ABOUT THE DISC & RECORDINGS:

For its 50th anniversary celebration in 1974, MGM did something no other studio had done before. The studio released to theaters a compilation of it's greatest musical moments entitled That's Entertainment!.

That's Entertainment! was the brainchild of producer Jack Haley, Jr. (son of Wizard of Oz Tin Man Jack Haley). Haley, Jr. originally conceived the idea to produce a compilation film as a television special. But after seeing the great job Haley had done so far with the compilation, the studio decided would be best shown on the big screen, just as the featured musicals had originally been intended to be seen. Haley then got Gene Kelly involved and Gene in turn convinced other stars to join him in narrating the film.

The film surprised everyone and became one of the top money makers of the year. Critics and audiences alike were delighted to see the great MGM musicals once again (or for the first time) on the big screen. But the film did more that just entertain. It almost single-handedly brought about the market for nostalgia. In the few years previous to 1974, colleges and art house theaters had been screening retrospectives of various director's or star's works, such as Busby Berkeley or Humphrey Bogart. But That's Entertainment! brought the the Golden Age of Hollywood to the masses. Suddenly people People everywhere saw that these weren't just "old films on TV" but actual works of art. A golden era in film history that will never be seen again.

The film was also instrumental in bringing Judy's work at MGM to the forefront. After she passed away 5 years earlier in 1969, the immediate memory that most people had of Judy was of her troubled final few years. That's Entertainment! once again gave audiences the chance to experience Judy's special on screen magic. For many, it was the first time they had seen many of her film performances outside of The Wizard of Oz. The following year (1975), several biographies about Judy were release, including Gerold Frank's masterful biography simply titled "Judy". From the success of That's Entertainment! and the sequel, That's Entertainment!, Part 2, Judy gained scores of new fans and was finally Judy was being remembered and respected for her incredible talent and amazing career.

After the huge success of That's Entertainment!, is only stands to reason that MGM would produce a sequel. Released in 1976, That's Entertainment!, Part 2 brought more great musical sequences back to the big screen while also bringing the focus to clips from some of MGM's most famous dramatic and comedy films. Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly were the hosts this time around, dancing together for the first time since 1946's Ziegfeld Follies. That's Entertainment!, Part 2 wasn't as big a success as the first installment, but us fans didn't mind. We all got to see more of our favorites on the big screen again!

Eighteen years later, in 1994, we finally got the third installment. And boy, was it worth the wait! In the intervening years, film restoration had become a priority for studios, historians, and fans alike. So now, with That's Entertainment! III we got more great films clips all restored to their technicolor glory with many of the soundtracks re-mixed into true stereo. As an added bonus, musical outtakes were featured for the first time. And what great outtakes they were. Especially Judy's cut numbers. The legendary Garland Annie Get Your Gun (1950) footage is seen for the first time (outside of bad quality bootleg videos), "March Of The Doagies" from The Harvey Girls (1946) is also seen for the first time. But the one sequence that received the most press and applause from everyone was Judy's flawless rendition of Irving Berlin's"Mr. Monotony" that was cut from Easter Parade (1948). In the same costume that she later wore for "Get Happy" in Summer Stock (1950), once again Judy stole the show!

A special edition laser disc and videotape boxed set of That's Entertainment! III came out in 1995 that contained even more outtake musical numbers as well as an extended "Director's Cut" version of the film. All three films were then released on video and laser in a special boxed set entitled "That's Entertainment! - The Ultimate Musical Treasury" (see image at left). Both of these boxed sets contained hours of alternate audio tracks featuring rare recording sessions from many great stars and films.

The trio of That's Entertainment! films are unsurpassed as stellar examples of "docutainment" and are, quite simply, a lot of fun to watch.

All three films are now on DVD. Click here for DVD info. Click here for the DVD press release.

This special Rhino CD boxed set contains the complete soundtrack versions for most of clips featured in all three films, plus a bonus disc featuring performances and rarities from even MORE classic MGM Musicals. The ultimate audio anthology of MGM Musicals ever produced! A must have!

Discography Note: Rhino is releasing a newly updated version of this set on April 25, 2006. Click here for details.

All images on this page from the collection of Scott Brogan.