That’s Dancing! is a 1985 American compilation film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that looked back at the history of dancing in film. Unlike the That’s Entertainment! series, this film not only focuses specifically on MGM films, but also included films from other studios.
A highlight of the film was the first theatrical release of a complete dance routine by Ray Bolger for his “If I Only Had a Brain” number that had been shortened in The Wizard of Oz.
The hosts for this film are Gene Kelly (who also executive produced), Ray Bolger (his last film appearance before his death in 1987), Liza Minnelli, Sammy Davis Jr., and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Pop singer Kim Carnes was commissioned to sing an original song, “Invitation to Dance”, that plays over the closing credits.
This film is sometimes considered part of the That’s Entertainment! series, especially since its starting credits contain a card with the That’s Entertainment! III title (not to be confused with the 1994 film), but even though it shared studio and producers, it is considered a separate production. Jack Haley Jr., who wrote, produced and directed the first That’s Entertainment! film, also wrote and directed this one, co-producing with longtime friend David Niven Jr. Haley’s father, Jack Haley, had co-starred with Bolger in The Wizard of Oz.
That’s Dancing! was not included when the three That’s Entertainment! films were released on DVD in 2004; it was instead released on its own in 2007. The DVD includes several behind-the-scenes promotional featurettes from 1985 on the making of the film, as well as its accompanying music video featuring Kim Carnes singing “Invitation to Dance” although the DVD omits both the video and song itself.