That's Entertainment! III

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.

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

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.

I figured that, after the wonderful first two films in the "That's Entertainment" series, the stock of magic in MGM's musical vaults would be starting to run dry. However, directors Bud Friedgen and Michael J. Sheridan have managed to keep the series as fresh as it ever was, by striking on a singularly brilliant idea: show 'em something they've never seen before! The series' first two entries, aside from their modern-day interludes, had been comprised almost exclusively of clips that any well-bred musical cinema buff would already have seen on numerous occasions. However, by presenting "never-before-seen footage" of deleted scenes, abandoned films, undubbed songs and behind-the-scenes action, the documentary manages to enthrall the audience with something new {of course, pretty much everything was new to me, anyway}. The style of the film's presentation is closest to Part I, with a succession of MGM stars - Gene Kelly, June Allyson, Cyd Charisse, Lena Horne, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, Debbie Reynolds and Esther Williams – providing the commentary.

The films starts too much like a television special for my liking, with Generic Narrator #1 introducing the material, and thankfully throwing promptly to Gene Kelly, who has considerably more interesting things to say. A lot had taken place since Part I and II of 'That's Entertainment!' found their way into theatres; the advent of home video ensured that no household was without an assortment of family entertainment, including countless classic MGM musicals, and, among others, Fred Astaire was no longer with us, having passed away in 1987. Gene Kelly is almost unrecognisable from the Gene Kelly of decades past, and certainly didn't look as though he was going to start tappin' away any time soon; however, it's just good to hear his contribution. The other hosts, most of them "second-tier" performers (I don't intend this negatively) who wouldn't usually get such an opportunity, provide some useful information on the clips that we are seeing. There's also the usual tributes to Fred Astaire and Judy Garland, and the obligatory selection from Esther Williams.

While 'Part II' had been somewhat haphazardly edited, 'Part III' has a solid structure and good progression. Some of the archival wells do, indeed, seem to be running dry – we get the "Fit as a Fiddle" number from 'Singin' in the Rain (1952)' – but, otherwise, the footage is fascinating. Fred Astaire taps away in two alternative versions of "I Wanna Be a Dancin' Man" from 'The Belle of New York (1952),' showing such perfect rhythm and timing that, side-by-side, both Astaires are faultlessly synchronised; Eleanor Powell dances to "Fascinating Rhythm" from Lady Be Good (1941),' as a behind-the-scenes camera captures the frantic crew members shifting pieces of the stage back and forth; in an unfinished early musical 'The March of Time (1930),' an elaborate musical sequence calls to mind Elvis Presley's 'Jailhouse Rock (1957).' If you pressed me to make a decision, I'd probably rank 'That's Entertainment! III' as the third-finest entry into the series, which has been remarkably consistent in quality. I think I'll always love 'Part II' best of all – how can anybody pass up Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire dancing together?

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