Jack Haley, Jr. was a driving force behind this film and That's Entertainment, which was released a decade earlier. As the title states, That's Dancing focuses on just that. Compared to That's Entertainment, it takes itself a bit more seriously as a documentary but is highly entertaining. It explores the early history of dance on film including brief footage of Isadora Duncan, and, like TE, showcases great numbers from the 1930's-50's with performances by Fred Astaire, Elanor Powell, Bill "Bojangles' Robinson, Gene Kelly, and the great Nicholas Brothers. TD also devotes a segment to Busby Burkley's signature work of the 1930's and a section on ballet in the movies. None of the footage overlaps with TE which make this a nice companion piece. TD takes things a step further with dance sequences from the 60-80's, including break dancing. The newer eras show dancing that is grittier, earthier, and in some cases, uglier. In a sense, the attempt to be more contemporary makes That's Dancing less likeable than That's Entertainment. However, it's not the movie's fault that newer dances are uglier; it's the civilization's.
Review of That's Dancing!
