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