Musicals vs. History
by John Kenrick
(Copyright 2000, Revised 2010)
We get lots of e-mail asking about musicals based on real historical figures – are they telling the true story? Here's the lowdown on some of the most popular musical biographies and histories. If a screen musical was based on a stage original (Evita, etc.), look for it under the stage listings.
Stage Musicals:
- Annie Get Your Gun
- Barnum
- Camelot
- Catch Me If You Can
- Chicago
- Civil War
- Evita
- Fiorello
- Floyd Collins
- Funny Girl
- George M!
- Goodtime Charley
- Gypsy
- Harrigan 'n Hart
- The King & I
- Legs Diamond
- Mack and Mabel
- Mame
- Oklahoma
- Pacific Overtures
- Parade
- Ragtime
- 1776
- The Sound of Music
- Teddy and Alice
- Titanic
- Unsinkable Molly Brown
- The Will Rogers Follies
Screen Musicals:
- De-Lovely (Cole Porter)
- Funny Girl (Fanny Brice)
- Funny Lady (Fanny Brice)
- The Great Waltz (Johann Strauss Jr.)
- The Jolson Story (Al Jolson)
- Lillian Russell
- Look For the Silver Lining (Marilyn Miller)
- Night and Day (Cole Porter)
- Rhapsody in Blue (George Gershwin)
- The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle
- Yankee Doodle Dandy (George M. Cohan)