'Pirate' leads DVD sets of toe-tapping musicals

Another toe-tapping set of vintage musicals was released thisweek in a new DVD box set, led by "The Pirate," one of moresprightly and enjoyably comic tuners from the late 1940s.

-- "CLASSIC MUSICALS FROM THE DREAM FACTORY, VOL. 2" (Warner,1948-85, seven discs, $59.92). No one turned out as lavish -- or asmany -- musicals as MGM during the golden era of movies, and thiscollection stars such great song-and-dance veterans as Gene Kelly,Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Vera-Ellen, Mickey Rooney, KathrynGrayson, Mario Lanza and many more.

All except "Royal Wedding" are making their DVD debut.

-- "The Pirate" (1948) is a most enjoyable romp, and arguably thebest film in this set. There's a comic mistaken-identity plot, asGene Kelly, a footloose actor, is thought to be a legendary pirateby Judy Garland. But it's the Cole Porter songs and Gene Kelly'sdance routines that stand out -- especially "Be a Clown," whichincludes those breathtaking tap-dancers the Nicholas Brothers (andwhich bears more than a passing resemblance to the later "Make 'EmLaugh," from "Singin' in the Rain").

-- "Words and Music" (1948) is a Hollywood biography of thesongwriting team of Richard Rodgers (Tom Drake) and Lorenz Hart(Mickey Rooney), but forget the schmaltz and just enjoy the greatsongs, and the bevy of guest stars, ranging from Lena Horne to CydCharisse to Judy Garland to Janet Leigh. The best highlight here isa fabulous dance set to "Slaughter on 10th Avenue," with Gene Kellyand Vera-Ellen -- which is, all by itself, worth the cost of thedisc.

-- "That Midnight Kiss"/"The Toast of New Orleans" (1949/1950).This double-bill features two films with Kathryn Grayson and MarioLanza. Each film's plot is routine, but the music and performancesmore than make up for fans of the two stars.

-- "Royal Wedding"/"The Belle of New York" (1951/1952). These twoFred Astaire musicals are notable because, well, they star FredAstaire. "Royal Wedding," which has been on DVD for years ininferior public-domain versions, is cleaned up here and demonstratesits classic status. The plot has a brother and sister (Astaire, JanePowell) performing in London during Princess Elizabeth's wedding,and the dance routines include two Astaire signature pieces --dancing on the ceiling and dancing with a hat rack. "The Belle ofNew York" is a lesser vehicle, but it's still fun, with playboyAstaire pursuing charity worker Vera-Ellen.

-- "That's Dancing!" (1985) is a follow-up to the "That'sEntertainment!" trilogy, this time focusing on dance. There areattempts to make the documentary relevant -- to the mid-1980s -- byincluding breakdancing, and by having the film conclude with MichaelJackson's "Beat It" music video. None of which holds a candle to theincredible kaleidoscopes of the "girls" from Busby Berkeley'smusicals, and the energy and class of Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly,Donald O'Connor, the Nicholas Brothers, Ray Bolger and many more.Even Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov show up.

Extras: Full frame (except widescreen portions of "That'sDancing"), audio commentaries, featurettes, outtakes, short films,cartoons, audio elements, trailers (also available individually,$19.97 for single films, $24.98 for double-features)

E-mail: hicks@desnews.com