Between Stage 6 and Stage 5 were a removable door and a proscenium arch. With the door removed, the two stages served as the perfect locale to recreate a realistic theater stage for the many musicals filmed there, complete with the "fly-away" backdrops on Stage 6, orchestra pits, upholstered seats, boxes and balconies. A director’s podium – a soundproof, three-sided, bay-like structure – was suspended in the corner of Stage 6 where the director could direct the performers on stage and stay out of view of the cameras.

Another interesting feature of Stage 6 was its removable floor which covered a large tank. A variety of angles and stage depths could be utilized during filming when the stage floor was raised and lowered, permitting the camera to be mobile and allow for more rhythmic, choreographed images, especially useful during production of musicals.

These unique characteristics made Stage 6 one of MGM’s busiest stages for musical productions and the stage where numerous famous entertainers worked during the studio’s prodigious Golden Age. Director Busby Berkeley, known for his spectacular musical sequences, filmed TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME here in 1949 starring Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams and Gene Kelly.