Some of the most impressive numbers from the golden era of MGM musicals are contained in this video, the third of the That's Entertainment films. Have no fear that the studio was scraping the bottom of the barrel when assembling these clips after having produced two earlier films using the same formula. In fact, it can be argued that this particular compilation would be attractive to a general audience of today, as it contains a wealth of material that hasn't been widely seen. And almost none of it would be produced today, as these complicated dance scenes would simply be too expensive to film in the modern era. An example is a lavish production number featuring the great dancer Eleanor Powell seen in split screen, so the viewer watching the video can see not only what the movie audience saw, but what the soundstage looked like as a small army of stagehands performed artful illusions by removing gigantic portions of the stage as Powell danced across it. Interesting outtakes featuring Judy Garland and Lena Horne are also featured, and former MGM musical stars who introduce the production numbers (and provide background on the filming) include Gene Kelly and Esther Williams. The title doesn't lie: it's all entertaining. --Robert J. McNamara
2.
Picture Judy Garland in "Annie Get Your Gun" or Lena Horne in "Showboat". This film distinguishes itself from the previous two installments by featuring rare outtakes of great musical productions. Song and dance sequences were often cut from finished films to lessen the running time or on a producer's whim. These newly discovered snippets include Horne's delicious rendition of "Ain't it the Truth," which was cut from "Cabin in the Sky," and Cyd Charisse belting "Two Faced Woman", which was bumped from "The Band Wagon" so that Joan Crawford could perform it in another film -- in blackface! These lost gems, alternate song versions, and deleted dance numbers show what a favorite film might have been like.
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