Star Turns in Hollywood Musicals

More than any other film genre, the musical of Hollywood’s Golden Age depended
on the presence of performers on the bill: these personalities met the
expectations of the star system and, in addition, their dancing and/or singing
skills gave them a special place in a context where star images were
foregrounded. This book studies what makes musical stars so specific from the
1930s on: their performances, especially solo, which also reveal how film
musicals tackle highbrow and popular culture. Acts by Fred Astaire, Cyd
Charisse, Rita Hayworth, Barbra Streisand, Carmen Miranda, Eleanor Powell,
Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Eddie Cantor, Doris Day and the Nicholas Brothers are
analyzed according to four main issues: the role of technology in cinema-made
performances (editing, dubbing...); ethnicity issues and the distinctive place
that the musical genre granted - or not - to “non-white” artists; the
importance of stars specialized in comedy who developed a carnivalesque
dimension in films; and the process of star construction itself within the
Hollywood system, in relation to other forms of performance or cultural
industries.