Thank you very much for requesting me! Unfortunately, I may be unable
to provide satisfactory service, so I'm posting this as a free comment
rather than as an answer.
The MGM film library is currently owned by Warner Brothers:
"...the MGM films are owned by Turner Entertainment Company and Turner
is owned by Warner Brothers."
Elvis.com
http://www.elvis.com/elvisology/faq/faq.asp?qid=3
"In the early 1980's Turner Entertainment obtained the catalog of MGM
films and just about everything else in the MGM vaults."
The Judy Room
http://www.thejudyroom.com/rhinopages/rhino.html
"Rediscover a world of legendary entertainment with content from
Warner Bros. and Turner/MGM libraries. The vast film archives include
thousands of classic movies and characters from the last 70 years!"
Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment
http://www.wbie.com/properties_turner.html
As I understand entertainment law, the rights to the songs in these
films reside separately, with the individual copyright-holders. This
may make the project of adapting "That's Entertainment" to the stage
quite problematic, since rights to each song would have to be
negotiated individually. In addition, any adaptation of material from
a film to another medium will necessitate the examination of
collective bargaining agreements with major industry guilds (such as
the Screen Actors Guild, the Writers Guild of America, and the
Directors Guild of America.) "That's Entertainment!" is a registered
trademark, so even the title cannot legally be utilized without
permission.
Before proceeding with any plans, your friend should consult an
attorney who is familiar with legal aspects of the entertainment
industry. I'm afraid this is too large a project for me to even begin
to tackle.
Best wishes,
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