That's Entertainment! III

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".

Opening with a Gene Kelly-introduced segment concerning early efforts to develop musical stars and material, this third installment of the THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT series quickly segues into celebrity-introduced film clips from MGM musicals--clips that range from familiar favorites to out-takes, rarities, and numbers that were cut from films before their release. The narrators are well scripted, well filmed, and often interject insightful personal notes by introducing clips from their own movies.

Such is particularly the case with the legendary Lena Horne, who presents a casually-spoken but quite powerful narrative about the racism that limited her career. But the real power of THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT III is in it's "never-before-seen" footage--footage that includes memorable performances by Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, and Lena Horne among others. The film also offers the chance to see some truly rare bits of film, including Vaudeville acts hoping for film stardom, scenes from the early Technicolor and never-completed film MARCH OF TIME, and pre-code bathing-beauties. THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT III doesn't have quite the same dash and splash or variety as the original THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT, but it moves at a smart pace, and fans of movie musicals will find a great deal to enjoy. Recommended.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

The final instalment in MGM's nostalgia fest of old musical clips is presented in much the same way as the first one twenty years earlier, as several luminaries from the studio's past are wheeled out in front of the cameras to reminisce on their time under contract. The film also marks the final appearance of an obviously ailing Gene Kelly, who introduces and closes the proceedings with some poignancy.

Others involved are Donald O'Connor, Mickey Rooney, June Allyson, Lena Horne, Ann Miller, and Esther Williams, and the clips include outtakes and unused material for the first time (a lavish production number intended for The Harvey Girls; Judy Garland's ‘Mr Monotony' from Easter Parade, where she wears her trademark tuxedo and tights for the first time; and early clips from 1930s musicals which were junked).

We also see how an Eleanor Powell number was filmed, with stagehands rearranging the set to allow the camera to get close; and see a comparison of a Fred Astaire number in two different set-ups.

A good attempt to tidy up all the clips we hadn't already seen in TE 1 and 2, and worth a couple of hours of your time.

Every THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT film has a hook to draw new viewers in--the first film had the sheer novelty of these film giants talking to us about the work they did in that glorious, music-filled period of movie-making, although these legends were reduced to reading off pre-written scripts. The second movie had a more intriguing main attraction: only two narrators, but when those two narrators were Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly actually dancing and singing their way through the gorgeous clips stacked up? Fantastic.

Well, THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT III sure tries its best to live up to its predecessors. Retaining the narration technique used in the same film, albeit with the second generation of MGM musical stars (and only Gene Kelly, sporting enormous glasses!, retained from the first two films), the film's hook is the rare special footage it boasts--from a background tracking shot showing the vast amount of money and manpower invested in just one Eleanor Powell number, through to valuable outtakes such as Debbie Reynolds' 'You Are My Lucky Star' number (cut from SINGIN' IN THE RAIN but available on DVD now) and the Indians number in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN as originally performed by Judy Garland. There are other little treasure nuggets as well, all deleted scenes, such as Judy Garland's song 'Mr Monotony', meant for Easter Parade; and Lena Horne's risky bubble bath chanson filmed for CABIN IN THE SKY. And I do wonder what was so bad about Ava Gardner's lost vocals for SHOWBOAT--I thought she sounded pretty darn good myself!

I personally thought the best thing about this film was the way some of this rare footage was displayed--the split-screen technique was quite the stroke of genius. It was used to simply brilliant effect, for example, in showcasing two versions of a number filmed to the same dubbed vocals, the first starring Joan Crawford (for TWO-FACED WOMAN, in rather astonishingly Technicolour and camp blackface) and the second Cyd Charisse (for THE BANDWAGON). No guessing which number SHOULD have been retained (hint: Charisse is one of the best dancers of any time; Crawford is... not), but it was hilarious watching the very VERY different ways in which the same song was approached in the two different films.

My favourite part of the whole film was a number similarly presented, except this time it pitted Fred Astaire against himself. The sand-enhanced song-and-dance, to the tune 'I'm Just A Dancing Man', was filmed once, but deemed not classy enough. So there are two versions--one of Fred in top hat and tails, the other in overalls. Guess what? Astaire keeps to his own internal rhythm perfectly, and proves in this juxtaposition of the two scenes that he is his own best partner. It's pretty damn amazing, and probably the best and most jaw-dropping part of the film.

The rest of THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT III is pretty run-of-the-mill in comparison. It's not stuff we haven't seen before (we've seen better clips in the previous two films), and there are still the prerequisite sections dedicated to Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and Gene Kelly (oh yes, and Esther Williams, of course). It's a shame that there wasn't a Cyd Charisse segment, or one dedicated to Ann Miller. Considering that both these dancing ladies were presenters during the film, it'd have been nice to recognise the great contribution their long legs made to film musical history. I did enjoy the clip from THE KISSING BANDIT that had Charisse and Miller pitted against each other in a catfight slash dance-off, which was very cool, very intense and great fun to watch. But otherwise, it's all stuff that would work better in the original films.

So while THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT III again succeeds in doing what it sets out to do (leave the audience in a happy glow), it's less accomplished than its predecessors. It's not as engaging to new viewers as either of the first two (showcasing lesser-known numbers and films), and is of only average interest to the hardcore classic film buff. It's a hard line to straddle, and the film manages to do it, don't get me wrong. But well. You can't go wrong with this film, but it's all been done before, and dare I say it...? Done better. 7.5/10

The movies highlighted in all 3 That's Entertainment! films makes you feel a bit sad. Sad that the world has lost so much innocence so quickly. The difference between the great MGM musicals and the effects-filled action films of today is incredible - and the last MGM musical was only made 49 years ago. And what a difference that 49 years has made! This instalment of the That's Entertainment! series is very interesting from an historical perspective. We see many deleted dance sequences, and a few behind-the-scenes views of great numbers. It was very nice to have Leena Horne featured so much as well, and her candid comments about Hollywood's attitude to her as a black performer was very moving. And its always pure joy to watch Fred Astaire doing what he does best - showing us all he was the greatest dancer who will ever live.

All-in-all, this film is a terrific addition to the That's Entertainment! series, and a film all movie buffs and movie historians must see. I don't think its as good as TE! 1, but its much better than TE! 2.