“Xanadu”
1980
I wavered about putting this one in, because it does provide camp enjoyment (as do “At Long Last Love,” “Can’t Stop The Music” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” all of which I nobly left out. Besides, I didn’t want to be too obvious.) The finale alone — a swirling disco medley that keeps growing like a fungus — has provided many joyous moments for warped friends and I. But the rest of it is painful, with its lame tale of a Greek muse (Olivia Newton-John) springing to life to help a roller rink get built. (Is that all it takes to summon a Greek goddess? Imagine if someone needed to open a whole chain-store franchise! Zeus would probably come running.) Bringing legendary Gene Kelly into this mess seemed downright cruel. He never hurt anybody! It wasn't until a 2007 Broadway spoof made wicked fun of the inanity of the whole thing that “Xanadu” became a hit.
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