HOLLYWOOD SINGING AND DANCING: A MUSICAL TREASURE is a celebration of song and dance, beginning with the Busby Berkeley films that lifted the spirits of audiences during the Great Depression, through the patriotic musicals of the 1940s and ending with the collapse of the studio system in the 1950s. Hosted by Academy Award winning stage, screen and television icon, Shirley Jones, this “docutainment” film is a grand historical look at the magic of musical Hollywood. Highlighted are amazing songs and dance numbers, little-known facts, and luminaries who made the magic possible such as Fred Astaire, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Shirley Temple, Betty Grable, Bill ”Bojangles” Robinson, James Cagney, Vincente Minnelli, Stanley Donen, Frank Sinatra, Leslie Caron, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger.
Mesmerizing sequences are interspersed with fresh new commentary by Liza Minnelli, Leslie Caron, Debbie Reynolds, Mickey Rooney, Jane Russell, Rita Moreno, Pat Boone, Rob Marshall, Bill Condon, Shirley MacLaine, Tommy Tune, Joel Grey, Smokey Robinson, Patti Page, Tab Hunter, George Chakiris, Rhonda Fleming, Betty Garrett, Marge Champion, Joan Leslie, Robert Osborne, Stella Stevens, Gloria Stuart and others.
FILMS INCLUDE: The Wizard of Oz, Dames, Fashions of 1934, The Little Colonel, Gold Diggers of 1935, Billboard Girl, Something to Sing About, Little Princess, Meet Me In St. Louis, Babes on Broadway, Yankee Doodle Dandy, On the Town, The Harvey Girls, Cover Girl, The King and I, An American In Paris, Singin’ In The Rain, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Till the Clouds Roll By, Royal Wedding, Damn Yankees, Gigi, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, Oklahoma!, Carousel and Chicago. DVD bonus materials. The following uncut interviews are additional material beyond the broadcast program. 1) Dom DeLuise tells humorous stories about working with Mae West. 2) Gloria Stuart talks about “discovering” a very young Lucille Ball while working on Eddie Cantor’s Roman Scandals. Stuart helped Ball to get an agent and launch her career. 3) Betty Garrett talks about working with a “highly energized” Mickey Rooney. 4) Liza Minnelli talks about the differences between her mother, Judy Garland and her father, Vincente Minnelli’s approach to her Christmas presents. 5) Rhonda Fleming tells a story about auditioning for Bing Crosby. 6) Shirley Jones tells a story about a New Year’s Eve party at which James Cagney performed “Yankee Doodle Dandy” in her living room. 7) Robert Scheerer talks about directing Gene Kelly for The Danny Kaye Show. 8) Debbie Reynolds talks about her difficulties working with Bob Fosse. 9) Carol Channing tells stories about Agnes de Mille, when she was the choreographer for the Broadway production, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. 10) Pat Boone talks about filming “April Love” and the controversy surrounding his onscreen kiss with Shirley Jones. 11) And She Learned About Dames (1934) – a complete and rare promotional short film for the feature film, Dames. In the short, a young lady wins a contest, which includes a trip to Hollywood and a tour of the Warner Brothers lot with Lyle Talbot . When she gets to the studio, all she wants to do is meet Dick Powell, the star of the new Warner Brothers film, Dames. During her search for Powell, she meets Busby Berkeley and the cast of the movie. 12) Betty Grable leads a cast of dancing damsels in “I’ll Be Marching to a Love Song,” a patriotic number from the short film, The All-Star Bond Rally (1945). 13) A wonderful compilation set to music of candid footage of musical stars on the streets and studio lots of Hollywood. Includes shots of Fred Astaire, Jane Withers, Red Skelton, June Haver, Lana Turner and many more. Running Time: 90 minutes (60 mins. program + 30 mins. bonus material)
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