New York City and the Hollywood Musical

In examining the relationship between the spectacular, iconic and vibrant New York of the musical and the off-screen history and geography of the real citythis book explores how the city shaped the genre and equally how the genre shaped representations of the city. Shearer argues that while the musical was for many years a prime vehicle for the idealization of urban density, the transformation New York underwent after World War II constituted a major challenge to its representation. Including analysis of 42nd Street, Swing Time, Cover Girl, On the Town, The Band Wagon, Guys and Dolls, West Side Story and many other classic and little-known musicalsthis book is an innovative study of the relationship between cinema and urban space.

Examines the relationship between the New York of the musical and the off-screen reality of the city A rare look at the link between musicals and New York City Features new interpretations of On the Town, The Band Wagon, Guys and Dolls and West Side Story

Autorentext
Martha Shearer teaches in the Department of Film Studies at King's College London, UK. She has published articles in Screen and The Soundtrack and her research focuses on the city in American cinema and media, particularly in relation to genre, gender and the history of the Hollywood film industry.

Inhalt
Acknowledgements.- Introduction: A Wonderful Town?.- 1. Urban Space and the Origins of the Musical.- 2. The Neighbourhood Musical.- 3. The Nostalgia Musical.- 4. Fabulous Invalids: Broadway and Times Square.- 5. A New Way of Living: Postwar Musicals and the New New York.- Epilogue: Death or Metamorphosis?.- Appendix.- Notes.- Bibliography