That's Dancing!

Being a dancer, well, former dancer, I loved seeing this film when it originally came out. Felt it was a little short and still concentrated heavily on MGM. Not wanting to take out the fact that MGM WAS the greatest producer of musicals in Hollywood, but there were some others just as good and memorable from other studios. Glad it is now on DVD, and watching the extras (very poorly put together BTW)I can see that in it's original form, this film would have rated a 10 from me. Kelly says that the film originally ran well over 2 hours and is now down to just over 90 minutes. There must have also been problems in securing rights from different studios, as a lot seem to be poorly represented (20th) or not at all (Columbia). My only other complaint, and would have given more time for others, is that they almost show the entire number to represent a dancer or film. Some of the clips in That's Entertainment we a little too short, but there could have been a happy medium. I would have given up looking at the Jets for that length of time if I could have seen other BDWY to HWYD transfers as Hello, Dolly! / Mame / Grease / Guys and Dolls and especially a rarely seen film like Where's Charlie? But all in all, when the music stops and the dance is over, the fiddler has been paid and the memories linger.

Those who love dance of any kind and classic film will be thrilled with That's Dancing! Some segments are too short and some of the narration I agree is obtrusive(especially for the 42nd Street number)- there could have been much less of the talking over scenes- and not always necessary(the opinion on break-dancing, went on for a little too long and it did ramble a bit). The hosting is mixed, Gene Kelly is very engaging and informative and while he's not always easy to understand Mikhail Baryshnikov also says things of good value but didn't get a huge amount out of Liza Minelli. That's Dancing! is still splendid stuff though, it's skilfully filmed and the editing of the footage is done slickly and not awkwardly. The music of course is outstanding and of good variety, good that it showed more than one style or genre rather than just one without skimming the surface, and the dancing even better, especially in the Busby Berkeley, Nicholas Brothers, Flashdance, West Side Story and Fred and Ginger numbers. The scenes featured feature some deserved classics like Pick Yourself Up, Night and Day, Forty-Second Street(pretty much anything with Busby Berkeley's involvement in fact), Broadway Rhythm and If Only I Had a Brain/We're Off to See the Wizard(in an extended scene cut from the film), as well as the ballet sequence from The Red Shoes and the scene from Yankee Doodle Dandy. And of all the stars featured the ones that stood out were Fred and Ginger(obviously, it would be a crime really to miss them out), Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn, Shirley Temple and Bojangles Robinson, Eleanor Powell, Ann Miller and the Nicholas Brothers tap-dance(the Wizard of Oz extended cut scene was charming though if too long, you can understand why it was cut). In conclusion, a very good documentary with the best stuff splendid. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This movie is a collaboration of copious dance scores that takes you through the entire historical duration of Hollywood producing movies!! "That's Dancing" is, without a doubt, one of the most entertaining films that I have ever seen!! Hosted by Gene Kelly, he itemizes the complete scope of dancing brilliance throughout all of movie and television history!! Gene Kelly is a legend on his own right! Other greats such as Elenor Powell, Ann Miller, John Travolta, Donald O'Connor, and, of course, the ultimate dancing dream team of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers had dance routines which were depicted in this film.. Besides the all time classics, this film takes you through the myriad of talented dancers that Hollywood has manufactured with an utterly boastful showmanship!! This film ran the gambit from classical dance, to ballet, to tap dancing, to disco, and so much more!! This does include Busby Berkeley, he became a legend with his choreography in the 1930's, so much so that dance ensembles were never looked at the same way ever since!! The free expression of dancing represents a titillation with the audience, as well as with the performers who have nonchalantly made intricate dance numbers look like a total breeze.. The glamor, the fabulous moments of fame, and the recognition of raw physical talent, all bring on an exuberance that only professional dancing can provide!! There is a free flowing addiction to dancing which has consistently energized the silver screen!! Show business has always had the auspicious reputation to perennially cultivate a plethora of fame and applause as necessary affinities in it's industry for purposes of brandishing their high profile acting and dancing performances!! I for one, viewed this film "That's Dancing" with a pleasantly candid recognition of how dancing talent in Hollywood is one of the critical components to arousing the moviegoer's interest!! This compendium of dance numbers enhances the entire genre of flippant, yet intense talent in the existing cinema of yesteryear, as well as today!! Films like "Singin in the Rain" and "Swing Time" have scores that evoke an unprecedented amount of professional dancing talent!! Modern break dancing (Especially, very modern for 1985) illustrated how the legend of dancing prevails in present movie making times as well!! It is so wonderful to see this film, I can see it time and time again and never be bored!! I feel that the movie "That's Dancing"t is one of the best films I have ever seen, however, in making this film, I realize that it cannot receive critical acclaim, as it is just a matter of a snippet here and a snippet there... In so reminiscing about the remarkable dancing talent which Hollywood has provided it's movie viewers throughout history, it just simply astounds me!! I definitely recommend seeing this film!! I give it five stars, and, a totally perfect ten!!

Jack Haley, Jr. was a driving force behind this film and That's Entertainment, which was released a decade earlier. As the title states, That's Dancing focuses on just that. Compared to That's Entertainment, it takes itself a bit more seriously as a documentary but is highly entertaining. It explores the early history of dance on film including brief footage of Isadora Duncan, and, like TE, showcases great numbers from the 1930's-50's with performances by Fred Astaire, Elanor Powell, Bill "Bojangles' Robinson, Gene Kelly, and the great Nicholas Brothers. TD also devotes a segment to Busby Burkley's signature work of the 1930's and a section on ballet in the movies. None of the footage overlaps with TE which make this a nice companion piece. TD takes things a step further with dance sequences from the 60-80's, including break dancing. The newer eras show dancing that is grittier, earthier, and in some cases, uglier. In a sense, the attempt to be more contemporary makes That's Dancing less likeable than That's Entertainment. However, it's not the movie's fault that newer dances are uglier; it's the civilization's.

This Hollywood documentary celebrates dancing in the movies. This starts with an older bundled Gene Kelly presenting a troupe of New York City break dancers. It's cheesy but endearing cheese. He points out the obvious point (which I never considered) that the movement of dance wasn't never captured in the art of the whole human history until the invention of the moving pictures. The start is mostly dancing girls doing bad dances and showing a bit of leg. Then the movie goes through various big sign posts starting with Busby Berkeley and his extravaganza of beautiful babes. There is a very young cute Sammy Davis Jr. Transitioning into his modern self. That's probably my favorite cut. Mikhail Baryshnikov has a section with ballet. It's a lot of movie clips. It becomes a highlight reel but that's fine.