Watch Movie Musicals Evolve This Fall

Sing and dance your way into autumn at the Barrington Public Library starting this afternoon, Sept. 26.

Librarian, film enthusiast and Patch blogger Doug Swiszcz presents the first movie in his latest film lecture series, "Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance!: The Evolution of Movie Musicals." Each film in the Wednesday matinee series starts at 1 pm in the theater-like auditorium.

The first film, Love Me Tonight, kicks off the six-week series that runs through Oct. 31. Each film includes pre-film commentary and a discussion of “each movie’s place in the development of screen musicals through the years,” said Swiszcz.

Here is a roundup of the series starting today:

Sept. 26: Love Me Tonight (1932)

Parisian tailor Maurice Chevalier falls in love with princess Jeanette MacDonald, despite their class differences. Rodgers & Hart score. Black & white; 89 minutes; unrated.

Oct. 3: Top Hat (1935)

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance their way into love. Irving Berlin score. Black & white; 101 minutes; unrated.

Oct. 10: Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Vincente Minnelli directed Judy Garland and little Margaret O’Brien in this affectionate look at one family’s life in the months leading up to the 1904 World’s Fair. Color; 113 minutes; unrated.

Oct. 17: Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, and Debbie Reynolds in a parody of the transition from silent films to talking pictures. Color; 103 minutes; unrated.

Oct. 24: Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

Film version of the Broadway smash about a poor Jewish milkman raising five daughters in pre-revolutionary Russia. Color; 181 minutes; rated G.

Oct. 31:  Chicago (2002)

Director Rob Marshall's freshly cinematic adaptation of Kander and Ebb's Broadway show about society's infatuation with notoriety in the Windy City during the Roaring 1920s. Color; 113 minutes; rated PG-13, for sexual content and dialogue, violence, and thematic elements.

For more details, you can check out Doug Swiszcz’s classic film blog.