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This is one of those collection I didn't think I would enjoy, I avoided it for almost a week before cracking it open and discovering a rich world of sheer entertainment magic - spine-tingling, toe-tapping, timeless movie making at it's absolute finest.

I had never sampled these particular four Rooney / Garland team-ups, only some of their lesser, later works, and was pleasantly surprised at how delightful these films are. Watching Mickey Rooney in these fully restored masterpieces is a revelation, what an incendiary performer he was at that time - and when he and Garland get together it's nitro meets glycerine.

In this new collection, you get four seminal MGM musicals starring that studio's top talent - Babes in Arms (1939), Strike up the Band (1940), Babes on Broadway (1941), and Girl Crazy (1943). These films were tops at the box office during the late-1930s - early-1940s, the Hollywood musical at it's peak. That's why they hold up so well today.

Even though color films were in production all over, these musicals were all shot in black and white because, as the commentary states, Garland & Rooney didn't need the gimmickry of color to pack the theaters. With songs by the greatest composers of all time, the crispest direction, and flawless choreography how can you go wrong?

Previously deleted scenes are re-inserted and the picture and sound quality overall can't be beat.

This is a super-deluxe package with massive extras that I'll detail (to the right) but the starring attractions are the new introductions by Mickey Rooney, the commentary tracks by John Fricke, a lavishly illustrated book that comes with a bonus DVD, and the stills collection that are printed on separate cards (suitable for framing as they used to say).

That bonus DVD has some wonderful features including a 1996 TCM interview with Mickey Rooney hosted by Robert Osborne, a 'greatest hits' collection of Judy's song and dance numbers from various other MGM films (thrilling!), and an extensive trailer gallery.

Author Fricke (Judy Garland: World's Greatest Entertainer) does a marvelous job with the commentaries for Babes in Arms and Girl Crazy, delivering a wealth of information concerning the directors, stars and supporting players as well as stories about what happened to the folks behind the scenes. I can't imagine anyone doing a better job, he even clues us in in real time to changes in the script, scene deletions and dropped or changed musical numbers. What could have been confusing is instead razor sharp and insightful.

This one is sure to become a collector's item, a first class effort all the way and a true bargain of you order online now - only $37.99 (that's 37% off the retail price of $59.92) and you get free shipping with no sales tax. Well worth it at either price.

Babes in Arms (1939)
Stars Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Charles Winninger, Guy Kibbee, June Preisser
Directors: Busby Berkeley
Theatrical Release Date: October 31, 1939
Genres: Musical
Synopsis Mickey Moran, son of an old vaudeville-team puts on his own show to avoid being sent with other vaudevillians' children to a work farm, but that isn't that easy.

Strike up the Band (1940)
Stars Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Fay Bainter, Virginia Weidler, Ray McDonald
Directors: Busby Berkeley
Theatrical Release Date: January 1942
Rating
Genres: Musical, Romance
Synopsis Tommy Williams desperately wants to get to Broadway, but as he is only singing in a spaghetti house for tips he is a long way off. He meets Penny Morris, herself no mean singer, and through her gets the idea to promote a show to send orphaned children on a country holiday. But he is only using the kids to get on himself, which Penny soon realises. With his romance off, an engagement in Philadelphia he can't get to, and, indeed, war in Europe, life can be difficult.

Girl Crazy
Stars Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Gil Stratton, Robert E. Strickland, Rags Ragland
Directors: Norman Taurog, Busby Berkeley
Theatrical Release Date: November 26, 1943
Rating
Genres: Comedy, Musical
Synopsis Rich kid Danny Churchill (Rooney) has a taste for wine, women and song, but not for higher education. So his father ships him to an all-male college out West where there's not supposed to be a female for miles. But before Danny arrives, he spies a pair of legs extending out from under a stalled roadster. They belong to the Dean's granddaughter, Ginger Gray (Garland), who is more interested in keeping the financially strapped college open than falling for Danny's romantic line. At least at first...

Strike Up the Band
Stars Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Paul Whiteman and Orchestra, June Preisser, William Tracy
Directors: Busby Berkeley
Theatrical Release Date: September 27, 1940
Rating
Genres: Comedy, Musical
Synopsis Jimmy Connors and his girl-friend want to take part in Paul Whiteman's highschool's band contest, but they cannot afford the fare. But per chance the meet Paul Whiteman in person and are able to convince him, that their band is good enought, so he lents sem the money. But then one of their friends becomes seriously ill and had to be carried in a hospital per plane, they had to use Whiteman's money for this.

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