From The Jazz Singer to A Star Is Born: A History of the Movie Musical

As soon as movies could talk, they began to sing and dance—and musicals quickly became among the most popular film genres in America. Over the next nine decades the movie musical would evolve to embrace every type of performance, from operetta to rock and soul, tap to ballet, and draw from Broadway hits and original creations from composers like Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Irving Berlin.

Brian Rose, professor emeritus at Fordham University, traces the fascinating history of this uniquely American form and includes more than 30 excerpts spotlighting artists including Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, the Nicholas Brothers, Busby Berkeley, Gene Kelly, and the Beatles.

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