That's Entertainment! - 1974
Boy. Do we need it now.
Director(s)
Jack Haley Jr.
Writer(s)
Jack Haley Jr.
Producer(s)
Jack Haley Jr. producer
Daniel Melnick executive producer
Cast
Fred Astaire - Himself - Co-host/Narrator
Bing Crosby - Himself - Co-host/Narrator
Gene Kelly - Himself - Co-host/Narrator
Peter Lawford - Himself - Co-host/Narrator
Liza Minnelli - Herself - Co-host/Narrator
Donald O'Connor - Himself - Co-host/Narrator
Debbie Reynolds - Herself - Co-host/Narrator
Mickey Rooney - Himself - Co-host/Narrator
Frank Sinatra - Himself - Co-host/Narrator
James Stewart - Himself - Co-host/Narrator
Elizabeth Taylor - Herself - Co-host/Narrator
June Allyson - Clip from 'Words and Music' (archive footage)
Kay Armen - Clip from 'Hit the Deck' (archive footage)
Ray Bolger - Clips from 'The Wizard of Oz' and 'The Harvey Girls' (archive footage)
Virginia Bruce - (archive footage)
Jack Buchanan - (archive footage)
Leslie Caron - Clips from 'An American in Paris' and 'Gigi' (archive footage)
Carleton Carpenter - (archive footage)
Cyd Charisse - Clip from 'Singin' in the Rain' (archive footage)
Maurice Chevalier - Clip from "Gigi" (archive footage)
Joan Crawford - (archive footage)
Virginia Dale - (archive footage)
Vic Damone - (archive footage)
Jimmy Durante - (archive footage)
Deanna Durbin - (archive footage)
Buddy Ebsen - (archive footage)
Nelson Eddy - Clip from 1936 version of 'Rose Marie' (archive footage)
Cliff Edwards - (archive footage)
Clark Gable - (archive footage)
Ava Gardner - Clip from 1951 version of 'Show Boat' (archive footage)
Judy Garland - (archive footage)
Cary Grant - (archive footage)
Kathryn Grayson - Clips from 1951 version of 'Show Boat' and 'Toast of New Orleans' (archive footage)
Virginia Grey - (archive footage)
Jack Haley - Clip from 'The Wizard of Oz' (archive footage)
Jean Harlow - (archive footage)
Bernadene Hayes - (archive footage)
Lena Horne - (archive footage)
Lottice Howell - (archive footage)
Van Johnson - (archive footage)
Allan Jones - (archive footage)
Louis Jourdan - Clip from "Gigi" (archive footage)
Howard Keel - Clips from 1951 version of 'Show Boat' and 'Pagan Love Song' (archive footage)
Charles King - Clip from 'Broadway Melody' (archive footage)
Lorraine Krueger - (archive footage)
Bert Lahr - Clip from 'The Wizard of Oz' (archive footage)
Mario Lanza - (archive footage)
Jeanette MacDonald - (archive footage)
Joan Marsh - (archive footage)
Tony Martin - (archive footage)
Douglas McPhail - (archive footage)
Ann Miller - (archive footage)
Robert Montgomery - (archive footage)
Natalie Moorhead - Clip from 'Dance, Fools, Dance' (archive footage)
Dennis Morgan - (archive footage)
Jules Munshin - (archive footage)
Fayard Nicholas - (archive footage)
Harold Nicholas - (archive footage)
Margaret O'Brien - (archive footage)
Eleanor Powell - (archive footage)
Jane Powell - (archive footage)
Ginger Rogers - (archive footage)
Paula Stone - (archive footage)
Russ Tamblyn - (archive footage)
William Warfield - Clip from 1951 version of 'Show Boat' (archive footage)
Esther Williams - (archive footage)
Arlene Dahl - Herself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Gloria DeHaven - Herself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Betty Garrett - Herself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Buster Keaton - (archive footage) (uncredited)
Audrey Totter - Herself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Review by Gary F Taylor
That's Entertainment! (1974)
More Stars Than There Are In The Heavens,
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 renowned 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 sophisticated 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 rarities. 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 personification of youth, beauty, joy, and happiness) sings and then athletically 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.
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