Movie Musicals of the 1960s - Casts
The 1960s began a trend of using big-name stars in movie musicals that were based on Broadway musicals and dubbing the singing voices for the stars (for example, Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady" and Natalie Wood in "West Side Story"). This trend began to change after "My Fair Lady," due perhaps to the uproar created when Audrey Hepburn was cast in the lead role instead of Julie Andrews. The movie musicals of the latter half of the decade often had Broadway actors/actresses in the lead roles ("Half a Sixpence," "Funny Girl") or popular singers in the roles (for example, Petula Clark in "Finian's Rainbow" and Shani Wallis in "Oliver").
The movie musicals of the 1960s introduced the world to stars whose initial success was in the Broadway version of the musical. For example, Tommy Steele was known to the Broadway world with "Half a Sixpence" and "Funny Girl" had made Barbra Streisand a Broadway star.
The 1960s saw the awarding of the Oscar to several actors and actresses in movie musical roles, beginning with "West Side Story" (best supporting actor and actress). Julie Andrews, Rex Harrison and Barbra Streisand also won Academy Awards for their roles in movie musicals made during the 1960s.