This revealing history of the American film musical synthesizes thecritical literature on the genre and provides a series of closeanalytical readings of iconic musical films, focusing on theircultural relationship to other aspects of American popularmusic. Offers a depth of scholarship that will appeal to students andscholars Leads a crucial analysis of the cultural context of musicals,particularly the influence of popular music on the genre Delves into critical issues behind these films such as race,gender, ideology, and authorship Features close readings of canonical and neglected filmmusicals from the 1930s to the present including: Top Hat,Singin' in the Rain, Woodstock, Gimme Shelter,West Side Story, and Across the Universe