''That's Dancing!'' is a 1985 American compilation film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that looked back at the history of dancing in film. Unlike the '' That's Entertainment!'' series, this film not only focuses specifically on MGM films, but also included films from other studios. A highlight of the film was the first theatrical release of a complete dance routine by

Ray Bolger Raymond Wallace Bolger (January 10, 1904 – January 15, 1987) was an American actor, dancer, singer, vaudevillian and stage performer (particularly musical theatre) who started in the silent-film era. Bolger was a major Broadway performer in ...

for his " If I Only Had a Brain" number that had been shortened in ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' or ''The Wizard of Oz'' most commonly refers to: *'' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', a 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum often reprinted as ''The Wizard of Oz'' ** Wizard of Oz (character), from the Baum novel serie ...

''. The hosts for this film are

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

(who also executive produced),

(his last film appearance before his death in 1987),

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

, Sammy Davis Jr., and

Mikhail Baryshnikov Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; lv, Mihails Barišņikovs; born January 28, 1948) is a Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Latvian-born R ...

. Pop singer Kim Carnes was commissioned to sing an original song, "Invitation to Dance", that plays over the closing credits. This film is sometimes considered part of the ''That's Entertainment!'' series, especially since its starting credits contain a card with the ''That's Entertainment! III'' title (not to be confused with the 1994 film), but even though it shared studio and producers, it is considered a separate production. Jack Haley Jr., who wrote, produced and directed the first ''That's Entertainment!'' film, also wrote and directed this one, co-producing with longtime friend David Niven Jr. Haley's father, Jack Haley, had co-starred with Bolger in ''The Wizard of Oz''. ''That's Dancing!'' was not included when the three ''That's Entertainment!'' films were released on DVD in 2004; it was instead released on its own in 2007. The DVD includes several behind-the-scenes promotional featurettes from 1985 on the making of the film, as well as its accompanying music video featuring Kim Carnes singing "Invitation to Dance" although the DVD omits both the video and song itself.

Dedication

This film is dedicated to ''all'' dancers, especially those who devoted their lives to the development of their art long before there was a motion picture camera.

Appearances

Tommy Abbott Tommy Abbott (November 4, 1934 – April 8, 1987) was an American-born actor, dancer, and choreographer best known for his role as Gee-Tar in the original production of ''West Side Story''. Abbott was for many years the assistant choreographer ...

June Allyson June Allyson (born Eleanor Geisman; October 7, 1917 – July 8, 2006) was an American stage, film, and television actress, dancer, and singer. Allyson began her career in 1937 as a dancer in short subject films and on Broadway in 1938. She sign ...

* Ann-Margret * Fred Astaire * Lucille Ball *

* Jennifer Beals * David Bean * Busby Berkeley * Eric Blore *

Monte Blue Gerard Montgomery Blue (January 11, 1887 – February 18, 1963) was an American film actor who began his career as a romantic lead in the silent era; and for decades after the advent of sound, he continued to perform as a supporting player ...

* John Brascia * Lucille Bremer *

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

* Irene Cara * Leslie Caron * Gower Champion * Marge Champion * Cyd Charisse * Joan Crawford * Dan Dailey * Jacques d'Amboise * Sammy Davis Jr. *

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

* Gloria DeHaven * Isadora Duncan * Buddy Ebsen * Taina Elg * Eliot Feld * Margot Fonteyn * Loie Fuller * Clark Gable * Judy Garland * Virginia Gibson * Cary Grant * Jack Haley *

Margaret Hamilton Margaret Hamilton may refer to: * Margaret Hamilton (nurse) (1840–1922), American nurse in the Civil War * Maggie Hamilton (1867–1952), Scottish artist * Margaret Hamilton (educator) (1871–1969), American educator * Margaret Hamilton (actre ...

* Carol Haney * June Haver * Robert Helpmann * Judy Holliday * José Iturbi * Michael Jackson * Marine Jahan * Van Johnson * Ruby Keeler *

* Paula Kelly * Michael Kidd * Charles Laskey * Ruta Lee *

Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh ( ; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967; born Vivian Mary Hartley), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, for her definitive performances as Scarlett O'Hara in ''Gon ...

Bambi Linn Bambi Linn (born Bambina Linnemeier; April 26, 1926) is an American dancer, choreographer, and actress. Linn trained extensively with noted choreographer Agnes de Mille. At the age of 17, she made her Broadway debut in the original production o ...

* Peter Lorre *

Susan Luckey Suzanne Dolores Luckey (April 4, 1938 – November 29, 2012) was an American actress, best known for her roles in the musical films ''Carousel'' (1956) and ''The Music Man'' (1962). Early years Luckey was born in Hollywood, California, where h ...

Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty, April 24, 1934) is an American actress, author, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed and eccentric women, MacLaine has received numerous accolades over her seven-dec ...

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

Léonide Massine Leonid Fyodorovich Myasin (russian: Леони́д Фёдорович Мя́син), better known in the West by the French transliteration as Léonide Massine (15 March 1979), was a Russian choreographer and ballet dancer. Massine created the wo ...

* Matt Mattox * Joan McCracken * Ray McDonald *

Ann Miller Ann Miller (born Johnnie Lucille Collier; April 12, 1923 – January 22, 2004) was an American retired actress and former dancer. She is best remembered for her work in the Classical Hollywood cinema musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. Her early ...

* James Mitchell * Ricardo Montalbán *

Annabelle Moore Annabelle Moore (born Annabella Whitford, July 6, 1878 – November 29, 1961), also known as Peerless Annabelle, was an American dancer and actress who appeared in numerous early silent films. She was the original Gibson Girl in the 1907 Ziegfeld ...

* Tony Mordente * George Murphy * Gene Nelson * Julie Newmar * The Nicholas Brothers * Rudolf Nureyev * Donald O'Connor * Anna Pavlova * Marc Platt *

Dick Powell Richard Ewing Powell (November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963) was an American actor, musician, producer, director, and studio head. Though he came to stardom as a musical comedy performer, he showed versatility, and successfully transformed into ...

* Eleanor Powell * Jane Powell * Tommy Rall *

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman. Her career spanned almost 70 years. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her portra ...

* Jeff Richards * Chita Rivera * Bill "Bojangles" Robinson * Ginger Rogers *

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

* Wini Shaw * Moira Shearer *

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

* Red Skelton * Tucker Smith *

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...

* Lyle Talbot * Russ Tamblyn * Lilyan Tashman * Robert Taylor (American actor), Robert Taylor * Anthony 'Scooter' Teague * Shirley Temple * Tamara Toumanova * John Travolta * Lana Turner * Bobby Van (actor), Bobby Van * Vera-Ellen * Ethel Waters * Bobby Watson * Esther Williams * David Winters (choreographer), David Winters * Vera Zorina * Vincent Price * Robert Banas * Francesca Bellini * Betty Carr * Carole D'Andrea * Leroy Daniels * Norma Doggett * Harvey Evans * Nancy Kilgas * Bert Michaels * Susan Oakes * Gina Trikonis * Tarita

Films featured

* ''The Dumb Girl of Portici'' (1916) * ''So This Is Paris (1926 film), So This Is Paris'' (1926) * ''Flying High (1931 film), Flying High'' (1931) * ''42nd Street (film), 42nd Street'' (1933) * ''Gold Diggers of 1933'' (1933) * ''Rufus Jones for President'' (1933) * ''Dames (film), Dames'' (1934) * ''The Gay Divorcee'' (1934) * ''Gold Diggers of 1935'' (1935) * ''Broadway Melody of 1936'' (1935) * ''Roberta (1935 film), Roberta'' (1935) * ''The Littlest Rebel'' (1935) * ''Born to Dance'' (1936) * ''Swing Time (film), Swing Time'' (1936) * ''Honolulu (film), Honolulu'' (1939) * ''

'' (1939) * ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'' (1939) * ''On Your Toes'' (1939) * ''Down Argentine Way'' (1940) * ''Babes on Broadway'' (1941) * ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' (1942) * ''Bathing Beauty'' (1944) * ''Kismet (1944 film), Kismet'' (1944) * ''The All-Star Bond Rally'' (1945) * ''The Harvey Girls'' (1946) * ''Till the Clouds Roll By'' (1946) * ''Ziegfeld Follies (film), Ziegfeld Follies'' (1946) * ''Good News (1947 film), Good News'' (1947) * ''The Red Shoes (1948 film), The Red Shoes'' (1948) * ''Neptune's Daughter (1949 film), Neptune's Daughter'' (1949) * ''Three Little Words (film), Three Little Words'' (1950) * ''Royal Wedding'' (1951) * ''An American in Paris (film), An American in Paris'' (1951) * ''The Merry Widow (1952 film), The Merry Widow'' (1952) * ''Singin' in the Rain'' (1952) * ''The Band Wagon'' (1953) * ''Give a Girl a Break'' (1953) * ''Kiss Me Kate (film), Kiss Me Kate'' (1953) * ''Latin Lovers (1953 film), Latin Lovers'' (1953) * ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' (1954) * ''It's Always Fair Weather'' (1955) * ''Jupiter's Darling (film), Jupiter's Darling'' (1955) * ''Oklahoma! (1955 film), Oklahoma!'' (1955) * ''Carousel (film), Carousel'' (1956) * ''Invitation to the Dance (film), Invitation to the Dance'' (1956) * ''Les Girls'' (1957) * ''Silk Stockings (1957 film), Silk Stockings'' (1957) * ''Indiscreet (1958 film), Indiscreet'' (1958) * ''Tom Thumb (film), tom thumb'' (1958) * ''West Side Story (1961 film), West Side Story'' (1961) * ''Viva Las Vegas'' (1964) * ''Sweet Charity (film), Sweet Charity'' (1969) * ''The Boy Friend (1971 film), The Boy Friend'' (1971) * ''Cabaret (1972 film), Cabaret'' (1972) * ''Saturday Night Fever'' (1977) * ''The Turning Point (1977 film), The Turning Point'' (1977) * ''Fame (1980 film), Fame'' (1980) * ''Flashdance'' (1983)

Musical numbers

References

External links

* * * * {{That's Entertainment 1985 films 1985 documentary films 1980s musical films American documentary films American musical films Documentary films about films Documentary films about dance Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films directed by Jack Haley Jr. Compilation films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films