This text tells the story of the combined genres of Hollywood films and Broadway musicals. With the coming of sound movies as a commercial proposition in the late 1920s, the importance of music in the cinema grew enormously. The arrival of colour, allied to the technical developments in sound recording itself - multitracking, stereo and quadrophonic tecnhiques - gave to the great film makers a palette with which to realize the transfer to screen of the Broadway hits, capturing forever the great theatrical shows of the century. Thus two great entertainment disciplines - both essential products of America - were joined. In this book, Robert Matthew-Walker relates the history of this genre, with much material never before published and reminiscences from the film makers, composers and stars themselves. It is illustrated and is complete with filmography, videography and discography.