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That's Entertainment

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Musicals--that most surrealistic of motion picture genres--have fallen out of fashion over the past few decades... but at one time they dominated motion picture screens. MGM, a studio which boasted it had "More Stars Than There Are In The Heavens," was reknowned for the musical talents it had under contract. And this clever compilation, with its various segments introduced by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds, Bing Crosby, and Mickey Rooney, offers an extraordinary collection of musical moments from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s--the golden age of the genre.

The compilation is very, very broad and includes performances by both the still-famous and once-famous, and gives us the opportunity to see some magical moments without having to wade through the entire genre or assess whether or not you actually want to sit through an obscure film in order to see one five minute musical moment. While it includes performances by the delicious Lena Horne (performing "Honeysuckle Rose" before a sophistocated set of drapery and mirrors), the brilliant Elenor Powell (with several offerings, the most memorable being "Begin the Begine" with Fred Astaire), and a host of others, most of the collection revolves around four MGM superstars: Gene Kelly, Esther Williams, Fred Astaire, and Judy Garland. The tribute to Esther Williams is particularly welcome, a marvelous array of some of the most beautiful and beautifully surreal scenes ever put to film; the tribute to Judy Garland, touchingly introduced and narrated by daughter Liza Minnelli, is also particularly well done.

But the real feast here is of musical oddities and rareities. In its search for musical talent, MGM put almost every star under contract through their musical paces--and the result is often truly bizarre. Among the most memorable of these is Joan Crawford, who believe it or not was considered a jazz dancer of some note during the 1920s, and here she (introduced by an emcee as "the personfication of youth, beauty, joy, and happiness) sings and then athelitically stops through "Got A Feeling For You." Robert Montgomery looks awkward trying his hand at light opera; Jimmy Stewart sings pleasantly but unspectacularly; Jean Harlow belts out "Reckless;" and Clark Gable gives a remarkably charming throw-away performance of "Puttin' On The Ritz." It is all tremendous fun.

Of further interest is the fact that most of the narrators have filmed their scenes on the MGM backlot--which was on the verge of demolition when this compilation was made in 1974. It's fading glory is touching, nostalgic, and offers a final glimpse of what was the world's greatest film studio before it entered its final decline. A drawback to the compilation is that at the time it was made few if any of these films had been restored; some of the oldest film clips are in rather poor condition and the brilliance of Technicolor is somewhat reduced in certain scenes. But even with this problem, THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT is a feast of brilliant colors, costumes, spectacular dance numbers, and beautiful sounds, enough to delight any long-time musical fan and convert newcomers to the genre--and the inexpensive price of the video leaves you without excuse for not having it. Strongly recommended.

That's Entertainment I - Reviewed By David E. Shattuck

I have always liked musicals and have had my favorites but viewing "That's Entertainment I" gave me a great lesson into their history. Do you remember at Christmas ever receiving one of those exotic candy samplers in your stocking? Well watching this video gave me a taste of a lot of "fine chocolates" that I want to sample over and over again. You start out visiting the remains of the once great MGM studios hosted by various famous stars who worked for those studios such as Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelley, Jimmy Stuart , Elizabeth Taylor, Donald Connor, Debbie Renoylds,Mickey Rooney and Liza Minelli. I felt like I was in Greece touring the ruins of the gods with those gods and goddesses as my tour Guides. It made me sad to see this once great institution in ruins, those stars aging, and the art form called the musical in decline in our era. Throughout its history MGM created over 200 musicals with the high points being in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Perhaps the last great musical, the Sound of Music was in the 60s over 30 years ago. The early musicals were traced back to the 20s and were born when sound arrived in the movies. I wondered what happened to many of those silent movie stars who were the first victims of technological downsizing in Hollywood. My personal favorites have always been Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse but I learned about Eleanor Powell and found her a better partner to Fred Astaire than Ginger Rodgers who looked stressed but excellent in her numbers with Fred. There was a classic clip of Fred who proved he could dance with a hat rack ( which didn't look as good as Ginger ) and a scene from the "Royal Wedding" where he danced on the sides of the walls and the ceiling always winding down to a sitting position like he never expended a bit of energy and showing no sweat. I had many of one liner observations from the video and here they go: I enjoyed a clip from the Ziegfield Follies which turns out to be the only musical in which Gene Kelley and Fred Astair worked together; their is a rare footage of Jimmy Stuart walking in song with Eleanor Powell; a timeless dance between Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse to "Dancing in the Dark" from the "Bandwagon";scenes of Gene Kelley doing his own acrobatic stunt dances; Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney numbers from the Hardy Boys (They made a great couple); Ann Miller (the best lady tap dancer) from "Small Town Girl"; Donald Oconnor doing a classic comedy dance in "Singing in the Rain"; and of course the color and pageantry of Ester Williams swimming with the likes of Fernando Lamas, Van Johnson, Peter Lawford, Ricardo Montabaum, and even Jimmy Durante, Red Skelton, and cartoon characters Tom and Jerry. (Ester was a well sculpted figure with strong muscular legs and perhaps might be a body builder today). I thoroughly enjoyed "That's Entertainment I" and look forward to watching II and III. I pray that there will once again be a revival of the musical . Today the musical lives on in different forms such as "Riverdance" and interesting enough in the many animated movies of Disney such as Aladdin and Pocahontas . I close with a quote from the video by Frank Sinatra who said the MGM motto has always been, "Do it big, do it right, and give it class". Now that's entertainment!

I bought "That's Entertainment" a few years ago and fell in love with it. Prior to that, the only musical I'd seen was "Anchors Aweigh". I feel that "That's Entertainment" is perfect for people who are interested in great MGM musicals but don't know a lot about them. I know that this helped me decide which movies and which actors I thought would be most appealing to me. For instance, watching the Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire segments greatly impressed me and I now have almost all of the two dancers' films. However, I was bored during the Esther Williams sequences in "That's Entertainment" and so I knew that I probably wouldn't enjoy her films.

Longtime fans of musicals will probably be familiar with most of the segments in "That's Entertainment". Even if you have seen all of the movies featured in the film, you still get to see your favorite stars introducing the various segments. Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Elizabeth Taylor, Liza Minnelli, Bing Crosby, and many others all make guest appearances to introduce various clips.

In conclusion, I recommend this movie to all MGM musical fans, but especially to those who don't know much about the genre and would like a chance to be able to pick out their favorite performers from a wide range of talents and abilities.

That's Entertainment is sort of a documentary for classic musicals. It is basically a bunch of clips from famous musicals like Singin' in the Rain, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Wizard of Oz, Gigi and other films with musical sequences like Broadway Melody of 1938, Born to Dance, Suzy, and Going Hollywood.

The montages are narrated by some of the most famous film and musical staples including Jimmy Stewart, Mickey Rooney, Debbie Reynolds, Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, and Liza Minelli.

Basically, That's Entertainment is a celebration of musicals and their stars, but you don't have to be a fan of musicals to enjoy this film. Some of these sequences are truly amazing and stand on their own as superb pieces of film-making, even if they don't impress you in the films they come from.

This was the compilation which launched a renewed interest in the great MGM musicals. Admittedly, the great days of the movie musical had long ended in 1974, when this tribute first appeared. However, some of us had never seen the original films and it was wonderful to see and hear tantalizing excerpts from MGM's vast library.

Jack Haley, Jr. produced and edited "That's Entertainment" and utilized a number of major stars who had worked at MGM. The studio was about to undergo a major change with the demolition of its backlot and the eventual sale of numerous costumes and props. MGM was sadly declining in 1974. This film at least reminded us of how much MGM had contributed to the American cinema.

The overture, which was played at the original showing and is included on the video, was actually arranged and conducted by Henry Mancini, who began his career scoring horror films at Universal before going to to write sophisticated, memorable scores at various studios.

Frank Sinatra begins the tribute with four versions of "Singing in the Rain," first the rather quaint and primitive 1929 version of Cliff Edwards in "Hollywood Review," followed by renditions by Jimmy Durante, Judy Garland, and finally Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds. He is then seen walking out of MGM's Thalberg Building, the rather imposing executive offices where so many stars were introduced to studio boss Louis B. Mayer.

Mayer created the Freed Unit, which specialized in musicals and operettas, and he gave producer Arthur Freed remarkable freedom to make family-suitable movies, utilizing virtually every star on the lot except Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, and Lon Chaney. At the end of her career Garbo actually did dance in an MGM musical, while Chaney died prematurely after making his talkie debut in a remake of "The Unholy Three."

Most of the first musicals weren't very good, as is acknowledged in this compilation. The scenes from some of the early musicals demonstrate the limited technical capabilities and perhaps MGM's own uncertainty on how to best produce musicals. In time, as sound recording and cinemaphotography improved, MGM was able to utilize real singers and dancers, after brief attempts to use Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery, and James Stewart in musicals. Yet, as Elizabeth Taylor recalls, even she was put in a musical and asked to sing, despite a rather limited singing voice. These examples are perhaps just curiosity pieces.

The real highlights are the many, many wonderful excerpts from the great musicals with the likes of Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Eleanor Powell, Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, etc. These examples led to a revival in the full films through showings on various television stations and eventually on Turner Classic Movies, as well as periodic showings in actual movie theaters.

Debbie Reynolds introduces a memorable excerpt from the black and white film of MGM's 25th anniversary luncheon, in which most of the contract players were assembled in a huge soundstage. This 1949 film gives a good idea of the famous statement that MGM had "more stars than there are in the heavens."

Little actual restoration of the films was done in 1974, so some of the examples have faded or uneven color and the sound quality varies considerably. Nevertheless, this film presents a wonderful overview of the best of MGM's great movies and it was so successful that it paved the way for two more "That's Entertainment" films, which are also available on DVD.

I love this DVD. I have known some of the stars such as Mickey Rooney, Fred Astaire, Ann Miller, Liza Minnelli, and Gene Kelly. I was introduced to Esther Williams and Judy Garland.

Before I watched this DVD, the only thing I knew was that Judy Garland was in 'The Wizard of Oz.' After watching this DVD, hearing her voice, and seeing her major accomplishments, I became a fan. Now I have ordered some of her cds on this website.

This DVD is very entertaining! You can watch it over and over again! I recomend this DVD to everyone who loves musicals.

Dear Mr. Gable,
I am writing this to you
And I hope that you will read it so you'll know
My heart beats like a hammer
And I stutter and I stammer
Every time I see you at the picture show.
I guess I'm just another fan of yours
And I thought I'd write and tell you so.

You made me love you
I didn't wanna do it, I didn't wanna do it.
You made me love you
And all the time you knew it, I guess you always knew it.
You made me happy, sometimes you made me glad.
But there were times, sir, you made me feel so sad.
You made me sigh 'cause
I didn't wanna tell you, I didn't wanna tell you
I think you're grand, that's true
Yes I do, 'deed I do, you know I do.
I must tell you what I'm feeling
The very mention of your name
Sends my heart reeling.
You know you made me love you!

MGM's "Dream Factory" specialized in the artistic and technological development of the Hollywood musical; and this DVD proves it. The producers and editors have culled footage from dozens of films to illustrate MGM's successes at producing musicals that still enchant their audiences today. The singing, dancing and acting remain unsurpassed in movie history.

That's Entertainment uses a variety of their biggest stars as narrators for the film's many segments. Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby, Peter Lawford, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor are among the MGM stars who both narrate and perform in clips from the MGM vaults.

And wow, how that footage will astound you! They just don't make them with such care, style and grace as they used to. Rarely does a musical come out these days that can even hold a candle to the musicals honored here. We get two wonderful collages of film clips of Judy Garland singing her heart out; Fred Astaire dancing with a hat rack and even on the ceiling in Royal Wedding and Donald O'Connor performing the humorous "Make 'Em Laugh" from Singing In The Rain. We also see the immortal Maurice Chevalier performing "Thank Heaven For Little Girls" from the movie Gigi. In addition, the ballet scenes from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers and An American In Paris will stun you.

The color is excellent and even the older black and white footage is rather good quality. We also see how right from the start of sound "talkie" movies MGM pushed all it's stars into a musical even if they were truly fitted for the job or not. Look for clips of dramatic actors including Clark Gable singing and dancing; Jean Harlow singing in Reckless and Robert Montgomery singing in an early musical, too.

As for the dancing, Joan Crawford dances exceptionally well in Dancing Lady; Eleanor Powell dances to new heights with Fred Astaire in Broadway Melody of 1940; and Judy Garland dances wonderfully with Mickey Rooney in several numbers from the movies they did together at MGM.

That's Entertainment stands as a documentary produced to document its own achievements at making high quality musicals that have stood the test of time; therefore there need be no plot for a movie such as this one. The story of the development of the MGM musical is told as chronologically as possible; and the film merely goes back and forth between the narrators speaking on camera and the priceless film clips from these great movie musicals. Don't be fooled, however; That's Entertainment does a stupendous job of proving that MGM did indeed have "more stars than there are in all the heavens."

The DVD offers few extras. You get the theatrical trailer and an introduction by Robert Osborne of the Turner Classic Movies TV channel. One side of the DVD is widescreen and the other side has the movie in standard format without black bars on the top and bottom of the screen. If you want to view the film in widescreen format, for example, simply insert the DVD that side up into your DVD player and you will then be able to watch this movie in widescreen format. The same goes for the standard format. You won't need extras anyway, the film stands so tall and so strong on own that you won't feel disappointed in the slightest when you finish watching it!

If you want to find out what REALLY good musicals and movie production are all about, That's Entertainment is an excellent place to start. I highly recommend this film not just for movie buffs but also for people who want to begin the serious study of the development of Hollywood films and especially the greatest of Hollywood musicals.

For many years, throughout my childhood, I watched this movie every single weekend. It's one of the most entertaining works I have ever watched and it's just part of my life. Many of the movie musicals they took the scenes from are a bore when you watch them from beginning to the end, but this offers you a best of that is never dull. The timing is excellent and it's great to see the star's comments. It's a gem.
I didn't like the second one as much, although it's still worth while and I never got to see the third. But this first one is a must.

As a musical lover, "That's Entertainment" is always a thrill to watch. Some of the commentary from the hosts may seem forced and insincere, and the movie could stand to be cut a good 20 minutes, but those musical clips are priceless. Amoung the hilights:

1. Fred Astaire devoting a segment to the musicals of Gene Kelly.

2. Gene Kelly devoting a segment to the musicals of Fred Astaire.

3. Heartfelt tributes to Judy Garland by Liza Minneli and Mickey Rooney. You've just got to love those clips of Judy and Mickey's famous "backyard" musicals in which they played characters that basically never changed from picture to picture.

4. A great segment by Jimmy Stewart on non-musical stars that were forced to star in musicals. What a thrill to see Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow, Cary Grant, Robert Montgumery, Clark Gable, and Stewart himself try to warble through musical numbers their never really comfortable with.

When I saw this in the theater years ago, my date that night sang along with every song. That was well over twenty five years ago and now I am doing the singing along! This is the very best of the "That's Entertainment" series with wonderful performances by Hollywoods greatest singers and dancers. If you love the musicals this tape is for you - enjoy it!