"I'm singin' in the rain" "Just singin' in the rain" "What a glorious feeling I'm happy again" "The year is 1929." "The singer, Cliff Edwards, also known as Ukulele Ike." "The film, Hollywood Revue." "It is the first all-talking all-singing, all-dancing movie ever made." "Everyone from the place" "Come on with your rain" "I've got a smile on my face" "I'll walk down the lane" "In the years that followed, "Singin' in the Rain" would become a theme song for MGM." "Singin' in the rain" "In the 1930s, Jimmy Durante gave us this rendition." "You wrote that this morning?" "Yeah, it's something they'll remember." "Yeah, I remember it already." "I'm singin' in the rain" "Oh, I'm singin' in the rain" "What a grand, what a glorious feeling I'm happy again" "In the 1940s, Judy Garland did it her way." "So dark up above" "The sun's in my heart" "I'm gettin' ready for love" "Let the stormy clouds chase Everyone from the place" "And come on with the rain" "I've a smile on my face I'll walk down the lane" "With a happy refrain" "And singin'" "Singin'" "I'm singin' in the rain" "In the 1950s, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor put it all together in what many folks would call the best musical ever made." "Singin' in the rain Just singin' in the rain" "What a glorious feelin' We're happy again" "If you're wondering what happened in between, well sit back and relax." "You're about to find out." "It's been quite some time since I first came to this place." "And MGM is certainly not the same studio and Hollywood's not the same town." "But the films we made here are still around." "Some studios can claim they made the finest gangster films or the greatest horror movies but when it came to musicals, MGM, they were the champions." "Musicals were fantasy trips for the audiences of their day." "For instance, boy meets girl, boy loses girl boy sings a song and gets girl." "The plots were that simple." "The musicals of the 1930s, '40s, or even the '50s may not tell you where our heads were at but they tell you where our hearts were at." "And all of this lovable nonsense began back in 1929 when the silent film had suddenly become a thing of the past and sound was the king." "Don't bring a frown to old Broadway" "You've gotta clown on Broadway" "Broadway Melody of 1929 won an Oscar for the Best Picture that year and MGM was off and running with a new formula for success." "Charles King and a line of slightly overweight chorus girls were the beginning of a new motion picture art form that would captivate audiences for years to come." "No skies of gray On the Great White Way" "That's the Broadway Melody!" "No skies of gray On the Great White Way" "That's the Broadway Melody!" "Within a few short years, the musical had come of age." "The primitive stage show had now become a cinematic spectacular." "Here Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Nelson Eddy and a cast of thousands watched Eleanor Powell dance in Rosalie." "When I'm calling you" "The most successful singing team in the history of motion pictures Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald in Rose-Marie." "Will you answer too?" " Then I will know" " Then I will know" " Our love" " Our love" " Will come true" " Will come true" " You'll belong to me" " You'll belong to me" " I'll belong" " I'll belong" " To you" " To you" "In 1936, The Great Ziegfeld won an Oscar for Best Picture that year and it's no wonder." "Virginia Bruce and a gang of lovely ladies cluttered up Hollywood's biggest staircase." "And somewhere in that lovely mob, you'll find Dennis Morgan singing a song." "If anyone could afford to film this extravagant number today perhaps it would look something like this." "Just like a heavenly rhapsody" "She captures you right from the start" "Just like a beautiful melody" "She'll play on the strings of your heart" "A pretty girl Is like a melody" "That haunts you night and day" "Just like the strain Of a haunting refrain" "She'll start upon a marathon" "And run around your brain" "You can't escape" "She's in your memory" "By morning, night and noon" "She will leave you And then" " Come back again" " Will come back" "A pretty girl" "Is just like a pretty" "Tune" "She's in your memory" "By morning, night and noon" "She will leave you And then" "Come back again" "A pretty girl" "Is just like a pretty tune" "The last of the big black-and-white production numbers starring Eleanor Powell and Fred Astaire." "Cole Porter's music, the sets and the camera work the direction by Norman Taurog, the incredible tap dancing by these two well, it all seemed to come together in Broadway Melody of 1940." "You know, you can wait around and hope, but I'll tell you you'll never see the likes of this again." "Don't be afraid You'll make the grade" "Why, you can sing As good as Bing" "And here, the old pro, James Durante, gives a newcomer a few pointers in It Happened in Brooklyn." "Sing it, Danny, make me proud." "Okay, Nick, stand back." "It doesn't have to be witty or smart" "Smile." "Long as it comes from the heart" "Keep going." "It doesn't have to be classic or rock" "Great." "Long as it comes from the heart" "I'll give 'em that" "I'll give 'em this" "I'll strut away" "Boy!" "You can't miss!" "Just put a star on my chart" "You won't need this anymore." "'Cause the song's gonna come From the heart" "Don't work cheap." " On opening nights" " On opening nights" " Your name in lights" " Your name in lights" "Why we won't stop 'Til you reach the top" " We'll order our meal à la carte" " We'll order our meal à la carte" " That's expensive!" " That's expensive!" " If the song comes from the heart" " If the song comes from the heart" "We'll be tremendous!" " If the song comes from the heart" " If the song comes from the heart" "They'll holler, "Bravo. "" " If the song" " If the song" " Comes from the heart" " Comes from the heart" " Heart" " Heart" "That's just a sample of what's been going on around here for the past 40 years." "The work was hard, but it was great fun." "Because the people you worked with really knew what they were doing." "It was said that through those doors passed the most famous stars in Hollywood." "I don't think you'll find anyone around this town who will argue about it." "Here's one of the most lovely and talented of those stars Miss Elizabeth Taylor." "I was 10 years old when I first came to MGM." "And I spent most of the next 18 years of my life behind the walls of that studio." "As a young girl growing up in that strange place it's hard to recall what was real and what wasn't." "Perhaps, my most vivid memories were of MGM musicals." "Just to stand there on the set and watch the singing and the dancing." "It was like fantasy come true." "Total innocence." "Loveliness." "I love a melody" "Of spring" "Lilacs in bloom" "Birds on the wing" "I made my musical debut when I was 15 years old in a film called Cynthia." "I was certainly no threat to Jane Powell or Judy Garland as you will see." "For life is an eager" "Joyous thing" "Whenever I hear" "The music" "Of" "Spring" "Maybe that experience helped give me the enormous regard that I have for musical talent." "And believe me, at MGM, I saw the best." "HORNE Every honeybee sighs with jealousy" "For instance, if Lena Horne was in a movie then it almost had to be from MGM." "Honeysuckle rose" "When we're passin' by Flowers droop and sigh" "And I know the reason why" "You're much sweeter Goodness knows" "Honeysuckle rose" "I don't buy sugar" "You just have to touch my cup" "You're my sugar" "It's sweet when you stir it up" "When I'm takin' sips From your tasty lips" "Seems the honey fairly drips" "You're confection Goodness knows" "You're my honeysuckle rose" " 'Cause it's one" " Two" " Three strikes, you're out" " Three strikes, you're out" " At the old ball game" " At the old ball game" "When Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly teamed up for a series of films the results were irresistible." "This is one of their best, Take Me Out to the Ball Game." "Thou swell, thou witty" "Thou sweet, thou grand" "Wouldst kiss me pretty?" "Wouldst hold my hand?" "Both thine eyes are cute too" "What they do to me" "Hear me holler I choose a sweet lollapalooza in thee" "June Allyson, MGM's most popular musical sweetheart in Rodgers and Hart's Words and Music." "Two rooms and kitchen" "I'm sure would do" "Give me just a plot of" "Not a lot of land" "And thou swell" "Thou witty, thou grand" "Everybody's favorite college musical Good News, starring June Allyson and Peter Lawford." "Those sure were the good old days." "The boy, "garçon"" "His girl, "la fille"" "That's good, "c'est bon"" "The show, "fini"" "The moral to this tale Is not just "parlez-vous"" "Send her a billet-doux" "Tell her her eyes are blue" "They sure are blue." ""Je vous adore" means" "I love you" "What wonderful years those were at MGM." "One day, I remember meeting a terribly handsome young man from England." "He'd just started work at the studio." "Naturally, I fell wildly in love with him." "I still adore him." "He's still one of my closest and dearest friends." "Peter Lawford." "This building, or what's left of it was, among other things, Tait College in Good News." "You might say that June Allyson, Mel Tormé and I graduated from here." "We were all under contract to MGM in those days." "And the studio pretty much told us what pictures we were gonna appear in." "They put us in dramas, comedies and in my case don't ask me why, an occasional musical." "As a singer or dancer, I was ill-equipped to compete with Astaire or Kelly but we did what we were told to do." "When I first came to MGM, the world was at war." "To the Gls overseas and the audiences here at home the musicals were a very special kind of escape both during the war and sfterwards." "The films we made here had a certain style a look that was unmistakable." "Whether it was the directing, or the writing, or the scenery the costumes, the lighting, I don't really know." "But somehow you could always tell that it was an MGM movie." "Especially the musicals." "All right, cut it." " Print it, Jane." " Okay." "All right, take me into number one." "Okay, number one." "Can you see your marks, Joe?" "Okay, everybody." " Quiet!" "We're rolling." "Speed." "Action." "The studio was constantly experimenting constantly showcasing new talent." "For instance, Debbie Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter in Two Weeks with Love." "Bab-a, dab-a, dab-a" "Said the chimpy to the monk" "Said the monkey to the chimp" "All night long they'd chatter away All day long they were happy and gay" "Swinging and singing In a honky-tonky way" "Bab-a, dab-a, dab-a" "Means, "Monk, I love but you"" ""Bab-a, dab-a, dab-a" in monkey talk Means, "Chimp, I love you too"" "Then the big baboon, one night in June He married them, and very soon" "They went upon their Aba daba honeymoon" "Elizabeth Taylor starred in A Date With Judy one of the first in a new wave of teenage musicals most of them produced by Joe Pasternak." "That isn't Elizabeth's voice you're hearing." "MGM kept her too busy to rehearse and record." "But her costar, Jane Powell, quickly became one of the studio's most popular young talents." "As an old" "Native-born" "Californian would say" "It's a most unusual day" "There are people greeting people" "There is sunshine everywhere" "There are people greeting people" "And a feeling of spring in the air" "It's a most unusual time" "I keep feeling my temperature climb" "If my heart won't behave in the usual way" "Well, there's only one thing to say" "It's a most unusual Most unusual" "Most unusual day" "Here she comes!" "Hey, Jim, you better get the rig" "She's got a list of passengers That's pretty big" "And they'll all want lifts to Brown's Hotel" "'Cause lots of them been travelin' For quite a spell" "All the way to California" "On the Atchison, Topeka" "On the Atchison, Topeka And the Santa Fe" "The Harvey Girls, directed by George Sidney starred Judy Garland and Ray Bolger." "And this Oscar-winning song was written by Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer." "In this day and age Girls don't leave home" "But if ya get a hankerin' You wanna roam" "Our advice to you is run away" "On the Atchison, Topeka And the" "Santa Fe" "All aboard!" "We came across the country lickety-split Rolling 90 miles an hour, fit to be tied" "I can't believe I'm here at last" "When you go traveling It's natch for you" "To take the Atchison, Topeka And the Santa Fe" "I can't believe that anything Would go so fast" "Then you pull that throttle" "Whistle blows" "A- huffin' and a-puffin' And away she goes" "All aboard for California" " On the Atchison" " On the Atchison" " On the Atchison, Topeka" " On the Atchison, Topeka" " On the Atchison, Topeka and" " On the Atchison, Topeka and" "On the Atchison, Topeka And the" "Santa Fe" "By the 1950s, the movie musical was reaching a level of inventiveness and sophistication that was pretty hard to top even by today's standards." "But it wasn't always like that." "And here's someone to tell you about it." "And he's pretty hard to top too." "Mr. James Stewart." "In the late 1920s and early '30s these 200 acres of real estate were seeing a panic, pandemonium." "Sound pictures had replaced silent films virtually overnight." "The only actor in town that wasn't worried was Rin Tin Tin." "As long as he could bark, well, sound was no threat to him." "For MGM and the rest of Hollywood there were gloomy days ahead." "Some of the biggest silent stars spoke with thick foreign accents." "Others had a lisp or talked through their noses." "The early microphones seemed to exaggerate the flaws that silent film had hidden." "As quickly as the sound stages went up, careers collapsed." "The studio heads were desperate." "Where would the new stars, the new personalities come from, they wondered." "Well, the answer was obvious." "From the theater, from Broadway." "Theatrical experience suddenly became a passport to Hollywood even if it meant no more than a few weeks of summer stock." "Over the next few years, a steady stream of hopefuls marched through the gates of every studio in town, including MGM." "I should know, I was one of those hungry young actors from the East." " Sam, is everything all right?" " Okay, Fred." " How are the cameras?" " All right." "Bob, how are your lights?" "All set, whenever you are." "Good." "How's the music...?" "Musicals were the most popular commodity in the early '30s." "And they were cranked out at an incredible rate." "Most of them really weren't very good." "But if audiences suffered, they didn't complain." "The real victims were the dramatic actors." "The studio pushed nearly every one of them into musical roles." "It must be you" "Who carries me away" "Here, an uncomfortable Robert Montgomery tries his best." "But when you're near" "The music in my soul" "Would fade each time we part" "Bob Montgomery was only one of many MGM contract players forced to sing and dance." "In the frantic search for musical stars, many would be called but few would succeed." "Here's one of my favorites." "And I know you all like her too." "Because she's the personification of youth and beauty and joy and happiness, Joan Crawford." "Did you ever see somebody Who could love somebody" "Much as I love you?" "Huh, did you?" "You're the kind of sweet somebody Who could love somebody" "How about me too, huh?" "Oh, my You're the one I crave" "I could be your slave" "Honey, let me rave" "Got a feelin' for you" "Crazy about your smile" "Hey, an easy style" "Got it all the time" "Got a feelin' for you" "Like your turned-up nose" "Like your knees down low" "From your head to toe" "Got a feelin' for you" "Did you ever see somebody Who could love somebody" "Much as I love you?" "You're the kind of sweet somebody Who could love somebody" "Could you love me too?" "You're the one I crave" "I could be your slave" "Honey, let me say Got a feelin' for you" "What'll you ever be?" "What'll you ever do?" "How'll you ever know If you don't take a chance?" "Jean Harlow, the blonde bombshell tried out her musical abilities in Reckless." "I wanna live, love, learn a lot" "I'll light my candle And I'll burn a lot" "You'll have some bad shots Hard knocks" "I'm on my own if I bruise" "And there'll be smiles here Shouts here" "And I can take it on the chin if I lose Because I'm reckless" "Because she's reckless" "Reckless" "Because I'm reckless" "I'm gonna go places And look life in the face" "Hey." "Did I remember" "Jean Harlow's musical talents were somewhat limited and the studio usually used someone else's voice for her vocals." "But in a movie called Suzy, her costar, Cary Grant, did his own singing." "And darn well too." "How do you know?" "You didn't hear it." "I assure you I heard every word." "Let me convince you." "Sit down." "Gentlemen, play it again." "You be the audience." "Did I remember to tell you you're delightful?" "You're everything I want you to be." "Your eyes look lovely And far beyond comparing" "Especially when they're glaring At me" "I can't think up words to say How swell you are" "But I can tell you are" "I know so well you are" "I started falling The moment that I saw you" "Believe me, I adore you Chérie" "I'm sure you'll hate to hear" "That I adore you, dear" "But grant me just the same" "I'm not entirely to blame" "For you'd be" "So easy to love" "I was lucky enough to sing a Cole Porter song in Born to Dance with Eleanor Powell." "At first, the studio planned to have someone else record the vocal." "But the tune became such a big hit that they decided to let me do it." "You see they figured the song was so good that even my singing couldn't hurt it." "We'd be so grand" "At the game" "So carefree together" "That it does seem a shame" "That you can't see" "Your future with me" "'Cause you'd be, oh" "So easy to love" "I know that you'll join us in giving a really rousing, rip-roaring reception to Harry Van and Les Blondes." "Mr. Van." "Norma Shearer and Edward Arnold looked on as Clark Gable made his musical debut in Idiot's Delight." "Hello, people, and thanks a lot for that very lovely reception." "Thanks a million, and I won't settle for a cent less." "In our modest act tonight, we'll be ably assisted by Professor Palova and his talented team." "Give them a hand, folks." "Okey-dokey, fellas." "Take it away." " This will be amusing, Achille." " I hope so." "If you're blue and you don't know Where to go to" "Why don't you go Where Harlem sits?" "Puttin' on the Ritz" "Spangled gowns upon the bevy Of highbrows" "But down the levee All misfits" "Puttin' on the Ritz" "That's where each and every Lulu Belle goes" "Every Thursday evening With her swell beaus" "Rubbing elbows" "Come with me and we'll attend The jubilee" "And see them spend Their last two bits" "Puttin' on the Ritz" "Clark Gable surprised everyone with his delightfully corny routine." "And yet, his fans were just outraged to see him even try singing and dancing." "Their hero was above such nonsense." "But it was perfectly all right for a youngster named Judy Garland to dedicate a song to their idol." "Dear Mr. Gable" "I am writing this to you" "And I hope that you will read it So you'll know" "My heart beats like a hammer" "And I stutter and I stammer" "Every time I see you At the picture show" "I guess I'm just another fan of yours" "And I thought I'd write And tell you so" "You made me love you" "I didn't wanna do it" "You made me love you" "And all the time you knew it" "I guess you always knew it" "You made me happy" "Sometimes you made me glad" "But there were times, sir" "You made me feel so sad" "You made me sigh 'cause" "I didn't wanna tell you" "I think you're grand" "That's true" "Yes, I do, 'deed I do You know I do" "I don't care what happens Let the whole world stop" "As far as I'm concerned You'll always be the top" "'Cause you know" "You made me" "Love you" ""Dear Mr. Gable" was a milestone in its day." "It was the first time a studio permitted a song to be dedicated to one of its stars." "And it was sung by a little girl who would soon become MGM's newest star." "And here's someone who can tell you more about that remarkable talent." "He's a remarkable talent himself." "Mickey Rooney." "This is Carvel Street." "For anyone who's ever seen an Andy Hardy movie well, this is where they were all shot, right here." "Over there, that was Polly Benedict's home across the street." "And this was the home of the Hardy family." "The picket fence is gone, and the mailbox too but it's still the Hardy home." "It might seem strange that a person could spend over 20 years growing up on the same movie set." "But in a way, that's what happened to me." "I was about 10 years old when I first came to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and I was raring to go." "The movie was Broadway to Hollywood." "And you guessed it, it was a musical." "Well, we..." "We all change a little over the years, don't we?" "You know, when you've been raised at a studio, the way I was you learn a certain ability that time can't seem to erase." "You learn to recognize real talent." "You see so many people come and go that when an exceptional talent comes along it seems to stick out like a sore thumb." "I was a seasoned veteran of 17 when I first had the opportunity of working with the great and wonderful Judy Garland." "I knew when I saw her standing before the camera that she had that certain magic." "Her talent seemed to jump right off the screen at you." "Do re mi fa so la ti do" "Judy and I became close friends when we did a series of films together that the studio called "backyard musicals. "" "Audiences seemed to love the pictures even though the plots were suspiciously alike." "Only our names seemed to change." "How do you do?" "Good morning." "I'm Betsy Booth." " I sing, you know." " I know, I heard you." "You're Andy Hardy, aren't you?" "This is Barbara Jo." "This is Mr. Williams." "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Williams." "Danny, this is my grandchild, Ms. Ginger Gray." " Yes, we've met." " This is my cousin, Ms. Polly Williams." "Mr. Daniel Churchill, a junior." "Ms. Barton, this is Ms. Essex, the once famous "Baby Rosalie. "" "How do you do?" "This is Mickey Moran." "How do you do?" "My name's Williams, Tommy Williams." "What's yours?" " I don't think I like you." " Thank you." "You're welcome." " I want success." " And you'll have it." "I know you will, Mickey." "Just think when our names are up in electric lights." "You the big composer and producer, and me the singing star." "We could have our own great modern dance orchestra." "We've got everything we need here." "We've got the brass the piano and the reeds." "We can make our own arrangements, specialties and play for all the dances." "We've gotta have a great show with a million laughs." "And color, a lot of lights to make it sparkle." "And songs, wonderful songs with you out there selling them." "It'll be wonderful." "Say, that's not a bad idea." "We could put on our own show." "That'd be different." "Why, it looks as if you'll need a whole city block." "Yeah." "Sure, that's it." "Right in the neighborhood, and everybody'll come to it." "A Western rodeo, once a year we'll bring back the West." " Daniel Boone." " Jesse James, Buffalo Bill." " A hundred beautiful girls." " On horseback." " Glorious costumes, happy, carefree." " Gay!" "I'm gonna write a show for us right here in Seaport." "It'd be the most up-to-date thing these hicks around here have seen." "Opening night, we'll have Max Gordon and Sam Harris down to give us the once-over." "How about it, kids?" " They call us babes in arms" " We never dance" " They think they must direct us" " But no chance" " But if we're babes in arms" " High romance" " We'll make them all respect us" " Why, oh, why" "Why have we got our arms" "What have we got our sight for?" "Play day is done We've a place in the sun" "We must fight for" "When our movies took off at the box office we found our budgets taking off too." "So they moved Judy and I out of the backyard and into the barn then to the high school gym and later to a Broadway stage that would never have fit in a real theater." "Where we got all that energy, I'll never know." "But a lot of it was inspired by our director, a genius Busby Berkeley." "Small town Living in a small town" "When you're in a small town You gotta make friends" " One, two, three" " One, two, three" "Watch them shuffling along" "See them shuffling along" "Go take your best gal Your real pal" "Go down on the levee I said to the levee" "And we'll join that shuffling throng" "Hear that music and song" "It's simply great, mate" "Waitin' on the levee" "Waitin' for the Robert E. Lee" "We're babes on Broadway" "We're goin' places" "When our new faces appear" "It's a wonderful street For babes like us to be on" "We're here because We want our names in neon" "We left Topeka We left Eureka" "And came to seek a career" "Oh, we're milking' applause Instead of milking' a cow" "'Cause we're babes on Broadway now" "With our flag unfurled" "We can face the world" "Hey, leader" "Strike up the band" "There's another fellow who worked on this lot with Judy and some of MGM's best musicals are a direct result of his considerable talents." "Gene Kelly." "This is MGM's New York street." "And for as long as I can remember this has been the busiest standing set on the whole backlot." "Any actor or actress who made more than one or two films at this studio sooner or later probably would find himself shooting a sequence here." "Which reminds me, if you're a song-and-dance man and you've spent some time in pictures inevitably, some interviewer will ask:" ""Who was your favorite dancing partner?" "Was it Rita Hayworth, or Vera-Ellen, or Leslie Caron?"" "But if you're smart, you'll never give them a straight answer." "I'm gonna break that rule right now." "It may not be gallant but I'd like to show you the greatest partner I've ever danced with." "When you dance with Fred Astaire, you really have to be on your toes." "This number from Ziegfeld Follies was the only time we've had a chance to work together." "But I'd change my name to Ginger if we could do it again." "Fred Astaire has been the tops in every field of show business he ever entered." "And the motion-picture musical owes him a great deal." "The way you wear your hat" "The way you sip your tea" "The memory of all that" "No, no They can't take that away from me" "The way your smile just beams" "The way you sing off-key" "The way you haunt my dreams" "No, no They can't take that away from me" "When he starred in a series of musicals with Ginger Rogers they quickly became the most popular dance team in the history of motion pictures." "But for Fred, as an individual it was only the beginning of a screen career that would delight several generations of moviegoers." "Stand up and sing" "We've got the gang together" "We always sang together" "Stand up and sing" "Over the years, Fred Astaire's trademark would become the top hat and tails." "He wore the outfit in his very first film appearance Dancing Lady with Joan Crawford." "I guess I'll have to change my plan" "I should have realized There'd be another man" "Jack Buchanan, the debonair British musical star joined Fred in The Band Wagon." "Until the big affair began" "Before I knew where I was at" "I found myself upon the shelf And that was that" "I tried to reach the moon" "But when I got there" "All that I could get was the air" "My feet are back upon the ground" "I've lost the one girl I'd found" "But besides elegance, there's a lot more to the Astaire style." "Fred was constantly striving for perfection." "Rehearsing hour sfter hour searching for a new step or a new device that would bring something fresh to each of his numbers." "Because of his ingenuity and precision audiences never realized how much incredible effort Fred poured into his work." "He made it all appear so easy." "In Royal Wedding, Fred danced with a hat rack." "And as usual, he made his partner look good." "In The Barkleys of Broadway Fred and choreographer Hermes Pan conceived the brilliant "Shoes With Wings On" number." "Fred and director Stanley Donen collaborated on this mind-boggling routine from Royal Wedding." "Movie buffs are still arguing about how it was done." "The gimmicks Fred used were exciting and fun." "But his talents were so extraordinary that he could easily get along without them." "This is the Astaire I love to watch." "With a lovely partner like Cyd Charisse a simple settling a marvelous song by Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz these are the only ingredients Fred would need to create a classic moment." ""Dancing in the Dark" from The Band Wagon." "Fred Astaire was and is a unique talent." "There'll never be another like him and that's what I love about our profession." "Because every so often an artist comes along who's impossible to compare with anyone else." "Here's another of my favorite dancing partners Donald O'Connor." "MGM seemed to acquire talent the way you and I pick up paper clips by the handful." "When I was at the studio we were up to our ears in tenors, baritones, tap dancers, pianists and they were all good." "But this set belonged pretty much to one star and one star alone." "I only wish we'd had a chance to work together." "Well, she was not only a lovely actress, with a beautiful face and figure but she could also sing and dance, and even handle comedy." "And if that wasn't enough, she was dynamite in the water." "Of course I'm talking about Ms. Esther Williams." "A champion swimmer Esther was working as a model in a Los Angeles department store when MGM talent scouts discovered her." "The studio built a special swimming pool for her on the backlot and starred her in a film called Bathing Beauty." "The rest is history." "MGM featured Esther in a series of spectacular productions." "During her career, she swam opposite some of MGM's most popular leading men." "Some of them even got their hair wet." "Like Howard Keel Fernando Lamas, whom she would later marry Van Johnson Peter Lawford Ricardo Montalban even Tom and Jerry." "Jimmy Durante and Red Skelton." "As her fame grew so did the size and population of her swimming pools." "Esther no longer could simply climb up a diving board and jump in." "Now, she had to be presented like Venus rising from the sea." "In the ranks of great musical stars, there have been singers, dancers musicians, even ice skaters." "But MGM saw to it there was only one Esther Williams." "Eat your heart out, Mark Spitz." "People say that performers are overly affectionate with one another." "And that may be true." "I don't have to apologize for the way I feel about a young lady that I worked with here at MGM." "I love her." "And she's as big a hit right now on Broadway as she was here in Hollywood." "She never stops." "Miss Debbie Reynolds." "I made my first movie for MGM back in 1950." "Remember Three Little Words?" "Hey, fellas, can we borrow your piano just a minute?" "Of course, the real stars were Fred Astaire and Red Skelton but see that funny-looking kid coming down the steps?" "Look out, Hollywood." "Here I come." "I wanna be loved by you alone" "Boop-boop-bee-doo" "I wanna be loved by you Just you" "And nobody else but you" "I wanna be loved by you" "Alone" "Carleton Carpenter and I only did this one number in the picture." "But it certainly helped our careers." "Even though the voice wasn't mine MGM brought in the song's originator, Helen Kane, to sing the vocal." "And make you my own" "Bap-bap-bee-dap Boop-boop-ba-doo" "I wanna be loved by you Just you" "And nobody else but you" "I wanna be loved by you" "Bap-bap-bee-dap-bee-dap-bee-dap Boop-boop-ba-doo" "When I first reported at the studio MGM was celebrating its 25th anniversary." "They had converted the biggest sound stage on the lot into a restaurant." "They only served one meal, but it was a lunch that old-timers still talk about." "The studio used to boast that it had more stars than there are in the heavens." "And that day, they weren't kidding." "The first time I met the king, Clark Gable he looked down at me and said, "Hello, beautiful. "" "And I nearly fainted." "This place was the land of giants, and I was a small fry." "But like any other young hopeful, I was determined that somehow and someday I'd measure up." "In the early 1950s MGM was entering a new era of motion pictures with more star power than virtually every other studio in Hollywood combined." "I've gotta hear that beat I've gotta hear those drums" "And even when it comes to romance" "When I feel that I might fall" "I always stall and play it smart" "Till I hear that beat" "I've gotta hear that beat" "That certain beat in my heart" "Ann Miller, the best tap-dancing lady on the lot." "Annie's talents and Busby Berkeley's imaginative direction were a perfect combination in Small Town Girl." "Be my love" "For no one else can..." "A truck driver from Philadelphia became the most sensational new voice in motion pictures." "Mario Lanza." "He made only a few films." "And The Toast of New Orleans with Kathryn Grayson was one of his best." "Just fill my arms The way you've filled my dreams" "The dreams that you inspire" "With every sweet desire" "Be my love" "And with your kisses set me burning" "One kiss is all I need to seal my fate" "And hand in hand" "We'll find love's promised land" "There'll be no one but you for me" "Eternally" "If you will be" "My love" "Make 'em laugh Make 'em laugh" "Don't you know Everyone wants to laugh" "Donald O'Connor in Singin' in the Rain in my opinion, the funniest musical number ever done." "They'll be standin' in lines" "For those old honky-tonk monkeyshines" "Or you could study Shakespeare And be quite elite" "And you can charm the critics And have nothin' to eat" "Just slip on a banana peel The world's at your feet" "Make 'em laugh Make 'em laugh" "Make 'em laugh" "Don't you know Everyone wants to laugh" "My grandpa said Go out and tell 'em a joke" "But give it plenty of hoke" "Make 'em roar, make 'em scream" "Take a fall, butt a wall, split a seam" "You start off by pretending You're a dancer with grace" "You wiggle 'till they're giggling All over the place" "And then you get a great big Custard pie in the face" "Make 'em laugh Make 'em laugh" "Make 'em laugh" "Make 'em laugh Don't you..." "All the..." "My dad..." "They'll be standing in lines" "For those old honky-tonk monkeyshines" "Make 'em laugh Make 'em laugh" "Don't you know" "Make 'em laugh" "PEOPLE Cotton Blossom" "Cotton Blossom" "The showboat's coming." "Come on, mule." "Git." "Show Boat, one of the best musical films MGM ever made." "It starred Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Marge and Gower Champion Joe E. Brown, William Warfield and Ava Gardner." "See the showboat" "That's old Captain Andy's Cotton Blossom" "Will you go?" "Are you coming to the show?" "'Twill be delightful" "Right, right, rightfully they say There's not another show" "Don't you want to see the show?" "Captain Andy has gathered a troupe in the Greatest of dramas and jolly comedies" "Stephen Baker The handsomest leading man" "And beautiful Julie LaVerne as well" "Cotton Blossom, Cotton Blossom" "Captain Andy's floating show" "Thrills and laughter, concert sfter" "Everybody's sure to go" "Leave the lumber in the sawmill" "Leave the cotton on the stalk" "Make believe" "Our lips are blending" "In a phantom kiss" "Or two or three" "Might as well make believe" "I love you" "For to tell the truth" "I do" "Ol' man tiver" "That ol' man river" "He must know somethin'" "But don't say nothin'" "He just keeps rollin'" "He keeps on rollin'" "Along" "You and me, we sweat and strain" "Body all aching and racked with pain" "Tote that barge and lift that bale" "You get a little drunk" "And you land in" "Jail" "I gets weary" "And sick of trying" "I'm tired of living" "And scared of dying" "But ol' man river" "He just keeps rolling" "Along" "I'll go my way by myself" "Like a bird on the wing" "I remember something else I learned at the studio during my stay there." "MGM's motto:" ""Do it big, do it right, and give it class. "" "I'd like you to meet someone who certainly measures up to that phrase." "He's the classiest gentleman I've ever worked with." "Mr. Fred Astaire." "I'm by myself" "Alone" "I have a great many fond memories about this place." "So many happy moments worrying about whether or not we were getting the job done." "What fun." "We shot some of The Band Wagon here." "Being here again brings to mind some of the wonderful people I've worked with over the years." "One of them in particular is my long-time friend Gene Kelly." "In The Pirate with the Nicholas Brothers Gene displayed the rough-and-tumble kind of acrobatic dancing that quickly became a popular part of his repertoire." "From the start, Gene was constantly experimenting from classical ballet to a burlesque buck-and-wing." "He was determined to broaden the horizons of the film musical." "And in doing so, he became one of the most versatile and original performers the movies have ever known." "Kelly was forever breaking rules." "Though the studio often tried to stop him Gene insisted on doing his own stunts." "His bosses always seemed to find out about it sfter the scene had been shot." "But audiences loved the sight of Gene himself flying through the air in film sfter film." "New York, New York, a wonderful town" "The Bronx is up and the Battery's down" "The people ride in a hole in the ground" "New York, New York It's a wonderful town" "In On the Town with Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin Manhattan became the backdrop for this unforgettable romp." "A tribute to Gene's persistence it was the first major musical to be filmed on location." "The famous places to visit are so many" "Or so the guidebooks say" "I told my grandpa I wouldn't miss on any" "But we got just one day" "Gotta see the whole town Right from Yonkers on down to the bay" "In just one day" "New York, New York, a wonderful town" "The Bronx is up and the Battery's down" "The people ride in a hole in the ground" "New York, New York It's a wonderful town" "Manhattan women are all in silk and satin" "Or so the fellas say" "There's just one thing necessary In Manhattan" "When you got just one day" "Gotta pick up a date, maybe seven or eight On your way" "In just one day" "New York, New York, a wonderful town" "The Bronx is up and the Battery's down" "The people ride in a hole in the ground" "New York, New York" "It's a wonderful town" "I've had a lot of partners in my day." "But can you imagine a grown man dancing with a mouse?" "Well, Gene did just that in Anchors Aweigh." "His dancing partner was Jerry the Mouse of Tom and Jerry fame." "Critics said it was the most effective use of live and animation technique ever put on film." "And I certainly agree." "Look at me." "I'm dancing." "More than any other star, I think Gene Kelly became the symbol of the MGM musical of the 1950s." "And here's a classic routine that audiences would never forget." "This is my favorite number from one of his very best musicals Singin' in the Rain." "I'm singin' in the rain" "Just singin' in the rain" "What a glorious feelin'" "I'm happy again" "I'm laughing at clouds" "So dark up above" "The sun's in my heart" "And I'm ready for love" "Let the stormy clouds chase" "Everyone from the place" "Come on with the rain" "I've a smile on my face" "I walk down the lane" "With a happy refrain" "Just singin'" "Singin' in the rain" "Dancin' in the rain" "I'm happy again" "I'm singin' and dancin' in the rain" "I'm dancin' and singin'" "In the rain" "The finale to the Broadway ballet from Singin' in the Rain seems to me to exemplify the genius of Gene Kelly." "Actor, singer, dancer, choreographer and director." "Gotta dance" "Gotta dance" "Gotta dance Gotta dance" "That's the Broadway" "Melody" "You've seen Gene Kelly's work on the screen." "I think I've said it all." "He's one of those rare talents who really understands what the movie musical is all about." "Now I'd like you to meet someone that recently joined the gang." "If Hollywood breeding could be compared to royalty then she would certainly be our crown princess." "I remember so well when she, as a tiny little girl used to sit on the set watching her father, Vincente Minnelli directing me in several pictures." "Her mother, the fabulous Judy Garland." "Yet this young lady has made it all on her own." "Yes, she has." "Miss Liza Minnelli." "The first studio I'd ever been inside was MGM." "I can't really say that I grew up here." "But I know that for over 10 years, I'd race like crazy after school to get down here and visit whatever set my parents were on." "You may not know this but I made my film debut at MGM." "MINNELLl:" "In the very last shot for The Good Old Summertime they needed a little girl to play the daughter of Van Johnson and Mama." "Guess who got the part." "There she is, folks." "What personality." "No wonder I didn't get any billing." "It's no wonder this place will always be a part of me." "My father directed dozens of films here and Mama, well, this was her home for over 15 years and 30 films." "It began in 1935." "MINNELLl:" "In an MGM musical short a vaudeville team called the Gumm Sisters made their first appearance on film." "Twelve-year-old Frances was the standout and talent scouts from MGM decided to give her a chance." "But first they changed her name from Frances Gumm to Judy Garland." "The studio put Mom in another short subject." "This time they paired her off with a young operatic singer named Deanna Durbin." "These musical shorts were like a screen test." "In those days, if you came across in a two-reeler you just might have a chance in a real musical." "Swing" "North, south, east, west Just swing" "You'll find that swing is best Swing" "Make it a national thing" "You'll find" "There is a chance for romance" "Here on the dance floor, so dance" "Dance, dance, dance" "America" "MINNELLl:" "Although MGM would drop Deanna Durbin some executives at the studio pleaded to keep my mother under contract." "And they finally won." "Well, they kept her at MGM just barely." "She spent the next few years in low-budget musicals." "Once in a while, she'd appear as a sort of novelty act in a big extravaganza like the Broadway Melody of 1938 with Buddy Ebsen." "Mama once told me MGM seemed obsessed with Shirley Temple." "They even offered 20th Century Fox Jean Harlow and Clark Gable just to get Temple for a certain picture Metro was preparing." "But the deal fell through." "So MGM finally went ahead with the picture and let Mama play the role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz." "You're off to see the wizard The wonderful wizard of Oz" "You'll find he is a whiz of a wiz If ever a wiz there was" "If ever, oh, ever a wiz there was The wizard of Oz is one because" "Because, because, because Because, because" "Because of the wonderful things he does" "I'm afraid there's no denyin' I'm just a dandelion" "A fate I don't deserve" "I'd be brave as a blizzard" "I'd be gentle as a lizard" "I'd be clever as a gizzard" "If the Wizard is a Wizard Who will serve" "Then I'm sure to get a brain" " A heart" " A home" "The nerve" "MINNELLl:" "The Wizard of Oz finally did it for Mama." "With Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr she really started off on the road to success." "Whatever rocks or bumps there were in that road she never let it show in her films." "For Mama, it was straight up all the way." "Somewhere over the rainbow" "Way up high" "There's a land that I heard of" "Once in a lullaby" "Somewhere over the rainbow" "Skies are blue" "And the dreams that you dare to dream" "Really do come true" "Someday I'll wish upon a star" "And wake up where the clouds are far" "Behind me" "Where troubles melt like lemon drops" "Away above the chimney tops" "That's where you'll find me" "They're writing songs of love" "But not for me" "A lucky star's above" "But not for me" "With love to lead the way" "I've found more skies of gray" "Than any Russian play" "Could guarantee" "Clang, clang, clang went the trolley" "Ding, ding, ding went the bell" "Zing, zing, zing went my heartstrings" "From the moment I saw him, I fell" "Chug, chug, chug went the motor" "Bump, bump, bump went the brake" "Thump, thump, thump Went my heartstrings" "When he smiled I could feel the car shake" "He tipped his hat and took a seat" "He said he hoped He hadn't stepped upon my feet" "He asked my name, I held my breath" "I couldn't speak Because he scared me half to death" "Howdy Doody!" "Chug, chug, chug went the motor" "Flop, flop, flop went the wheels" "Stop, stop, stop went my heartstrings" "As he started to go Then I started to know" "How it feels" "When the universe reels" "If you like-a me, like I like-a you" "And we like-a both the same" "I like-a say this very day" "I like-a change your name" "'Cause I love-a you and love-a you true" "And if you-a love-a me" "One live as two, two live as one" "Under the bamboo tree" "How can I ignore" "The boy next door" "I love him more than I can say" "Doesn't try to please me" "Doesn't even tease me" "And he never sees me" "Glance his way" "MINNELLl:" "Summer Stock was Mama's final film for MGM." "Her last days of shooting here were devoted to this number which a lot of people including myself feel was one of her very best." "Forget your troubles Come on, get happy" "You better chase all your cares away" "Shout hallelujah Come on, get happy" "Get ready for the judgment day" "The sun is shining Come on, get happy" "The Lord is waiting to take your hand" "Shout hallelujah Come on, get happy" "We're going to the promised land" "We're heading across the river" "Wash your sins away in the tide" "It's all so peaceful on the other side" "Forget your troubles Come on, get happy" "You better chase all your cares away" "Shout hallelujah Come on, get happy" "Get ready for the judgment day" "Forget your troubles Come on, get happy" "Chase your cares away" "Hallelujah Get happy" "Before the judgment day" "The sun is shining Come on, get happy" "The Lord is waiting to take your hand" "Shout hallelujah Come on, get happy" "We're going to be going to the promised land" "Shout hallelujah Come on, get happy" "You better chase all your cares away" "Shout hallelujah Come on, get happy" "Get ready" "For the judgment day" "Thank God for film." "It can capture a performance and hold it right there forever." "And if anyone says to you, "Who was he?" or "Who was she?"" "Or "What made them so good?"" "I think a piece of film answers that question better than any words I know of." "My generation..." "Well, we're just beginning." "It takes a lot of film and a lot of experience and a lot of talent to become a real star." "Now here's somebody who I think qualifies on all of those counts." "Oh, boy." "Mr. Bing Crosby." "You know, one sound stage, well, it looks pretty much like another." "But a backlot, out here where they shoot the exteriors that seems to me that the backlot reflects the personality the character of its studio." "This was the biggest and I think, perhaps, the best backlot in all of Hollywood." "Of course the old backlot looks a little shabby right now, sort of scruffy kind of an illusion on an illusion but that's because most Hollywood filmmakers they don't use backlots any more." "They prefer the real thing." "Hollywood" "Hollywood" "I remember when I did my first musical at this studio they designed a big production number." "It was all to take place in a vast Manhattan railroad terminal." "Of course we didn't bother to go to New York City." "MGM simply recreated Grand Central Station added a couple of thousand extras and filmed the whole number right here." "Once again" "Goodbye, pal" "Out where they say Let us be gay" "I'm going Hollywood" "I'll ballyhoo greetings to you" "I'm going Hollywood" "Say, while you sleepyheads Are in that hay" "I'll be dancing" "I'm gonna be dancing With a sun-kissed baby" "And I'm on my way" "Here's my beret" "I'm going Hollywood" "Well, it was vigorous." "Spirited, anyhow." "I was, what you might call, a casual participant in MGM musicals because over 20 years went by between the little effort which you've just seen and my next attempt." "And I found fantastic changes had occurred." "They had color, oh, stereophonic sound, even wide screens." "And MGM, in a loose moment, had decided to give me another chance in a little pastiche to be called High Society." "This starred Grace Kelly, Louis Armstrong, and Celeste Holm and was directed by Chuck Walters." "Oh, yes, there was another featured performer in there." "What was his name?" "A brash young newcomer." "Frank, uh..." "A clever kid." "He had a lot to offer too." "Frank, uh..." "Well, you'll recognize him when you see the footage." "Have you heard about dear Blanche?" " Got run down by an avalanche" " No." "Don't worry, she's a game girl, you know." "Got up and finished fourth." " Kid's got guts." " Having a nice time?" "Grab a line." " Have you heard that Mimsie Starr" " What now?" " She got pinched in the Astor Bar" " Sauced again, eh?" "She was stoned." " Well, did you ever?" " Never." "What a swell party this is" " I'm gonna have a drink." " I may have a bit of the bubbly myself." " I'm gonna dance." " Don't get hurt." "Oh, no." " It's great" " It's great" " It's grand" " So grand" "It's wonderland" " We sing" " We sing" " So rare" " So rare" "Like old Camembert" "Like baba au rhum" "Don't dig that kinda crooning', chum" "You must be one of the newer fellas." "Have you heard?" "It's in the stars" "Next July we collide with Mars" "Well, did you ever?" "What a swell party" "Swell party" "Swellegant, elegant party This is" "While I give to you" "And you give to me" "True love" "So on and on" "It'll always be" "True love" "For you and I" "Have a guardian angel" "On high" "With nothing to do" "But to give to you" "And to give to me" "Love forever" "True" "Love forever" "True" "I'm recalling times when I was falling" "Like a free jubilee day" "Get this cast:" "Russ Tamblyn, Vic Damone, Tony Martin Kay Armen, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell, Ann Miller and the Pacific Fleet in Hit the Deck." "Sing hallelujah, hallelujah" "And you'll shoo the blues away" "When cares pursue ya Hallelujah" "Gets you thru the darkest day" "Satan lies a-waitin'" " And creating' skies of gray" " Skies of gray" "But hallelujah, hallelujah" "Helps to shoo the clouds away" "Satan lies a-waitin'" " And creating' skies of gray" " Hallelu" "But hallelujah, hallelujah" "Hallelujah, hallelujah" "Helps to shoo the clouds away" "Sing hallelu-lu-lu-lu-lu-lujah" "The next time anyone says that dancing is for sissies remind them of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." "Produced by Jack Cummings, directed by Stanley Donen and choreographed by Michael Kidd it's perhaps the most vivid and exuberant ballet ever put on film." "Gigi Am I a fool without a mind" "Or have I merely been too blind to realize" "Oh, Gigi" "Why you've been growing up Before my eyes" "Gigi" "You're not at all That funny awkward little girl" "I knew" "Oh, no" "Overnight there's been A breathless change" "In you" "One of the finest musicals ever made Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's Gigi." "It was that rare blend of story and song and it starred Leslie Caron, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gingold and the marvelous Maurice Chevalier." "All under the inspired direction of Vincente Minnelli." " May I come in?" " Yes." "Gaston, please." "No newspapers, no scandal." "Madame, will you do me the honor the favor give me the infinite joy of bestowing on me Gigi's hand in marriage." "Thank heaven." "For little girls" "For little girls get bigger every day" "Thank heaven for little girls" "They grow up in the most delightful way" "Those little eyes So helpless and appealing" "One day will flash and send you crashin'" "Through the ceiling" "Thank heaven for little girls" "Thank heaven for them all" "No matter where, no matter who" "Without them, what would little boys do?" " Thank heaven" " Thank heaven" "Thank heaven" "For little girls" "Through the years, MGM has produced over 200 musical films." "And if you had to select one number from one film that would best represent the MGM musicals I have a feeling that the vote would be unanimous especially among the people who worked here and that's why we've saved the best for the last." "An American in Paris, starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron." "It won an Oscar as best picture of the year over 20 years ago." "But the ballet from that film is as timeless as the day you and I first saw it." "Produced by Arthur Freed, directed by Vincente Minnelli and choreographed by Gene Kelly it can only be described as MGM's masterpiece."