FREE AND EASY: A HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN MUSICAL

A HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN MUSICAL narrates the evolution of the film musical genre, from performance in early sound shorts to Hairspray (2007) and Mamma Mia! (2008), from classical Hollywood studio days to contemporary independent cinema. It discusses how the genre has incorporated other forms of musical entertainment, such as folk music, vaudeville, musical theatre, and rock. It also describes the contributions made to the genre by a variety of minoritized communities, and thus how the genre speaks about issues of race, gender, sexuality and class. Underlying this history is an examination of how the genre continually attempts to balance a celebration of individual freedom with efforts to bring everyone together in a joyous community.

Pedagogy: A Filmography and a Bibliography will be included at the end of each chapter. A glossary of terms will also be included.