Wrapping Up the Ultimate Movie Musicals Bracket

ZELDA! Ohhhhh, ZELDA!

Was there ever any doubt? For some of you, I’m sure the answer is an emphatic no. No, there was never any doubt that Singin’ in the Rain, the 1952 classic starring Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, and Jean Hagen, was going to dominate the Ultimate Movie Musicals Bracket. For me, though, there was always a shred of worry.

Not because I thought Singin’ in the Rain shouldn’t win, but…well, listen, I would not have predicted that the animated version of Beauty and the Beast would be its final opponent. The fact that this often lures in Disney fans (because that’s where the focus of the brackets used to live squarely) was something I chose to put out of sight, out of mind.

But anyway. A fine effort by Belle, Gaston, and the other members of that quiet village, but our victor is Singin’ in the Rain.

So, what comes next, you ask? Well, as a reminder, if you’re a paid subscriber, you’ll keep getting weekly essays from me each Monday morning. Those are very much Disney-focused, but Disney runs the gamut from The Muppets (because the next essay is about one of their films) to Bambi to Song of the South, and yes, I am writing about the latter of those next month.

But for all you free subscribers — you really ought to subscribe at just $5 a month for the rest of what I’m writing — there is another bracket on the way. And it’s even less about Disney than the musicals bracket was. I hope you’re prepared to think small. Small-screen, that is. Because starting Monday, October 30, it’s time for the Ultimate TV Comedies Bracket. 128 seeds. One winner.

Will it be this show?

This one?

Or this one?

(Yes, that’s in the bracket.) Get excited.