Myriam Nys This is one of the best and funniest musicals I have ever seen.I'm particularly fond of the plot line where inoffensive artists start out with a project and end up with a wholly different project : what is supposed to be a lighthearted variety show with lots of jolly, frothy numbers turns into a Faust-inspired tragedy with enough hell and damnation to stagger a televangelist. It is very recognizable because it taps into a near-universal fear of artists everywhere. You succeed in finding an ally - a backer, a publisher, a maecenas - and then the said ally begins to twist and bend your work beyond recognition. ("I read your manuscript and I love, love, love it ! It is the best psychological novel on the effects of political persecution ever written in this country ! But I'm a bit concerned about the hero's suicide - couldn't he just die of cancer ? And give him a wife and three daughters, that'll make him more human. And throw in a little poodle, rescued from a shelter. Could you include a bit about Cleopatra ? Make her a redhead, people like reading about sassy redheads.") One of the most memorable highlights is the "Girl Hunt" sequence, both a parody of and an homage to the noir genre. Both Astaire and Charisse are beyond praise and their superbly choreographed mating dance in the Bones bar lights up the screen with a nuclear intensity. The text is excellent too. Who can forget pronouncements like "She came at me in sections - more curves than a scenic railway" ? The person who wrote this spoof spoke Noir like other people speak French or Spanish. I don't know how much he (or she ?) was paid, but it wasn't enough.

mark.waltz A fading movie star returns to his roots of Broadway to try and make a come-back and encounters issues with the oh-so dramatic director who wants to musicalize "Faust", turning the simple musical comedy he wants to star in upside down with pretentious ideas. Fred Astaire never came back to Broadway after 1932's "The Gay Divorce", but after almost 20 years on the Great White Way, film stardom kept him busy in Hollywood for another 20 years before he made this film. Arthur Freed's follow-up to "Singin' in the Rain", this was a glorious salute to Broadway, almost as if Gene Kelly's character had aged into Astaire's character here, and needed Broadway to help boost his career. Under the direction of Vincent Minnelli, it is an artistic triumph that was also a commercial hit.While Fred makes his entrance escorting a very glamorous MGM star off of the train, it is obvious that all attention is on her, and to the New York press, he is a has-been. Astaire sings the solemn "By Myself" (which Judy Garland later belted angrily in "I Could Go on Singing") then heads to a 14th Street arcade where he takes over after getting "A Shine on My Shoes". This well-staged number features practically every archetype of New York character, particularly a frumpy old lady whom he scares while singing of his shoe shine. Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray are outstanding as an Adolph Green/Betty Comden type writing team, and 1920's British heartthrob Jack Buchannan is the extremely eccentric director who can't see beyond his obsession with "Oedipus Rex".After almost a decade in supporting roles in MGM musicals, Cyd Charisse moved up to leading lady, here playing an ego-driven ballet star who is brought down to earth by Astaire. Her equally egotistical ballet star is the fantastic James Mitchell (Yes, "All My Children's" Palmer Cortlandt and "Oklahoma's" Dream Curley). Charisse, who previously danced with Astaire in "Ziegfeld Follies", is a somewhat wooden actress, but when she starts to dance, the magic explodes. "Dancing in the Dark" is one of the classiest musical numbers where nobody sings, later spoofed by Steve Martin and Gilda Radner on "Saturday Night Live", and Charisse (dubbed by India Adams) is delightful in her production number, "New Sun in the Sky". Fabray, a perky Broadway star who only made a small number of films, steals the show every moment she is on, turning "Louisiana Hayride" into a cute novelty number.Buchannan loosens up when he puts on white tie and tails and proceeds to accompany Astaire in "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan". Then, in "Triplets", Fabray joins them for a feisty look at what's going on in the minds of babies. Astaire had performed this number back in the 1931 musical revue which this took the title from, a story being added to give it some substance. Newly written, "The Girl Hunt Ballet" is an artsy look at the world of a Mickey Spillane type detective and one of the few times film noir met the world of musical comedy. Charisse gets to play several parts in this and like in "Singin' in the Rain's" big "Broadway Ballet", proves her usage as a dancer in movies isn't without merit.Then, there's the glorious title song, utilized in all three editions of "That's Entertainment!". And while the Broadway stage may never have been as big as the MGM sound-stages, that really doesn't matter because "the stage is a world, the world is a stage of entertainment!".

Chris Mizerak Here's the question of the century. Is it wrong to say that the best Fred Astaire picture happens to be one without Ginger Rogers? In the case of Vincente Minnelli's wonderful 1953 musical masterpiece "The Band Wagon", I think not. This is the film that answers the question: how does MGM follow up a big hit like "Singin' in the Rain" (1952)? Well, for starters, getting Betty Comden and Adolph Green, the same screenwriters of that film, to write the script for this one is a pretty darn good idea. Furthermore, changing the focus from Hollywood to Broadway isn't a bad idea either. And instead of Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen taking over the director's chair, we'll have Vincente Minnelli, the director of "Meet Me in St. Louis" (1944), lead the charge. Sure, Gene Kelly won't be in this picture, but do you know who will be? None other than the talented dancer who helped teach Debbie Reynolds how to dance, Fred Astaire. YES! Now we're talking! Fred Astaire plays Tony Hunter, a washed-up Hollywood star who has recently quit the business and heads back to New York to try his luck out on Broadway. His two pals Lester and Lily Marton (Oscar Levant, Nanette Fabray) think they have the perfect script for his comeback. They are able to get popular Broadway director Jeffrey Cordova (Jack Buchanan) to sign on for directing their play. However, Jeff insists on changing the light comedy into a dark and dramatic retelling of "Faust", which Tony thinks is outside his comfort zone. If that wasn't enough, a young and beautiful ballerina named Gabrielle Gerard (Cyd Charisse) is signed on to be his co-star. Gabrielle also intimidates Tony because he has trouble dancing with ladies that are taller than him and feels that he doesn't have enough classical background to be dancing in her league. Will Tony and his pals be able to pull off a successful show even with all these obstacles working against them? Would you believe me if I told you that Tony's concerns over dancing with his co-star Gabrielle was written especially for the film because it really happened on set? I'm not even kidding. On the "making of" featurette on the 2-disc DVD of this film, they said that Fred Astaire was concerned over the height of Cyd Charisse. Keeping this trivia in mind, I applaud the screenwriters for having the guts and the great sense of humor to put those details into the script as it was happening on set. Also on the aforementioned featurette, the screenwriters Comden and Green stated that the troubles the film's characters were experiencing while preparing for this production were based on things these two had experienced while participating in other theatrical productions. And you know what? I completely buy that these kinds of situations happened in real-life. I'm convinced that there are some Broadway directors who put too much scenery on set or that the guys operating the sets keep going the wrong way because they can't see what they're doing. It's completely believable in that sense. In the tradition of "Singin' in the Rain", "The Band Wagon" is yet another MGM musical in which it was a miracle that it came together as well as it did. The 'making of' featurette for this picture seemed to imply that this was not a pleasant production. Once again, some of the picture's main stars couldn't get along with each other very well. Oscar Levant drove then-newcomer Nanette Fabray nuts because she stated that he was always looking for someone or something to put the blame on whenever he did a take wrong. But when she told him to go to hell during the production, I guess that shut him up good. Well played, Ms. Fabray. And of course, it's a testament to both Levant and Fabray's delightful work in this film that they make us forget their struggles together during production. Fabray in particular makes everything better whenever she's on screen with her positivity and endearing charm throughout. "The Band Wagon" literally makes you also forget about the troubles Minnelli was having at the time with his wife Judy Garland and the painstaking hours of rehearsal Astaire used to make his dances perfect. Speaking of the songs and dances, the music by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz is some of the very best. "That's Entertainment" is arguably the greatest song ever written for the big screen. Not since "Make 'Em Laugh" have I heard a song that is the ultimate summary of what Hollywood is all about. It's a bittersweet reminder that anything can be considered entertainment to each and every one of us. Excellent message, terrific melody and rhythm, and outstanding lyrics, this song is a certified classic. And what worthy songs it's accompanied by. It's not every day you come across numbers such as "Dancing in the Dark" and "The Girl Hunt" which solely contain music and no singing. But it's all for the better since they showcase both Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse's dancing skills at their best. The endurance, variety of movements, and enjoyment that Astaire and Charisse demonstrate in these numbers are second to none. You truly don't see talent like that anymore. Every single musical number is simply perfection from the "Shine On Your Shoes" number in the recreation center to the "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan" duet between Astaire and Buchanan. If I were to talk about every single excellent thing about "The Band Wagon", we'd probably be here all day. So I'll shorten the rest of my thoughts down for those who haven't seen it yet. All five of the main actors have charisma to spare. The entire soundtrack is sublime. The writing is sensational and relatable. The dance sequences are some of the finest. The stylish production and cinematography are all top notch. Get aboard "The Band Wagon" indeed.

blanche-2 "The Band Wagon" from 1953 is a delight from beginning to end, thanks to the inspired directing of Vincente Minnelli, a script by Comden and Green, music by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz, and putting the whole thing over, none other than Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Jack Buchanan, Oscar Levant, and Nanette Fabrey.Astaire plays a movie star, Tony Hunter, known for us singing and dancing. He's feeling as if his time in Hollywood has passed - in fact, at the train station, the reporters are there, but not for him - for Ava Gardner.Meeting him at the station are two friends, Lily and Les Martin (Fabrey and Levant), who have a Broadway show for him. That's where things go a bit awry. A director is brought in, Jeffrey Cordova (Buchanan) who has loftier ideas. He wants a modern version of Faust and hires a beautiful ballet dancer, Gabrielle Gerard (Charisse) to costar with Hunter.Tony and Gabrielle don't get along, and her choreographer/boyfriend (James Mitchell) doesn't help much.The show is a massive, colossal flop. The cast, along with the writers, decide to go back to the original concept and fix it on the road.There are so many wonderful musical numbers in "The Band Wagon" that it's hard to pick the best. The entire Penny Arcade sequence is energetic and fun. "Dancing in the Dark" and "You and the Night and the Music" both danced by Astaire and Charisse and the latter done in Central Park, are sublime and enchanting. And who can forget the hilarious "Triplets" with Astaire, Buchanan, and Fabrey? Astaire, with his pleasant voice and perfect musicianship sings "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plans," "By Myself", and "When There's A Shine in Your Shoes," which he also dances. There's something for everyone to enjoy.Hollywood filmed a lot of Broadway hits and did a few original musicals. They hit the jackpot with "42nd Street," "Meet Me in St. Louis," "Holiday Inn," "White Christmas," etc., and the two best, "Singin' in the Rain" and "The Band Wagon." Both Singin' and The Band Wagon are backstage musicals, though one is about making movies and the other is about putting on a show. It's a toss-up, for me anyway, as to which one is better. I love them both. Both make me laugh, thrill me with the musical routines, and leave me with a smile on my face. If you haven't seen The Band Wagon, I have a question - what are you waiting for?