That's Entertainment, Part II (1976)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Gene Kelly

Writer:

Leonard Gershe (narration)

Release Date:

17 May 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Family | Music

Plot:

Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time including...

Plot Keywords:

Studio Compilation | Film History | Singer | Compilation | Dance

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Fred Astaire	...	Himself - Co-host / Narrator (also archive footage)
Gene Kelly	...	Himself - Co-host / Narrator (also archive footage)
Judy Garland	...	Clips from 'For Me and My Gal', 'Easter Parade', & 'Girl Crazy' etc (archive footage)
Mickey Rooney	...	Clips from 'Girl Crazy' & 'Words and Music' etc. (archive footage)
Bing Crosby	...	Clip from 'Going Hollywood' (archive footage)
Robert Taylor	...	Clip from 'Broadway Melody of 1936' (archive footage)
Greer Garson	...	Clip from 'Goodbye Mr. Chips' (archive footage)
Clark Gable	...	Clips from 'Gone with the Wind' & 'Strange Cargo' etc. (archive footage)
Kathryn Grayson	...	Clip from 'Lovely to Look At' (archive footage)
Leslie Caron	...	Clips from 'Lili' & 'An American in Paris' (archive footage)
Jeanette MacDonald	...	Clips from 'New Moon' & 'Broadway Serenade' (archive footage)
Nelson Eddy	...	Clip from 'New Moon' (archive footage)
Doris Day	...	Clip from 'Love Me or Leave Me' (archive footage)
Ann Miller	...	Clip from 'Kiss Me Kate' (archive footage)
Ann Sothern	...	Clip from 'Lady Be Good' (archive footage)

Runtime:

Argentina:126 min | Sweden:122 min | USA:133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo | 70 mm 6-Track

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:G | West Germany:6

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

During the clip from Kiss Me Kate (1953), Gene Kelly identifies Ann Miller and Tommy Rall, Bob Fosse and Carol Haney, and Bobby Van, but does not give the name of Van's dancing partner, who was Kelly's second wife, Jeanne Coyne. Kelly was still saddened by her death from leukemia three years earlier.

Movie Connections:

Features Million Dollar Mermaid (1952)

Soundtrack:

Shubert Alley

That's Entertainment II on Reel 13

This was certainly a surprise choice for the folks at Reel 13 Classics. It's not so much a classic as it is a retrospective of classics, which I guess qualifies if you look at it from a certain vantage point. Still, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed when I saw this film on the May schedule. Generally speaking, as a film buff, I enjoy retrospectives. More often than not, they offer unique perspectives on their subjects and insight into film history.

THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT PART II is different, however, for three reasons. One is the series was made by MGM/UA and so they primarily feature MGM musicals/scenes. While MGM had a lot of great stuff, narrowing your retrospective to one distributor over a two-decade period is a limitation. Second, THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT PART II is an afterthought of a sequel – they already used their best clips in the first film, so we get the leftovers here. Finally, the intros to clips by Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly are inane and offer absolutely no valuable information or tidbits (Where was Neal Gabler when we needed him?). They are great performers, but Kelly, who also directs, insights on these pseudo-clever song introductions to each sequence of clips, which is a waste of time. As I mentioned, part of the joy of retrospectives such as these is that they give us insider information, production stories or something of that ilk – a kind of structure that tap dancing will not replace.