Image: Robert Wise Productions
About This Quiz
"You're the one that I want. You are the one I want. Hoo, hoo, hoo, honey!"
If you're a fan of singing in the movie theater, this quiz is for you! Let's see if you can follow the tune of these questions!
Movie musicals have come a long way! "The Jazz Singer," which was released in 1927, was the first musical film to hit the big screen. You'd probably be able to list an unlimited number of musical films released since then.
You probably traveled through time with the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz." Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds had you "Singin' in the Rain" in 1952. You watched Julie Andrews dominate the 1960s with "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music."Â
The '90s brought the huge rise of the animated musical from Disney. Children and adults everywhere were singing the tunes of "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin" and "The Lion King."Â
During the 2000s, you were watching the sultry "Chicago" or "Moulin Rouge," and you were sitting back for a laugh with "Hairspray" and "Mamma Mia!"
Films seem to come alive when placed to music, but the scenery definitely helps! Can you recognize a woman flying while holding onto an umbrella? What about a group of women dancing behind prison bars? Can you recognize Dorothy among a group of munchkins?
If you can, you're ready to blow this quiz away with your voice and knowledge! Can you hold the tune long enough to pass this quiz? Mic check!
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Can you name this musical film from the screenshot?
Singin' in the Rain
Surprisingly, "Singin’ in the Rain" required more detailed and ornate costumes than "Gone with the Wind." The costumes also had to be more accurate, since the audiences of 1952 remembered Hollywood of the late 1920s more clearly than audiences of 1939 remembered the Civil War in the 1860s.
The Sound of Music
West Side Story
The Wizard of Oz
The Mirisch Company / Seven Arts Productions
What's the name of this 1961 musical?
Singin' in the Rain
West Side Story
The original producer of "West Side Story" stopped raising money for the show early in the development process because he thought tackling such serious topics was too risky for a Broadway musical. Another producer decided to take a chance on what would become one of the most successful musicals in Broadway history.
My Fair Lady
Chicago
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
What's the title of this beloved 1939 movie musical?
The Wizard of Oz
In "The Wizard of Oz," Toto reportedly earned $125 per week of filming — but each Munchkin actor earned just $50. Toto was played by a female dog named Terry.
Moulin Rouge!
Chicago
La La Land
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Allied Artists
Can you identify this musical from the photo?
Grease
Mary Poppins
Cabaret
Joe Masteroff, who wrote the book for "Cabaret," also provided the book for the lovely Broadway musical "She Loves Me," as well as the libretto for an opera adaptation of "Desire Under the Elms."
Meet Me in St. Louis
20th Century Fox
Can you name this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical film?
Cabaret
An American in Paris
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Sound of Music
"The Sound of Music" was originally titled "Love Song." The name was changed when the lawyer for composers Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein found dozens of copyrighted shows called "Love Song" and begged them to use something less susceptible to a lawsuit.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
What is this musical film called?
Hairspray
Mamma Mia!
Funny Girl
High Society
Grace Kelly had recently become engaged to Prince Rainier of Monaco when she began filming "High Society." The film was rushed into production, as she had said she was going to retire from acting after her wedding.
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Romulus Films
Identify this 1968 musical drama set in London:
Mamma Mia!
The Wizard of Oz
Mary Poppins
Oliver!
Ten-year-old Mark Lester, who starred as the orphan Oliver, didn’t actually sing any of his songs in the film. The musical arranger, Johnny Green, didn't think he could sing, so . Lester’s songs were instead dubbed by Green's daughter, Kathe Green.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
What is this 1955 musical film called?
Beauty and the Beast
Guys and Dolls
Since Betty Grable wasn't available to play Miss Adelaide in "Guys and Dolls," producer Samuel Goldwyn cast Vivian Blaine, who had originated the role onstage. Marilyn Monroe wanted the part of Adelaide, but a telephone request from her did not influence director Joe Mankiewicz, who wanted Blaine from the original production.
Top Hat
Sweeney Todd
Walt Disney Pictures
Name this charming movie musical:
Little Shop of Horrors
Fiddler on the Roof
The Sound of Music
Mary Poppins
It took more than 20 years to convince the author of "Mary Poppins," Pamela Lyndon Travers, to sell the movie rights. It was only in 1961 that she finally relented, mostly because she needed the money. The 2013 film "Saving Mr. Banks" dramatizes this behind-the-scenes story.
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Paramount Pictures / (RSO) / Allan Carr Production
Which musical film about teenage love is shown here?
Grease
All of the members of the "Grease" cast were too old for high school! John Travolta was 23, Jeff Conaway was 26 and Stockard Channing was 33. The two closest to high school age were Lorenzo Lamas (Tom) and Dinah Manoff (Marty) — they were both 19.
La La Land
Fiddler on the Roof
The Band Wagon
Paramount Pictures
What is this comedy musical movie?
Top Hat
Bugsy Malone
A cast of children stars in this spoof of gangster movies. In addition, all of the vehicles used in "Bugsy Malone" are pedal-powered, yet all of them use the sound effects of an engine even though it's clear that none of the vehicles have engines fitted.
Oliver!
Funny Girl
Warner Brothers Entertainment
Can you name this Academy Award-winning musical film?
An American in Paris
"An American in Paris" won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1951, captured five other Academy Awards, and was placed on most lists of best films for that year.
Beauty and the Beast
Les Miserables
The King and I
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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
What is the title of this musical film?
All That Jazz
Meet Me in St. Louis
The American Film Institute ranked "Meet me in St. Louis," which stars Judy Garland, as 10th on AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals list. Two songs from the film were featured in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs ("The Trolley Song" at #26 and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" at #76).
On the Town
A Star Is Born
Ingenious Media
Which musical film is pictured here?
La La Land
Grease
Hairspray
"Hairspray" was turned into a smash-hit Broadway musical in 2002, which led to a 2007 movie remake. While stars like John Travolta and Michelle Pfeiffer received top billing, many of the original film’s cast members appeared in the reboot.
Annie
YouTube
What is the title of this musical film?
The Wizard of Oz
Hairspray
La La Land
Frozen
Elsa has more strands of hair than Rapunzel. Rapunzel may have 70 feet of magic glowing hair, but Elsa’s hair contains 420,000 single strands.
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Youtube
What is the title of this musical film?
Once
Once was shot with a skeleton crew on a 17-day shoot. The filmmakers saved money by using natural light and shooting at friends' houses. The musical party scene was filmed in lead actor Hansard's own flat, with his personal friends playing the partygoers/musicians.
Chicago
Into the Woods
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
YouTube
What is the title of this musical film?
Mary Poppins
West Side Story
My Fair Lady
Audrey Hepburn was cast to play Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.
Fiddler on the Roof
Universal Pictures
What is the title of this musical film?
Cabaret
Les Miserables
Director of Les Miserables, Tom Hooper, made the unconventional—though not unprecedented—choice to record his actors live on-set, as opposed to taping their vocals in a studio beforehand. This approach demanded a sound crew three times larger than what an average film possesses.
Into the Woods
An American in Paris
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20th Century Fox
What is the title of this musical film?
The Jazz Singer
Aladdin
Guys and Dolls
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is based on a 1925 novel that has inspired several movies and stage productions. When Marilyn Monroe was told she was not the star of this film, she said, "Well, whatever I am, I'm still the blonde."
Bazmark Productions
What is the title of this musical film?
Moulin Rouge
After fracturing her rib the first time while filming Moulin Rouge, Nicole Kidman broke it again trying to fit into a corset. She fell down a flight of stairs, dancing in heels at three in the morning, and had to film the part where Satine says, “a real actress,†in a wheelchair.
An American in Paris
Sing Street
The Band Wagon
YouTube
What is the title of this musical film?
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Enchanted
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
The musical number Toot Sweets in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang took three weeks to film and involved 38 dancers, 40 singers, 85 musicians, and 100 dogs.
On the Town
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RKO Radio Pictures
What is the title of this musical film?
Victor/Victoria
Fame
Guys and Dolls
Top Hat
1935's Top Hat starred Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, a fabulous dancing duo. The dress that Ginger Rogers wore in the Piccolino number is on display in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.
United Artists
What is the title of this musical film?
Top Hat
A Hard Day's Night
The title track for A Hard Day's Night was written in one day, eight days before filming. The Beatles played it for producer Walter Shenson in their dressing room the following morning.
Mama Mia
Fiddler on the Roof
20th Century Fox
What is the title of this musical film?
All That Jazz
All That Jazz loosely explores the life of the beloved choreographer, Bob Fosse. In 2001, All That Jazz was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
42nd Street
Footloose
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
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Columbia Pictures
What is the title of this musical film?
Babes in Arms
Frozen
Enchanted
Annie
Annie’s merchandising started three years before the film was released. Producer Ray Stark knew that the whole world was anticipating his movie, and he intended to capitalize on that interest with a licensing boom. Tie-ins included contracts with Crayola, Random House, Marriott Hotels, Sears Roebuck & Co., Knickerbocker Toys, Procter & Gamble, and even Ken-L-Ration dog food.
YouTube
What is the title of this musical film?
Sweeney Todd
Dreamgirls
The Nightmare Before Christmas
One minute of The Nightmare Before Christmas took about a week to shoot, and the entire movie took 3 years to complete. It took a lot of hard work to help Jack Skellington spread Christmas joy.
A Star Is Born
YouTube
What is the title of this musical film?
La La Land
Chicago
2002's Chicago is set in the 1920s and features fabulous costumes and choreography. It was the first musical to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards since Oliver!
Oliver!
The Blues Brothers
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youtube
What is the title of this musical film?
The Jazz Singer
The Blues Brothers
On the Town
Dancer in the Dark
The soundtrack for Dancer in the Dark, released as the album Selmasongs, was written mainly by Björk, but a number of songs featured contributions from Mark Bell and the lyrics were by von Trier and Sjón. Three songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music were also used in the film.
Entertainment Film Distributors
What is the title of this musical film?
Sunshine on Leith
Sunshine on Leith features the music of The Proclaimers. The film grossed $8,780,874 in its run, as of 17 September 2014. In its first week it debuted at number three at the UK box office, with £770,000 The following week it rose to number two.
The Broadway Melody
Footloose
The Phantom of the Opera
Buena Vista Pictures
What is the title of this musical film?
Fame
Evita
In Evita, most of the costumes for Eva were based on outfits that the real Eva Perón wore. Some were recreated from photographs, but many of them were based on the originals, which are still kept in government vaults in Argentina.
Annie
Oliver!
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The Mirisch Production Company
What is the title of this musical film?
West Side Story
The Sound of Music
Meet Me in St. Louis
Fiddler on the Roof
A ton of songs from Fiddler on the Roof were deleted. The writers conceived around 50 individual numbers, though all but 15 wound up on the cutting room floor. A Butcher’s Soul and Dear Sweet Sewing Machine were among those discarded.
Paramount Pictures
What is the title of this musical film?
Grease
Funny Face
Funny Face played well in big cities but not in small towns, where there seemed to be less interest in the movie's depiction of the fashion worlds of New York and Paris. It did not earn back its budget at the box office.
High School Musical
The Lion King
Columbia Pictures
What is the title of this musical film?
Funny Face
Funny Girl
In Funny Girl, Barbra Streisand plays the role of Fanny Brice, a Jewish girl from New York who was made a star by Mr. Florenz Ziegfeld. Fanny Brice really existed. She not only starred in the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway, but also made a few movies between 1928 and 1946.
High School Musical
Mamma Mia!
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youtube
What is the title of this musical film?
The Who's Tommy
The building that is seen to be on fire, part of Tommy's holiday camp, is in fact really burning down. It is South Parade Pier in Southsea. A fire was accidentally started during the filming of The Who's Tommy and the crew decided to include the footage in the film. The fire crews and the fire are genuine. The pier was rebuilt and is still in use today.
Aladdin
Oliver!
Dreamgirls
The Geffen Company
What is the title of this musical film?
Little Shop of Horrors
Technicians built six animatronic flytraps of varying sizes for the Little Shop of Horrors. The smallest was a mere 4 inches tall and the largest stood over 12 feet in height. Used toward the climax of the movie, it required as many as 60 human operators.
Sweeney Todd
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Relativity Media
What is the title of this musical film?
High School Musical
Enchanted
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! is based on the music of the Swedish pop group, ABBA. The movie made nearly $144 million at the U.S. box office, making it one of the highest-grossing live-action movie musicals in history. Only Grease, Chicago, and The Sound of Music have earned more.
Frozen
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youtube
Which movie does this scene belong to?
Top Hat
The Little Mermaid
New York, New York
The theme song of the film, New York, New York, found its own success when Frank Sinatra recorded a cover version of it in 1980. The song became a hit, and both Sinatra's and Minnelli's versions have become closely associated with Manhattan in New York City. Minnelli performs the number at nearly all of her concerts.
Into the Woods
Michael White Productions
Which movie does this scene belong to?
Beauty and the Beast
My Fair Lady
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show began as a way for Richard O’Brien “to spend winter evenings†when he wasn’t working as an actor. O’Brien poured his love of science fiction and horror films into the initial Rocky Horror songs, and eventually he showed the material to director Jim Sharman. Sharman liked it and convinced London’s Royal Court theater to give him a few weeks in the venue’s tiny Upstairs theater to stage a production.
Les Miserables
Serendipity Point Films, XYZ Films, Citizen Jones
Which movie does this scene belong to?
Cabaret
A Star Is Born
Stage Fright
Stage Fright stitches together a cutesy musical and a middling slasher movie. Critical reception has been mixed to negative, with the film scoring a mere 33% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Victor/Victoria
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YouTube
Which movie does this scene belong to?
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
The Sweeney Todd story became widely known in 1785, when Todd’s premises were searched. Supposedly, enough property and clothing were found to indicate there had been at least 160 victims, making him one of the world’s most prolific serial killers.
The Little Shop of Horrors
The Phantom of the Opera
The Blues Brothers
Universal Pictures
Which movie does this scene belong to?
Sing Street
The Blues Brothers
Most of The Blues Brothers was shot in Chicago, which wasn't a major film production hotspot at the time. While it pumped about $12 million into the local economy, all of the car stunts scared residents enough that many of them called the local newspapers to report what they were seeing.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Guys and Dolls
Zoetrope Studios
What is the title of this musical film?
One from the Heart
One from the Heart features an original soundtrack from Crystal Gayle and Tom Waits. Waits received an Academy Award nomination for Best Musical Score. Tavoularis, whose art department was next door to the musical rehearsal space, used Waits' music as tonal inspiration, incorporating it into the film's highly stylized look.
The Broadway Melody
Enchanted
The Little Mermaid
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Variance Films
What is the title of this musical film?
Fame
Tophat
Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench
Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2009, and went on to play festivals across the globe. It features jazz and tap dancing.
Babes in Arms
David L. Wolper Productions
What is the title of this musical film?
The Wizard of Oz
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
The chocolate river in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was actually made of real chocolate, water, and cream. It spoiled rather quickly and left a terrible smell. Most of the chocolate bars in the film were actually made of wood.
Enchanted
Frozen
Canal+ / Celluloid Dreams
What is the title of this musical film?
Funny Girl
42nd Street
Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench
8 Women
Set primarily in the entry hall of a manor house, the film, 8 Women, recreates much of the play's original theatrical feel. It also serves as a pastiche of and homage to the history of film and the actresses' filmographies.
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youtube
What is the title of this musical film?
On the Town
Fame
Moulin Rouge!
Golden Eighties
The Golden Eighties is a 1986 musical comedy produced by Martine Marignac and directed by Chantal Akerman. It has also been released as Window Shopping.
Comedy Central Films / Scott Rudin Productions
What is the title of this musical film?
Singin' In the Rain
Grease
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut was the highest grossing animated film with an R rating until Sausage Party outgrossed it in 2016. This film is said to have the most profanity used in an animated film, with a total of 399 swear words, 199 offensive gestures, and 221 acts of violence. Yikes!
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
20th Century Fox
What is the title of this musical film?
My Fair Lady
The Band Wagon
The Lion King
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
The film score from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg established composer Michel Legrand's reputation in Hollywood, where he later scored other films, winning three Oscars. In North America, two of the film's songs became hits and were recorded by many artists: I Will Wait For You (the main theme) and Watch What Happens.
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The Walt Disney Company
Which movie does this scene belong to?
Enchanted
The Lion King
Tarzan
The Jungle Book
King Louie and Baloo’s I Wan’na Be Like You dance in The Jungle Book was later repeated in Robin Hood, which also borrowed dances from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and The Aristocats. This was achieved through an animation technique called rotoscoping, where animators trace over the frames of old footage to use it in a different environment.
You Got:
/49
Robert Wise Productions