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Fifty years ago, holiday-time was not just a respite from school, university or work. Holidays marked the release of Hollywood's most eagerly awaited musicals. Of all film genres, musicals were easily the most popular. That's partly why musicals like "An American in Paris", "Roman Scandals", "The Band Wagon", "The Great Caruso", "Lillian Russell", "Calamity Jane", "Little Boy Lost", "Million Dollar Mermaid", "Sabrina", "South Pacific", "That's Entertainment", "State Fair", "A Song To Remember", "Panama Hattie", "Babes on Broadway", "Rose Marie", "Destry Rides Again", "The Emperor Waltz", "Falling for You", "Footlight Parade", "Girl Crazy", "The Hollywood Revue of 1929", "The Kid from Brooklyn", "No Limit", "Rich, Young and Pretty", "Rose Marie", "Cinderella", "Luxury Liner", "Nancy Goes to Rio", "Animal Crackers", "Vagabond Lover", "The Happiest Millionaire", "The Road to Singapore", "Deep in My Heart", "Come On, George" and "Whoopee!" either topped the charts or came mighty close. Of course, not all musicals were super-successful on first release. Some like "Hollywood Party", "Dancing Lady", "College Swing", "Birth of the Blues", "Fra Diavolo", "Diplomaniacs", "Little Dutch Mill", "Heat Wave", "How Do You Do?", "The Inspector General", "King Arthur Was a Gentleman", "King Creole", "It Started with Eve", "I Thank You", "Jack's the Boy", "One Night with You", "Said O'Reilly to McNab", "Princess Charming", "Hollywood Or Bust", "The Bohemian Girl", "Give Me a Sailor" and "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" either achieved success over time or were embraced by university students and achieved the status of cult classics. In addition to 100 of the best, top-of-the range "A"-grade musicals, I've provided reviews and complete details for 20 notable "B" contenders such as "Down Missouri Way" (an enjoyable imitation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "State Fair"), and "The Old Barn Dance" (a most agreeable Gene Autry western which manages to cram no less than ten happy songs into its 60-minute running time, including one rendered by Roy Rogers!), and "Melody for Two" (one of the best "B" movies ever made, starring velvet-voiced James Melton and dazzling Patricia Ellis, featuring songs by the top team of Harry Warren and Al Dubin), and "When You're Smiling" (I had to include Frankie Laine. He's one of my favorites and in this one he's joined by Billy Daniels and Bob Crosby). And as an added bonus, I draw attention to a few marvelous musical shorts including "Tip Tap Toe", and "Rufus Jones for President", and "Blue of the Night" (the best of Bing Crosby's two-reelers). This book is a sequel to my "Hollywood Movie Musicals", but the subject is so wide-ranging that even two big books can scarcely do it justice.