That's Entertainment, Part II (1976)

the audience applauded

Such a frustrating disappointment

Don't listen to the negative reviews

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Obviously this includes material not seen in part one, with maybe a few tiny overlaps. As Donald O'Connor, pointed out, (in the first film) "MGM went around picking up movie stars like you and I would go around collecting paper clips". It's not exactly second-rate material. Not at all. Still missing are many items: Leslie Caron sings the Oscar-Winning "Song of Love" from "Lilli" yet her dancing finale which gives homage to "The Wizard of Oz" isn't here. Why? Also, nothing from "Brigadoon". You no doubt will find other still forgotten clips missing here as well. The new sequences with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly are good and, for the most part, help bind the material together. There is another outstanding clip from, I believe, "Bathing Beauties" which shows what an amazingly athletic stunt-woman Esther Williams truly was. Water skiing at top speed thru exploding water cannons and being handed off from a powerboat to a helicopter and soaring very high in the air, then power-diving. Once again, film finales abound, most noticeably the ending of "Annie Get Your Gun" which finally became available on DVD after years of litigation. Almost better than part 2 (this film) are the 2004 Turner extras of the intro by Robert Osbourne and a 30+ minute "making of" featurette. Worth owning, but be forewarned, they did use most of the best material in the first part. Originally released by UA not MGM, which was sort of "out-of business" during that time. Even today, MGM remains more of a trademark than a filmmaker.

Following the tremendous success of "That's Entertainment", MGM created a second compilation film for theaters--"That's Entertainment, Part II". Unlike "That's Entertainment!", this followup film is a bit different because it's not just about MGM's singing and dancing but the full range of films--with clips from comedies, westerns and dramas as well--but still the lion's share (so to speak) were of musicals. For me, this was a problem because the range was TOO broad and the rest of the films got the short end of it. In other words, you can't sum up ALL of MGM's classic films (including travelogues and comedy shorts) in only about two hours. Another problem with the film is that instead of the classic actors introducing the clips like they did in "That's Entertainment!", this time they try to entertain as well--such as Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly doing a song and dance number near the beginning of the film and some new cartoon bits later in the film. While the pair danced well for old men (Astaire was nearing 80), it also felt a bit creepy and sad--especially when Kelly tried to sing and roller skate in Paris. It took up time they could have been showing other clips plus I wanted to see more MGM stars than just these two fine dancers (and in the previous film it was narrated by several classic actors, not just two). Had the film just been a retrospective of the films of Kelly and Astaire, however, this material would have worked a lot better.It helped that I saw this film only a few days after I saw the other--so it's very clear in my head that there were problems in addition to the narration. For the most part, the dance numbers not as good in "That's Entertainment, Part II" and I assume it's because they'd put the best stuff in the first one--as they didn't realize there's be a second film. Now this isn't to say the dance clips are bad--they're just not quite as good. Oddly, however, the clips from the non-musicals also were occasionally disappointing. There weren't enough of them and represented too few films. To me, put simply, it looked a bit rushed--like they threw clips together without as much thought as in the first film or as much of a theme. Overall, worth seeing if you are a fan of Hollywood's golden age, but I think the first film AND the later documentary "MGM: When the Lion Roared" are a lot better.

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.

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!