Feature: Throughout the Years, Movie Musicals have been Overlooked for Best Picture

In the Academy Awards's 89 year history, over 40 musicals have either won, or been nominated for, a Best Picture Oscar, including current front-runner, LA LA LAND.

The first musical to ever win Best Picture was THE BROADWAY MELODY at the second Academy Awards in 1929. The film starred Charles King, Eddie Kane, Bessie Love and Anita Page.

Whether it is because they are beat out by better films, or that Academy voters don't view them as artistically impressive, only 10 movie musicals have won the Best Picture award; THE BROADWAY MELODY, THE GREAT ZIEGFELD, GOING MY WAY, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, GIGI, WEST SIDE STORY, MY FAIR LADY, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, OLIVER! and CHICAGO.

While they didn't win, many other nominated musicals have gone down as some of the most popular films in history. Adaptations of Broadway classics like, CABARET, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, THE KING AND I and HELLO, DOLLY! all failed to take home Hollywood's most prestigious prize, but they have lived on as favorites for generations.

Unlike those films, another nominees took the reverse route between Hollywood and Broadway. At the sixth Academy Awards in 1934, 42ND STREET was the only musical nominated for Best Picture. While it didn't win, the iconic song-and-dance show eventually arrived on Broadway in 1980.

Another notable musical falling short of the grand prize came five years after 42ND STREET in 1939, with arguably the most popular movie musical of all-time, THE WIZARD OF OZ. While the Judy Garland classic is beloved to this day, it was beat out for Best Picture by another all-time great, GONE WITH THE WIND. Despite being denied the evening's biggest honor, THE WIZARD OF OZ did go on to win Best Original Score and Best Song for "Over the Rainbow."

While some movie musicals have been beat by other classic films, sometimes they best each other. At the 41st Academy Awards in 1968, both OLIVER! and FUNNY GIRL were nominated for the top prize, and while Barbra Streisand won for Best Actress, OLIVER! took home Best Picture.

Rob Marshall's CHICAGO was the most recent Best Picture win for a musical at the 75th Academy Awards in 2002. LES MISERABLES was nominated in 2012, MOULIN ROUGE! in 2001, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST in 1991, and in 1979, ALL THAT JAZZ, which was inspired by the life and career of legendary Tony-winning director and choreographer, Bob Fosse.

This year, LA LA LAND is nominated for Best Picture against ARRIVAL, FENCES, HACKSAW RIDGE, HELL OR HIGH WATER, HIDDEN FIGURES, LION, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA and MOONLIGHT.

Will a musical win for the first time in 15 years, or will we have to wait another year to try again? Take a look back at some clips from some of the most iconic movie musicals of all time.

Will you be rooting for LA LA LAND on Oscar night? Let us know on Twitter @BroadwayWorld.