This is a documentary film about the work of a legendary producer of musicals. After winning his laurels in 1939 as the assistant producer of
The Wizard of Oz, MGM set up a whole studio for
Arthur Freed. He began his career as a singer/songwriter and as an actor, (he appeared with the
Marx Brothers on stage before World War I). He wrote numerous ballads which have now become part of the "standard" repertoire, including the title songs for his productions
Singin' in the Rain, and Pagan Love Song. Anybody who was anybody in musicals from 1939 to 1960 worked with him. Among the approximately 40 films he produced were the Oscar-winning
An American in Paris, and
Gigi. This documentary features interviews with some of the performers who worked in his studio, such as
Mickey Rooney and
Cyd Charisse, and includes all the footage available of the reclusive Freed. Highlights of the film include letter-boxed excerpts from his films, and a computer-graphics assisted explanation of how
Fred Astaire's floor-to-ceiling dance in
Royal Wedding was made. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide