ONLINE: According to theater historian Miles Kreuger, “No studio even begins to approach MGM for its flagrant mangling ... of Broadway musicals.” He goes on to say that “MGM’s best musicals are those created expressly for the screen.” We will begin the course with a brief history of Hollywood musicals from the 1920s to the 1940s, focusing on the films of choreographer Busby Berkeley and those of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. We will then dive into several classic MGM movie musicals that did not begin their life on stage: “The Wizard of Oz,” “Meet Me in Saint Louis,” “An American in Paris,” “Singin’ in the Rain,” “The Band Wagon” and “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” In the final class, we’ll look at several musicals released since 1960 and discuss how these films compare to those of MGM's golden age. The course is primarily lecture with video and audio clips. Students will be able to ask questions and make comments during each class. | Lecture + Q&A.
Max enrollment: 200.
Class sessions are recorded.
