Yes, there is an "Invitation to Dance" here, and unlike the "That's Entertainment" films of the mid 1970's, other Hollywood studios get to be honored, most notably Warner Brothers with its world of Busby Berkley and the plethora of movie versions of Broadway musicals which made their way out in abundance between the late 1940's and late 1970's. Gene Kelly continues his presence in the series here, still made by MGM, but not stuck in one place. Liza Minnelli returns from the first film, not quite the major film star after her disappointments after "Cabaret", but still hoofing as much as she could through her concerts and Broadway shows.
To get a modern audience into the theater, this was promoted with clips of "West Side Story", "Fame", "Flashdance" and even a Michael Jackson music video. A disco theme was added to the finale credits as well, but the pleasure comes with the old-fashioned title song over the credits which features clips from movies dating back to the flickers era. The film moves at a steady pace but it seems greatly abridged considering the first two movies. Some detractors call this "That's Entertainment 2 1/2" after the success of the fourth entry in the series, but to get the opportunity to celebrate Hollywood history is phenomenal. When this came out, it was acclaimed for its inclusion of a Ray Bolger number cut from "The Wizard of Oz" which in retrospect looks out of place when tossed back into the film.
One thing this did for me in the mid 1980's after seeing this in the theater was the desire to see as many of these films as I could on the big screen. Some of them look even more impressive in a movie theater than they do on home video, and being restored to their original glory through modern technology has paid a great tribute to the original creators.
To get a modern audience into the theater, this was promoted with clips of "West Side Story", "Fame", "Flashdance" and even a Michael Jackson music video. A disco theme was added to the finale credits as well, but the pleasure comes with the old-fashioned title song over the credits which features clips from movies dating back to the flickers era. The film moves at a steady pace but it seems greatly abridged considering the first two movies. Some detractors call this "That's Entertainment 2 1/2" after the success of the fourth entry in the series, but to get the opportunity to celebrate Hollywood history is phenomenal. When this came out, it was acclaimed for its inclusion of a Ray Bolger number cut from "The Wizard of Oz" which in retrospect looks out of place when tossed back into the film.
One thing this did for me in the mid 1980's after seeing this in the theater was the desire to see as many of these films as I could on the big screen. Some of them look even more impressive in a movie theater than they do on home video, and being restored to their original glory through modern technology has paid a great tribute to the original creators.