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The 15 Greatest Movie Musicals Of The 80's!

Ahh, the 80's! The greatest pop culture decade of the 20th century (it's been certified) had its share of music milestones, and in these 15 cases, the blending of music and film were unforgettable.

For the purposes of this list, a movie musical is defined as a film in which the characters break into song on screen, so not included are movies with great soundtracks (Flashdance, Footloose), movies where characters perform on stage (Victor/Victoria, Absolute Beginners, Meet The Feebles, Purple Rain, Streets Of Fire), and Pink Floyd: The Wall, which is a close call, but doesn't really fit the parameters.

So get in The Wayback Machine and prepare to jog your memory. Remember these?

15. The New Adventures Of Pippi Longstocking

It happens when I least expect it. I'll be in the shower lathering up, and suddenly, out of nowhere I'll find myself singing "Pippi Longstocking is coming into your town!" You can imagine the looks I get from other guys in the gym. But anyone who saw this 1988 curiosity as a kid will never forget it. Tami Erin stars with the incomparable Eileen Brennan in the musical story of the redheaded pigtailed girl with superhuman strength and ability to rotate creepily. Enjoy the Pure Nightmare Fuel of "Scrubbin' Day."

14. Pennies From Heaven

True Story: When this played at our local drive-in (google it, kids) in 1981, there was a huge scandal in the high school because some boys thought it would be hilarious to sneak in and change the giant sign to read "Penis From Heaven," which I still think would be the perfect name for the first gay musical porno. Anyway, Pennies From Heaven was an infamous flop when it was released in 1981 (probably because audiences didn't know what to make of Steve Martin in a dramatic singing role), but has gained a cult following, in no small part because of the fabulous Bernadette Peters, who won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical.

13. Popeye

In Hollywood, perception can be just as important as reality, and 1980's Popeye is still perceived to be a box office flop, when it actually made money for the studio. But it wasn't the blockbuster people were expecting, and damaged the career of Robert Altman. It didn't affect Robin Williams, who made a seamless transition from sitcom star to movie star, and let's face it, has there ever been a better matching of actress and role than Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl?

12. Earth Girls Are Easy

1988's Earth Girls Are Easy is a who's who of "before they were superstars." Geena Davis (who was about to become an Oscar winner for The Accidental Tourist) took in three multi-colored aliens, played by Jeff Goldbum, Jim Carrey, and Damon Wayans. Throw in the film debut of Julie Brown, and you have a day-glo 80's time capsule.

11. Shock Treatment

This vastly underrated semi-sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show follows Brad and Janet Majors (Cliff De Young and the fantastic Jessica Harper) as they try to survive living in the world of Denton, U.S.A. in a before-its-time satire of reality television. One more mention of Jessica Harper - This is a talent who moved easily from Phantom of The Paradise to Suspiria to the Woody Allen films Love And Death and Stardust Memories. She should have been a major star.

10. Yentl

Barbra's 1983 labor of love took fifteen years to reach the screen, and was worth the wait, even though she was a ... tad ... long in the tooth to play Yentl Mendel. But once she starts singing, especially with the splendid "Papa Can You Hear Me," it's easy to put your disbelief on hold. Plus she brought us naked Mandy Patinkin!

9. The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas

1982's Whorehouse was the highest-grossing musical film of the 80's, and there's one reason why it works as well as it does - Dolly Parton (although the rest of the cast, including Dom DeLuise and an Oscar-nominated Charles Durning) give it a game go. But Dolly is the center of attention, and brings her unique Dolly-ness to the role of Mona. Okay, plus there is this NSFW scene.

8. Little Shop Of Horrors

The 1986 adaptation was a box-office underperformer, but became a cult classic when it was released on video. Rick Moranis, The faboo Ellen Greene and a scene-stealing Steve Martin combine with a great score by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, including "Suddenly Seymour," the Oscar-nominated "Mean Green Mother From Outer Space," and the sublime "Somewhere That's Green," which would later be reworked into "Part Of Your World" for The Little Mermaid..

7. Can't Stop The Music

The first winner of the Razzie Award for Worst Picture, Nancy Walker directed this infamous 1980 "re-imagining" of The Village People story. What can be said about this iconic flop that hasn't been said already? Bruce Jenner, Valerie Perrine (who apparently hated working with Nancy so much her scenes were directed by someone else), Steve Guttenberg, and that soundtrack combine to bring us a true camp spectacle. Sadly, I can't show you the greatest scene in the movie (because it features Penis From Heaven), so here are The Village People With Loni Anderson and Betty White on Love Boat

6. Labyrinth

A box-office bomb upon release in 1986, Labyrinth has gone on to become one of the most beloved films of all time, thanks to the magic of Jim Henson and the songs and crystal balls of David Bowie.

5. Xanadu

Olivia was perfectly cast as an ethereal muse in this 1980 box office dud. She's vibrant, high-spirited and Totally Hot. The songs are first-rate (including her second-biggest hit song, "Magic), and the movie certainly doesn't lack for gaudy detail. Like many movies on this list, it's attained an enormous cult following over the years (culminating in a Broadway show).

4. Voyage Of The Rock Aliens

Pia Zadora starred in a couple of classic 80's films, the greatest of which was 1983's The Lonely Lady (still the most important film about Hollywood ever made), but 1984's musical Voyage Of The Rock Aliens was a fun, frothy concoction that brought us the joys of "When The Rain Begins To Fall" and the film debut of a ripped Craig Sheffer (and Ruth Gordon as "The Sheriff").

Here is Craig (and his amazing ass) stalking his way through "Nature Of The Beast"

And here's Craig (sounding suspiciously like Jermaine Jackson) and Pia performing the film's masterpiece.

3. Grease 2

1978's Grease was a mammoth hit, so expectations were high for its 1982 follow-up. Those expectations ... weren't met, at least at the box office. Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield were the new role-reversed leads, and the natural beauty of both elevated the proceedings, with help from Lorna Luft, Adrian Zmed, and songs which, while not reaching the icon status of the original's songs, are still remembered fondly over 30 years later.

2. The Pirate Movie

It was tough choosing between the number one and two films, but 1982's reworking of The Pirates Of Penzance came out in 2nd place. The fabulous Kristy McNichol (who was at the height of her screen appeal) starred as Mabel, while a fresh from The Blue Lagoon Christopher Atkins was her paramour Frederic. A box office disaster, it was nominated for nine Razzies, winning for Worst Director, Score, and Song (for "Pumping and Blowing") Trivia: The songs were co-written by Terry Britten, who would go on to co-write Tina Turner's hits "What's Love Got To Do With It,""We Don't Need Another Hero," and "Typical Male")

Christopher Atkins actually had a minor hit with "How Can I Live Without Her," which reached #71 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1982.

If your formative years were in the early 80's, The Pirate Movie was an integral part, as it was played on an endless loop on HBO and Cinemax. I can't be the only one who held a tape deck up to the tv to record the songs, and to this day, when things aren't going my way, I still have the desire to scream out "I want a happy ending!"

1. The Apple

Can't Stop The Music, Xanadu and The Apple all opened within a few months of each other in 1980, a perfect trifecta of box office poison. But The Apple was something ... special ... it took itself seriously.

Trivia: According to legend, the audience at the film's premiere at Paramount Theater in Hollywood were so enraged that they started throwing the souvenir soundtrack albums at the screen, causing thousands of dollars in damage.

It was the film debut of the lovely Catherine Mary Stewart, and the only film appearance of co-lead George Gilmour.

It was choreographed by Nigel Lythgoe, who after this, should never, ever, be allowed to say anything negative about anyone's dancing, ever.

It must be seen to be believed. Luckily, MovieClips can take us on an unforgettable tour.

The film takes place in the faraway world of 1994, as Canadian teens Alphie and Bibi enter the World Vision Song Festival. Unfortunately, the event is rigged by overlord Mr. Boogalow, who rules all of the world's media, and his supergroup BIM (Boogalow International Music) is declared the winner. It's not hard to see why ...

Even though they lost, Bibi and Alphie are approached by Mr. Boogalow to join BIM. Bibi is all for it, but Alphie has his suspicions ...

Bibi falls under the spell of Mr. Boogalow, and before you know it, she's 1980's Taylor Swift, if Taylor Swift sang songs about the evils of ... SPEED!

That's just a taste of the bizarre world of The Apple, which is awful, engrossing, cringe-inducing, irresistible, inexplicable, and a complete train wreck of epic proportions. In other words, it's the perfect 80's musical.

TIE - Hairspray

Still the greatest John Waters film, it was a joyous, exuberant, and dare I say, family friendly ode to the musicals of the early 60's. (h/t to Dback for the reminder)

Okay, your turn! What 80's movie musical gives you a happy ending?

Oh, you're probably thinking "What about Annie?"

I'm aware of it.

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