User Reviews

Following its success with a trio of THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT compilations, M-G-M releases this anthology sampler from its musical library plainly as advertisement for home video sales, and it is a most enjoyable collection indeed, proving that there are many splendid moments yet to be peeled from the studio's vaults, offering here non-stop pleasure following a brief introduction by entertainer Michael Feinstein. The 72 minute film is replete with well-directed scenes, with first-class M-G-M production values in evidence throughout and clever lyrics being a constant, highlights including Howard Keel and the company of brothers performing "Sobbin' Women" from SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (1954), multi-talented Virginia O'Brien along with Gloria DeHaven and June Allyson in a comedic rendition of "In A Little Spanish Town" from THOUSANDS CHEER (1943), and many other pleasing performances from such as Ben Blue, Tommy Dorsey, Bob Fosse, Betty Garrett, Kathryn Grayson, Lena Horne, Van Johnson, Gene Kelly, Groucho Marx, Ray McDonald, Ann Miller, Jules Munshin, Donald O'Connor, Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Mickey Rooney, Esther Williams, et alia, in a picture that ends far too quickly.

The following numbers are included in this That's Entertainment supplement.

1. Summer Stock - "All For You" 2. Give A Girl A Break - "In Our United State" 3. Strike Up The Band - "Do The La Conga" 4. Ziegfeld Follies - "Love" 5. Summer Stock - "Happy Harvest" 6. Skirts Ahoy - "What Good Is A Gal Without A Guy?" 7. Small Town Girl - "Fine Fine Fine" 8. Texas Carnival - "Dynamite" 9. Seven Brides For Seven Brothers - "Sobbin' Women" 10. Athena - "I Never Felt Better" 11. Thousands Cheer - "In A Little Spanish Town" 12. Broadway Rhythm - "Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet" 13. Babes On Broadway - "Bombshell From Brazil" 14. Nancy Goes To Rio - "Yipsee-I-O" 15. At The Circus - "Lydia, The Tattooed Lady" 16. I Love Melvin - "Where Did You Learn To Dance?" 17. Till The Clouds Roll By - "Till The Clouds Roll By" 18. The Opposite Sex - "Now Baby Now" 19. Duchess Of Idaho - "You Can't Do Wrong Doing Right" 20. Neptune's Daughter - "Baby, It's Cold Outside" 21. On The Town - "Prehistoric Man" 22. Ziegfeld Follies - "Beauty"

Of all the That's Entertainments!, I shudder to consider this one part of them. It's nothing but a commercial endeavor to sell old musicals that: (a) no one's ever heard of, and (b) for good reason, since they're terrible.

I rented a couple. They were appallingly bad. This movie isn't much better.

This is the least-known of all the 'That's Entertainment!' series, because it's a direct-to-video production from Turner. While it's not completely a waste of time, the first three movies seem to have skimmed off most of MGM's real riches.

High spots include Nancy Walker performing 'Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet!'from 1944's 'Broadway Rhythm', and Debbie Reynolds and Bob Fosse doing 'In Our United State' from 1953's 'Give a Girl a Break'. There's also the little-known 'Dynamite' from 1951's 'Texas Carnival', with Ann Miller tapping up her usual storm; Miller re-appears in one of the screen's all-time frolics- 'Prehistoric Man' from 1949's revered 'On The Town'. A real rarity is Van Johnson singing 'You Can't Do Wrong Doin' Right' from 1950's 'Duchess of Idaho'; Connie Haines is one of the singers in the number, and it's a little gem.

But there's a bog of stuff that wasn't much when it was new, and isn't any great shakes in revival, like Lena Horne's lugubrious and interminable 'Love' from 1946's 'Ziegfeld Follies', where Lena also looks less than her usual luscious self. The same film yields a clip of Kathryn Grayson trilling 'There's Beauty Everywhere', while a bunch of 1940's starlets strike haughty, static poses against a Dali-ish backdrop before the setting is filled with soap bubbles (I am NOT making this up). There are also two minor numbers from 1950's 'Summer Stock', which have Judy Garland in not-so-great voice, and she's twenty pounds heavier in one than she is in the other.

For sheer, mesmerising AWFULNESS, it's impossible to beat Mickey Rooney and Garland in the sequence from 1940's 'Strike Up the Band'. It's called 'Do the La Conga', and it goes on for what seems like months, with Mickey and Judy clearly exhausted and spastic from the number's extraordinary length, and what must have been multitudinous takes demanded by director Busby Berkeley. His legendary cries of 'EYES! I wanna see your EYES!' are obviously being heeded by Judy, who keeps snapping hers open to Groucho Marx proportions, even as she staggers through the choreography. This number may have passed for entertainment in a more innocent era, but in light of what we now know about Garland's experiences at Berkeley's hands, it's highly discomfiting to watch today.

Still, this compilation is worth at least one viewing; some of the numbers are seldom-seen, and shouldn't be, like the clip of the DeMarco Sisters singing, 'What Good Is a Girl Without a Guy?' from 1952's 'Skirts Ahoy'. Their infectious, lusty harmonies and their special brand of Brooklyn hip brought a breath of fresh air to that Esther Williams programmer, and all these years later, the song does the same thing for this slightly tired movie.

Rent it before buying, and be grateful for the fast-forward on your video machine, but this one will still fill a pleasant hour or so.