Broadway on the Big Screen 6-Film Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Broadway on the Big Screen 6-Film Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Randy Miller III February 4, 2026

Warner Archive returns with three new multi-disc collections for February, including actor-focused sets for Fred Astaire and Spencer Tracy as well as this more expansive Broadway on the Big Screen Collection, which includes six musical favorites that weren't featured in previous sets. All told, we get 1954's Brigadoon, 1955's Guys and Dolls, 1957's The Pajama Game, 1958's Damn Yankees, 1962's Gypsy, and 1971's The Boyfriend. This is a decent cross-section of titles with a few variances in quality along the way... but if you're a fan of musicals, you'll find plenty to enjoy here.

For synopses and critiques of each film included in this collection, please visit the reviews below which are written by me (with new summaries, in some cases), Jeffrey Kauffman, and Michael Reuben.

Brigadoon - Vincente Minnelli's 1954 film was the first adaptation of Lerner and Loewe's popular Broadway musical featuring a mysterious hidden city; in this case, it's a remote Scottish village that appears for a single day once every 100 years. As luck would have it, American game hunters Tommy Albright (Gene Kelly) and Jeff Douglas (Van Johnson) happen upon "Brigadoon" by accident. It's nowhere to be found on their map of the Highlands, but they're hungry and tired enough to walk right in. As luck would have it, today's a big day in Brigadoon: Charlie Dalrymple (Jimmy Thompson) is set to marry Jean Campbell (Virginia Bosler), and food is on the house. Ever the gracious host, Charlie invites our hunters to the party as well... but Tommy seems more interested in Jean's older sister Fiona Campbell (Cyd Charisse). He's head over heads for the young Scottish lass almost instantly, much to the dismay of the more level-headed and sardonic Jeff, but it's not long before they learn the truth about the town's unusual history.

Guys and Dolls - Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, this star-studded musical features the talents of Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine, Robert Keith, and Stubby Kaye.

The Pajama Game - Based on Richard Bissell's 1953 sophomore novel 7½ Cents (and, in turn, the popular Broadway adaptation released the following year), George Abbott and Stanley Donen's film is a fun and featherweight romantic drama starring popular singer-turned-actress Doris Day (Romance on the High Seas ). She portrays Katherine "Babe" Williams, a worker and union leader at the Sleeptite Pajama Factory, whose proposed 7½-cent raise for the workers doesn't go over well with tightwad factory manager Myron Hasler (Ralph Dunn). He's just hired a new superintendent in handsome Sid Sorokin (John Raitt), who aims to keep "the girls" in line but falls in love with Babe after their very first meeting. And though business and pleasure rarely mix well, at least we get few catchy musical numbers out of it.

Damn Yankees - Not to be confused with your stepdad's favorite rock supergroup, George Abbott and Stanley Donen's Damn Yankees is a terrific big-screen adaptation of the long-running Broadway show with songs by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, not to mention almost all of the principal players returning to reprise their memorable roles. Just one of a few examples of a genuine "sports musical", Damn Yankees is probably the best in that narrow genre by a pretty wide margin and features a fun story about love, loss, temptation, eternal youth, peanuts, and Cracker Jacks.

Gypsy - This likable 1968 classic was directed by Mervyn LeRoy with standout performances by Rosalind Russell, Natalie Wood, Karl Malden, Paul Wallace, Betty Bruce, and Parley Baer.

The Boyfriend - Ken Russell's slightly underrated musical -- and the "newest" one in this collection, celebrating its 55th anniversary this year -- stars the singular "Twiggy" (British model Dame Lesley Lawson) flanked by Christopher Gable, Max Adrian, Bryan Pringle, Murray Melvin, and Moyra Fraser.

Broadway on the Big Screen 6-Film Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As with their previous multi-disc collection, Broadway on the Big Screen includes previously issued discs that we've already covered and full review links are below. Please note that Guys and Dolls was later reissued by Warner Archive in 2020 but that disc is identical to the 2012 WB disc included here.

Brigadoon

Guys and Dolls

The Pajama Game

Damn Yankees

Gypsy

The Boyfriend

Broadway on the Big Screen 6-Film Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Likewise, details about each disc's lossless audio mix can be found at the links below.

Brigadoon

Guys and Dolls

The Pajama Game

Damn Yankees

Gypsy

The Boyfriend

Broadway on the Big Screen 6-Film Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This four-disc set ships in a hinged keepcase with separate hubs for each disc. Like other Warner Archive multi-disc collections, this one repurposes existing poster-themed covers as a paneled collage. One or more modest bonus features are included on each disc and detailed in the review links below.

Brigadoon

Guys and Dolls

The Pajama Game

Damn Yankees

Gypsy

The Boyfriend

Broadway on the Big Screen 6-Film Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Musicals were a huge part of the American cinematic landscape during the early to mid 20th century and, while they aren't nearly as dominant nowadays, dozens of classics from different studios have been lovingly preserved on home video for current and future generations to enjoy. Warner Archive's Broadway on the Big Screen collection serves up six musical classics from MGM and Warner Bros., and other genre entries are also sprinkled throughout their other recent actor-focused collections highlighting the film careers of Judy Garland, Doris Day, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and even James Cagney. All are Highly Recommended for fans of the genre, but this set especially so.