Review of That's Entertainment! III

You would think that after two "That's Entertainment!" films (not to mention the more obscure "That's Dancing!"), all the major singing and dancing numbers from the best MGM musicals must have been shown already, but this third attempt comes up with enough material to make it an enjoyable compilation. My absolute favorite part is without a doubt the witty, funny "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better" from "Annie, Get Your Gun". I also noticed - once again - what absolute knockouts Esther Williams and Doris Day were in their heyday, despite their "chaste" filmic reputations. I loved the pre-code "Clean As A Whistle" number, and almost started singing (not out loud, thankfully for others) alongside Elvis Presley in "Jailhouse Rock". The film also shows that even MGM at its peak could make some blinding errors of judgment: would you believe they kept Joan Crawford's version of "Two Faced Woman" and dropped Cyd Charisse's??? Or that they dubbed over the beautiful singing voice of Ava Gardner in "Showboat"? Or that they cut Judy Garland's leggy "Mr. Monotony" out of "Easter Parade"? Anyway, it's probably for the best they haven't made another one of these compilations - in this one the recipe still works, but a fourth time would be really pushing it. *** out of 4.