That's Entertainment!

1974
G
2h 15m

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

5.5K

YOUR RATING

Play trailer4:12

1 Video

99+ Photos

Documentary Family Musical

Various MGM stars from yesteryear present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50-year history.Various MGM stars from yesteryear present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50-year history.Various MGM stars from yesteryear present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50-year history.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

5.5K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 wins & 1 nomination total

June Allyson
(archive footage)

Kay Armen

Clip from 'Hit the Deck'
(archive footage)

Ray Bolger

'Hunk'
(archive footage)
…

Virginia Bruce

Clip from 'The Great Ziegfeld'
(archive footage)

Jack Buchanan

Clip from 'The Band Wagon'
(archive footage)

Leslie Caron

Lise Bouvier
(archive footage)
…

Carleton Carpenter

Clip from 'Two Weeks with Love'
(archive footage)

Director
- Jack Haley Jr.
Writer
- Jack Haley Jr.
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The film was a revelation at the time of its release. The majority of the pre-1936 MGM film library had rarely been released to television, so clips from films such as Free and Easy (1930) and The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929) were shown for the first time since their original theatrical releases. For years, films such as Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and An American in Paris (1951) had only been shown via worn, badly spliced prints late at night on independent TV stations. For this film, the vintage footage was meticulously restored and remastered for 70mm projection, making it look better than they did upon their original releases.

Goofs
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 released. Indeed, by the time of That's Entertainment! III (1994), narrator Gene Kelly was now calling The Hollywood Revue of 1929, "one of the first all-talking, all-singing, all-dancing movies."

Quotes
Liza Minnelli: Thank God for film. It can capture a performance and hold it right there forever. And if anyone says to you, "Who was he?" or, "Who was she?" or, "What made them so good?" I think a piece of film answers that question better than any words I know of.

Crazy credits
Producer Jack Haley Jr.'s credit appears over a still image of his father, Jack Haley, as the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz.

Alternate versions
Some TV prints extend Bing Crosby's segment by adding the musical number "True Love" from "High Society" (1956).

Connections
Edited into American Masters: Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer (2002)

Soundtracks
That's Entertainment
(1953) (uncredited)
Music by Arthur Schwartz
Lyrics by Howard Dietz
Performed by the M-G-M Studio Orchestra Conducted by Henry Mancini

User reviews53

Review

Featured review

8/10

Lots of Fun But with a Sadness Underneath

Extremely entertaining compilation film that looks back at classic MGM musicals. If I had any real complaint it would be the clips are mostly very short and it leaves you wanting to see more. Must have been even more frustrating in 1974 when that wasn't an option. It was nice seeing some of the (literally) old stars introduce the clips. It was especially nice to see the great MGM backlot one last time before it was torn down. But man, the sight of it in such disrepair made me kind of sad. The same sadness could be seen on the faces of some of the old stars as they walk around the lot, talking about how the old place doesn't look quite the same as when they made movies there. There's a wistful feeling throughout the film. Yes, it's a celebration of these great musicals but there's also this feeling of mourning for a bygone era.