- Safety in Numbers (1930)
- Sailor Beware (1951) ** - Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis join the Navy, with predictably chaotic results. Funny scenes – one of their less annoying efforts.
- Sally (1929) ** - Marilyn Miller in her 1920 stage hit. Mostly dull viewing, but Miller dazzles in the dance sequences.
- Sally, Irene and Mary (1938)
- Salute Fro Three (1943)
- San Antonio Rose (1941)
- San Francisco (1936) *** - Singer Jeanette MacDonald woos club owner Clark Gable (with an assist from Father Spencer Tracy). Great earthquake sequence and classic title tune add up to a delightfully corny finale.
- Sarge Goes to College (1947)
- Saturday Night Feve (1977)r *** - John Travolta as a blue collar kid finding life and love in a disco.
- Say It With Songs (1929) * - Radio star Jolson is unjustly jailed for murder. Clumsy, boring attempt at a tear jerker.
- Say One for Me (1959) * - Bing Crosby is a theatre district priest out to help showgirl Debbie Reynolds. Talented cast can't overcome one-dimensional script and forgettable score. Very disappointing.
- Scared Stiff (1953)
- Scatterbrain (1940)
- Scott Joplin (1977)
- Scrooge (1970) *** - Albert Finney stars in a highly entertaining musical version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
- Second Chorus (1940) ** - Fred Astaire romances Paulette Goddard. Okay moments, but one of Fred's weaker vehicles.
- Second Chorus (1941)
- Second Fiddle (1939)
- Second Greatest Sex, The (1955) * - Boring musical version of Lysistrata reset in the old West.
- See My Lawyer (1945)
- Senior Prom (1958) * - Lots of star cameos, but a dud is a dud.
- Senorita From the West (1945)
- Sensations of 1945 (1944)
- Serenade (1956)
- Sergeant Deadhead (1965)
- Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) **** - One of the all-time great Hollywood musicals has Jane Powell contending with mountaineer husband Howard Keel and his wife-seeking pack of hunky brothers. Great songs, amazing dance sequences.
- Seven Days Ashore (1944)
- Seven Days Leave (1942) ** - Victor Mature is a soldier who must marry in order to inherit a fortune. Not as bad as it may sound.
- Seven Hills of Rome, The (1958)
- Seven Little Foys, The (1955) ** - So-so movie about legendary vaudeville family act, made memorable by a brilliant tabletop dance duet by Bob Hope and James Cagney.
- Seven Sweethearts (1942) ** - Kathryn Grayson stars in uninspired story of seven sisters who cannot marry until the oldest gets hitched.
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) NO STARS - Even classic Beatles tunes can't save this incoherent disgrace.
- Shady Lady (1945)
- Shake, Rattle and Rock (1956) * - Fats Domino in yet another weak teen rock flick.
- Shall We Dance? (1937) **** - Astaire and Rogers fall in love while pretending to be married, all set to a Gershwin score. Dee-licious!
- She Couldn't Say No (1930)
- She Done Him Wrong (1933) *** - Mae West in fun adaptation of her stage hit Diamond Lil, leading Salvation Army recruit Cary Grant astray.
- She Has What It Takes (1943)
- She Loves Me Not (1934)
- She's a Sweetheart (1944)
- She's Back On Broadway (1952)
- She's For Me (1943)
- She's Working Her Way Through College (1952) ** - Burlesque stripper Virginia Mayo pursues college education, with an assist from professor Ronald Reagan – slim pickings.
- Shinbone Alley (1971)
- Shine On, Harvest Moon (1944) ** - Ann Sheridan stars in this sanitized bio of vaudeville great Nora Bayes. Could have been worse, but could have been far better too.
- Ship Ahoy (1942)
- Ship Cafe (1935)
- Shipmates Forever (1935)
- Shocking Miss Pilgrim, The (1947) ** - Betty Grable as an 1870s business woman. Boring film redeemed somewhat by several lesser Gershwin songs.
- Shoot the Works (1934)
- Show Boat (1936) **** - Superb screen version of the stage classic, with Broadway legends Helen Morgan and Paul Robeson recreating their signature roles.
- Show Boat *** - Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel make this color remake worth seeing, but some things (like Ava Gardner as Julie? Yikes!) are jarring – no match for the 1936 version.
- Show Business (1944)
- Show of Shows, The (1929)
- Showgirl in Hollywood (1930)
- Silk Stockings (1957) *** - Cole Porter's witty musical version of Ninotchka offers Cyd Charisse as a Soviet diplomat romanced in Paris by Fred Astaire.
- Silver Skates (1943)
- Sincerely Yours (1955) * - Liberace as a heterosexual piano virtuoso who loses his hearing? Oy! Hard core Liberace will enjoy the musical sequences.
- Sing a Jingle (1944)
- Sing and Be Happy (1937)
- Sing Another Chorus (1941)
- Sing Baby, Sing (1936)
- Sing Boy Sing (1958)
- Sing Dance Plenty Hot (1940)
- Sing Me a Love Song (1936)
- Sing While You Dance (1946)
- Sing You Sinners (1938)
- Sing Your Way Home (1945) * - Jack Haley shepherds teenagers home to US after WW II. Waterlogged nonsense.
- Sing Your Worries Away (1942) * - Show business types square off against racketeers, and the audience loses.
- Singin' in the Corn (1946) * - Judy Canova in the desert. "Corn" is no match for "Rain."
- Singin' in the Rain (1952) **** - Gene Kelly is a silent film star learning to live with sound, with an assist from Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor. Hollywood's all-time best musical comedy!
- Singing Fool, The (1928) * - A show biz vocalist is torn between his career and his "sonny boy." The top-grossing film of the 1920's, this is painfully cornball
- Singing Kid, The (1936)
- Singing Marine, The (1937)
- Singing Nun, The (1966) *** - Debbie Reynolds shines as a guitar-playing nun who rose to musical stardom. Corny, but surprisingly enjoyable.
- Singing Sheriff, The (1944)
- Sis' Hopkins (1941)
- Sitting On the Moon (1936)
- Sitting Pretty (1933) ** - Easygoing fun with Jack Haley and Jack Oakie as NY songwriters who come to Hollywood finding success & romance. Ginger Rogers sings "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?"
- Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga (1941)
- Skirts Ahoy! (1952) ** - Esther Williams and stellar supporting cast help this waterlogged tale of military ladies.
- Sky's the Limit, The (1943) *** - Air Force pilot Fred Astaire woos Joan Leslie. Great songs and dance sequences make this an underrated pleasure.
- Sleeping Beauty (1959) **** - Disney's visually ravishing animated classic has a great Tchaikovsky-inspired score.
- Sleepy Lagoon (1943)
- Sleepytime Gal (1942)
- Slightly French (1949)
- Slightly Scandalous (1946)
- Slightly Terrific (1944)
- Slipper and the Rose, The (1976) ** - Lavish retelling of Cinderella has some okay Sherman Brothers songs, but is ultimately uninspired.
- Small Town Girl (1953) ** - So-so love story is stolen by supporting players Ann Miller and Bobby Van in some knockout production numbers.
- Smilin' Through (1941) *** - Often re-filmed multi-generational romance stars Jeanette MacDonald and future real-life hubby Gene Raymond
- Smiling Lieutenant, The (1931) *** - Soldier Maurice Chevalier is married to princess Miriam Hopkins but actually loves Claudette Colbert -- Ernst Lubitsch makes it all sparkle
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) **** - The first of Disney's full-length animated musicals remains a timeless treasure for audiences of all ages.
- Snow White and the Three Stooges (1961) ** - The Three Stooges in an ice skating musical? Okay for the kiddies, but sober adults be warned.
- So Dear to My Heart (1948) *** - Live action Disney tuner about a boy and his sheep, works thanks to good cast, charming score and a few animated sequences.
- So Long Letty (1930)
- So This is College (1929)
- So This Is Love: The Grace Moore Story (1953) * - Kathryn Grayson stars in this weak bio of the operatic diva who triumphed in Hollywood.
- So This Is Paris (1954) ** - Gene Nelson is the only reason to catch this tale of sailors on leave in France.
- So This Is Paris (1955) * - Weak rip-off of On the Town.
- Sombrero (1953) * - A few decent musical moments cannot save this cheesy love story set in Mexico.
- Some Like It Hot (1939) * - No relation to the Billy Wilder masterpiece; Bob Hope considered this his worst film.
- Somebody Loves Me (1952)
- Something for the Boys (1944) ** - Weak version of Cole Porter's stage hit. Without Merman, what was the point?
- Something in the Wind (1947) ** - Some laughs, with Deanna Durbin as a singing disc jockey.
- Something to Shout About (1943) ** - A Cole Porter score gets buried in this worn out backstage musical.
- Something to Sing About (1937)
- Son Of Paleface (1952)
- Song and Dance Man, The (1936)
- Song For Miss Julie, A (1945)
- Song Is Born, A (1948) ** - Scholars research jazz. Danny Kaye provides laughs, while legends like Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong and more provide the music.
- Song O' My Heart (1930)
- Song of Love (1929)
- Song Of My Heart (1955) * - Tchaikovsky bio pic has almost no connection to reality.
- Song of Norway (1970) NO STARS - After an eye-popping opening montage, its all downhill in this dreadful musical bio of composer Edvard Grieg.
- Song of Sheherezade (1947)
- Song of the Flame, The (1930)
- Song of the Islands (1942) *** - Embarrassingly enjoyable silliness, with Victor Mature romancing Betty Grable on a Pacific island.
- Song of the Open Road (1944) ** Jane Powell makes her screen debut picking crops. Some songs and star turns help.
- Song of the Sarong (1945)
- Song of the South (1946) *** - Unhappy child finds solace in an old man's wise fables. Great animation, and the live cast make this a pleasure despite old racial stereotypes.
- Song of the West (1930)
- Song Without End (1960) * - Turgid bio pic with Dirk Bogarde as Franz Lizt.
- Sound of Music, The (1965) **** - Rodgers & Hammerstein's mega-hit story of the Von Trapp family, with Julie Andrews as the nanny who finds love in 1930s Austria.
- South of Dixie (1944)
- South Pacific (1958) *** - Rodgers & Hammerstein's stage hit is still great stuff, and Mitzi Gaynor is terrific as an American military nurse finding love on a tropic island. Marred by director Josh Logan's misguided use of distracting color filters, and far too many of the singers are dubbed. Still superior to the ghastly 2001 TV version.
- South Park: The Movie (1999) **** - Profane and hilarious, as the foul-mouthed shenanigans of some small town school boys lead America into a war with Canada. Spoofs everything from show biz to international politics with wicked accuracy.
- Speedway (1968)
- Spinout (1966)
- Spotlight Scandals (1943)
- Spring Is Here (1930)
- Spring Parade (1940)
- Springtime in the Rockies (1942) **** - My favorite of the 1940s Fox formula musicals, with John Payne pursuing Betty Grable at a mountain resort while Carmen Miranda and Harry James's Band add to the fun. Pure pleasure.
- St. Louis Blues (1938)
- St. Louis Blues (1958)
- Stage Door Canteen (1943) *** - Ignore the annoying wisp of a plot and stick around for a parade of Broadway and Hollywood stars doing their wartime bit. Merman, Bolger, Hepburn, Bankhead, Lunt, Fontanne, Kit Cornell . . . and dozens more.
- Stage Struck (1936)
- Stand Up and Cheer (1934)
- Star! (1968) *** - The director's cut redeems this lavish musical bio of stage star Gertrude Lawrence, starring Julie Andrews.
- A Star Is Born (1954) **** - Judy Garland gives the greatest performance of her career as a singer finding stardom in Hollywood.
A magnificent film!
- A Star Is Born (1976) * - Barbra Streisand stars in this dreary
remake set in the rock music world.
- Star Maker, The (1939)
- Star Spangled Rhythm (1942) *** - Paramount put every star on its roster into this wartime morale-booster – some fun numbers. Strictly In the Groove
- Starlift (1951) * - Oh really? Even a truckload of stellar cameos cannot lift this brain-dead GI love story.
- Stars and Stripes Forever (1952) ** - Clifton Webb is a bit wooden as march-master John Phillip Sousa. Formulaic plot twists thrown in.
- Stars Are Singing, The (1953) ** - Rosemary Clooney sings some of her greatest hits. Weak plot, but cast includes opera legend Lauritz Melchior.
- Stars On Parade (1944)
- Stars Over Broadway (1935)
- Start Cheering (1938)
- State Fair (1945) **** - A real all-American winner! Farm family finds love and blue ribbons at the Iowa State Fair. Rodgers & Hammerstein's great score includes "It Might as Well Be Spring" and "It's a Grand Night for Singing."
- State Fair (1962) * - Annoyingly bad remake of the Rodgers & Hammerstein hit. Trust me, you have something better to do.
- Staying Alive (1983) * - Heavy-duty dance sequences and sexy John Travolta do little to justify this dreary sequel to Saturday Night Fever.
- Step Lively (1944) *** - George Murphy will do anything to get his show produced. Lots of laughs, and Frank Sinatra on hand to croon.
- Stolen Harmony (1935)
- Stooge, The (1953) * - Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in arguably their weakest vehicle.
- Stork Club, The (1945) ** - Betty Hutton works the hat check in the legendary nightclub. A promising idea that goes nowhere.
- Stormy Weather (1943) *** - An all-star cast of black show biz greats make this a must see, including Lena Horne, Bill Robinson, Fats Waller and many more. Ignore the story and relish the music.
- Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, The (1939) **** Astaire & Rogers sparkle in their last RKO musical, a loving tribute to America's first important dance couple.
- Stowaway (1936)
- Straight, Place and Show (1938)
- Strictly Dynamite (1934)
- Strike Me Pink (1936) ** - Meager Eddie Cantor vehicle boosted somewhat by a young Ethel Merman.
- Strike Up the Band (1940) **** - Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland enter their high school band in a contest, with rousing results
- Strip, The (1951)
- Student Prince, The ** - Genial but uninspired version of Romberg's Broadway hit. Best (and worst) feature – Mario Lanza'a glorious singing voice stuck in Edmund Purdom's mouth.
- Student Tour (1934)
- Sultan's Daughter, The (1943)
- Summer Holiday (1948) ** - Mickey Rooney stars in handsome but mediocre musical version of Eugene O'Neill's Ah Wilderness.
- Summer Magic (1963)
- Summer Stock (1950) *** - Gene Kelly's theatre troupe puts on a show at Judy Garland's farm, and both stars dazzle. Garland's last MGM film.
- Sun Valley Serenade (1941) *** - One of skater Sonja Henie's most enjoyable vehicles, with Glen Miller & his orchestra performing several of their swing hits.
- Sunbonnet Sue (1945) ** - Gale Storm works in her father's Bowery saloon. Lots of period songs help.
- Sunny (1930) ** - Marilyn Miller appears in her stage hit about a British circus rider in love with an American millionaire. Not much until Miller dances.
- Sunny (1941) ** - Anna Neagle stars as a circus girl breaking into high society in this okay remake of Marilyn Miller's 1920s stage & screen hit.
- Sunny Side of the Street (1951) * - Dull Frankie Lane vehicle.
- Sunny Side Up (1929)
- Sunny Skies (1930)
- Susie Steps Out (1946)
- Swanee River (1939) ** - Dona Ameche stars as songwriter Stephen Foster -- passable story assisted by strong musical numbers.
- Sweater Girl (1942)
- Sweet Adeline (1935)
- Sweet and Lowdown (1944) ** - Trombonist makes good in Benny Goodman's band – swing fans will relish seeing Goodman's troupe in action.
- Sweet Charity (1969) *** - Shirley MacLaine stars in Bob Fosse's excellent screen version of his stage hit about a dance hall girl seeking love in 1960s New York.
- Sweet Kitty Bellairs (1930)
- Sweet Rosie O'Grady (1943) *** - Betty Grable is a former burlesque star in love with a reporter. Minor story but lots of good entertainment.
- Sweet Surrender (1935)
- Sweetheart of Sigma Chi (1933)
- Sweetheart of Sigma Chi (1946)
- Sweetheart of the Campus (1941) ** - Ruby Keeler made her final screen appearance in this college musical. No magma cum laude, but passable.
- Sweethearts (1938) **** - Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald as married stage stars -- their wittiest vehicle. If you want to see what all the fuss was about, this film is their surprise winner.
- Sweethearts of the USA (1944)
- Sweethearts on Parade (1930)
- Sweetie (1929)
- Swing Fever (1944)
- Swing High (1930)
- Swing High, Swing Low (1937)
- Swing Hostess (1944)
- Swing In the Saddle (1944)
- Swing It Professor (1937)
- Swing It Soldier (1941)
- Swing Out the Blues (1944)
- Swing Out, Sister (1945)
- Swing Parade of 1946 (1946)
- Swing Sister, Swing (1938)
- Swing Time (1936) **** - Dance team in love, frustrated by misunderstandings. Astaire and Rodgers at their best, with a luscious Kern-Fields score -- as wonderful as it gets!
- Swing While You're Able (1937)
- Swing Your Lady (1938)
- Swingin' Along (1962)
- Swingtime Johnny (1943)
- Sword in the Stone, The (1963) **** - Delightful Disney animated take on Merlin & young King Arthur
- Syncopation (1929)
- Syncopation (1942) ** - A trumpeter experiences the development of jazz. Blah film ends with a fascinating jam session featuring big band super stars.
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