Film Series
That’s Entertainment!: MGM Musicals Part II
No studio did musicals better than MGM: theirs were bigger, splashier, more tuneful, and more innovative than any others. This second in a two-part series charts the evolution of the MGM musical from its heyday in the 1950s—when producer Arthur Freed, directors Vincente Minnelli and Stanley Donen, and star-choreographers Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire pushed the form to new expressive heights—through the 1960s, as changing tastes seemed to signal its decline, to the 1970s and ‘80s, when the genre was revitalized by filmmakers with a fresh, postmodern approach.
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Vincente Minnelli’s beloved Technicolor classic starring Gene Kelly.
Fred Astaire dances on the ceiling in Stanley Donen’s sparkling, London-set romance.
Gene Kelly stars in Vincente Minnelli’s poignant adaptation of the Lerner and Loewe hit.
Judy Garland performs the iconic “Get Happy” number in her last MGM film.
This rarely screened B-delight re-teams the ever-buoyant Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor.
It’s Ferris Bueller for the ‘50s in this blast-from-the-atomic-age-past campus comedy.
The great Judy Holliday stars as a meddling telephone operator in this offbeat charmer.
The legendary movie musical starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor.
This zingy backstage farce boasts Cole Porter tunes and the dancing of a young Bob Fosse.
This frontier foot-stomper features some of the most thrilling dancing ever filmed.
Vincente Minnelli’s Oscar-winning musical explores romance in turn-of-the-century Paris.
The Philadelphia Story gets a high-gloss, Technicolor musical makeover.
Fred Astaire dances on air in this fantastical Freed Unit confection.
Gene Kelly’s artily ambitious passion project tells three stories entirely through dance.
Lubitsch’s classic Ninotchka gets a tune-up courtesy of Fred Astaire and Cole Porter.
Gene Kelly combines sensational musical numbers with a surprisingly cynical edge.
This musical masterpiece bursts with show-stopping production numbers.
Renegade auteur Ken Russell crafts a delirious homage to the musicals of the 1930s.
The Golden Age musical gets an emotionally shattering, postmodern deconstruction.
Blake Edwards’ brilliant boudoir farce boasts sparkling dialogue and Henry Mancini music.
Peter O’Toole stars in this deluxe-budget, unabashedly sweet musical romance.
This behind-the-scenes look at MGM’s dream factory is a musical fan’s treasure trove.
An Oscar-nominated Debbie Reynolds lights up this song and dance spectacular.