this episode, I discuss the production and influence of the first 4 musicals that won the Academy Award for Best Picture: "The Broadway Melody" (1929), "The Great Ziegfeld" (1936), "An American in Paris" (1951) and "Gigi" (1958). In between all of that, I talk about the early days of talking pictures, how "The Jazz Singer" introduced the musical genre to cinema, how MGM and The Freed Unit took the musical into its artistic heights, and more.
MUSIC CREDITS:
FLECKS OF LIGHT by The Tower of Light
TOOT, TOOT, TOOSIE (GOO’ BYE) by Gus Kan, Ernie Erdman, Ted FioRito & Dan Russo
DARKTOWN STRUTTERS BALL by E’s Jammy Jams
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN by Arthur Fred & Nacio Herb Brown
STRENUOUS LIFE by United States Marine Band
1940s SLOW DANCE by Doug Maxwell (Media Right Productions)
THE PREMIER by United States Marine Band & Arthur S. Witcomb
SING SWING BEDA BING by Doug Maxwell (Media Right Productions)
GAIETY IN THE GOLDEN AGE by Aaron Kenny
THE MONUMENTS AND TUNNELS IN GOA AND HAMP by Bail Bonds
BIRDS by Corbyn Kites
SAD SUNDAY by E’s Jammy Jams
WHEN THE ASH SETTLES by The Westerlies
I usually put a FILMS FEATURED list here, but there's too many to mention. It'll come in the form of a Letterboxd list soon, when Part II is released.
#moviemusicals #classichollywood #documentary #filmhistory #mgmmusicals

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Thanks so much for all your hard work on this! This is a wonderful and very insightful video!

[@bellaissober]

I just discovered this account! so informative and interesting- thank you!

[@general1362]

What a beautiful documentary. I just LOVED IT. No praise is enough. I just can't wait for the second part. Thank you very much for this great content. Did I say I love it?

[@EllisonBallard-m4y]

"BROADWAY MELODY," I LOVE THE FILM ! Everything is great. Oh, yeah, I've seen High School Musicals that were performed better, but consider with High School Musicals generally the audience knows the performers. There is a bias. "BROADWAY MELODY" everything was new. Even the music 🎶 all "jazzed-up." Forget not. Audience for the most part, had memories of the insane horror of human cruelty, the "GREAT WAR." (=WW1). Living in the "roaring twenties," almost everything was new, from neon light to motorcycles; commercial air travel, ha ! ha ! talking pictures. All jazzed-up, w/new words and ideas. "WE" could have enjoyed the computer age, but for pathological insanity of greed. Corruption and hypocrisy so astonishingly (joke=) public it would enbarrass the devil 😈 ! See story of the rich man, ..."'Fool ! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have repared, whose will they be ? So is the one who lays up treasure for himself' and is not rich toward GOD."

[@tulamanv5941]

CAN'T WAIT FOR PART II!!!!

[@tip0019]

Man, why did you block comments on your excellent Alian Delon docu!? You did such a good job. YT comments are arguably the most important creative sources for people communicating freely from the heart! Please reconsider and let us free on Alain Delon. Thank you 🙃

[@CodeNameCheese_]

That’s exactly what I came to this video to say haha

[@lindawatkin9667]

Saint Louie

[@margaretthomas8899]

Why put in bold type across scenes of the Jazz Singer - it's also racist?

[@paillette2010]

People need to remember that prior to being hemmed in by sound, silent directors were taking cinema to very artistic heights. Audio equipment was almost unwieldy When Shearer, et al, came up with studio dubbing movies were able to continue their upward creative trajectory. Many early sound movies look flat and stage-like, because of the audio equipment

[@MegaFreh]

I love your videos! Thank you❤

[@eddjoey]

I have to agree with most of the reviews for The Broadway melody, its BP win is one of those that make sense in the context it was given but as film hasn't aged well at all. A musical movie from that same year that's actually better done is Pál Fejös' Broadway, technically more impressive and slightly better written and acted than BM.

[@turdstomp]

Another great episode! Cant wait for part II 🙌

[@chinomatography]

Thank you!!! 😃