That's Entertainment! III

Having seen the previous two installments of this series about MGM's great years, we hadn't seen the last one, but thanks to TCM, which showed it recently, we now have completed the cycle. The documentary, directed by Bud Friedgen and Michael Sheridan, brings us back to the golden years of the studio that boasted it had more stars than any one else in Hollywood.

This new version concentrates on the singing and dancing stars. Its 113 minutes running time flies by without noticing because of the quality of the material selected to be shown.

There is a magnificent black and white sequence showing Eleanor Powell performing a number and at the same time on a second screen we are taken to the actual filming of the routine as the technicians worked on it. Even for the time when it was filmed, it was revolutionary. Also, we see a dance routine by Fred Astaire with two different costumes and the same music shown on split screen where the "master" himself performs the exact same steps in both sequences. Amazing!

The only sad note of the documentary is to see how Lena Horne, a talented and gorgeous black woman who was employed by the studio, but was never given a starring role on films that involved other white actors. In fact, it's a shame she lost a plum role in "Showboat" because of the discrimination at the time.

It was great to watch the MGM stars narrating the different segments. Thus, we saw June Allyson, Cyd Charisse, Ann Miller, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Esther Williams, Howard Keel introducing the different production numbers in the documentary.

Without a doubt, Hollywood was a factory of dreams and MGM was the best place where they came true.

The third installment of musical clips from the MGM vaults. I'm a sucker for musicals and "That's Entertainment! III" was a huge surprise. I thoroughly liked the first part ("That's Entertainment!"); the second installment ("That's Entertainment, Part II") was decent but not that memorable, but this third compilation towers over its predecessors. One of the riches of the "That's Entertainment!III" is that the filmmakers are very critical and passionate about the subject. As much as they are paying homage to the glory of the MGM dream factory, they are also depicting the skill and the hard work that go along with it. This is perhaps the reason serious film critics seem to rhapsodize about it. Lots of pleasant & glorious moments, featuring many musical numbers, most of them cut from the original releases. Particularly revealing are: Eleanor Powell's tap dancing in "Lady Be Good" (in split-screen while the camera moving along with her); Lena Horne speaks about the prejudiced policies at MGM, introducing a nice censored bath scene from "A Cabin the Sky"; and Debbie Reynolds' rare number "You're My Lucky Star", cut from "Singin' in the Rain".

This last "Entertainment" installment offers a few different aspects that the first two "That's Entertainment!" packages didn't have, such as some song-dance routines that never made it on screen (and should have) or a behind-the-scenes look at cameramen filming a particular number. The latter is interesting to see as they filmed an Eleanor Powell dance ("Lady Be Good")

It also was interesting to see some of the stars in the early '90s when this was made, as they host certain segments of this 113-minute tribute. I am referring to June Allyson, Cyd Charisse, Lena Horne, Howard Keel, Gene Kelly, Ann Miller, Debbie Reynolds, Mickey Rooney and Esther Williams. I'd say the person who most looked a lot like they did when they were much younger was Horne.

I also appreciated the fact they showed quite a bit of numbers in the widescreen format, something we never saw viewing these great musicals on VHS. We also see a very early edition of "Singin In The Rain," with the likes of Jack Benny and Joan Crawford.

Overall, a worthy edition to the "That's Entertainment!" package.

None of the three 'That's Entertainment' films are without flaws, but they all live up to their name and achieve their main goals to entertain and fascinate.

The best of the three is the first, not only being first-class entertainment but also being nostalgically affectionate and very moving (especially Liza Minnelli talking about her mother Judy Garland). Part 2 is a disappointment, due to the badly written hosting segments, a too sprawling structure, those unnecessary travelogue segments and a couple of scenes too short and hastily cut, but has a lot of interest points and a lot of treasures (including the best title sequence of the three films).

Part 3 is not as good as Part 1, though there are a couple of things it actually does better, but it is better than Part 2. There is not a huge amount wrong actually, the 'Brigadoon' dance sequence does look phoney which jars with the lavishness of the rest of the film and while the hosting is charming, subtly witty and affecting it was sad to see Gene Kelly in one of his last appearances on film looking so frail and ill, lacking his usual exuberance (before looking it up, and finding that it happened after the film's release, did think that it was due to having a stroke). While it was interesting seeing so much footage that didn't make it into the films they were meant to be part of, there could have been more of the classic moments.

Where it improves over Part 1 is that it has the best hosting segments of the three, both in the writing and pacing. Here they were the most informative, thought-provoking and said the most about the commitment and difficulties behind the scenes of making these scenes and films possible and personalities behind the stars which were glossed over in comparison in the previous two films. Also it is the film with the best editing. A vast majority of the scenes are used to their full potential instead of being too short and it is not as hasty or jumpy. It also returns to the more logical, ordered and thematic kind of structure the first film had, a welcome return indeed.

Like the first two films, a delightful couple of hours, a nostalgic trip down memory lane it is affectionate, hugely entertaining and also moving and makes one want to watch or re-watch the films included. What immediately captivated was seeing the who's who of musical/dance/singing talent being featured. The production values are lavish and just beautiful to look at, the music dazzles and is full of emotions and the choreography is often enough to make the jaw drop. Scenes are mostly great, with far fewer missteps than with Part 2 (though there are only a few there), the only notable one is the scene from 'Brigadoon'.

Judy Garland's scenes (especially the 'Annie Get Your Gun' and 'Easter Parade' scenes, though her rapport with Mickey Rooney is charming too) are clear standouts, as are Eleanor Powell, Debbie Reynolds, "Can't Help Loving Dat Man". Debbie Reynolds and Ann Miller at this point show all the shining qualities that made them such stars, it was nice to see Mickey Rooney too but he doesn't look at his best either if not as sad as Kelly.

In conclusion, a real treat. The first 'That's Entertainment' is the best of the three, but this is almost as good and even makes improvements in a couple of areas. 8/10 Bethany Cox

It's easy to see why Siskel & Ebert gave this one a big two thumbs up. And even the hard to please Rex Reed said: "Two hours of paradise regained--pure magic!"

Easily among the best of the 'That's Entertainment' compilations, it features June Allyson, Cyd Charisse, Lena Horne, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, Debbie Reynolds, Mickey Rooney and Esther Williams all giving us a guided tour of some of their best MGM moments. The late Gene Kelly is included among the hosts.

Especially fascinating is the dance sequence showing how the crew worked hard to keep up with Eleanor Powell's dance routine in "Lady Be Good"; Esther in an underwater number for 'Jupiter's Darling'; and outtakes of Judy Garland's attempt at 'Annie Get Your Gun'. Elvis fans will get a chance to see his 'Jailhouse Rock' routine.

Also intriguing is an early glimpse of the first Hollywood musicals, with Joan Crawford, Jack Benny, Marion Davies and others doing an awkward version of 'Singin' in the Rain', complete with overweight chorus girls and early color.

Film nostalgia of the highest kind--a treasure for fans of MGM musicals. Those were the days!!