Greatest Song and Dance Musical Movie Moments and Scenes

Greatest Song and Dance Musical Movie Moments and Scenes

Part 1

Introduction: The following listing (in multiple parts, organized alphabetically) is a collection of many of the Greatest Song and Dance Musical Movie Moments in film history. Many of the greatest musical moments were accompanied by a well-staged production number, a lavish set, or a great memorable tune. Though the list appears to be dominated by musicals, other genres were examined and included. See also this site's writeup of the Musicals Film Genre.

Key to Iconic Symbols:

Exceptional examples of the development of song/dance

Entries in AFI's 25 Greatest Movie Musicals of All Time with ranking number (#)

Entries in Entertainment Weekly's 25 Best Movie Musicals of All Time with ranking number (#)

Greatest Musical - Song and Dance Movie Moments and Scenes (alphabetical) - Part 1 Part 1 \| Part 2 \| Part 3 \| Part 4 \| Part 5 \| Part 6 \| Part 7 \| Part 8 \| Part 9 \| Part 10 \| Part 11 \| Part 12 \| Part 13 \| Part 14 \| Part 15 \| Part 16 \| Part 17 \| Part 18 \| Part 19 \| Part 20 \| Part 21 \| Part 22 \| Part 23 \| Part 24 \| Part 25
Movie Title	Brief Scene Description	Example
Aladdin (1992)	Disney's animated film included the Oscar-nominated wild, shapeshifting song Friend Like Me by the spirited Genie (voice of Robin Williams), and Aladdin's (singing voice by Brad Kane) romantic, Oscar-winning Best Song A Whole New World sung to Jasmine (singing voice by Lea Salonga) while he took her around the world on his magic carpet.
Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938)	In this popular film produced by Darryl Zanuck at Fox, Irving Berlin's many hit songs were sung by Alice Faye as band singer Stella Kirby (who became a famous Broadway star) including Everybody's Doin' It, and Now It Can Be Told (with Don Ameche); in addition, Ethel Merman (as singer Gerry Allen) belted out Say It With Music and Blue Skies ("Nothing but blue skies do I see") (with Alice Faye), as well as Pack Up Your Sins and Go to the Devil - and her famous rendition of Heat Wave during a Carnegie Hall band concert; an immortal rendition of Oh How I Hate To Get Up In the Morning was wearily sung by Jack Haley, and Don Ameche performed Easter Parade.
Alice in Wonderland (1951)	This Disney animated classic featured the White Rabbit's (voice of Bill Thompson) frantic song I'm Late as he dashed along, and The Mad Hatter's (voice of Ed Wynn) anarchic The Unbirthday Song sung at the Mad Tea Party.
All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)	The show-stopping opening number You Can't Keep a Good Dog Down (pictured) by rakish German shepherd dog pound ('death row') escapee Charlie B. Barkin (voice of Burt Reynolds) with accompaniment by nervous dachshund Itchy (voice of Dom DeLuise) ("Oh, you can’t keep a good dog down (No sir) / No you can't keep a good dog down / I've seen pain and hurt (That's right) / I've eaten dirt (That's true) / It's hard to buy, but even I / Have been jilted by a skirt (He lies) / Look out, I'm still around / 'Cause you can't keep a good dog down..."), the duet Let Me Be Surprised (pictured) in heaven between Charlie and angelic purplish-pink Heavenly Whippet Annabelle (voice of gospel singer Melba Moore) ("Oh ain't it great (Ain't it great) / When fate lets you wait / The world seems mirthless / You feel worthless / And suddenly there's a big / Bone on your plate"), the out-of-nowhere water-ballet duet Let's Make Music Together (pictured) between Charlie and a giant green musical alligator King Gator (voice of Ken Page) ("Lift our voices together partner / Let's make music forever, baby / And we'll always be friends / Let's make music together / Let's make sweet harmony"), and the upbeat gospel finale Hallejulah (during the credits) after self-sacrificial Charlie died and was taken to heaven rather than hell - but complained: "Hold it! Hold it! I know we're dead up here, but so's the music. Come on. Heat it up!", in animator Don Bluth's third film
All of Me (1984)	This gender-switching comedy ended with a famous "mirror" dance in which Roger Cobb (Steve Martin) and Edwina Cutwater (Lily Tomlin) joyously danced in a mirror's reflection to All of Me, before collapsing on each other.
All That Jazz (1979) # 14	Roy Scheider brilliantly characterized the self-destructive and egotistical choreographer/director Joe Gideon (based upon real-life entertainer and this film's director Bob Fosse) - known for his trademark: "It's showtime, folks!"; the film opened with the 'cattle call' dance audition sequence featuring George Benson's version of On Broadway; also there was the impromptu top hat and tails song-and-dance act performed in Joe's apartment by his girlfriend/lover Katie Jagger (Ann Reinking, Fosse's real-life lover essentially playing herself) and his pre-teen daughter Michelle Gideon (Erzsebet Foldi); the film also included the sweaty and sensual Air-Rotica dance sequence with sexy and half-naked Sandahl Bergman; and in the spectacular finale - the film's most outstanding number - television host O'Connor Flood (Ben Vereen) sang Bye Bye Life (originally Bye Bye Love) with Gideon to a heavenly studio audience in a hallucinatory dance-musical number during Gideon's near-death experience after a heart attack - with chorus girls dancing around his hospital bed; this dark finale ended with Gideon in a body bag.
An American in Paris (1951) # 25 # 11	In this superb Best Picture-winning prestigious musical from MGM (director Vincente Minnelli and producer Arthur Freed, and lyricist Alan Jay Lerner) that recycled some Ira and George Gershwin tunes, ex-GI American painter Jerry Mulligan (Honorary Award-winning Gene Kelly) performed the much-remembered song/dance I Got Rhythm (pictured) to neighborhood street children in Paris; also, Jerry delivered an enchanting romantic song/dance Our Love is Here to Stay (pictured) that was tenderly presented to waifish perfume shop clerk Lise Bouvier (Leslie Caron) on the quay next to the bank of the Seine River (a studio-built Paris); also included in the film was vaudeville star Henri Baurel's (French music hall star Georges Guetary) elaborate and lush Folies Bergere-like rendition of I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise (pictured) with lavish-costumed chorus girls, and the closing audacious 17-minute symphonic American in Paris (pictured) ballet of Jerry and Lise dancing before lavish, colorful and impressionistic backdrops, fountains and artistic settings based on the works of famous and celebrated French painters (Dufy, Utrillo, Renoir, Van Gogh, Rousseau, and Toulouse-Lautrec) - he pursued her through the continually-changing backdrop of Paris; other numbers included Lise's Embraceable You with six facets of her personality appearing simultaneously, and Jerry's song/dance with Henri in the Latin Quarter titled S'Wonderful.
An American Tail (1986)	Fievel and sister Tanya Mousekewitz (voices of seven year-old Phillip Glasser and Amy Green) both sang the Oscar-nominated, soulful and sweet ballad Somewhere Out There in parallel to each other and at a full moon after Fievel was separated from his family during a fierce storm during their voyage to NYC in America in the late 1800s; the popular song was also reprised during the credits with the voices of Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram.
Anchors Aweigh (1945)	This quintessential musical sequence, the delightful highlight of this film, featured "Pomeranian sailor" Joseph Brady's (Gene Kelly) live-action magical dance with animated mouse Jerry - the character from MGM's "Tom and Jerry" cartoons, during The King Who Couldn't Dance number. (Jerry spoke and sang, and although cat Tom appeared as the valet for Mouse King Jerry, he didn't dance or talk).
Animal Crackers (1930)	At the start of this Marx Brothers comedy film, when Captain Spaulding's (Groucho Marx) entourage arrived, the excited guests broke into song in the trademark Hooray for Captain Spaulding production number to honor the fearless explorer from Africa; at one point, Spaulding lept about, spun around, and hopped - rotating like a corkscrew with one leg in a strange wild dance. [This song became Groucho Marx's theme song, and its music was used for his hosted TV game show You Bet Your Life.] Almost immediately, after showing contempt for his elaborate welcome, Spaulding sang that he was leaving: I Must Be Going.
Annie (1982)	Ten year old orphan Annie Bennett (Aileen Quinn) belted out this sentimental film's anthem Tomorrow ("Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow! You're only a day away!") more than once; also included in the film was the orphans' song It's a Hard Knock Life as they worked and cleaned throughout the orphanage, the song You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile ("Who cares what they're wearing on Main Street or Saville Row? It's what you wear from ear to ear and not from head to toe that matters") performed by some of the orphans, and the nasty, opportunistic song Easy Street sung by the greedy trio of orphan manager Mrs. Hannigan (Carol Burnett), her no-good unscrupulous brother Rooster (Tim Curry) and Rooster's girlfriend Lilly (Bernadette Peters).