That's Entertainment, Part II

source: That's Entertainment, Part II

The received wisdom is that sequels don't work but against that we need to consider French Connection II, Godfather II etc. That's Entertainment II works in the sense that for musical buffs a That's Entertainment XI would work if it offered MORE clips of musical movies even of the most dubious quality. This sequel rightly makes the point that 'entertainment' is not exclusively words and music and backs up the point by including snippets of comedy and drama at which MGM also excelled. Although in my book Astaire leaves Kelly for dead, always has, always will, it was still great to see them getting the lion's share (ouch) of footage as co-hosts even if - as more than one poster has stated - they were saddled with some of the most inept and cringe-making parody lyrics. A welcome addition to the genre.

Compilation movies usually get right up my nose, as you submerge yourself in the scene you are watching only to have some guy (or gal) talk over it minutes later and then link to another scene where the circle starts again. This is where, That's Entertainment II is different. It is just as enjoyable as the first installment if not better. The formula has been messed about with in as much as the first That's Entertainmentfocused solely on the musicals that made MGM the top dogs of the genre in the 1940's & 1950's whilst this episode casts the net a little wider and includes features on other styles of films such as comedy (The Marx Brothers/Laurel & Hardy/Abbott & Costello), Melodramas (Garbo) and movie teams Hepburn/Tracey. But the majority of the movie is still concentrating on the song & dance aspect and back in those days there were two types of musical. The run of the mill and instantly forgettable Musical,and an MGM Musical (a league of their own). What also makes this episode stand out is that Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire share the stage and dance their way through some newly created sequences performed gracefully by the two aged hoofers replacing the inevitable unwelcome links between segments found in all compilation movies. This gives the movie a refreshing change. Another change is that this time Astaire & Kelly introduce the entire feature alone as opposed to having many guest presenters as in the 1st film. Highlights are the aforementioned new sequences by Astaire & Kelly, The fantastic Frank Sinatra feature, Gene Kelly's Roller skating dance from 'It's Always Fair Weather' and Fred Astaire and Judy Garland's 'Couple of Swells' sequence from 'Easter Parade' Low Points, I have to go with the majority of posters and say Bobby Van's Ants in Pants jumping dance, and the boooooooring French segment of Kelly's. But those low points aside, this is a treat for all fans of that long defunct yet much missed genre, The MGM Musical.

As a little girl my grandmother would let me watch all the movies seen in part in That's Entertainment Part II. It is an amazing compilation if you will of all the great numbers of the 50s+. The comments are quite cute as well. I do not just like this movie because of it's nostalgia, but I love it because after awhile you memorize great voices!

Disappointing follow-up to "That's Entertainment!" The clips are fine though not up to the first film's selection. They added non-musical clips that just don't seem to work as well, in my opinion. It's missing the added interest that came from seeing various silver screen stars of old walking around the dilapidated MGM backlot before it was torn down. That added a certain poignancy to what otherwise was just a simple compilation film. Instead, we get Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly walking around gaudy '70s style sets. Kelly is particularly cringeworthy, looking like a TV game show host. Astaire seems like a classy old gent but Kelly looks like an old man trying to cling to his youth. What was he thinking with that awful toupee? If the first film's undercurrent was one of regret and mourning for a bygone era, this one's undercurrent is second-hand embarrassment for Gene Kelly. Anyway, seeing the two of them dance together will make their fans smile. It's impressive to see them dancing at their age (especially 76 year-old Astaire). Overall, if you liked the first "That's Entertainment!" you'll probably like this one, though I doubt as much.

I really enjoyed That's Entertainment II just as much as the first one. It's got some great material, some of my favourite scenes in here! I really enjoyed seeing the Art Deco musicals - they are my favourite! A good thing about this movie is that anyone can enjoy it - young and old because there is something that will appeal to everyone. It is so fun looking back on that golden era, but it is sad that we will never capture that sense of glamour that was. What else can I say - it's a great movie fit for the whole family to enjoy. However, I find the material a bit corny and unnecessary, but still good to watch Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly - I hope I'm in that good of a shape when I'm that age! And like other reviewers, I feel there is no order in which the footage is shown. It seems to be sprawled about and it is a little confusing. But nevertheless, a movie I can watch over and over again.

If you've read my reviews of musicals, then you know that I watch them only so that I can heckle them like Mike and the 'bots do to the crummy movies that Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank send them. I spent all of "That's Entertainment!" doing that, although I liked the clip where Judy Garland mentioned marijuana in one of the lines from "La cucaracha". In "That's Entertainment, Part II", I liked the comedy scenes and the Tracy-Hepburn scenes. I heckled everything else. Musicals are one of my least favorite genres. My favorite movies from Hollywood's golden age are comedies, horror flicks and gangster pics. A good compilation documentary was "Bugs Bunny Superstar". My main conclusion from "That's Entertainment" 1 & 2 is the following: *"South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone should remake all these musicals. Maybe they could cast the "South Park" characters, or maybe they could cast the "Team America: World Police" characters. It would be neat either way. *There should be a compilation documentary paying tribute to the different kinds of cult movies. If "That's Entertainment" features Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, etc, then a cult documentary would feature Bruce Campbell, Raquel Welch, etc. Elvira would probably host it. So that's my take on this. One more thing. If the Mississippi is Old Man River, then shouldn't it be the Mister Sippi?

That's Entertainment, Part II (1976) *** (out of 4) Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire co-host this sequel to the 1974 hit and Kelly also directed this, which would be his final time in the director's chair. Obviously this film was made because MGM made a lot of money the first time around. While many of the great classics were used in the original, this film here still offers up some classic dance and song numbers as well as showing off some MGM comic talent. Apparently when this was released a lot of people joked at the studio's money grab by asking "what else" was in their vaults that would be good enough for a second film. Well, there was plenty more in their vaults and this film proves that. For the most part the musical numbers here aren't nearly as good as the ones shown in the original film but that was to be expected. After all, MGM put all their classics in the first film so this film here get what would be considered a second group of hits. Instead of Singin' in the Rain we get Good Morning from SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. Clips from dozens of musicals are shown but this one here also takes it a step further and shows off the dramatic actors like Gable, Garbo, Tracy and various others as well as comedy stars like Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello and The Marx Brothers. Obviously the studio was pushing more than just their music talent and for the most part all of it is entertaining, although, as with the first film, one could argue that the best way to watch any of these clips are by watching them in the context of their full films. While there are some very good clips shown throughout the running time, a lot of people will be most entertained by Kelly and Astaire doing a few dance numbers together. Apparently these were done with a request by Astaire and it was a smart move because it's certainly the highlight.

Following the surprising success of That's Entertainment in 1974, Gene Kelly was the driving force behind this sequel, which not only further highlighted the M-G-M musical, but opened the door for wider range of genres. Showcased along side the great musical numbers, comedy and melodrama are given equal screen time with stars like Kathrine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy realising that together they could lick 'em all, John Barrymore begging Greta Garbo to stay when she so obviously and characteristically 'wants to be alone' and Clark Gable showing us exactly why he didn't give a damn!! Vintage footage from The Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, Robert Benchley and William Powell and Myrna Loy keep the laughs coming, while deeper delves into the musical archives, link this movie to it's predecessor. Ann Miller, Fred and Ginger, Gene Kelly, Bobby Van, Lena Horne, Bob Fosse, Debbie Reynolds, Mickey and Judy, Cyd Charisse and many more are all featured, picking up where the first movie left off, and for lovers of Frank Sinatra, there is a special segment of the movie purely reserved to spotlight his talent, narrated by his long-time friend, Gene Kelly. Kelly himself is not only seen in the archive footage, but he also directed, and choreographed all the new scenes and dance routines that link the classic clips together as well as pulling presenting and narrating duties with another old friend and M-G-M stalwart Fred Astaire. The two had only performed together on film on one prior occasion, dancing to George Gershwin's 'Babbitt and the Bromide' in the penultimate act of Zeigfeld Follies in 1946 and now thirty years later these two screen dancers were set to have the time of their lives. However although it was a rare treat to see them nimbly treading around their props, it looks sadly like two old men going through the motions as Fred and Gene who were at the time 77 and 64 respectively, have neither the speed or agility they both once had, although if I could perform even half as good at either of their ages I'd know I was wearing the years well. This was Fred's last ever dancing on film of which he said later, "that wasn't dancing, that was just moving around" I especially liked the finale when they reel off a long list of the movie stars who have featured in the compilation all done to music and all done in rhyme. However, the real treat from these guys are not what they were doing in the link up's but rather what they did way back when, and fortunately in That's Entertainment Part II there are more classic clips than you can shake a stick at.

This was certainly a surprise choice for the folks at Reel 13 Classics. It's not so much a classic as it is a retrospective of classics, which I guess qualifies if you look at it from a certain vantage point. Still, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed when I saw this film on the May schedule. Generally speaking, as a film buff, I enjoy retrospectives. More often than not, they offer unique perspectives on their subjects and insight into film history. THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT PART II is different, however, for three reasons. One is the series was made by MGM/UA and so they primarily feature MGM musicals/scenes. While MGM had a lot of great stuff, narrowing your retrospective to one distributor over a two-decade period is a limitation. Second, THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT PART II is an afterthought of a sequel – they already used their best clips in the first film, so we get the leftovers here. Finally, the intros to clips by Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly are inane and offer absolutely no valuable information or tidbits (Where was Neal Gabler when we needed him?). They are great performers, but Kelly, who also directs, insights on these pseudo-clever song introductions to each sequence of clips, which is a waste of time. As I mentioned, part of the joy of retrospectives such as these is that they give us insider information, production stories or something of that ilk – a kind of structure that tap dancing will not replace.