Product Review

TREASURES FROM THE VAULT is a wonderful complement to the That's Entertainment Trilogy and provides an array of extras for each of the three films. Side B of the disc includes an all-new, 37-minute documentary, That's Entertainment: The Masters Behind the Musicals. This documentary shines the spotlight on the studio's vital behind-the-scenes talent - producers, directors, choreographers, and musicians - without whom there never would have been a That's Entertainment at all. Unsung heroes like Johnny Green, Roger Edens, Saul Chaplin, Kay Thompson, Hermes Pan, and Robert Alton were the creative backbone of MGM's musicals, devising innovative routines and lush orchestrations that greatly contribute to the lofty reputation of MGM musicals. Interviews, archival photos, and film clips flesh out their profiles while giving viewers a wonderful feel for the nuts-and-bolts construction of a musical film. Ann Miller recalls dancing with bleeding feet to complete the famous I've Gotta Hear That Beat number from Small Town Girl. The Musical Outtakes Jukebox presents 16 deleted musical numbers from an array of top MGM stars. All are beautifully preserved, and icons like Garland, Sinatra, and Horne steal the show. Garland offers a sizzling rendition of Irving Berlin's Mr. Monotony (cut from Easter Parade and shown here for the first time in its entirety), as well as a mesmerizing interpretation of Harold Arlen's haunting ballad, Last Night When We Were Young (dropped from In the Good Old Summertime). Horne delivers a solid one-two punch with the fun-loving You Got Looks (excised from Meet Me in Las Vegas) and romantic You Won't Forget Me (cut from Duchess of Idaho). Other highlights include Sinatra crooning Boys and Girls Like You and Me (deleted from Take Me Out to the Ball Game), June Allyson and Patricia Marshall duetting An Easier Way (dropped from Good News), and Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor gliding through A Lady Loves (cut from I Love Melvin).