Original subtitles

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.

Sin gin ' 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'

Sin gin '

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.

Sin gin ' 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-Mark.

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 ls 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

ls 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

ls 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 a la carte - We'll order our meal a 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

- Head - Head

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.

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

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, "garcon"

His girl, "la fille"

That's good, "c'est bon"

The show, "fini"

The moral to this tale ls 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 Torme 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 GIs overseas and the audiences here at home...

...the musicals were a very special kind of escape...

...both during the war and afterwards.

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.

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

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

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-huff in' 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 Cherie

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

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 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

- One, two, three - One, two, three

- 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 milkin' applause instead of milkin' 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 after 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 setting...

...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 Torn 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

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

I wanna be loved by you Just you

And nobody else but you

I wanna be loved by you

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 oi New Of leans 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

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

Make 'em laugh

Make 'em laugh

Make 'em laugh

Make 'em laugh

Make 'em laugh

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 after

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

OI' man river

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 after the scene had been shot.

But audiences loved the sight of Gene himself...

...flying through the air in film after 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'

Sin gin ' 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 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

Get ready

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...

A clever kid. He had a lot to offer too. Frank...

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 croonin', 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

True love

So on and on

It'll always be

True love

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 creatin' skies of gray - Skies of gray

But hallelujah, hallelujah

Helps to shoo the clouds away

Satan lies a-waitin'

- And creatin' 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 - 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...

mover '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.

[ENGLISH]