Town Hall Theater presents:
THE HOLLYWOOD MUSICAL
Monday evenings at 7:00 pm
Oct. 27th, Nov. 3rd, Nov. 17, Nov. 24
Tuition: $120
Part history class, part film festival, Doug Anderson takes you through the glorious history of the Hollywood musical.
Each session will begin with Doug lecturing about the studios, the directors and the stars who defined each era, followed by one of the key films of those years, shown the way they were meant to be seen, on the big screen in the THT Rothrock Mainstage.
The 4-session Fall course will explore the early years, when Hollywood searched for ways to transfer the success of Broadway musicals into film, only to realize that film – and especially the moving camera – opened up entirely new possibilities for the musical.
FALL 2025: THE EARLY YEARS 1930-1952
October 27: THE GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 (1933)
This early “backstage musical” features Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler and the astounding staging and camera work of Busby Berkeley, who reinvented the movie musical in the 1930s with 6 major films for Warner Brothers.
November 3: TOP HAT (1935)
The classic pairing of Fred Astair and Ginger Rodgers, who eventually made 9 films together for RKO. Music and lyrics by the incomparable Irving Berlin.
November 17: SHOWBOAT (1936)
One of the most successful transfers from Broadway to the big screen, starring Helen Morgan and Paul Robeson, with an unforgettable score by George and Ira Gershwin.
November 24: SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)
Perhaps the most thoroughly delightful film ever made, it frequently turns up on lists of The 10 Greatest American Movies. With Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds.
Stay Tuned For:
SPRING 2026: BROADWAY ON FILM 1945-1975
February 9 – March 2, 2026 Registration will open in the new year for Part Two of this series, which will feature films and stars from World War II to the present