Is there another musical (movie version, not stage) that has such a great & uplifting finale. Betty coming out dressed in white on a horse and belting out There's No Business Like Show Business is right up there with Oklahoma or The Sound of Music. Betty takes control of a great song and overpowers poor Howard Keel.
Anyone with better finales?
It's certainly one of the top finales in movies. Right now, off the top of my head, nothing's coming to mind. The big show-stopping numbers in most shows were earlier in the movie, if not more midway through the film, and if they were closer to the end, there was a little bit more dialog and a final scene sort of coming down off the "high" of the big showstopper. This one certainly would have had you on your feet and humming the tune as you left the theatre, I'm sure. Climb Ev'ry Mountain from Sound of Music certainly came nowhere near getting the adrenylin pumping. I'm thinking That's Entertainment is the wrap-up of Band Wagon and that's pretty close, but I haven't seen that one in a number of years and could be wrong. You Are My Lucky Star in Singin' in the Rain is close...but that would've had more impact had they not cut the scene early in the movie where Debbie Reynolds sings it to the billboard of Gene Kelly. With THAT back in place where it belonged, it suddenly throws a whole new spin on the finale of that movie. Without that scene, it's sort of like, well, here's a cute little song that kinda fits the emotion...but with the missing scene, more impact. Makes you wonder if Kelly had seen her singing it and knew he felt the same all along...
OH - OK - how could I forget this! For movies - 76 Trombones at the end of Music Man - there's one. And that's NOT how the play ends either.
Yeah, I'd forgotten about The Music Man (man did Robert Preston ever make a role his own?). Great reply.
The movie is not so good but THERES NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS has a great finale - Marilyn Monroe AND Ethel Merman (oh yeah, and Mitzi & Dan & Donald & Johnnie) marching arm and arm down long stairs singing the title song while all sorts of dancers are at all sides. This must have been awesome to see in Cinemascope on the big screen.
shareThis must have been awesome to see in Cinemascope on the big screen
It cannot be argued that the finale for this film is absolutely spectacular.
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I saw Annie Get Your Gun for the first time on TV in 1970 and was totally captivated by the entire production.
Now, about the finale. Someone mentioned the finale of Oklahoma! with "Oh what a beautiful morning." It certainly is a gem.
However, in Annie Get Your Gun, when all those horses and riders converge on the screen and Betty Hutton
looks absolutely stunning in her white cowgirl outfit....well, I still cry tears of happiness.
I know this is an old thread, but "Oh What A Beautiful Mornin'" is not the finale of OKLAHOMA! It's one of the first songs in the movie.
shareOne of my favorite finales is the end of "Easter Parade" where the camera pans back to show the entire crowd of people parading down 5th Avenue. I've heard that when the film was released in 1948 that final shot practically made the audiences jump out of their seats with amazement. One of the weakest finales is the end of "Meet Me In St. Louis". It just kind of anti-climactically ends with a bunch of talking about the fair and Garland's "... right here where we live. Right here in St. Louis.". It always kind of leaves me flat.
shareIn keeping with the season, the finale of White Christmas is noteworthy.
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