The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) - Spotlight on... On the Edge!

'The Man with the Golden Arm' is a 1955 drama film directed by Otto Preminger and starring Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Kim Novak, Arnold Stang and Darren McGavin.


Based on the novel of the same name by Nelson Algren, the film tells of a heroin addict who becomes clean in prison, but then struggles with temptation after his release.

Former heroin addict Frankie Machine (played by Sinatra) is released from prison (where he has become clean) with a drum kit and a new lease on life. He returns to his wheelchair bound wife Zosh (played by Parker), and also runs into a former flame, Molly (played by Novak). Whilst out of jail, Frankie struggles to keep away from drugs, but later finds himself forced to deal in order to repay a debt.


Watch the trailer:

The title sequence

The film's controversial title sequence, designed by Saul Bass features the an animated paper cut out of a heroin addict's arms. The purpose of the cut out was to tap into the viewers emotions, and get them ready for the mood of the film.  Bass would later use a similar technique for Alfred Hitchcock films, 'Psycho' (1960), 'North by Northwest' (1959) and 'Vertigo' (1958).

Watch the title sequence:

Did you know...

• The Motion Picture Association of America refused to certify the film because it was about a heroin addict - the film was released without the seal of approval
• Marlon Brando was also considered for the role of Frankie Machine
• In preparation for the film, Frank Sinatra spent time at drug rehabilitation centres to observe heroin addicts
• According to Frank Sinatra Jr., the receiving hands of the second drug dealing belong to funny man Milton Berle

Award nominations

• Academy Award nomination for Best Actor (Frank Sinatra)
• Academy Award nomination for Best Art Direction/Set Decoration - Black & White
• Academy Award nomination for Best Music Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
• BAFTA Award nomination for Best Film from any Source
• BAFTA Award nomination for Best Foreign Actor (Frank Sinatra)
• Satellite Award nomination for Outstanding Classic DVD (50th Anniversary Edition)

Closing remarks

'The Man with the Golden Gun' features one of Frank Sinatra's best dramatic roles. Otto Preminger broke ground by focusing on a taboo theme, such as heroin addiction, and persisting to release the film, even after it was refused classification. It helped shape censorship laws as a year later, films were permitted to depict drug use, kidnapping, prostitution and abortion.

Singin in the Rain (1952) - Star of the month... Gene Kelly

'Singin' in the Rain' is a 1952 MGM musical comedy directed by Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen, and starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds with Jean Hagen, Rita Moreno,  All musical numbers were choreographed by Gene Kelly.

The film is a satire on the awkward transition of silent to sound films and is most remembered for featuring Gene Kelly's signature song and dance routine 'Singin in the Rain'.

Musical program

• "Singin' in the Rain" (Intro) - Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor & Debbie Reynolds
• "Fit as a Fiddle" - Gene Kelly & Donald O'Connor
• "Temptation" (Instrumental)
• "Dreaming Of You" - Debbie Reynolds
• "Singin' in the Rain" - Gene Kelly
• "Make 'Em Laugh" - Donald O'Connor
• "Beautiful Girl Montage" (also features "I Got A Feeling You're Feeling", "The Wedding of the Painted Doll" and "Should I?"
• "You Were Meant For Me" - Gene Kelly (with Debbie Reynolds)
• "Moses Supposes" - Gene Kelly & Donald O'Connor
• "Good Morning" - Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor & Debbie Reynolds
• "Would You" - Debbie Reynolds
• "Broadway Melody Ballet" (also features "Broadway Rhythm") - Gene Kelly
• "You Are My Lucky Star" - Gene Kelly (with Debbie Reynolds)

Deleted songs:

• In an early draft of the script, "Singin' in the Rain" was to be sung by Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor & Debbie Reynolds on their way back from the flop preview of 'The Dueling Cavalier'
• In an early draft of the script Gene Kelly was to sing "Dreaming Of You", instead of "You Were Meant For Me"
• Debbie Reynolds originally sang "You Are My Lucky Star" to a billboard showing an image of Don Lockwood - the footage has survived and is included on the DVD release
• Rita Moreno was originally meant to sing "I Got A Feelin' You're Foolin'"

Song: "Singin' in the Rain" - Gene Kelly

Song: "Dreaming Of You" - Debbie Reynolds

Song: "Good Morning" - Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds & Donald O'Connor

Song: "Make 'Em Laugh" - Donald O'Connor

Song: "Fit As a Fiddle" - Gene Kelly & Donald O'Connor

Song: "Singin' in the Rain" - Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds & Donald O'Connor

Clip from 'The Broadway Ballet' - Gene Kelly & Cyd Charisse

Clip from 'The Broadway Ballet' - Gene Kelly & Cyd Charisse

"Moses Supposes" - Gene Kelly & Donald O'Connor

Outtake musical number: "You Are My Lucky Star" - Debbie Reynolds (deleted from the final film)

Song: "Would You?" - Debbie Reynolds

Song: "You Were Meant For Me" - Gene Kelly (with Debbie Reynolds)

Song: "Singin' in the Rain (in E-Flat)" / "You Are My Lucky Star" - Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds & Donald O'Connor (with Jean Hagen)

Did you know...

• This was Debbie Reynold's first starring role
• Debbie Reynolds once said the two hardest things she has ever done is childbirth and 'Singin in the Rain'
• Arthur Freed gave Betty Comden and Adolph Green a mandate to write a film called "Singin' in the Rain", which was to feature as many of his songs as possible

Closing remarks

Although the film was only a moderate success on it's initial release, it is now considered to be one of the greatest musical films of all time, and even one of the best films ever made.

An American in Paris (1951) - Star of the month... Gene Kelly

"This is Paris. And I'm an American who lives here" - Gene Kelly (as Jerry Mulligan in 'An American in Paris')

'An American in Paris' is a 1951 MGM musical comedy starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Georges Guétary, Oscar Levant, Nina Foch and Hayden Rourke.

Jerry Mulligan (played by Kelly) is an American painter living in Paris. His friend, Adam Cook (played by Levant) is a struggling concert pianist, and an associate of French entertainer, Henri Baurel (played by Guétary). Henri is in a relationship with Lise Bouvier (played by Caron), however things are complicated when Jerry falls in love with Lise. Meanwhile, society woman Milo Roberts (played by Foch) is interested in Jerry.

In 1993, the film was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry for being culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.

Watch the trailer:

Musical program

• "Embraceable You" (Instrumental) - danced by Leslie Caron
• "Nice Work If You Can Get It" - Georges Guétary
• "By Strauss" - Gene Kelly, Georges Guétary & Oscar Levant
• "I've Got Rhythm" - Gene Kelly
• "Bidin' my Time" (Instrumental)
• "Someone to Watch Over Me" (Instrumental)
• "Tra-La-La (This Time It's Really Love)" - Gene Kelly & Oscar Levant
• "Our Love Is Here To Stay" - Gene Kelly (with Leslie Caron)
• "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise" - Georges Guétary
• "Concerto in F for Piano and Orchesta" - Oscar Levant & the MGM Orchestra
• "S'Wonderful" - Gene Kelly & Georges Guétary
• "An American in Paris Ballet" - Gene Kelly & Leslie Caron

Gene Kelly also recorded "I Got a Crush On You", which was deleted from the film.


Clip from 'I Got Rhythm' - Gene Kelly & the children

Song: "I'll Build A Stairway to Paradise" - Georges Guétary

Song: "By Strauss"

Song: "S'Wonderful" - Gene Kelly & - Georges Guétary

The American in Paris Ballet

In the stunning 18 minute 'An American in Paris' ballet, Kelly & Minnelli create a lavish showcase for classical ballet, tap dancing and athletic exuberance, set against the backdrop inspired by classic impressionist paintings and the amazing music of George Gershwin.

A ballet on this scale had never before appeared in an American film. The British film 'The Red Shoes' had attempted something similar a few years earlier. The ballet cost half a million dollars to stage, and took over a month to film.

I love this ballet so much, I had to include a selection of images showing its many magical moments...

Introducing Leslie Caron in her first film

Introducing Leslie Caron

'An American in PAris' was Leslie Caron's first film. While travelling in Paris, Gene Kelly noticed Leslie Caron dancing, and convinced her to return to Hollywood with him. The ironic thing was at the time Leslie Caron didn't know who Gene Kelly was.

Did you know...

Leslie Caron

• Fred Astaire was also considered for the role of Jerry Mulligan
• Maurice Chevalier was considered for the role of Henri Baurel
• Celeste Holm was considered for the role of Milo Roberts
• Cyd Charisse was considered for the role of Lise Bouvier, however she became pregnant
• Marge Champion was offered the role of Lise Bouvier, however she declined as she did not want to appear without her husband, Gower Champion
• Nina Foche contracted chicken pox, which put a hold on filming - this led to the idea of 'An American in Paris Ballet'
• George Guetary for 2 and a half years younger than Gene Kelly, and had to have his hair greyed
• Leslie Caron's film debut
• Ira Gershwin sold the title of 'An American in Paris' to Arthur Freed, on the condition every song in the film must come from the Gershwin song catalogue
• No dialogue is spoken in last 20-21 minutes of this film
• At age 38, Gene Kelly was 19 years older than his co-star Leslie Caron
• A stage adaptation followed in 2008, featuring many of the film's songs, as well as other Gershwin standards such as "They All Laughed", "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and "Love Walked In"

Awards and nominations

• Academy Award winner for Best Picture
• Academy Award winner for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Color)
• Academy Award winner for Best Cinematography (Color)
• Academy Award winner for Best Costume (Color)
• Academy Award winner for Best Music, Scoring of a Picture
• Academy Award winner for Best Writing, Story & Screenplay
• Academy Award nomination for Best Director
• Academy Award nomination for Best Film Editing
• BAFTA Award nomination for Best Film from any Source
• Cannes Film Festival nomination for Grand Prize of the Festival 
• Directors Guide of America Award nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
• Golden Globe winner for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
• Golden Globe nomination for Best Director
• Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture Actor - Musical or Comedy (Gene Kelly)
• National Board of Review Award winner for Top Ten Films
• Writers Guild of America Award winner for Best Written American Musical

Gene Kelly was also awarded an honorary Academy Award for his "versatility as an actor, singer, director and dancer, and specifically for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film" - it would be his only Oscar.

Closing remarks

A joyous celebration of ballet, French impressionist painting and Gershwin music. 'An American in Paris' is one of MGM and Gene Kelly's greatest achievements. There's not much else I can say about this film but go and watch it!

Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982) - Spotlight on... On the Edge

"Oooh, I need a dirty woman... Oooh, I need a dirty girl"


'Pink Floyd: The Wall' is a 1982 musical rock-opera film directed by Alan Parker, and starring Bob Geldof with James Laurenson.

Bob Geldof as Pink

'Pink Floyd: The Wall' tells of the construction and eventual demolition of a metaphorical wall: alienation. The film focuses on a central character, Pink (played by Geldof)



The film is divided into many segments, each based on a Pink Floyd song. I have structured the rest of this blog in the same way, with commentary on each segment. I have managed to find many of the segments on YouTube, and have provided links, where available to enable you to watch the segment as you read.

"When the Tigers Broke Free" (Part I) - Pink Floyd

The film opens with Pink's father (played by Laurenson) smoking a cigarette and cleaning and loading a revolver 

"The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot" - Vera Lynn

The film cuts to a hotel corridor, as we hear a song which is not recorded by Pink Floyd.

"In the Flesh?" - Pink Floyd (with vocals by Bob Geldof)

The sequence begins with Pink sitting in a locked hotel room. The hotel housekeeper knocks, then unlocks the door with her keys. As this occurs, Pink remembers a concert, where a crowd of fans charged and opened a chained door to the concert. The stampede results in a riot where a number of people are crushed, injured and arrested. This sequence is juxtaposed with images of soldiers at war being bombed. As someone who regularly attends concerts, I can relate to the comparison of rioting fans to soldiers at war. 

Pink, wearing a military jacket sings to the spectator, telling us if we want to know whats going on "behind these cold eyes", we'll "just have to claw" our way "through this disguise" - this sets the expectation the character of Pink is not as he appears to be.

We then witness Pink's father killed by a dive-bomber as the song ends. This is followed by the sound of a baby crying, symbolising Pink as a fatherless baby, with his widowed mother.

"The Thin Ice" - Pink Flord

The vinyl cover sleeve for "Another Brick in the Wall"

During this song, Pink is floating in a swimming pool. This image is juxtaposed by a number of wounded soldiers, which leads the water in the swimming pool to turn red, giving the appearance Pink is floating in blood. The song also acts as a transition towards Pink's early life, as the film dissolves into a flashback to the 1950s.

"Another Brick in the Wall" (Part I - Reminiscing) - Pink Floyd

Pink's mother (played by ) is at church praying, following the death of her husband as Pink plays wit a toy airplane.

"When the Tigers Broke Free" (Part I) - Pink Floyd

The reprise of this song shows Pink finding his dead father's army uniform, letter of condolence and bullets. The film shows juxtaposing shots of Pink and his father putting on the uniform.

"Goodbye Blue Sky" - Pink Floyd

This segment is animated by Gerald Scarfe, and presents a white dove which is brutally ripped apart by a black eagle. The eagle flies around leaving a trail of blood on the earth. The eagle is a metaphor for the nazi's killing the innocent, in this case the dove.

"The Happiest Days of Our Lives" - Pink Floyd

After Pink is punished by his schoolteacher, the scene cuts to the teacher in his own forced to eat tough meat. The next day, the teacher spanks a child with a belt as a form of stress release.

The faceless children in Pink's daydream

"Another Brick in the Wall" (Part II - Education) - Pink Floyd

Pink daydreams and imagines a group of students marching in a robotic-like way through a tunnel, where they re-emerge as faceless clones, before falling into an oversized meat grinder. The song ends as mince meat emerges from the meat grinder.

"Mother" - Pink Floyd

During this sequence we learn the cause of Pink's alienation was due to his strict upbringing  by his overprotective mother.

"What Shall we do Now? (Empty Spaces)" - Pink Floyd

This segment is presented as an animated sequence by Gerald Scarfe. 
The animation begins with two flowers caressing each other, who then morph and unite similar to reproductive organs. The female flower eventually destroys the male flower - a reference to the troubled relationship Pink had with his wife, before transforming into a pterodactyl and flying off into the distance

"Young Lust" - Pink Floyd

After learning of his wife's affair, Pink is seen with several groupies, played by a  young Joanne Whalley in her first debut and Jenny Wright.

"One of My Turns" - Pink Floyd

Pink brings a groupie (played by actress Jenny Wright) back to his hotel room. Thinking about his wife, Pink snaps and begins to trash his hotel room, throwing a number of objects at the groupie, and also cuts his hand after throwing a TV out of the window onto the street below. 

"Don't Leave me Now" - Pink Floyd

The sequence opens back to the scene where Pink is floating in the swimming pool, which turns into blood. We are now aware of how he cut his hand. 

After watching some TV on his own, the shadow of Pink's wife transforms into a preying mantis, before transforming into the female flower we saw in the earlier animation.

"Another Brick in the Wall" (Part III - Drugs) - Pink Floyd

The sequence begins as Pink smashes his guitar into the TV screen. This is followed by a montage depicting the construction of the wall.

"Goodbye Cruel World" - Pink Floyd

This very short segment depicts Pink's reaction to his mental wall and acknowledges his isolation of society.

"Is There Anybody Out There?" - Pink Floyd

Largely an instrumental montage, the question "Is there anybody out there?" is asked throughout the segment as Pink attempts to reach out to someone outside of his self built wall. The segment ends as Pink shaves off his eyebrows.

"Nobody's Home" - Pink Floyd

After Pink has shaved his eyebrows, he watches more TV. The song tells of the loneliness Pink feels as a result of his isolation.

Musical program

• "When the Tigers Broke Free" (Part I) - Pink Floyd
• "The Little Boy Who Santa Claus Fogot" - Vera Lynn
• "In the Flesh?" - Pink Floyd (vocals by Bob Geldof)
• "The Thin Ice" - Pink Floyd
• "Another Brick in the Wall" (Part I - Reminiscing) - Pink Floyd
• "Goodbye Blue Sky" - Pink Floyd
• "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" - Pink Floyd
• "Another Brick in the Wall" (Part II - Education) - Pink Floyd
• "Mother" - Pink Floyd
• "What Shall We Do Now? (Empty Spaces)" - Pink Floyd
• "Young Lust" - Pink Floyd
• "One of My Turns" - Pink Floyd
• "Don't Leave Me Now" - Pink Floyd
• "Another Brick in the Wall" (Part III - Drugs) - Pink Floyd
• "Goodbye Cruel World" - Pink Floyd
• "Is There Anybody Out There?" - Pink Floyd
• 
  

Two songs from the original Pink Floyd album were not used in the film: "Hey You" & "The Show Must Go On".  "Hey You" was deleted due to the footage being too repetitive (most of it had already appeared in montage sequences elsewhere). The footage is available to view in black and white as a bonus feature on the DVD, under the name "Reel 13".

Did you know...

• The song "When the Tigers Broke Free" was written by Roger Waters, describing the death of his father, Eric Fletcher Waters, during WWII's Operation Shingle - the song was originally supposed to feature on the Pink Floyd album 'The Wall', but was rejected by other band members for being too personal
• A young Joanne Whalley appears as a Groupie in her film debut
• In the song "One of my Turns", Bob Geldof really cut his hand on the shard of glass - director Alan Parker continued filming 
• Although the film's end credits refers to a soundtrack album from Columbia Records, all that was released was a single containing "When the Tigers Broke Free" and a re-recorded version of "Bring the Boys Back Home"

Awards

• British Academy Award winner for Best Original Song ("Another Brick in the Wall")

Closing remarks

Although I am not a fan of Pink Floyd or their music, I like this film a lot. I really like the way Alan Parker has accompanied an existing work of music with 
visual poetry.  Parker would later show us his talent in telling a story with music and images with 'Evita' (1996).

That's Entertainment III (1994) - Star of the month... Gene Kelly

"The song has ended but the melody lingers on..." - Gene Kelly (in 'That's Entertainment III')

'That's Entertainment III' is a 1995 documentary reuniting 9 legendary MGM stars, Ann Miller, Cyd Charisse, Debbie Reynolds, Esther Williams, Gene Kelly, Howard Keel, June Allyson, Lena Horne and Mickey Rooney.

Released 18 years after 'That's Entertainment, Part II' (1976), and to celebrate the 70th anniversary of MGM, 'That's Entertainment III' explores the MGM musical a little further than the previous films, by not showing clips from nearly 100 MGM musicals, but also a selection of unused musical numbers for the first time. 

Highlights from 'That's Entertainment, Part II'

• Overture - As with the two previous films, an overture welcomes us to this theatrical experience
• 'That's Entertainment III' opens with Fred Astaire singing "Here's to the Girls" from 'Ziegfeld Follies' (1945)
• First up is Gene Kelly, who provides us with the origins of the MGM musicals, with popular vaudeville acts being filmed in 'The Hollywood Revue' (1929), and the introduction of the Hays Production Code, which led to the casting of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy is a series of family-friendly and compliant musicals
• Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney with their lively rendition of "Good Morning", from 'Babes in Arms' (1939)
• We are shown behind the scenes footage into how Eleanor Powell's "Fascinating Rhythm" number from 'Lady Be Good' (1941) was filmed
• Esther Williams introduces us to her giant swimming pool tank, and gives some background as to how her extravagant ballet sequences were filmed, treating us to her personal favourite clips from her wonderful films
• June Allyson talks to us about the screen test process, and we see June in action singing "The Three B's" in 'Best Foot Forward' with Nancy Walker and Gloria De Haven
• Cyd Charisse performing "Baby You Knock Me Out" in 'It's Always Fair Weather' (1955)
• Cyd Charisse shows us the scenic background building at MGM, and presents a loving tribute to the films of Gene Kelly
• Gene Kelly & Cyd Charisse's pas de deux "The Heather on the Hill" from 'Brigadoon' (1954), revealed to be Charisse's favourite dance with Gene
• Debbie Reynolds talks to us about classic leading ladies and gowns by the famed designer Adrian, through clips of Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Grace Kelly, Jean Harlow, Angela Lansbury, Elizabeth Taylor and Marion Davies
• A special montage is presented showcasing the best of latin/tropical talent, including Xavier Cugat, Ricardo Montalban and Carmen Miranda (with a memorable clip of Mickey Rooney impersonating Miranda in drag)
• Lena Horne shares her emotional struggle as an African American performer during the 1940s, which led to her usually making a brief walk-on singing performance, before exiting immediately after her number - she also reveals she was not permitted to play the role of Julie LaVerne in 'Showboat' (1951), due to the Hays Production Code not permitting interracial relationships
• Lena Horne singing "Just One of Those Things" from 'Panama Hattie' (1941)
• We are shown a deleted Lena Horne song from the film 'Cabin in the Sky' called "Ain't It The Truth" - cut because MGM felt it would be too risque showing an African American woman taking a bubble bath
• Ava Gardner's vocals for "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" in 'Show Boat' (1952) - in the film her vocals were dubbed
• The tragic story of Judy Garland's brief stint in 'Annie, Get Your Gun' in 1950, before she was fired - we see two filmed numbers "I'm An Indian Too" and "Doin' What Comes Naturally" for the first time
• Mickey Rooney appears to give an inspiring tribute to his good friend Judy Garland
• Judy Garland singing "Who?" in 'Till the Clouds Roll By' (1946)
• An unreleased Judy Garland song from 'Easter Parade' (1948) called "Mr. Monotony" - in my opinion, the best number filmed and I am baffled as to why it was cut
• An unreleased Judy Garland song from 'The Harvey Girls' (1946) called "March of the Doagies"
• Ann Miller (My personal favourite MGM star) gives a tribute to dancing legend Fred Astaire, who by now had passed away
• Ann Miller singing "Shakin' the Blues Away" in 'Easter Parade' (1948)
• Howard Keel takes us on a brief tour of the MGM film vault, and talks to us about new technology such as CinemaScope and Stereophonic Sound, designed to combat the threat of television... we are appropriately shown footage of the song "Stereophonic Sound" from 'Silk Stockings' (1957)
• Howard Keel & Betty Hutton singing "Anything You Can Do I Can Better" in 'Annie, Get Your Gun' (1950)
• The demise of the MGM musical is discused, including some memorable clips from some of the last big MGM hits, Elvis Presley singing the title song from 'Jailhouse Rock' (1957), Doris Day singing "Shakin' the Blues Away" from 'Love Me or Leave Me' (1955), and the title track from the Oscar winning 'Gigi' (1958)
• What better way to close the film than with a brief conclusion from Mr. Entertainment himself, Gene Kelly, in what is among the last bits of footage filmed of him
• And the finale... "That's Entertainment!" from 'The Bandwagon' (1955)

Featured performers (in alphabetical order):

Adrian, George K. Arthur, Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Ingrid Bergman, Ray Bolger, Joseph Breen, Lucille Bremer, Jack Buchanan, Billie Burke, Leslie Caron, Cyd Charisse, Claudette Colbert, Joan Crawford, Bing Crosby, Xavier Cugat, Arlene Dahl, Marion Davies, Doris Day, Gloria DeHaven, Marlene Dietrich, Beth Dodge, Betty Dodge, Marie Dressler, Rosetta Duncan, Vivian Duncan, Jimmy Durante, Buddy Ebsen, Nelson Eddy, Cliff Edwards, Nanette Fabray, The Five Locust Sisters, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Ava Gardner, Judy Garland, Betty Garrett, Greer Garson, Paulette Goddard, Dolores Gray, Kathryn Grayson, Oliver Hardy, Jean Harlow, Katharine Hepburn, Bob Hope, Lena Horne, Betty Hutton, Harry James, Betty Jaynes, Louis Jourdan, Buster Keaton, Howard Keel, Grace Kelly, The King's Men, Hedy Lamarr, Angela Lansbury, Stan Laurel, Vivien Leigh, Oscar Levant, Carole Lombard, Myrna Loy, Jeanette MacDonald, Tony Martin, Joan McCracken, Ray McDonald, Douglas McPhail, Una Merkel, Ann Miller, Carmen Miranda, Marilyn Monroe, Ricardo Montalban, Polly Moran, Jules Munshin, George Murphy, J. Carrol Naish, Donald O'Connor, Janis Paige, Jack Pearl, Eleanor Powell, Jane Powell, William Powell, Elvis Presley, Luise Rainer, Debbie Reynolds, Ginger Rogers, Mickey Rooney, Aggie Ross, Elmira Ross, Maggie Ross, Rosaline Russell, Norma Shearer, Frank Sinatra, Ann Sothern, Clinton Sundberg, Don Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Lana Turner, Lupe Velez, Vera-Ellen, Nancy Walker, Esther Williams, Francis Williams, Chill Wills, Harry Wilson, Robert Young, Roland Young

Did you know...

• This was Gene Kelly's final screen appearance
• Gene Kelly is the only star to host all three 'That's Entertainment' films
• This was Debbie Reynolds' and Mickey Rooney's second time hosting a 'That's Entertainment' film

Closing remarks

Gene Kelly on the set of 'That's Entertainment III'

My favourite of all the 'That's Entertainment' films. What I like most about Part III is the presenters are all MGM musical stars, whereas Part I featured some stars who didn't make many MGM films (Bing Crosby, Donald O'Connor) or stars who didn't make many musicals (Elizabeth Taylor, James Stewart). 

Who better to present the best of MGM musicals than Ann Miller (my favourite MGM star), Esther Williams, June Allyson, Lena Horne and of course Gene Kelly!

The only bad thing about 'That's Entertainment Part III' is we are yet to see a part 4.

As of June 2012, there are a small number of MGM stars who could feature in a Part 4: Leslie Caron, Doris Day, Liza Minnelli, Marge Champion, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell, Esther Williams, Carleton Carpenter, Nanette Fabray, Mickey Rooney, Russ Tamblyn and Tommy Rall. That said, time is running out and sadly there may no more "That's Entertainment!"