Genre in context : toward a reexamination of the film musical in classical Hollywood [article]

Cari Elizabeth McDonnell
2017
Though no single history of the Hollywood musical exists as such, a historical narrative nevertheless emerges from the extensive body of scholarly work on the genre. Most studies of the American film musical have used as texts a limited canon of films. Though these studies have illuminated many stylistic and critical constructs at work in the film musical, they have also presented an incomplete picture of the historical development of the musical in classical Hollywood. We need to contextualize
more » ... our critical understanding of the American film musical by broadening the scope of films we study and by investigating the cultural and industrial circumstances in which these films were produced. The purpose of this study, then, is twofold: I offer a historical context in which to conduct critical examinations of the Hollywood film musical, and I provide examples of how this historical understanding can inform further investigations of the genre. By far the most attention in the literature is given to MGM musicals, particularly those produced by the Freed unit in the 1940s and 1950s, with RKO's Astaire-Rogers films in the 1930s trailing not far behind. Yet almost every other Hollywood studio, whether major, minor, or independent, made cycles of musicals during the studio era. Paramount Pictures, through its Bing Crosby and Bob Hope Road films, provides a significant contrast to the MGM Freed unit among the large studios in the prosperous 1940s, while Walt Disney Productions, through its animated musicals in the 1950s, offers a rare example among independent studios during the dismantling of the studio system. ! vi List of Tables.........................................................................................ix List of Figures........................................................................................x List of Examples...................................................................................xiii Chapter 1: Genre and the Classical Hollywood Film Musical A Problematic Narrative....................................................................1 Defining Genre: Theory and History.....................................................5 Defining the Film Musical as a Genre: (1) Differing Views.........................10 Defining the Film Musical as a Genre: (2) Privileging Integration.................14 Decentering the Integrated Musical.....................................................18 Expanding the Canon: Singing Cowboy Films........................................23 Looking Ahead.............................................................................35 Chapter 2: The Vaudeville Aesthetic, Star Performance, and Reflexivity in Paramount's Road Films Introduction: "Well, here we are, off on another Road!"..............................41 Vaudeville Roots: "I feel like I'm back in vaudeville"................................43 Star Performance: "We run the gamut! We sing, we dance, we recite and thenyou do your specialty".....................................................................58 Reflexivity: "You mean they missed my song?".......................................75 Chapter 3: Romantic Coupling and Representation in Paramount's Road Films Introduction: "They could've thought of another way to get us here"..............93 Gender and Romantic Coupling: "What's the matter, gal? Want another chorus?".....................................................................................94 Nationalism and Exoticism: "I'm just an average, all-around, all-American boy with an excess of charm".................................................................109 Camp Readings of the Road Films: "I don't care where I'm going just as long as I'm with you"..............................................................................127 Chapter 4: Media Conglomeration and Disney's Animated Features in the 1950s Introduction................................................................................140 Disney Tunes and the Cinderella Year.................................................144 Alice and Peter in TV Land.............................................................148 Lady and the Beauty of Cross-Promotion.............................................161 Chapter 5: Musical Performance in Disney's Animated Features in the 1950s Introduction................................................................................172 So This Is Not a Love Duet..............................................................175 You Can Fly, But You Can't Sing......................................................184 The Thingamabob That Does the Job Is the Offscreen Chorus.....................190 Conclusion.........................................................................................199 Bibliography.......................................................................................209 ! viii ! x List of Examples Example 2.1: Cue 3G, "Prelude to Moon and Willow," by Victor Young, from Road to Singapore. Measures 1-4 are not heard in the film.
doi:10.15781/t2tb0z15d fatcat:ecv3ya2ctrcfvnys26jw4hfbsi