Not the Usual Song and Dance: 14 Unlikely Stars of Movie Musicals
Marlon Brando in ‘Guys & Dolls’ (1955)
He was known for his Method intensity, but a year after winning his Oscar for ‘On the Waterfront,’ Brando let his hair down a little in this adaptation of one of the best stage musicals ever. Like the film, though, he's a bit of a letdown as charming gambler Sky Masterson. (Photo: Everett)
Christopher Plummer in ‘The Sound of Music’ (1965)
The great Canadian actor has decades of dramatic work behind him, but he’s still probably known best as Captain Von Trapp in this beloved musical, however uneasy his relationship with it (he’s famously referred to it as "The Sound Of Mucus"). (Photo: Everett)
Walter Matthau in ‘Hello Dolly’ (1969)
The veteran actor’s sole true foray into movie musicals was as the bad-tempered object of the title character's affections in this Barbra Streisand-starring hit. It didn’t give Matthau much singing to do, but he handled his numbers capably. (Photo: Everett)
Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood in ‘Paint Your Wagon’ (1969)
Memorably parodied by ‘The Simpsons,’ ‘Paint Your Wagon’ asked two of the toughest Western stars to sing and dance. It's counter-intuitive casting, given that neither can really hold a tune — Marvin's gravel-voiced, Eastwood's wispy — but it's a hoot to watch them try. (Photo: Everett)
Elizabeth Taylor in ‘A Little Night Music’ (1977)
Unlike many of the stars of her generation, Taylor mostly avoided musicals. This adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Broadway classic suggests why. Her turn as a fading actress isn't a bad one necessarily, but compared to someone like Judi Dench, her “Send In The Clowns” feels thin and reedy. (Photo: Everett)
Robert De Niro in ‘New York, New York’ (1977)
Like ‘La La Land,’ ‘New York, New York’ was an homage to classic Hollywood musicals by a hot young director, with a star better known for serious dramas than for the soft-shoe-shuffle. Martin Scorsese's film is a bit of a mess and De Niro (who only sings once) feels miscast. (Photo: Everett)
Christian Bale in ‘Newsies’ (1992)
More than a decade before he was Batman, Bale (pictured right, with Max Casella) starred as a newspaper delivery boy on strike in this Disney musical. He gives a characteristically intense performance in a film that flopped at first, but has since been embraced as a cult classic. (Photo: Everett)
Michael Caine in ‘The Muppets Christmas Carol’ (1992)
Across a 60-year career, Caine has tried almost everything, from killer-bee B-movie to giant superhero blockbuster. So it's no surprise that not only did he make a musical version of ‘A Christmas Carol,’ but that it was alongside the Muppets. Caine's singing voice isn't the best, but it works well in the film, and his Scrooge is arguably one of his best performances. (Photo: Everett)
Edward Norton in ‘Everyone Says I Love You’ (1996)
Woody Allen's only musical — and one of his most underrated films in general — is full of actors new to musicals, including Julia Roberts and Tim Roth. But maybe the most charming turn comes from Norton (pictured with Drew Barrymore), who delivers an utterly winning performance of “My Baby Just Cares For Me” featuring some hilarious dancing. (Photo: REX)
Nicole Kidman in ‘Moulin Rouge!’ (2001)
As dying courtesan Satine in Baz Lurhmann's pop culture mash-up fever dream musical, Kidman (pictured with Ewan McGregor) is so accomplished here you 'd think she was a veteran of the stage. In fact, she'd never really tackled anything like it, though she'd go on to sing again in films like ‘Nine.’ (Photo: Everett)
Renee Zellweger in ‘Chicago’ (2002)
While co-stars Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere had substantial stage experience, Zellweger was new to song and dance when she was cast as Roxie Hart in this eventual Oscar winner for Best Picture. That was a deliberate choice by director Rob Marshall, who said at the time: "I didn't want her to be a polished technician." (Photo: REX)
Gerard Butler in ‘Phantom of the Opera’ (2005)
He wasn't yet well established as an action star at the time (he was known for supporting roles in films like ‘Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life’), so it was somewhat surprising for Butler to play the title role. He's appropriately swoonsome, but his bellowing voice isn't always well suited to the character. (Photo: Everett)
Pierce Brosnan in ‘Mamma Mia’ (2008)
Part of the charm of the sunny adaptation of the Abba jukebox musical is the pleasingly amateurish vibe when stars like Colin Firth and Meryl Streep belt out the hits. But Pierce Brosnan might take it a little too far: the former 007's voice in songs like “S.O.S.” ends up feeling part foghorn, part Chewbacca. (Photo: Universal)
Russell Crowe in ‘Les Miserables’ (2012)
In a cast of musical champs like Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway, and with the singing, unusually, all done live on set, Crowe took a risk to play Inspector Javert in Tom Hooper's adaptation of the long-running smash. Crowe got some brickbats for his turn, but we're quite fond of it: His voice is more pop than Broadway, but it suits Javert's rough edges well. (Photo: Everett)
By Oliver Lyttelton, Yahoo Movies
After months of wowing people on the festival circuit, Damien Chazelle's film La La Land, a new spin on the classic Hollywood musical genre, finally hits theaters today. Aside from the glowing reviews and its Oscar front-runner status, it's been eagerly anticipated in part because it sees a beloved A-list pair, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, test their skills in a musical for the first time.
While it’s always a joy to watch stars who are skilled at singing and dancing, from Fred Astaire to Anna Kendrick, do their stuff, there's a particular pleasure in seeing actors with little song-and-dance experience take a chance and attempt a musical, whether they triumph or crash in flames. Above you'll find some of our favorite risk-takers in movie musicals from the past 60 or so years.