That's Entertainment, Part II

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!

All three of the 'That's Entertainment' films are recommended very highly, with the first film being the best. Its two follow ups are not quite as good, but anybody expecting entertainment from such a title will not be disappointed as there's entertainment aplenty in all three.

'That's Entertainment II' is the weakest and a slight disappointment after being fresh from seeing the first film, which was not perfect but when it was good boy was it good and even the word good didn't do it justice. This said even though it is not as strong as the other two it still lives up to its name and also achieves the goals of being a delightful couple of hours, a nostalgic trip down memory lane it is affectionate, hugely entertaining and also moving and makes one want to watch or re-watch the films and scenes included, goals that the first film in particular did so brilliantly.

Where 'That's Entertainment II' falls down in particular is in the hosting scenes between Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. It is a joy seeing both of them dance together and so well and Astaire looks great for his age, but their dialogue aims for the wistful approach and ends up being clunky, very cheesy and corny, while also not saying enough about the personalities and life stories behind the stars. The travelogue scenes also slow the film down and look just as jarringly cheap as the dilapidated MGM backdrops and sets in the hosting segments.

Also disappointing is that it doesn't feel very ordered structurally. 'That's Entertainment' had a logical, ordered and thematic structure that made sense, the structure in 'That's Entertainment II' feels sprawling, random and somewhat jumpy. Not confusing or incoherent or anything, just wished it was more logical and focused. Editing can be an issue too, not always but scenes like the scene from 'A Night at the Opera' are too short and edited too hastily and that scene and a few others (especially "Good Mornin" do deserve better than that.

However, What immediately captivated was seeing the who's who of musical/dance/singing talent being featured. The production values are lavish and just beautiful to look at, the music dazzles and is full of emotions and the choreography is often enough to make the jaw drop. Almost all the scenes featured are great to masterpieces, with the exceptions being the ones with Bobby Van, liked the energy but the routine was just weird, and the French segment with Kelly.

It is interesting to see Robert Taylor sing and Greta Garbo dance, not brilliant but a long way from bad (nowhere near to Joan Crawford bad for example). Esther Williams skiing was almost as dazzling as that incredible water ballet featured in the first 'That's Entertainment'. Also loved the moving tribute to Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy (almost as moving as Liza Minnelli's tribute to Judy Garland in the first film, though do have to agree that the omission of 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' was a mistake). One can't mention the film either without mentioning the awesome title sequence, definitely the cleverest and most memorable one of all three films to me.

Standout sequences are Judy Garland singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", Gene Kelly's roller-skating routine, Frank Sinatra "I Got Rhythm", Ethel Waters, Garland and Kelly in 'The Pirate', Eleanor Powell, Lena Horne, the use of classics like "Ol Man River" and "There's Nothing Like Show Business" and Cyd Charisse in one of 'Singin in the Rain's' most unforgettable moments.

Overall, 'That's Entertainment II' is the weakest of the 'That's Entertainment' trilogy but it lives up to its name and meets nearly all its main objectives. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Like its predecessor, THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT II offers two hours of film clips from memorable MGM movies featuring the likes of Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, and Doris Day. Unlike its predecessor, which organized the film clips into thematic sequences introduced by different MGM stars, THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT just throws the clips out willynilly without much rhyme or reason--and saddles narrators Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly with some of the clunkiest, corniest material imaginable. In consequence, it lacks the cohesion and the excitement of the original.

But it still has its charms. Many of the individual clips are knock-outs: Ethel Waters performing "Taking a Chance on Love" from CABIN IN THE SKY, Bobby Van doing the famous "hop dance" from SMALL TOWN GIRL, Judy Garland belting out "I Got Rhythm" from GIRL CRAZY. In addition to such musical treats, the film also offers a look at the Marx Brothers with the famous "State Room Scene" from A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, a sequence of famous lines from famous films (such as Garbo's "I want to be alone"), and an extended tribute to Spenser Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. Most viewers will probably feel the film drags due to the uneven way in which the scenes are introduced and edited together, but just about every one will find plenty to enjoy. Recommended with reservations.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

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.

Part of the joy of watching 'That's Entertainment, Part 2' is seeing the ageing Astaire and Kelly dance together again, with all the skill and the joy they put across in their respective heydays.

Part 2 doesn't just rely on clips from MGM musical productions, but also celebrates the dramatic output of this prince of studios - Tracy and Hepburn, Garbo ... - as well as two amusing segments, one on comedy (including the Marx Bros.), and one on films about composers writing songs and melodies.

Also of note is the excellent title sequence, where each artiste is represented by some kind of introduction that sums them up (Garbo by a rose, Betty Hutton and Howard Keel branded into wood, Hepburn and Tracy announced by a gong, Nelson and Jeanette as floating petals on a lake).

A little peach of a movie, and proof positive that they really don't make 'em like this anymore.