Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
For MGM’s 50th anniversary celebration in 1974 it presents a film
clip compilation of numbers from some of its great musicals that date from
1929 to 1958. MGM was rightfully known for its classy style and in producing
Hollywood’s best musicals. The result was the most popular That’s Entertainment!
which renewed interest in MGM’s musicals with the public; it was directed
by Jack Haley Jr., as he takes us through the musicals by using MGM stars
such as Frank Sinatra, Liz Taylor, Jimmy Stewart, Mickey Rooney, Liza Minnelli,
Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire as narrators. It begins in 1929 when the talkies
took over the industry and the musical was spawned with films like the
Hollywood Revue (MGM’s first all-sound movie) and The Broadway Melody.
It features such great musicals as Singin’ in the Rain, High Society, Gigi,
Meet Me in St. Louis, and An American in Paris. My favorite pieces were
Clark Gable dancing to “Puttin’ on the Ritz” in Idiot’s Delight, Jimmy
Durante mentoring the young Frank Sinatra in “It Happened in Brooklyn,”
the energetic woodchopper’s dance from “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”
and Judy Garland merrily going down the Yellow Brick Road in “The Wizard
of Oz.”
This type of film doesn’t do much for me, but it gives one a refresher
course in seeing snippets from the greatest musicals. If nostalgia for
the Hollywood musical is your cup of tea, then this one is pleasingly sentimental
as it covers many of the over 200 musicals MGM produced during that period.