AVQ&A feat. Trek BBS #1: Favorite musical sequences in non-musicals

[Gaith]

Welcome to AVQ&A feat. Trek BBS, where the The AV Club throws out a question for discussion among the staff and readers, and Trek BBSers answer it. Consider this a prompt to compare notes on your interface with pop culture, to reveal your embarrassing tastes and experiences, and to ponder how our diverse lives all led us to convene here together. Got a question you’d like the AV Club and, later, your fellow BBS-ers to answer? E-mail the AV Club at avcqa@theonion.com.

This week's question:

I liked your “Favorite musical scenes in musicals” AVQ&A. The next question seems obvious: What are your favorite musical scenes in non-musicals? I’d have to give my vote to Bill Murray and ScarJo rocking some karaoke in Lost In Translation. How about you? —MJ

(I'll start things off...)

Gaith:

As a big fan of manly men singing manly songs, I was pleased to get two such scenes at the movies recently, with the House Republicans breaking into "Battle Cry of Freedom" in Lincoln (though I doubt that actually happened) and the dwarves singing their Misty Mountain lament in The Hobbit (a scene I hope goes twice as long in the upcoming extended cut). And while I confess to enjoying Picard, Worf and Data's rendition of "A British Tar" in Insurrection, for sheer masculine musical awesomeness, it's pretty hard to beat the circle of genuine English sailors singing "Don't Forget Your Old Shipmates" in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Faldee-faldee-faldee-faldee-rye-eye-oh!

[lurok]

I was going to mention the dwarves song too. And Viggo's in RoTK.

Madeline Kahn's 'I'm Tired' in Blazing Saddles.
'Day-o'/'Jump In The Line' in Beetlejuice
The waltz scene in Legend (Goldsmith version). Ridley really should do a musical.
The library dance in Breakfast Club.
Steve Martin & Bernadette Peter's 'Tonight You Belong To Me' in The Jerk. Love it when she pulls out the trumpet!
Tom Cruise's Tropic Thunder dance. Didn't see that coming.

[Greg Cox]

The Wicker Man has a lot of good musical numbers for a creepy, paranoid horror movie--including one sung in the nude!

(And, just to be clear, I'm talking about the sublime orignal film with Christopher Lee, NOT the remake with Nicholas Cage.)

[auntiehill]

In no particular order:

Any number of songs from Blazing Saddles (I'm Tired, I Get No Kick From Champagne, The French Mistake, etc)

A Man of Constant Sorrow, performed twice in O, Brother, Where Art Thou?

Why Don't You Do Right? performed by Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Knights of the Round Table from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

And, as previously mentioned, I loved the dwarves' song in The Hobbit.

[Greg Cox]

Let's not forget "Dueling Banjos" in Deliverance.

[J.T.B.]

The best musical-non-musical director is John Ford, I think. So many good musical moments, but for me two that really stand out:

"Marcheta" in They Were Expendable. If you don't think John Wayne can make you choke up, watch this movie. The scene of him hearing this song at a dispirited, beaten-down low point of the war and remembering it from happier times -- earlier in the movie, earlier in the world -- is pretty powerful. I can only imagine what it was like to see it in 1945.

"I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen" in Rio Grande. The John Wayne-Maureen O'Hara chemistry is born. Ken Curtis's pure tenor and the Sons of the Pioneers harmonies may have given an added movie-record "cross-promotion" benefit, but rarely have I seen the lyrics of an existing song used so effectively for a movie's narrative

Also:

"It Had to Be You" in Annie Hall. Not only did it showcase Diane Keaton's pretty voice, but it established that Annie wasn't just a cute and quirky love-interest but had talent and an artistic sensibility of her own.

"Der treue Hussar" in Paths of Glory. Maybe the most incongruous and at the same time most moving ending to a war movie I've ever seen.

I'll probably think of more.
Justin

[Greg Cox]

"We'll Meet Again" at the end of Dr. Strangelove is pretty unforgettable, too.

[J.T.B.]

Greg Cox wrote:

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"We'll Meet Again" at the end of Dr. Strangelove is pretty unforgettable, too.

A couple of times when I've seen that movie in a theater, the audience started singing along in an old-timey-picture-show sort of way. Kind of surprised me the first time.

I forgot to add before: Wicker Man is a great choice, but I wouldn't object if someone actually classed it as a musical. A very eccentric one, to be sure...

Justin

[Garak]

Shut Your Fucking Face Uncle Fucker - South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut

[Mr. Adventure]

Not sure why this edits them actually drinking it...

[OdoWanKenobi]

Garak wrote:

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Shut Your Fucking Face Uncle Fucker - South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut

I'm pretty sure the South Park movie counts as a musical, though I agree it's hilarious.

[Locutus of Bored]

A lot of the ones I liked have already been covered, so here's some more of my favorites:

La Marseillaise drowns out Die Wacht am Rhein in Casablanca.

All Shall Fade (Pippin's Song) from LotR: The Return of the King.

ABC from Clerks 2.

We Will Rock You from Cheers.

Bohemian Rhapsody from Wayne's World.

Twist and Shout from Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Afternoon Delight from Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

The Age of Aquarius / Let the Sun Shine from The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

Hard Knock Life from Austin Powers in Goldmember.

Scotty Doesn't Know from Eurotrip.

Anything Goes from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Time After Time from Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion.

Build Me Up, Buttercup from There's Something About Mary.

All I Want for Christmas is You from Love Actually.

That's How You Know from Enchanted (it's a Disney musical parody, but whatever).

I Say a Little Prayer for You from My Best Friend's Wedding.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life from Monty Python's Life of Brian.

Baby it's Cold Outside from Elf.

My Little Buttercup from The Three Amigos.

Can't Take My Eyes Off of You from 10 Things I Hate About You.

Tequila from Pee Wee's Big Adventure.

Heart & Soul and Chopsticks from Big.

You Never Can Tell from Pulp Fiction.

Rains of Castemere (Lannister's Song) from Game of Thrones.

[Mr. Adventure]

^^ Some good choices there

[Davros]

Knights Of The Round Table from Monty Python and The Holy Grail
Every Sperm Is Sacred from Monty Pythons Meaning Of Life
Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life from Monty Python's Life Of Brian