That's Entertainment, Part II (1976)

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:

Singing | Filmmaking | Dancing | Song | Singer

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

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track | Stereo

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 names 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 incidentally his second wife, Jeanne Coyne. Kelly was still saddened by her death from leukemia three years earlier.

Movie Connections:

Features Two Girls and a Sailor (1944)

Soundtrack:

Concerto in F

A Second Helping of the Best of the Best

In his exhaustive book "The Hollywood Musical," critic Clive Hirschorn describes "That's Entertainment, Part II" as being hampered by "the distinct screech of a barrel being scraped." I beg to differ. While it's not as good as the first "That's Entertainment" (But, then, what could be?), and while there are some distinct lowlights (Bobby Van jumping around like some demented jackrabbit in "Small Town Girl," for one), by and large, this is a more than worthy follow-up to the first film.

Among the best parts for me are: Judy Garland's unbeatable rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" from "Meet Me in St. Louis," the Frank Sinatra montage, the Cypress Gardens finale from "Easy to Love" featuring (So, who else?) Esther Williams, the Marx Brothers' stateroom scene from "A Night at the Opera," and the sequence from "The Great Waltz," featuring Fernand Gravet and Meliza Korjus (Anybody remember them?) showing how Strauss' "Tales from Vienna Woods" was ostensibly written. PLUS you have host/narrators Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly in their only film appearance together other than their one dance sequence in "Ziegfeld Follies of 1946."

In short, highly recommended!