Image: Paramount Pictures/ Allan Carr Productions/ Robert Stigwood Organization/ Polydor Records
About This Quiz
The hills are alive ... with the sound of movie musicals! From old-school favorites such as "Singin' in the Rain" and "West Side Story" to modern classics like "Chicago" and "High School Musical," there's no shortage of toe-tapping flicks to enjoy when you're in the mood for some cinematic song and dance.Â
It all started with a 1927 film called "The Jazz Singer," which was the first full-length motion picture set to music. By the time the 1930s rolled around, big-screen musicals were a dime a dozen. In 1939, a little film called "The Wizard of Oz" was released, catapulting a 16-year-old named Judy Garland into superstardom and cementing her legacy as a movie musical queen.
The genre has only continued to grow since that time, spawning classic after classic and winning an avalanche of Oscars along the way. Julie Andrews ruled the '60s with hits like "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music," while the end of that decade and the '70s benefited from the innovative choreography of Bob Fosse — "Sweet Charity" and "Cabaret." And while Disney trumped the genre with animated films in the '90s, the '00s and '10s saw the return of live-action movie musicals with hits such as "Mamma Mia!" and "La La Land."Â
How much do you know about America's big-screen musicals? Can you recognize them from a single image? Now's the time to find out! Put on your favorite movie soundtrack and challenge yourself with this quiz!
"The Sound of Music"
Released in 1965, "The Sound of Music" received five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Music. In 1998, the American Film Institute (AFI) named the film the fourth greatest movie musical of all time.
"Mary Poppins"
"Funny Girl"
"Hello, Dolly!"
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"The Wizard of Oz"
"The Wizard of Oz" was nominated for six Academy Awards (a Hollywood tradition that was just 10 years old at the time), including Best Picture. It won two awards total — Best Original Song for "Over the Rainbow" and Best Original Score.
"Meet Me in St. Louis"
"Show Boat"
"42nd Street"
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"High School Musical"
"Grease"
When it was released in 1978, "Grease" became the highest-grossing live-action musical movie ever. It held onto that title until "Les Misérables" came out in 2012. According to Forbes, it's currently the seventh highest-grossing live-action movie musical in the world.
"Viva Las Vegas"
"Hairspray"
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"Nine"
"Moulin Rouge!"
"Chicago"
"Chicago" won six Academy Awards in 2003, including Best Supporting Actress for Catherine Zeta Jones and Best Picture. It was the first musical to win an Oscar for Best Picture since the 1968 film "Oliver!"
"Cabaret"
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"On the Town"
"Cover Girl"
"Singin' in the Rain"
Starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, "Singin' in the Rain" has become one of the most popular musical movies of all time. It was even preserved in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry, which is for movies considered "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."
"What a Way to Go!"
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"Funny Girl"
Barbra Streisand made her feature film debut in this role, reprising the part she played on Broadway. She won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance, in addition to a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
"Hello, Dolly!"
"The Young Girls of Rochefort"
"Funny Face"
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"Dreamgirls"
Written and directed by Bill Condon, this movie is an adaptation of a 1981 Broadway musical. In addition to Beyoncé, the star-studded cast includes Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy and Danny Glover.
"The Sapphires"
"Fame"
"Lady Sings the Blues"
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"West Side Story"
This 1961 film is one of the highest-grossing movie musicals of all time. Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, it won 10 of the 11 Academy Awards it was nominated for, including Best Picture.
"Gypsy"
"Sweet Charity"
"Flower Drum Song"
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"Annie"
Based on the Broadway musical of the same name, "Annie" stars Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters. A remake was released in 2014 starring Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz.
"Poor Little Rich Girl"
"Curly Top"
"Bright Eyes"
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"Girl Crazy"
"A Star is Born"
"Meet Me in St. Louis"
This hit was directed by Vincente Minnelli, who met Judy Garland during the making of the movie and married her a year later. Though the couple divorced in 1951, they are the parents of acclaimed actress Liza Minnelli.
"Babes on Broadway"
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"Guys and Dolls"
"42nd Street"
"Strike Up the Band"
"The Greatest Showman"
Also starring Michelle Williams, this movie won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song ("This Is Me"). Grossing $434 million worldwide, the film was a hit and is currently the fifth-highest grossing live-action musical of all time.
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"Bedknobs and Broomsticks"
"Enchanted"
"The Music Man"
"Mary Poppins"
Released in 1964, this Disney movie marks Julie Andrews's first appearance in a feature film, for which she won an Oscar for Best Actress. The movie was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Score and Best Original Song.
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"All That Jazz"
"Cabaret"
This hit movie musical won eight Academy Awards in 1973, including Best Director for Bob Fosse, Best Actress in a Leading Role for Liza Minnelli and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Joel Grey.
"Nine"
"Chicago"
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"An American in Paris"
Starring Gene Kelly, this 1951 film was directed by famed stage and film director Vincente Minnelli, father of notable actress Liza Minnelli. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won six, including Best Picture and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.
"Singin' in the Rain"
"Brigadoon"
"The Young Girls of Rochefort"
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"Mamma Mia"
Based on the 1999 musical of the same name, "Mamma Mia" features music by the Swedish pop group ABBA. The film, which spawned a sequel in 2018, also stars Christine Baranski, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Amanda Seyfried.
"Into the Woods"
"A Prairie Home Companion"
"Ricki and the Flash"
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"Oklahoma!"
This 1955 movie is based on the popular Rodgers and Hammerstein stage show. It was nominated for four Academy Awards and won two — Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture and Best Sound, Recording.
"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers"
"Calamity Jane"
"Paint Your Wagon"
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"My Fair Lady"
"High Society"
"Gigi"
"Funny Face"
This was Hepburn's first musical performance on film. And while Astaire starred in the original 1927 Broadway production of "Funny Face," that version bears little resemblance to this film adaptation.
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"Into the Woods"
"Descendants"
"Labyrinth"
This 1986 fantasy film was directed by Muppets creator Jim Henson. While it fared poorly at the box office when it was released, the movie has become a cult classic and favorite among Bowie fans.
"Maleficent"
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"Little Shop of Horrors"
"Hair"
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show"
This comedy-horror-musical has become a celebrated cult classic thanks to the popularity of its midnight screenings. Because it's run continuously in theaters since it first came out in 1975, it's considered to be the longest-running movie release in history,
"Godspell"
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"Nine"
"Glitter"
"Moulin Rouge!"
While "Moulin Rouge!" was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Picture, it only took home statues for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction.
"Cabaret"
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"Godspell"
"Fiddler on the Roof"
Based on the Tony-award winning musical, "Fiddler on the Roof" won a Golden Globe award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. It also received Oscars for Best Cinematography, Best Music and Best Sound.
"Man of La Mancha"
"Les Misérables"
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"Carousel"
Reprising the role he played to much acclaim on Broadway, Yul Brynner won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as King Mongkut of Siam in this 1956 film. The movie also features Rita Moreno, Rex Thompson and Deborah Kerr.
"Show Boat"
"State Fair"
"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers"
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"Maleficent"
"Into the Woods"
This film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Broadway musical was released on Christmas Day in 2014. In addition to Streep, the ensemble cast features Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick and Chris Pine.
"Mary Poppins Returns"
"Bedknobs and Broomsticks"
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"South Pacific"
"The King and I"
"My Fair Lady"
Because Hepburn's vocals were considered subpar, her songs were dubbed by singer Marni Nixon. The movie won eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor (for Rex Harrison). It also won a Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy.
"The Pajama Game"
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"The Blues Brothers"
Inspired by the "SNL" characters Jake and Elwood Blues, "The Blues Brothers" featured appearances by many notable soul singers, including Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker.
"A Night at the Roxbury"
"The Ladies Man"
"Superstar"
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"Sunset Boulevard"
"What's Love Got to Do with It"
"Evita"
Based on the 1978 stage musical about Argentina's first lady, Eva Peron, "Evita" won three Golden Globe awards for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actress – Musical or Comedy (for Madonna) and Best Original Song (for "You Must Love Me").
"La Vie en rose"
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"A Star is Born"
"La La Land"
Starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, "La La land" won a total of six Academy Awards, including prizes for Best Director and Best Actress (for Stone). In a now-famous gaffe, Faye Dunaway incorrectly announced the film as the Best Picture winner, when the winner was actually "Moonlight."
"Sing Street"
"The Last Five Years"
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"Little Shop of Horrors"
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show"
"Phantom of the Paradise"
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street "
Based on the Tony-awarding winning stage musical from 1979, "Sweeney Todd" was directed by longtime Depp collaborator Tim Burton. It won two Golden Globes in 2008 — one for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and one for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy (for Depp).
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"The Phantom of the Opera"
"Fiddler on the Roof
"Les Misérables"
Directed by Tom Hooper, who also directed "The King's Speech" and "Cats," this 2012 musical drama featured a star-studded cast, including Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackson and Amanda Seyfried.
"Evita"
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"Anything Goes"
"Damn Yankees"
"Guys and Dolls"
While this film was based on a popular Broadway musical of the same name, it cut out a handful of numbers and featured three brand-new songs, including one written specifically for Sinatra.
"On the Town"
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"Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
"Little Shop of Horrors"
An adaptation of the off-Broadway musical of the same name, this movie was directed by Muppets legend Frank Oz. It stars Rick Moranis and features notable cameos by Steve Martin and Bill Murray.
"Labyrinth"
"Rock 'n' Roll High School"
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"Cry-Baby"
Released in 1989, "Cry-Baby" was written and directed by John Waters of "Hairspray" fame. While the film earned mostly positive reviews from critics, it was considered a flop at the box office.
"Jailhouse Rock"
"Hairspray"
"Grease 2"
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"High School Musical"
When "High School Musical" was released on the Disney Channel in 2006, it became the network's most commercially successful original movie. The film spawned a series of sequels, including "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," which was released in theaters.
"Cinderella"
"Pitch Perfect"
"School's Out! The Musical"
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"A Chorus Line"
"All That Jazz"
Released in 1979, "All That Jazz" was inspired by Fosse's own real-life struggles as a dancer and choreographer. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards and took home one, for Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score.
"Fame"
"The Band Wagon"
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"Center Stage"
"Fame"
"A Chorus Line"
"Rent"
Based on the hit stage musical from 1996, six of the original Broadway cast members reprised their roles for this 2005 film. Unfortunately, the movie did not engage audiences and was considered a critical and commercial flop.
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"Labyrinth"
"The Dark Crystal"
"The Wiz"
This modern interpretation of L. Frank Baum's classic story stars Diana Ross as Dorothy, Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow, Nipsey Russell as the Tin Man and Ted Ross as the Cowardly Lion. Richard Pryor played The Whiz.
"Aladdin"
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"Forbidden Zone"
"Phantom of the Paradise"
"Can't Stop the Music"
"Tommy"
This fantasy flick features the music of the legendary rock band The Who. The film's star-studded ensemble cast includes famous actors and musicians, such as Roger Daltrey, Ann-Margret, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, Elton John and Jack Nicholson.
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"Earth Girls Are Easy"
Released in 1988, this wacky film features a number of well-known actors pre-stardom, including Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans. The film's plot is based on a song entitled "Earth Girls Are Easy" by comedian Julie Brown, who also stars in the film.
"Cannibal! The Musical"
"The Wizard of Speed and Time"
"Twentieth Century Oz"
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"Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
Written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" is based on the off-Broadway stage musical of the same name. The movie was released in 2001 to rave reviews, despite underperforming at the box office.
"Camp"
"School of Rock"
"Rock of Ages"
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"Everyone Says I Love You"
This 1996 musical-comedy features an impressive cast of actors who are not known for their singing, including Julia Roberts, Drew Barrymore, Edward Norton, Natasha Lyonne and Natalie Portman.
"How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying"
"The Producers"
"Get Crazy"
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You Got:
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