1h 52min | Comedy, Musical, Romance | 9 July 1953 | Color
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Stars: Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Oscar Levant, Nanette Fabray, Jack Buchanan, James Mitchell.
Michael Kidd ... stager: dances and musical numbers
Patricia Denise ... assistant dance director (uncredited) / dancing stand-in: Cyd Charisse (uncredited)
Alex Romero ... assistant dance director (uncredited) / dancing stand-in: Fred Astaire (uncredited)
Oliver Smith ... designer: musical numbers (art department)
In the Tap! Appendix for Fred Astaire, Jack Buchanan. That's a soft-shoe (ch22), not really worthy of being called tap. FA's ch5 dance is more tap-ish.
Songs performed (29 chapters with menu):
- ch3. By Myself, Performed by Fred Astaire
- ch5. A Shine on Your Shoes, Sung by Fred Astaire and Danced by him and Leroy Daniels
- ch6. Oedipus Bridge, Performed by Jack Buchanan and chorus
- ch8. That's Entertainment, Performed by Jack Buchanan, Nanette Fabray, Oscar Levant and Fred Astaire
- ch10. The Beggars Waltz, Danced by Cyd Charisse, James Mitchell and The Corps de Ballet
- ch15. Dancing in the Dark, Danced by Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse
- ch17. You and the Night and the Music, Sung by chorus, Danced by Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse (pyrotechnics overload)
- ch19. Something to Remember You By, Performed by chorus at after-party
- ch19. I Love Louisa, Performed by Fred Astaire, Oscar Levant, Nanette Fabray and chorus
- ch21. New Sun in the Sky, Performed by Cyd Charisse (dubbed by India Adams)
- ch22. I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan, Performed by Fred Astaire and Jack Buchanan
- ch23. Louisiana Hayride, Performed by Nanette Fabray and chorus
- ch25. Triplets, Performed by Fred Astaire, Nanette Fabray and Jack Buchanan
- ch27. The Girl Hunt, Danced by The Corps de Ballet, Danced by Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse
- ch28. By Myself, reprised by Fred Astaire
- ch29. That's Entertainment, Reprised by Jack Buchanan, Nanette Fabray, Oscar Levant, Cyd Charisse (dubbed by India Adams) and Fred Astaire in the finale
Commentary track by Michael Feinstein and Liza Minnelli (b. '46); she has memories of being on set as a child, but her best contributions are pointing out various technical/artistic points that she sees because she's been in the business. They are friends and big fans of the film; most of their comments amount to personal asides to each other. When discussing JB's career, MF mentions a bunch of B'way stuff, and ignores the film he made with Jeanette MacDonald and Ernest Lubitsch at Paramount. I'm guessing the track was recorded in '05 (the year the dvd was released), and people probably weren't reaching for IMDb as readily then (originated in '96). I stopped the commentary halfway through this time. The 37 min featurette on disc 2 was fine.
I don't find this as enjoyable as MF&LM do, never have. I think I'm not enough of a theatre person, because they rave about how it's so true to the experience of putting on a show. My favorite song here is By Myself, which is only sung, not danced; That's Entertainment has been used so much, I dread it. Louisiana Hayride makes me wonder what the heck the show within the film is about; and that's after JB's overblown production has been scrapped.
None of the dancing is particularly exciting. The Girl Hunt ballet is very tongue-in-cheek. It seems to be mocking G.Kelly's Slaughter on Tenth Avenue from Words and Music ('48) and the Broadway ballet from Singin' in the Rain ('51), and I don't like that. I'd much rather watch Gene Nelson dance than watch this "fun spoof". Only 3 more FA dancing films in the 50's, then Finian's Rainbow ('68). There's a reason the Tap! author cut off her book at 1955.
My 8 is a prior rating. I don't feel like downgrading it, but might give this a 7 today. IMDb average is 7.6 with 8,400+ votes.
My 8 is a prior rating. I don't feel like downgrading it, but might give this a 7 today. IMDb average is 7.6 with 8,400+ votes.
MGM, dir. Minnelli; 8-
