That's Entertainment! (1974)

Director:

Jack Haley Jr.

Writer:

Jack Haley Jr. (written by)

Release Date:

21 June 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Family | Musical

Tagline:

Boy. Do we need it now.

Plot:

Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favourite musical moments from the studio's 50 year history.

Plot Keywords:

Studio | 1950s | Film History | 1920s | Singing

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 2 wins

Cast

Fred Astaire	...	Himself - Co-Host / Narrator / Clip from 'The Band Wagon' (also archive footage)
Bing Crosby	...	Himself - Co-Host / Narrator / Clip from 'Going Hollywood' (also archive footage)
Gene Kelly	...	Himself - Co-Host / Narrator / Clips from 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' - 'Singin' in the Rain' and 'An American in Paris' (also archive footage)
Peter Lawford	...	Himself - Co-Host / Narrator - Clip from 1947 version of 'Good News' (also archive footage)
Liza Minnelli	...	Herself - Co-Host / Narrator / Clip from 'In the Good Old Summertime' (also archive footage)
Donald O'Connor	...	Himself - Co-Host / Narrator / Clip from 'Singin' in the Rain' (also archive footage)
Debbie Reynolds	...	Herself - Co-Host / Narrator / Clip from 'Singin' in the Rain' (also archive footage)
Mickey Rooney	...	Himself - Co-Host / Narrator / Clips from 'Babes in Arms' - 'Girl Crazy' - 'Babes on Broadway' (also archive footage)
Frank Sinatra	...	Himself - Co-Host / Narrator / Clip from 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' (also archive footage)
James Stewart	...	Himself - Co-Host (also archive footage)
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Herself - Co-Host / Narrator / Clip from 'Cynthia' (also archive footage)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
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	...	Clip from 'The Great Ziegfeld' (archive footage)
Jack Buchanan	...	Clip from 'The Band Wagon' (archive footage)
Leslie Caron	...	Clips from 'An American in Paris' and 'Gigi' (archive footage)
Carleton Carpenter	...	Clip from 'Two Weeks with Love' (archive footage)
Cyd Charisse	...	Clip from 'Singin' in the Rain' (archive footage)
Maurice Chevalier	...	Clip from 'Gigi' (archive footage)
Joan Crawford	...	Clips from 'Hollywood Revue' & 'Dancing Lady' (archive footage)
Virginia Dale	...	Clip from 'Idiot's Delight' (archive footage)
Vic Damone	...	Clip from 'Hit the Deck' (archive footage)
Jimmy Durante	...	Clips from 'Speak Easily' & 'It Happened in Brooklyn' (archive footage)
Deanna Durbin	...	Clip from 'Every Sunday' (archive footage)
Buddy Ebsen	...	Clip from 'Broadway Melody of 1938' (archive footage)
Nelson Eddy	...	Clip from 1936 version of 'Rose Marie' (archive footage)
Cliff Edwards	...	Clip from 'Hollywood Revue' (archive footage)
Clark Gable	...	Clip from 'Idiot's Delight' (archive footage)
Ava Gardner	...	Herself - at Banquet / Clip from 1951 version of 'Show Boat' (archive footage)
Judy Garland	...	Clips from 'Wizard of Oz' & 'Summer Stock' etc. (archive footage)
Cary Grant	...	Clip from 'Suzy' (archive footage)
Kathryn Grayson	...	Clips from 1951 version of 'Show Boat' and 'Toast of New Orleans' (archive footage)
Virginia Grey	...	Clip from 'Idiot's Delight' (archive footage)
Jack Haley	...	Clip from 'The Wizard of Oz' (archive footage)
Jean Harlow	...	Clips from 'Reckless' & 'Suzy' (archive footage)
Bernadene Hayes	...	Clip from 'Idiot's Delight' (archive footage)
Lena Horne	...	Herself - at Banquet / Clip from 'Thousands Cheer' (archive footage)
Lottice Howell	...	Clip from 'Free and Easy' (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	...	Clip from 'Idiot's Delight' (archive footage)
Bert Lahr	...	Clip from 'The Wizard of Oz' (archive footage)
Mario Lanza	...	Clip from 'Toast of New Orleans' (archive footage)
Jeanette MacDonald	...	Clip from 'Rose Marie' (archive footage)
Joan Marsh	...	Clip from 'Idiot's Delight' (archive footage)
Tony Martin	...	Clip from 'Hit the Deck' (archive footage)
Douglas McPhail	...	Clip from 'Babes in Arms' (archive footage)
Ann Miller	...	Clip from 'Small Town Girl' (archive footage)
Robert Montgomery	...	Clip from 'Free and Easy' (archive footage)
Natalie Moorhead	...	Clip from 'Dance, Fools, Dance' (archive footage)
Dennis Morgan	...	Clip from 'The Great Ziegfeld' (archive footage)
Jules Munshin	...	Clip from 'On the Town' (archive footage)
Fayard Nicholas	...	Clip from 'The Pirate' (archive footage)
Harold Nicholas	...	Clip from 'The Pirate' (archive footage)
Margaret O'Brien	...	Clip from 'Meet Me in St. Louis' (archive footage)
Eleanor Powell	...	(clips from "Broadway Melody of 1940" / "Rosalie") (archive footage)
Jane Powell	...	Clip from 'A Date with Judy' (archive footage)
Ginger Rogers	...	Clip from 'Barkleys of Broadway' (archive footage)
Paula Stone	...	Clip from 'Idiot's Delight' (archive footage)
Russ Tamblyn	...	Clip from 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' (archive footage)
William Warfield	...	Clip from 1951 version of 'Show Boat' (archive footage)
Esther Williams	...	Clips from 'Bathing Beauty' & 'Million Dollar Mermaid' etc. (archive footage)
Leon Ames	...	Himself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Edward Arnold	...	Clip from 'Idiot's Delight (archive footage) (uncredited)
Ethel Barrymore	...	Herself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Lionel Barrymore	...	Himself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Wallace Beery	...	Clip from 'A Date with Judy' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Joe E. Brown	...	Clip from 'Show Boat' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Xavier Cugat	...	Clip from 'A Date with Judy' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Arlene Dahl	...	Herself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Lili Damita	...	Herself - Clip from 'La Fiesta Santa Barbara' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Gloria DeHaven	...	Herself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Errol Flynn	...	Himself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Betty Garrett	...	Clip from 'On the Town' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Greer Garson	...	Herself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hermione Gingold	...	Clip from 'Gigi' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Van Heflin	...	Himself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Katharine Hepburn	...	Herself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Claude Jarman Jr.	...	Himself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Jennifer Jones	...	Herself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Buster Keaton	...	Himself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Angela Lansbury	...	Herself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Carmen Miranda	...	Clip from 'A Date with Judy' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Agnes Moorehead	...	Clip from 1951 version of 'Show Boat' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Frank Morgan	...	Himself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
George Murphy	...	Himself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Conrad Nagel	...	Clip from 'Hollywood Revue' (archive footage) (uncredited)
J. Carrol Naish	...	Himself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Reginald Owen	...	Himself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Walter Pidgeon	...	Himself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Selena Royle	...	Clip from 'A Date with Judy' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Norma Shearer	...	Clip from 'Idiot's Delight' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Red Skelton	...	Himself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Sidney Toler	...	Clip from 'Speak Easily' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Audrey Totter	...	Herself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Spencer Tracy	...	Himself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)
Robert Young	...	Himself - at Banquet (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
Jack Haley Jr.

Writing credits
Jack Haley Jr.		(written by)

Produced by
Jack Haley Jr.	....	producer
Daniel Melnick	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Henry Mancini

Film Editing by
David E. Blewitt		(co-editor)
Bud Friedgen

Production Management
William R. Poole	....	unit production manager (as William Poole)
Wally Samson	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Claude Binyon Jr.	....	assistant director
Richard Bremerkamp	....	assistant director
David Silver	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Lyle J. Burbridge	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Lyle Burbridge)
William L. McCaughey	....	sound re-recording mixer
Aaron Rochin	....	sound re-recording mixer
Harry W. Tetrick	....	sound re-recording mixer
Hal Watkins	....	sound re-recording mixer
Van Allen James	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Robert R. Hoag	....	optical supervision (as Robert Hoag)
James F. Liles	....	optical supervision (as Jim Liles)

Camera and Electrical Department
Allan Green	....	additional photography
Ennio Guarnieri	....	additional photography
Ernest Laszlo	....	additional photography
Russell Metty	....	additional photography
Gene Polito	....	additional photography

Editorial Department
Ramon G. Caballero	....	assistant film editor
Abe Lincoln Jr.	....	assistant film editor
George Nakama	....	apprentice film editor (as George Y. Nakama)
Ana Luisa Pérez	....	assistant film editor (as Ana Luisa Corley Pérez)
Todd C. Ramsay	....	assistant film editor
Michael J. Sheridan	....	apprentice film editor

Music Department
Jesse Kaye	....	music supervisor
Henry Mancini	....	additional music adaptor
William Saracino	....	additional music editor

Other crew
Mort Feinstein	....	head film librarian: MGM
Louis B. Mayer	....	leadership: MGM

Thanks
Harold Adamson	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Harold Arlen	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Irving Berlin	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Leonard Bernstein	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Ralph Blane	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Nicholas Brodszky	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Lew Brown	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Nacio Herb Brown	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Sammy Cahn	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Saul Chaplin	....	acknowledgment: helped to give films their special style and sound
Betty Comden	....	acknowledgment: helped to give films their special style and sound
Gene de Paul	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Buddy G. DeSylva	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music (as B.G. De Sylva)
Adolph Deutsch	....	acknowledgment: helped to give films their special style and sound
Howard Dietz	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Walter Donaldson	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Vernon Duke	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Roger Edens	....	acknowledgment: helped to give films their special style and sound
Sammy Fain	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Dorothy Fields	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Arthur Freed	....	acknowledgment: producer of the most outstanding musicals
Rudolf Friml	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
George Gershwin	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Ira Gershwin	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Mack Gordon	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Adolph Green	....	acknowledgment: helped to give films their special style and sound
Johnny Green	....	acknowledgment: helped to give films their special style and sound (as John Green)
Clifford Grey	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Oscar Hammerstein II	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Otto A. Harbach	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music (as Otto Harbach)
E.Y. Harburg	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Lorenz Hart	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Lennie Hayton	....	acknowledgment: helped to give films their special style and sound
Ray Henderson	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Victor Herbert	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Gus Kahn	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Bert Kalmar	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Bronislau Kaper	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Jerome Kern	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Burton Lane	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Alan Jay Lerner	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Frank Loesser	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Frederick Loewe	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Hugh Martin	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Jimmy McHugh	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Johnny Mercer	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Cole Porter	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
André Previn	....	acknowledgment: helped to give films their special style and sound
Harry Revel	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Leo Robin	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Richard Rodgers	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Sigmund Romberg	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
David Rose	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Harry Ruby	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Conrad Salinger	....	acknowledgment: helped to give films their special style and sound
Arthur Schwartz	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
George Stoll	....	acknowledgment: helped to give films their special style and sound
Herbert Stothart	....	acknowledgment: helped to give films their special style and sound
Jule Styne	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Kay Thompson	....	acknowledgment: helped to give films their special style and sound
Harry Warren	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Paul Francis Webster	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music
Vincent Youmans	....	acknowledgment: composer of the words and music

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presented by)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1974) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1975) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1992) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm & 70mm prints)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1975) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Vídeo (198?) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Solters & Digney  publicity
• Turner Entertainment  VHS package design

Also Known As:

"That's Entertainment: 50 Years of MGM" - USA (alternative title)

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor) | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | Mono (35 mm optical prints) | 70 mm 6-Track

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:S | Netherlands:AL | Sweden:Btl | USA:G (Approved No. 23840) | West Germany:6 (f) | UK:U | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The "Good Morning" number from Singin' in the Rain (1952) was originally inserted in Debbie Reynolds's hosting segment, but eventually cut before release and later placed in That's Entertainment Part II'. The segment with Reynolds' narration can be seen in the promotional short Just One More Time.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the beginning of the film, Frank Sinatra says The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929) is the "first all-talking, all-singing, all-dancing movie ever made,". In fact it wasn't, the first was The Broadway Melody (1929), which was released in February, nine months before "The Hollywood Revue" was ever released.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Frank Sinatra:[narrating] The year is 1929; the singer, Cliff Edwards, also known as Ukelele Ike. The film: "Hollywood Revue"; it is the first all-talking, all-singing, all-dancing movie ever made. In the years that followed, "Singin' in the Rain" would become a theme song for MGM.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Good Times: That's Entertainment, Evans Style (#5.24)" (1978)

Soundtrack:

I Wanna Be Loved by You

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.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer