Here are all the iconic musical movie references in 'La La Land' you need to know
Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell danced across a starry stage in “Broadway Melody of 1940” (1940) ...
... and Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone waltz through a romantic, star-filled room and successfully mirror some of Astaire's most famous dance moves.
Paula Kelly, Shirley MacLaine, and Chita Rivera twirl in monochromatic dresses in 1969’s “Sweet Charity,” in which MacLaine plays a dancer who doesn’t give up on her dreams ...
... and Emma Stone dances in the streets of Los Angeles with her colorful roommates after she fails several acting auditions.
In “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952), arguably the most famous and beloved movie musical, Gene Kelly swings around a lamppost mid-dance ...
... while Gosling also smoothly swings around his own lamppost.
In fact, there are references to "Singin' in the Rain" throughout "La La Land." From the new movie's monochromatic color schemes to large-scale public dance scenes, the movie appears to be heavily influenced by its classic progenitor.
The cast of "La La Land" reportedly watched “Singin' in the Rain” every day for inspiration.
Fred Astaire famously danced through Central Park at dusk alongside Cyd Charisse in the 1953 musical “The Band Wagon” ...
... and Gosling and Stone tap-dance their way through Griffith Park at sunset in “La La Land.”
Audrey Hepburn becomes a star when she agrees to pose for a photographer played by Fred Astaire in Paris in 1957’s “Funny Face” ...
... while Emma Stone similarly becomes a star when she agrees to move to Paris for a movie role.
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