Editing Musical film (section)

====Musical stars====
Musical stars such as [[Fred Astaire]] and [[Ginger Rogers]] were among the most popular and highly respected personalities in Hollywood during the classical era; the Fred and Ginger pairing was particularly successful, resulting in a number of classic films such as ''[[Top Hat]]'' (1935), ''[[Swing Time (film)|Swing Time]]'' (1936), and ''[[Shall We Dance (1937 film)|Shall We Dance]]'' (1937). Many dramatic actors gladly participated in musicals as a way to break away from their typecasting. For instance, the multi-talented [[James Cagney]] had originally risen to fame as a stage singer and dancer, but his repeated casting in "tough guy" roles and [[mob film]]s gave him few chances to display these talents. Cagney's [[Academy Awards|Oscar]]-winning role in ''[[Yankee Doodle Dandy]]'' (1942) allowed him to sing and dance, and he considered it to be one of his finest moments.

Many comedies (and a few dramas) included their own musical numbers. The [[Marx Brothers]]' films included a musical number in nearly every film, allowing the Brothers to highlight their musical talents. Their final film, entitled ''[[Love Happy]]'' (1949), featured [[Vera-Ellen]], considered to be the best dancer among her colleagues and professionals in the half century.

Similarly, the [[Vaudeville|vaudevillian]] comedian [[W. C. Fields]] joined forces with the comic actress [[Martha Raye]] and the young comedian [[Bob Hope]] in [[Paramount Pictures]] musical anthology ''[[The Big Broadcast of 1938]]''. The film also showcased the talents of several internationally recognized musical artists including: [[Kirsten Flagstad]] (Norwegian operatic soprano), [[Wilfred Pelletier]] (Canadian conductor of the [[Metropolitan Opera|Metropolitan Opera Orchestra]]), [[Tito Guizar]] (Mexican tenor), [[Shep Fields]] conducting his Rippling Rhythm Jazz Orchestra and [[John Serry Sr.]] (Italian-American concert accordionist).<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029912/ ''The Big Broadcast of 1938'' on imdb.con]</ref> In addition to the [[Academy Award for Best Original Song]] (1938), the film earned an [[ASCAP]] Film and Television Award (1989) for Bob Hope's signature song "[[Thanks for the Memory]]".<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029912/awards?ref_=tt_awd ''The Big Broadcast of 1938 - Awards'' on IMDb]</ref>