Fred Astaire

Cyd Charisse

Oscar Levant

Nanette Fabray

Jack Buchanan

James Mitchell

Robert Gist

Ava Gardner

Don Beddoe

Henry Corden

Steve Forrest

Bess Flowers

India Adams

Douglas Fowley

Thurston Hall

Frank McLure

Julie Newmar

Colin Kenny

Bert Stevens

Harold Miller

Brandon Beach

Leroy Daniels

Dorinda Clifton

Emory Parnell

Madge Blake

James Carlisle

Dick Cherney

Tom Coleman

Roy Engel

Al Ferguson

Jack Gargan

Herschel Graham

Ted Jordan

John Lupton

Ann McCrea

Manuel París

Frank J. Scannell

Hal Taggart

Herb Vigran

Dick Gordon

Rudy Germane

Vincente Minnelli

Betty Comden

Adolph Green

Arthur Freed

Harry Jackson

Albert Akst

George White

E. Preston Ames

Cedric Gibbons

Mary Ann Nyberg

Douglas Shearer

Sydney Guilaroff

John Truwe

William Tuttle

Jerry Thorpe

Howard Dietz

Arthur Schwartz

Michael Kidd

Adolph Deutsch

Oliver Smith

Roger Edens

Henri Jaffa

Robert Brower

Conrad Salinger

Skip Martin

Alexander Courage

Edwin B. Willis

F. Keogh Gleason

Warren Newcombe

Music

Comedy

Romance

The Band Wagon

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

United States of America

CinemaSerf

Now I do watch quite a lot of horrors films, but it's been a while since I've seen something quite so un-nerving as Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse and Oscar Levant all dressed up as babies singing a song about having a gun! That rather sums up this entertainingly eclectic story that sees the theatrically flamboyant "Cordova" (Jack Buchanan) drafted in to try and inject some life into the lacklustre "Tony" (Astaire). He's been feeling a bit down in the dumps for ages and now that he's no longer the apple of anyone's eye, is downright dejected. Luckily for him (and us) his two friends "Les" (Levant) and "Lily" (Nanette Fabray) aren't giving up. Problem? Well they have to find him a co-star for his new show - and when they alight on the somewhat highly-strung "Gabrielle" (Charisse) things don't exactly work. Indeed, she and "Tony" can barely bear to be in the same room as each other, much less share a stage - and so tantrums and stroppings galore ensue. It's all about the art, though, darling, as his pals use the toe-tapping "That's Entertainment" - a refrain frequently used throughout - to remind "Tony" that the clown with his pants falling down is all part of the job. Of course, there's no jeopardy at all here - you know pretty much from the outset just how well the ducks are going to get in their row, but the film looks great and there's a lovely chemistry between Charisse and Astaire that allows both actors to flourish amidst some perfect choreography, gentle comedy and memorable numbers from Messrs Schwartz and Dietz as they take their show on a tour of the United States. You might want to lock away your dolls at night, though...