5/5 Different Feeling from the First Two But Very, Very Good
  by Lynn Ellingwood (Webster, NY United States)
That's Entertainment III isn't The Godfather Part III, that disaster of old. It is actually a film made 18 years after the second with a different feeling but still very good. This film tends to focus more on a documentary feeling rather than nostalgia. That's not a bad thing. The film may be more sober but focuses more on the MGM Hollywood system that was able to bring about the amazing group of stars. All actors were required to learn to sing and dance as well as acting and elocution, etc. It is very enlightening. There are out-takes that have never been shown before and the stars who contributed do a wonderful job, including Gene Kelley who seems to be suffering from emphysema. Wonderful to include in a set and well worth making. I'm glad there was a That's Entertainment III.

4/5 Nice Features In Here That We've Never Seen
  by Craig Connell (Lockport, NY USA)
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 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.


4/5 great film with fun bits of trivia and [previously] unseen film footage......
  by D. Pawl (Seattle)
THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT 3 is the final installment of the ENTERTAINMENT trilogy, that features older versions of the stars we came to love and recognize presenting a series of clips from their best-known movies, as well as outtakes with alternative choreoography, costumes and [sometimes] performers. Some of my favorites from here include Cyd Charisse, in TORCH SONG, which was brought to film with Joan Crawford in a costume gawdy enough to make her look like a drag queen, and make-up reminiscent of minstrel shows (it really offended me, actually!), Fred Astaire's alternate version of "I Want To Be a Dancing Man," dressed as a bartender, instead of in his "standard" tuxedo, and Ava Gardner singing "Can't Help Loving That Man of Mine," in SHOW BOAT, without help from the dub artist, as the film later appeared in theatres.

What makes THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT 3 especially stand out was a great appearance from Lena Horne. I appreciate her honesty and candor with us, the audience, as she tells us, unflinchingly, about her racist experience with the film industry, how she was repeatedly overlooked for acting roles, and was usually featured as a singer in a lounge act, and then quickly hustled off of the stage. Horne also experienced heartbreak when Ava Gardner was cast as biracial Julie in SHOW BOAT, instead of herself (due to film codes against miscygenation). I would have liked to see more of Lena Horne, in this, as well as other people of color who appeared in the MGM films, to hear their perspective, and see more clips with them. Overall, this is a very engaging documentary......

5/5 A Look Back At MGM That's Both Honest And Nostalgic
  by Timothy Kearney (Hull, MA United States)
It was some time between the release of THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT PART 2 and the third installation. The third installation could have been more of the same, but in the third part we are taken behind the scenes a bit more than the first. There are more narrators and in this regard it makes it similar to the first installment. It includes some well known scenes and lesser known scenes, but it's a bit more critical in an honest way and less a celebration of MGM's glory days. For example we see a musical scene with three sisters that's less than spectacular. We see scenes that were cut that should have been included. This installment was one of the first times we saw Judy Garland in ANNIE GET YOU'RE GUN and can make us wonder what the film would have been like had she been able and allowed to finish it. We also hear Lena Horne talk about how excited she was to be cast as Julie in the SHOWBOAT scene in TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY but how disappointed she was when censors decided that it would be too risky to cast her as Julie in the remake of SHOWBOAT.

People who are familiar with the MGM musical library and its stars may enjoy this installment best of all. It's certainly helpful for those interested in the behind the scenes of musicals and of course reminds us of MGM's great contribution to entertainment.


4/5 The third outing...
  by Henning Sebastian Jahre (Oslo, Norway)
is on par with the two first... What a pity neither of these films have included segments from BELLS ARE RINGING 1960, Mr. Freed`s last musical for Metro.

As for the film itself, the editing isn`t as good as one would expect... We didn`t get a fourth(or a 5th, they made a 4th for cable in 1995)chapter in 2004(MGM released De-Lovely instead) and it`s a shame, because MGM STILL have a lot of magic moments in store for us.... Watching the channel TCM; you`ll be aware of that. These three films stand on their own and are part of THOSE GLORIOUS MGM MUSICALS OF THE PAST.