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 scholars * Leads a crucial analysis of the cultural context of musicals, particularly the influence of popular music on the genre * Delves into critical issues behind these films such as race, gender, ideology, and authorship * Features 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