- 2 weeks ago
Get ready to uncover the juicy secrets hiding behind some of the most beloved movie musicals! From on-set drama and unexpected challenges to surprising casting stories and legendary performances, these films had as much excitement off-camera as on. Dive into the world where magic, mayhem, and melodies collided to create unforgettable cinematic moments.
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00:00The highlights came out kind of orange, and so they decided, oh, forget that, just be blonde all over.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:07And today, we're counting down our picks for the movie musicals that had just as much plot behind the scenes as they did on camera.
00:14It was very difficult to do those numbers as fast as they wanted them and as long as they want them.
00:21Number 10, Mamma Mia.
00:24You may have heard the stories that the Greek Cypriot spirit Uzo was basically part of the Mamma Mia cast.
00:29And a pretty hard-working one at that.
00:32The rumors supposedly started with producer Gary Getzman, who said that being liquored up helped create the relaxed, fun energy that comes across on screen.
00:40I think the freedom and liberation you're feeling in these actors is really their Uzo ration every day.
00:46You know, it kind of loosens it up a little for them.
00:49And, you know, breakfast, you know, a couple shots, you know, just get them going in the morning.
00:53There's even plenty of behind-the-scenes footage that seems to back it up.
00:56However, Christine Baranski told a different version, saying it wasn't a daily ritual, but a one-off that left everyone with pounding heads the next day.
01:05None of us knew it, but this thing that we were drinking as though it was just really good tequila and gives you this hangover after the next day.
01:15If you have even a little bit of water, it reactivates the effect of this drink.
01:21Hey, maybe that's why there was such a huge gap between movies.
01:24We're kidding, of course, but if a party atmosphere was the goal, they absolutely delivered.
01:38Remember that scene where Esther Blodgett breaks down in her dressing room?
01:46But I hate him for failing.
01:51I hate me, too.
01:53I hate me because I failed, too.
01:58That supposedly didn't take much acting from Judy Garland.
02:01George Cukor was reportedly relentless on set and pushed her beyond her limits.
02:06Garland's struggles were well-known, and she was said to be unpredictable.
02:10She supposedly called out sick for nine days, but was seen enjoying herself.
02:14He's trying to decide if it's good for the studio.
02:16Apparently, she would sometimes leave set whenever she wanted, which allegedly delayed filming by 41 days.
02:22Come on, get dressed.
02:23No.
02:25You just gonna sit here forever?
02:27Yes!
02:28Tonight and tomorrow night and for as long as I like.
02:33She took a two-week break to get some help and also discovered she was pregnant during shooting.
02:37Also, Cukor had reportedly wanted Marlon Brando for the role, but he suggested James Mason instead, which wasn't exactly meant as a compliment.
02:46No. 8.
02:47Cabaret
02:47Bob Fosse was notoriously demanding on set.
02:51He's a wonderful director.
02:53He knows exactly what he wants, and he helps you arrive at it.
02:58The studio reportedly turned him down as MC, but he ignored their warnings about the smoke budget and even tore up the telegram in front of the cast.
03:06He's also said to have whispered things to Marisa Berenson right before a take to make sure she looked flushed and embarrassed.
03:13Oh, yes.
03:14Oh, no.
03:15Bumson.
03:21Oh.
03:22Liza Minnelli, who had been turned down for Sally before, reportedly got some ideas from her dad, director Vincent Minnelli, showing her photos of stars like Louise Brooks.
03:31And there's this great story that when Joel Gray and Minnelli rehearsed Money, Gray's jacket had clearly been worn by a lot of people and hadn't seen soap in ages.
03:41Money, money, money, money, mark a yen, a bump for a bump.
03:44That's flicking, striking, clunking sound.
03:46It's all that makes the world go round.
03:49It makes the world go round.
03:50Number 7, Evita.
03:53Evita started as a concept album in 1976, which caught director Alan Parker's attention.
03:58He approached Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber about turning it into a movie.
04:02Yep, a movie.
04:03I get out here when it's hard as
04:07Stand back
04:09You ought to know what you're gonna get in me
04:11Just a little touch of star quality
04:14The stage show didn't debut until 1978.
04:18Since then, writers, directors, studios, and actors came rolling, rolling, rolling in and out of production
04:24until it eventually fell back into Parker's hands in 1994, who acted as both writer and director.
04:30Apparently, it was Madonna who was desperately seeking to play Eva Peron.
04:34So I sent him the video in a 10-page letter, listing all the reasons why I was the only person who could play the part.
04:41Not everyone thought her pop sound would work, but she got the role and worked with a vocal coach.
04:46The movie divided fans and sparked protests in Argentina over Peron's legacy.
04:51Don't cry for me, Argentina.
04:57Number 6, Mary Poppins.
04:59This set had so many stories, it feels like we could pull them straight out of Mary Poppins' bag.
05:04We better keep an eye on this one.
05:07She's tricky.
05:08She's wonderful.
05:09A lot of the special effects were reportedly even a surprise to the kids playing Michael and Jane,
05:14with Walt Disney insisting they experience real magic, both on and off set.
05:19One person who wasn't so charmed was author P.L. Travers.
05:23She was apparently moved to tears by the movie, but not happy ones.
05:27It's all right, Mrs. Travers.
05:28Mr. Banks is going to be all right, I promise.
05:32No, it's just...
05:34I can't find cartoons.
05:36Travers was reportedly difficult during production, and when she saw the final cut, she insisted the animation be removed.
05:44She was so disappointed, she supposedly declared in her will that she'd never entrust her work to an American again.
05:50We can't help wondering what she'd think of Mary Poppins' returns.
05:53Some stuff and nonsense could be fun!
05:56Can you imagine...
06:01Number 5.
06:06The Sound of Music.
06:08Where do we even begin?
06:10Let's start at the very beginning.
06:13How Maria was almost an accidental redhead?
06:20Or how, during that famous hilltop shot, Julie Andrews kept getting knocked over by the helicopter's wind every time it circled.
06:27Go around me to go back and start again, and I'd run to the other end.
06:31But every time he went around me, the downdraft from the jets would fling me down into the grass.
06:37The iconic Joe Raimi sequence reportedly took months to finish, thanks to Salzburg's unpredictable weather.
06:43Then there was the boat scene.
06:45One wrong move, and the boat tipped too early, sending all the kids straight into the lake.
06:50Christopher Plummer wasn't exactly singing with joy, either.
06:53He supposedly found the film too mushy, and it took a lot to talk him into it.
06:58I didn't want to have anything to do with it.
07:00Yes, you did. Not then, but you're glad now.
07:02Yes, I am. I sure am.
07:04Locals in Salzburg also protested the use of Nazi flags, so the crew had to remove them between takes.
07:10Number 4. Hairspray
07:12There's a higher volume of behind-the-scenes stories here than in Tracy's hair.
07:16I can't see the board again.
07:19Tracy Turnblad, if I have to write you up for inappropriate hair height one more time, you will be removed to detention.
07:27Nikki Blonsky and Zac Efron reportedly had off-screen chemistry.
07:31The cast hosted weekly-themed dinner parties, and John Travolta had to power through scenes to avoid overheating in his suit.
07:38Brittany Snow thought she'd blown her audition, but a psychic supposedly told her the role was basically hers, which led to a second chance.
07:45Reeling him back in is the easiest thing in the world.
07:48Remember, I control his career.
07:51The studio pushed for Amanda Bynes, but wasn't sold on Zac Efron, and reportedly told director Adam Shankman that if he wanted Efron, he'd have to hire Bynes.
08:01And the almost-cast list is insane.
08:03Billy Crystal or Jim Broadbent as Wilbur, Hugh Jackman or Joey McIntyre as Corny Collins, Hayden Panettiere as Amber, and Aretha Franklin as Motormouth Maybell.
08:13Because I'm big, blonde, and beautiful, face the fact that's simply irrefutable.
08:23Number 3. West Side Story.
08:25It wasn't just the on-screen rivalry between the Sharks and Jets that made the set intense.
08:30Well, they be getting, well, they be getting, and we're the ones who stop them once and for all tonight.
08:36For instance, Russ Tamblyn said Natalie Wood really disliked him.
08:40Rita Moreno fought hard to win her role, but had to think twice when asked to darken her skin, put on an accent, and sing an offensive lyric, which was later changed.
08:50When I got the part and I worked so hard to get that part, the first thing that came to my mind was,
08:57oh my god, she sings that.
09:02I can't do that.
09:03Apparently, Jerome Robbins created multiple choreographies for each number, and made the cast learn them all before deciding which to use.
09:11Everyone knows Marnie Nixon dubbed Natalie Wood, but Wood actually recorded most of her songs herself.
09:17I feel pretty, oh so pretty, I feel pretty and witty and gay, and I pity any girl who's in me today.
09:28Moreno shared how she couldn't stop crying while filming that scene.
09:31All of the wounds that I thought had closed, all the scars opened all over again.
09:40It was just astonishing.
09:42It couldn't have been easy to revisit it in the 2021 remake.
09:46Number two, Singing in the Rain.
09:48The behind-the-scenes stories from this movie could fill their own talkie.
09:52Gene Kelly had a fever while shooting the title number, and trooped on while buckets were literally doused on him.
09:57That rain isn't milk, as some believe, but a clever trick of lighting.
10:15When Kathy is dubbing for Lena, the voice we actually hear belongs to Betty Noyes.
10:20I'm laughing at clouds so dark up above.
10:25The sun's in my heart and I'm ready for love.
10:30Kelly and Debbie Reynolds' off-screen relationship was basically early Kathy and Don.
10:35He was a harsh taskmaster who didn't account for her being a showbiz newcomer.
10:40Even he admitted he wasn't kind.
10:42Fred Astaire actually stepped in to help.
10:44After about an hour, he looked over and he said,
10:46That's enough. You see how hard it is? It never gets easier. This is the way it is. You go learn it.
10:51Also, Donald O'Connor threw himself so hard into Make Him Laugh, he ended up in the hospital.
10:57Make Him Laugh, Make Him Laugh, Make Him Laugh.
11:03Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:09Guys and Dolls.
11:10Frank Sinatra was apparently salty about losing out on the role of Skye Masterson to Marlon Brando and wasn't subtle about it.
11:17Polka dots.
11:19In the whole world, nobody but Nathan Detroit could blow a thousand bucks on polka dots.
11:24Annie.
11:25Eileen Quinn outlasted 8,000 hopefuls across eight auditions and one grueling year.
11:30It's the hard-knock life for us. It's the hard-knock life for us.
11:36Sanity Day, we get drinks. Sanity says we get pigs. It's the hard-knock life.
11:43The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
11:45Rocky Horror tanked in theaters before audiences shivered with anticipation for every midnight screening.
11:51The answer was there all the time.
11:54It took a small accident to make it happen.
12:00Cats. It clawed its way into theaters, then tripped over its own CGI.
12:16Grease.
12:17Olivia Newton-John had to be sewn into her skin-tight leather pants after the zipper gave up.
12:22You're the one that I want. You're the one that I want.
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12:47Number 1. The Wizard of Oz.
12:50Dorothy wanted a place without troubles.
12:52The Wizard of Oz set was definitely not it.
12:55Some place where there isn't any trouble.
12:58Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto?
13:00The set was practically a health and safety nightmare,
13:03with its star treated poorly and paid less than her co-stars.
13:07Except Harry, aka Toto, and the Munchkins, who earned even less.
13:11Buddy Epson, the original Tin Man, had to drop out after his toxic makeup landed him in the hospital.
13:17And the studio wasn't sympathetic.
13:19Oh, I hate to think of her in there. We've got to get around.
13:23Don't cry now. We haven't got the oil can with us and you've been squeaking enough as it is.
13:28Ray Bolger and Bert Lahr's scarecrow and lion costumes weren't much kinder.
13:32Margaret Hamilton suffered burns thanks to a mistimed cue.
13:35Between toxic behavior, toxic makeup, and asbestos-filled snow,
13:39it sounds like everyone should have been clicking their heels to get out of there fast.
13:44I'd turn back if I were you.
13:49What's the most scandalous behind-the-scenes tidbit you've heard about a movie musical?
13:53Let us know in the comments.
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