As the world’s most avid movie musical fan, I can’t help hoping for the comeback of the Hollywood musical. Although from the 1970s on, fewer and fewer musicals graced our movie theaters each year, some fine ones made it to the big screen. What are the best film musicals released during the last 38 years? My producer Nikki Starr and I will discuss this topic with Jazz Shaw from MidStream Radio on our upcoming “Movie Addict Headquarters” show.  A few contenders are Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Cabaret, All That Jazz, Beauty and the Beast,  Evita, Moulin Rouge, Chicago, Idlewild, The Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar and Hairspray.

Will your favorites make it to the list?  To find out, click on this BlogTalkRadio link at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on May 13. Listeners are invited to call in and to participate in the live chat during the show. The call-in number is 646-478-5668. An archived segment will be available after the original broadcast.    

While growing up, I always looked forward to seeing movie musicals, especially those big, splashy ones from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Now, with the success of films like Sweeney Todd, Hairspray and Enchanted, I’m hoping for a re-birth of my favorite film genre. But Miles Kreuger, founder and president of The Institute of the American Musical, claims that will never happen “They’re done,” he said in last week’s interview on “Movie Addict Headquarters” -– which, of course, put me in a deep funk.

“Snap out of it,” I told myself. Just think about the upcoming film version of Mamma Mia! and those promises from Hugh Jackman to star in a number of Hollywood musicals, including remakes of Guys & Dolls and Carousel as well as movie adaptations of such Broadway hits as Sunset Boulevard, The Boy from Oz and The Full Monty. Jackman’s interest in musicals is no surprise to anyone who watched him host the Tony Awards or who’s seen his Tony-winning performance in The Boy from Oz or caught his wonderful turn as Curly in the London production of Oklahoma.  

We may never see the likes of Gene Kelly and Judy Garland again, but there are some talented performers and directors working in films today with the potential to bring back a bit of that old musical magic -- albeit with a modern twist. Adam Shankman worked wonders on Hairspray, while Baz Luhrmann and Rob Marshall proved they have what it takes to helm movie musicals with their dazzling work on Moulin Rouge and Chicago, respectively. Many current stars, like Jackman, can sing and dance up a storm -- if only given the chance.

Miles Kreuger shared some fascinating historical information about film musicals on our last radio show, but we definitely need to talk about releases since 1970. So please drop by “Movie Addict Headquarters” on Tuesday, May 13, for another lively discussion about this entertaining topic.

(Grease Poster: © 1978 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.)