An article in VARIETY today gives only sketchy details, but Warner has finally announced the trilogy of THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! films to be released on DVD on October 12th. The release will be called THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT: THE COLLECTION and be a four-disc boxed set, with each feature on a separate disc, and a bonus fourth disc, exclusive to the boxed set, with over FIVE HOURS of supplementary material. The Variety article didn't give much detail about the extras, but said the bonus disc has a new docu called "THE MASTERS OF THE MUSICAL", a collection of MGM MUSICAL OUTTAKES, and indicated there will be footage of the 1974 premiere of the first THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!. I'm hoping the latter is the TV special I remember seeing as a very young kid that had all the MGM stars at the big Beverly Hills premiere being interviews, and eventually all lining up on stage receiving thunderous applause. Hopefully Herb or someone who gets WB press releases will post the complete info here soon. Knowing Warner, it will be a knockout boxed set (with no snappers!!! Yay!) for a great price.
This will definately be a "knockout" set. With its varying aspect ratios, I've heard that Warner has done everything right so that it can be viewed properly whether one has a 4:3 or a 16:9 monitor. Word is that two versions will be on the discs so that whichever way a home theatre afficiando has their monitor set up, they're going to the see the films in their best possible ratios.
They can send one set to me from the factory immediately at the release! Great news, glad they done it right (again)! Cees
Wow, that would be brilliant. Not that I would have had much reservation about picking this box set up in the first place.
WOWEE! PHENOMENAL NEWS I'll just be counting the days until October 12th. So glad they're giving us the 16x9 5.1 treatment on these jewels.
I'll definitely be ordering this set. There's nothing like seeing short clips of numerous movies to help you add scores of titles to your "must see" list. Today's July 12, so I'll have this DVD set in my hands in about 3 months. Can't wait! Steve K.
Why wouldn't they also include "That's Dancing", from the mid 1980s? As I recall (20 years on, the memory gets fuzzy), there are many clips and sequences not included in any of the three "That's Entertainment" films.
Thanks for the info Roger Rollins, but remember, this great series was released on LD in different forms such as CAV and CLV. I have the 5 LD CLV disc box set that has all the parts, including the extras. Let's hope that all the above and more will be included in this new release. For some that still collect LD's, it's gonna be kind of hard to double dip on this unless all the scenes they're going to show have been restored in some way. Any widescreen scenes will have to be anamorphic or people are gonna raise all kinds of hell. Only time will tell.
"That's Dancing" was NOT about MGM or the MGM musical. It had some MGM musical clips in it, certainly. However it also had lots as much, if not more footage, devoted to non MGM-related films. Aside from the good clips of that ilk (excerpts from THE RED SHOES, THE TURNING POINT, DOWN ARGENTINE WAY, SWEET CHARITY, WEST SIDE STORY), lest we forget the deadly final moments of the film with clips from FLASHDANCE and MICHAEL JACKSON'S "Beat It" video. UGH. I guess THAT'S DANCING certainly deserves a DVD release at some point, but I'm glad that Warner kept the integrity of the THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT trilogy in its pure form....and my mouth waters at the thought about what will be included on the bonus disc.
Great news, indeed! Its been a while since I've seen Astaire & Kelly perform together. [personal anecdote]I took my mother to see That's Entertainment in its original release in 1974 (I was just 15 years old) at Albany's Hellman Theater. One of the classic "old" single screen theaters--with a huge red curtain drawn from in front of the screen. A memory I'll treasure forever.[/personal anecdote]
Just off the presses from another website: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE “The best musical entertainment that will ever be made.” -Los Angeles Times “You’re going to have the absolute time of your movie life.” -Cosmopolitan Warner Home Video Presents the Musical of Musicals Featuring More Stars than there are in Heaven! THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION The incomparable tributes to the classic MGM musicals debut on DVD October 12 with fully remastered picture and Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio Collectible Four Disc DVD Giftset Packed with over FIVE Hours of Extra Content Material Burbank, CA (July 7, 2004) – The musical of musicals makes its DVD debut on October 12, when Warner Home Video presents MGM’s acclaimed musical anthologies - That’s Entertainment!, That’s Entertainment, Part 2 and That’s Entertainment! III – in a special edition four-disc DVD giftset, That’s Entertainment: The Complete Collection. Representing some of the most requested titles in WHV’s vast library, That’s Entertainment: The Complete Collection gets the “red carpet” treatment with each feature in the trilogy presented with a fully remastered picture and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, and features both the 16x9 widescreen theatrical version, plus full-screen 4x3 version with letterboxed performance segments. That’s Entertainment: The Complete Collection includes a bonus fourth disc entitled That’s Entertainment: Treasures from the Vault, available exclusively with the giftset featuring more than five hours of exciting extras including three great documentaries, premiere night coverage and salutes to the great behind-the-camera talents, TV specials, making-of featurettes, plus an extensive video jukebox of rare, star-packed musical outtakes from classic films, and more! That’s Entertainment: The Complete Collection is available for $49.92 SRP. That’s Entertainment!, That’s Entertainment, Part 2 and That’s Entertainment! III are also sold separately for $19.97 SRP. All titles have a pre-order date of September 7. “Since the earliest days of DVD, consumers have eagerly anticipated the release of the celebrated That’s Entertainment trilogy to the format, as well as the classic MGM musicals saluted in these films, which are among the most prized within the mammoth Warner Home Video library,” said George Feltenstein, WHV Senior VP, Classic Catalog. “The combination of these three unique and irresistible compilation films together on DVD, coupled with the exclusive disc of fascinating extras, is sure to make That’s Entertainment: The Collection one of the most exciting DVD releases this fourth-quarter. We expect the huge fan base for these classic musicals will be thrilled by the presentation, which is also ideal for holiday family viewing and gift-giving.” “Exuberant, extravagant…” – Newsweek That’s Entertainment! showcases 125 stars from nearly 100 films including superstars Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Mickey Rooney, Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Liza Minnelli, Peter Lawford, Donald O’Connor, James Stewart and many more. Originally released in 1974 to mark MGM’s 50th Anniversary and to celebrate the golden era of the greatest movie musicals ever made, That’s Entertainment! was an unexpected surprise smash at the boxoffice, grossing $28 million at the time and firmly establishing the MGM musical within the pantheon of greatness within American film history. Written, produced and directed by Jack Haley Jr., with Daniel Melnick as executive producer, That’s Entertainment! uniquely blends newly-filmed accounts of the personal memories of 11 of the stars who were at MGM from 1929-1958 during the making of these classic films with a panoramic retrospective of unforgettable musical sequences from them. Film historian Robert Osborne provides a new introduction to all three films on DVD. “A wonderful movie…a priceless souvenir.” – Pat Collins, WCBS-TV Originally released in 1976, That’s Entertainment, Part 2 continues the dazzling tradition of That’s Entertainment! taking up where the other one left off, presenting fabulous sequences from movie musicals and highlighting such non-singing stars as Greta Garbo, Clark Gable and the Marx Brothers. Also featured are two of the champion song and dance men of all time, Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly (together for the first time since Ziegfeld Follies of 1946), acting not only as narrators but also as performers, singing and dancing in all-new numbers directed by Kelly just for the film. That’s Entertainment, Part 2 was produced by Saul Chaplin and Daniel Melnick, with narration by Leonard Gershe and additional music arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle. “That’s more than entertainment, that’s pure gold.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone Released in 1994 in celebration of MGM’s 70th Anniversary, That’s Entertainment! III brings back to the screen the stars and musical numbers that have excited audiences for generations. In the acclaimed tradition of its two predecessors, That’s Entertainment! III incorporates scores of famous songs and dances from MGM films and reunites nine of the performers who rose to international stardom through their MGM association. That’s Entertainment! III features astonishing classic musical moments, great comedy and romantic teams and unearths rare footage with marvelous big-star scenes originally unseen because they were cut from their films. Gene Kelly opens and closes the picture as nine starry hosts including June Allyson, Cyd Charrise, Lena Horne, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, Debbie Reynolds, Mickey Rooney and Esther Williams present this must-see assemblage of Golden Era treasures, none of which has been seen in either of the previous films. Written, produced and directed by Bud Friedgen & Michael J. Sheridan, the film was executive produced by Peter Fitzgerald. An amazing fourth disc is an added bonus available only with the That’s Entertainment: The Complete Collection giftset with more than five hours of extra content features sure to enthrall fans of the great MGM musicals. Entitled That’s Entertainment: Treasures From The Vault, the exclusive disc includes rare extended footage from MGM’s 25th Anniversary luncheon in 1949; “That’s Entertainment: 50 Years of MGM” (1974 TV special covering footage from the original premiere of That’s Entertainment! in Beverly Hills with Army Archerd as the ‘red carpet’ master of ceremonies, rare interviews and the famous assemblage of legendary MGM stars on the stage. Unseen since originally broadcast thirty years ago); “That’s Entertainment! III Behind the Screen” (1994 making-of documentary about the behind the camera talent); “The Lion Roars Again” (1975 MGM short); lengthy excerpts from “The Mike Douglas Show” TV special in 1976 that featured two days of premiere coverage of That’s Entertainment, Part 2; “The Masters Behind The Musicals” (a brand-new half hour documentary with Ann Miller, Jane Powell, Angela Lansbury and others); “Just One More Time” (1974 THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT! featurette); and a dazzling MGM Outtake Jukebox which includes an impressive array of 16 rarely-seen deleted musical numbers from the cutting-room floor featuring such stars as Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, Esther Williams, Lena Horne, Jane Powell, Mel Torme and many other legendary MGM stars.
That bonus disc sounds awesome. I do have one question: In the widescreen theatrical version, what did they do for the clips from the old 4X3 movies?
My guess is that you will see black bars at the sides of the picture. If so, that means they did it right - for both normal sized and widescreen set owners.
I think this is what they'll do: For the 16x9 version, all of the 1.33:1 clips will be windowboxed and the 1.85:1, 2.35:1, and 2.55:1 clips are wide. This works perfectly for 16x9 TV's, but would not be good for 4x3 TV owners. For the 4x3 version, the 1.33:1 clips are full-screen, with the widescreen clips letterboxed. This is bad for 16x9 TV owners but perfect for 4x3 monitor owners. Warner really is thinking ahead here.
They already included "The Lion Roars Again" on the DVD of "The Sunshine Boys". Other than that, extras appear to be all new. Since I've been meaning to bone up on my older movies, what better way to wade into the waters than with the "That's Entertainment" trilogy? Sincerely, John Kilduff... The world is a stage, the stage is a world of entertainment!
Sounds good, Patrick, I'm sure your prediction will be accurate. What I'm wondering is, what did they do with the different aspect ratios when these movies were in the theaters?
This is so impressive of Warner's! I was hoping they'd do the two versions but NEVER in my wildest dreams did I really believe it would happen. FANTASTIC!!! October is going to be an expensive month.
Both THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! and THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT, PART 2 were made for standard 1.85:1 theatrical projection, but blown up to 70mm for their premiere big-city engagements. This enabled the films to have 6-Track Stereophonic sound. THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! III was also formatted for 1.85:1 projection, but did not have to be blown up to 70mm in order to have a great soundtrack, as by that time (1994), they already had DTS. In the case of all three films, the 4x3 clips were matted on the side, with 2.55 & 2.35 CinemaScope clips matted on the top and bottom. Clips from HIGH SOCIETY were presented in full frame (1.85). All three films made clever use of the wider screen space, in some cases by blowing up the image and "opening up the sides" which was a thrilling effect in the theater. THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT, PART 2 did a little bit with creative split screen opticals, but THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! III really made great use of opticals, especially in the scenes where they had two versions of Fred Astaire dancing the same number (but in different costume and setting) in total synch with himself, or the two versions (Joan Crawford from TORCH SONG, and Cyd Charisse in an outtake from THE BAND WAGON) sung to the same playback recording of TWO FACED WOMAN, or a scene where they had Eleanor Powell dancing up this seemingly huge runway on one side of the screen, while on the other you saw them filming the number, and pulling the set pieces around and in back of the camera. Fascinating stuff. I always enjoyed all three of these films in previous laser incarnations, but I had hoped that their eventual DVD release would properly re-create how thrilling it was to see these films on the big screen. Warner giving us new 16x9 transfers accomplishes this, yet at the same time, they have the 4x3 on the other side for those not yet equipped for widescreen. I was excited about this release when I heard about it this morning, but that was before the press release revealed all the details of the extras on their 4th disc. Warner continues to amaze!
Cool, thanks for the detailed explanation, Roger. I have a 16X9 TV, so I'm definitely looking forward to seeing these in their theatrical versions.
I'll be first in line to get this set. However, while there are some mgm musicals on dvd, there are nowhere near the number that were once available on Laserdisc. A set like tht's Entertainment only shows what we do NOT have on dvd, and probably won't for quite a while.
