"That's Entertainment!" is a popular song with music written by

Arthur Schwartz Arthur Schwartz (November 25, 1900 – September 3, 1984) was an American composer and film producer, widely noted for his songwriting collaborations with Howard Dietz. Biography Early life Schwartz was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New ...

and lyrics by

Howard Dietz Howard Dietz (September 8, 1896 – July 30, 1983) was an American publicist, lyricist, and librettist, best remembered for his songwriting collaboration with Arthur Schwartz. According to historian Stanley Green, Dietz and Schwartz were "most cl ...

. The song was published in 1952 and was written especially for the 1953

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

The Band Wagon ''The Band Wagon'' is a 1953 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli, starring Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. The plot follows an aging musical star who hopes a Broadway show will revive his career, but the play ...

''. The song is performed in the film by Jack Buchanan supported by

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

, Nanette Fabray, and

Oscar Levant Oscar Levant (December 27, 1906August 14, 1972) was an American concert pianist, composer, conductor (music), conductor, author, radio game show panelist, television talk show host, comedian, and actor. He had roles in the films ''Rhapsody in Bl ...

. In 2004, the song finished at number 45 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema. It was orchestrated for the film by Conrad Salinger under the musical direction of Adolph Deutsch.

Legacy

The song is perhaps most associated with

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

, who recorded it for her 1960 LP ''

That's Entertainment! ''That's Entertainment!'' is a 1974 American compilation film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to celebrate the studio's 50th anniversary. The success of the retrospective prompted a 1976 sequel, the related 1985 film ''That's Dancing!'', and ...

'', using a shortened version of the original Salinger arrangement. A year later, a live version appeared on Garland's

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

-winning double album '' Judy at Carnegie Hall''. She also performed it on '' The Judy Garland Show'' where she dances around the TV stage during an orchestral interlude. The song has become nearly synonymous with

. The studio used the tune for its 1955-56 television series ''

MGM Parade ''MGM Parade'' is a documentary television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and broadcast by the ABC network during the 1955–56 season on Wednesdays at 8:30pm (E.S.T.), under the alternate sponsorship of American Tobacco ( Pall Mall), ...

'' which featured clips from past and forthcoming MGM films. The song title was later used for MGM's popular retrospective film series featuring clips from its golden age, as ''

''. The original 1974 release spawned two sequels in which the song was retained. The studio also used a remix of Judy Garland's recording of the song to underscore the trailer for the January 15, 2023 launch of the network and streaming platform

MGM+ MGM+ (formerly known as Epix; pronounced ''epics'' and stylized as eᴘix), is an American Pay television, premium cable television, cable and satellite television, satellite television network owned by the MGMPlus Entertainment subsidiary of M ...

, following the network's rebrand from Epix. The 1974 film was also added to the network's streaming platform the same day as the rebrand's launch. In ''

That's Entertainment, Part II ''That's Entertainment, Part II'' is a 1976 American compilation film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and a sequel to ''That's Entertainment!'' (1974).''Variety Film Reviews, Variety'' film review; May 5, 1976, page 18. Like the previous film, '' ...

'', some new lyrics were added to the song and performed by hosts

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

and Astaire. The film credited those lyrics to Dietz and Saul Chaplin, one of the film's producers, though Chaplin was known as a composer, not a lyricist. In 1979, the song was sung with parody lyrics by the villain

Mordru Mordru, also known as Mordru the Merciless, is a supervillain featured in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Curt Swan, Mordru made his first appearance in ''Adventure Comics'' #369 (June 1968). ...

in the television special '' Legends of the Superheroes''. In the 1980s, the song was performed, again with new lyrics, by Larry Santos in a commercial for ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

'' magazine.

Joaquin Phoenix Joaquin Rafael Phoenix ( ; ; born October 28, 1974) is an American actor. Widely described as one of the most preeminent actors of his generation and known for Joaquin Phoenix filmography, his roles as dark, unconventional and eccentric charact ...

and

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

performed the song in the American musical thriller film '' Joker: Folie à Deux'' (2024). Lady Gaga released a solo cover version of the song on ''

Harlequin Harlequin (, , ; , ) is the best-known of the comic servant characters (Zanni) from the Italian commedia dell'arte, associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditionally believed to have been introduced by the Italian actor-manager Zan ...

'' (2024), her companion album to the film.

Renditions

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded eleven studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical opera ...

- '' Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall'' (2007) *

– ''

'' (2024)

References

{{Authority control 1952 songs Fred Astaire songs Hollywood, Los Angeles in fiction Lady Gaga songs Songs about theatre Songs with lyrics by Howard Dietz Songs with music by Arthur Schwartz