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That's Entertainment! and Other Greatest Hits Movies

TCM is showing That's Entertainment and its subsequent successes for New Year's Eve.  The hosts are sitting around the TCM set (a fake home-like atmosphere) with champagne, in suits. As if they are watching along with us. An illusion upon an illusion, and lots of us (okay, me!) just eat it up.

These are like the old fashioned TV clip shows, when the show wanted to show off all the hits of the previous season. These tribute movies were like extended commercials, just like others-especially those commemorating the Beatles and other glories of the 60's.

Somehow, I missed that the glorious stars of yesteryear were walking through decrepit and decayed sets of MGM, right before they were turn down. I understood Sunset Boulevard (1950) instinctively.  I knew there was a sad quality to this time gone by-but yet, it was captured.  Those people LIVED and lasted through time, even though most were probably dead by the time I first saw them.

My favorite movie is/was Perils of Pauline (1947), and not only because it was only one of 3 old movies owned by Channel 44 that they put into rotation on the weekdays when I came home from school. My favorite show was/is the Monkees because there was an amazing amount of references, cast members from other shows and movies and things to learn. History was alive, not just in the narrative, but in these people on screen, captured at their best moments.

I saw these as a kid, before I had access to films on demand, before there was even a TCM channel. And even now, there are clips from movies I'm not sure I've seen.  Maybe that was a wish when I was a kid, to be able to KNOW what all these movies were.  All that singing and dancing, the good and terrible plots, the awkward songs and the glorious ones.

To this day, I'm a huge fan of the Great American Songbook, as well as Broadway. And the seeds were planted back then. I'm amazed there is still so much to learn, and how much it still thrills me.

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