January 23, 2021
That’s Entertainment! (1974) ****
TCM
Free
Wildcard
They have all three That’s Entertainment movies plus That’s Dancing on the TCM app at the moment, but only through the 31st, so I’m going to try to blow through them this weekend.
I remember very clearly seeing this movie when it was released in 1974, I was nine years old. Of course I had seen and loved plenty of old movies by then, since it was the olden days with fewer channels and no videos, so we watched what was on after school and on the weekends, which was old movies. However, I have no doubt that a lot of these numbers I was seeing for the first time. I have a feeling that a lot of people my age who grew up loving old musicals were introduced to them by That’s Entertainment.
It was made and released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of MGM. Watching it now, I realize that we are only a few years off from the 100th anniversary, and then I crumble into dust. I’m pretty sure that, other than Liza Minelli, who was the only host who hadn’t been a golden age MGM star, every single person you see onscreen is now dead, either hosts, or in the clips. Not only is the time they are talking about long gone, so is 1974. Well, now I’m thoroughly depressed. Let me cheer myself up by thinking of the outfits Mickey Rooney and Peter Lawford chose to wear for their hosting bits. Very groove-tastic!
This is an absolutely wonderful movie, with great numbers and wonderful performances, and one bit of Unfortunate Blackface, in the Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney section, from the movie Babes on Broadway. Just goes to show you, there are parts of the past that stayed in the present way longer than they should have. 
Fortunately, to make up for that, they include the wonderful number from The Pirate with Gene Kelly and the Nicholas Brothers.
365 Films in 365 Days 