A History of the American Musical narrates the evolution of the film musical genre, discussing its influences and how it has come to be defined; the first text on this subject for over two decades, it employs the very latest concepts and research. * The most up-to-date text on the subject, with uniquely comprehensive coverage and employing the very latest concepts and research * Surveys centuries of music history from the music and dance of Native Americans to contemporary music performance in streaming media * Examines the different ways the film musical genre has been defined, what gets counted as a musical, why, and who gets to make that decision * The text is written in an accessible manner for general cinema and musical theatre buffs, whilst retaining theoretical rigour in research * Describes the contributions made to the genre by marginalized or subordinated identity groups who have helped invent and shape the musical