THE MOVIE MUSICAL!

Film historian Jeanine Basinger offers an audiobook that film buffs, especially musical comedy fans, will savor. Narrator Erin Bennett's enthusiastic delivery makes this in-depth investigation of the birth of the musical genre even more compelling. Bennett offers Basinger's well-researched history of musicals from the beginnings of sound and vaudeville's musical shorts to the full-blown musical extravaganzas that today's audiences expect. Basinger makes clear distinctions between films that have music and true musicals as she traces the difficulties faced by early impresarios Ernst Lubitsch and Rouben Mamoulian, providing fascinating stories of soon-to-be stars of the budding genre--from Al Jolson, Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire to Judy Garland and Julie Andrews. Bennett's lively, intelligent narration makes this undertaking even more enjoyable than it would be in print. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2019]