Thursday Movie Picks-movies with songs in them but not musicals

Well, there’s a mouthful....and I was a bit lost with this but then a lightbulb went off, mind you it is only 40 Watts, and I came up with some movies that fit the bill. Head over to the brainchild, Wandering Through The Shelves and see what the others have chosen.

1. BALL OF FIRE-1941

This is a funny yet sweet screwball comedy that stars Gary Cooper as a very innocent (HA!) professor who ventures into a nightclub to learn about American Slang,-research for his book. In enters Sugarpuss, played by Barbara Stanwyck who sings a song and sees how much the young professor is taken with her. She soon needs a hideout because her mobster boyfriend is wanted by the cops and they want to question her. What’s Snow Not So White to do but go home with the be-smitten professor and she does just that not realizing he lives with 7 elderly professors. Little does she know how much these old gents take her heart and same for the innocent(HA!) prof whom she teaches the art of yum yum. A great movie that has some very funny moments in it along with sweet ones. An interesting take on Snow White and the 7 Dwarves.

2. A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM-1966

Now this is a burlesque farce in the best sense of the word. You have the best that actually worked in burlesque and vaudeville-Phil Silvers, Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford and the great Buster Keaton. You also have the young Michael Crawford who created the role of the Phantom on the  broadway version of the Phantom of the Opera. This film takes place in Ancient Rome where Zero plays a slave who tries to become a free person. He gets involved with his owner’s son who loves a girl who is trying to find her long lost brother and father. You have vestal virgins, bordellos (not sure I could tell the difference), an army looking for the slave, and Buster doing his thing. This film has more than one musical number but it is more a comedy than a musical. Even the musical numbers make me laugh. Interesting that both Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford were blacklisted during the McCarthy witch hunts.

3. BLAZING SADDLES-1974

If you want a politically correct western with little offence....then this is not the movie for you because this is Mel Brooks so that means anything but politically correct which is just how I love it. First...Cleavon Little was perfectly cast as the young sheriff riding into town to begin a new life except the townsfolk are not happy that this man is their new lawman because they are a bunch of bigoted idiots. Poor Cleavon ends up meeting the Ringo Kid played so well by Gene Wilder who helps him see the light while Cleavon helps Gene become sober. In comes Madeleine Kahn with a hilarious send up of Marlene Dietrich who is hired by the evil Harvey Korman to seduce the sheriff since the town is to be blown up to make way for a new railroad. Things don’t go as planned for Mr. Evil and everyone starts beating up on everyone where they end up on a musical set directed by Dom Deluise. There are more than one musical number like the send up of Marlene but this is so much a great comedy despite some crudeness( men eating beans at the campfire). This is one of the best Mel Brooks movies and one that always makes me laugh.

What are your 3...