PENN MUTUAL VARIABLE ANNUITY ACCOUNT III
485BPOS, 1997-07-31
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     As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 31, 1997
                                                    File No. 2-77283
               SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION  
                    Washington, D.C.   20549

                              FORM N-4

        REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER SECURITIES ACT OF 1933      /X/

                  Pre-Effective Amendment No. ___                / /

                  Post-Effective Amendment No. 23                /X/

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT of 1940  / /

                          Amendment No. ___                      / /

              Penn Mutual Variable Annuity Account III
                       (Exact Name of Registrant)

               THE PENN MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
                          (Name of Depositor)

                          600 Dresher Road
                       Horsham, Pennsylvania  19044
            (Address of Principal Executive Offices of Depositor)
            Depositor's Telephone Number:  215-956-8000
                                               

                          Richard F. Plush
               Vice President, Products and Programs
               The Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company
                          600 Dresher Road
                    Horsham, Pennsylvania  19044
                  (Name and Address of Agent for Service)
                              Copy to:
                          Richard W. Grant
                          C. Ronald Rubley
                    Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
                       2000 One Logan Square
                    Philadelphia, PA  19103-6993
                                               

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box)

[X]  immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485
[ ]  on (date) pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485
[ ]  60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a) of Rule 485
[ ]  on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a) of Rule 485

The registrant has registered an indefinite amount of securities
pursuant to Rule 24f-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended. The Rule 24f-2 Notice for the fiscal year ending December
31, 1996 was filed on February 11, 1997.

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                               PART A

                Information Required in a Prospectus
            The Prospectus was filed on April 29, 1997 as Part
            A of Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 to this
            Registration Statement and is incorporated by
            reference.














































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                               PART B

         Information Required in a Statement of Additional Information
                 The Statement of Additional Information was filed
                 on April 29, 1997 as Part B of Post-Effective
                 Amendment No. 22 to this Registration Statement
                 and is incorporated by reference.














































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                               PART C

                         Other Information
               Part C to this Registration Statement was filed on
               April 29, 1997 as Part C of Post-Effective
               Amendment No. 22 to this Registration Statement
               and is incorporated by reference, except to the
               extent Item 32 is amended herein.  













































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                        Amendment to Item 32

Item 32 of Part C of this Registration Statement is amended to read as follows:

Item 32.         Undertakings

"Item 32. Undertaking" is hereby amended to read as follows: 

The Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company hereby undertakes:

                 (a)   to file a post-effective amendment to this
                       registration statement as frequently as is
                       necessary to ensure that the audited
                       financial statements in the registration
                       statement are never more than 16 months old
                       for so long as payments under the variable
                       annuity contracts may be accepted;

                 (b)   to include either (1) as part of any
                       application to purchase a contract or account
                       offered by the prospectus, a space that an
                       applicant can check to request a statement of
                       additional information, or (2) a post card or
                       similar written communication affixed to or
                       included in the prospectus that the applicant
                       can remove to send for a statement of
                       additional information;

                 (c)   to deliver any statement of additional
                       information and any financial statements
                       required to be made available under Form N-4
                       promptly upon written or oral request.

Restrictions on withdrawals under Section 403(b) Contracts are
imposed in reliance upon, and in compliance with, a no-action
letter issued by the Chief of the Office of Insurance Products and
Legal Compliance of the Securities and Exchange Commission to the
American Council of Life Insurance on November 28, 1988.

The Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company represents that the fees and
charges deducted under the Individual Variable and Fixed Annuity
Contract and the Individual Variable Annuity Contract, in the
aggregate, are reasonable in relation to the services rendered, the
expenses expected to be incurred, and the risks assumed by the
Registrant. 











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                             SIGNATURES

                       As required by the Securities Act of 1933 and
the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant certifies that
it meets the requirements of Securities Act Rule 485(b) for
effectiveness of this Post-Effective Amendment No. 23 of this
Registration Statement and has caused this Post-Effective Amendment
No. 23 to be signed on its behalf, in the Township of Horsham and
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on this 31st day of July, 1997.

                       PENN MUTUAL VARIABLE ANNUITY ACCOUNT III
                                                 (Registrant)

                       By:  THE PENN MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
                                                 (Depositor)


                                By:/s/Robert E. Chappell
                                     Robert E. Chappell
                             Chairman of the Board of Trustees
                             and Chief Executive Officer 

             As required by the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons, in
the capacities indicated, on the 31st day of July, 1997.

Signature                             Title

/s/Robert E. Chappell            Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Robert E. Chappell               and Chief Executive Officer


/s/Nancy S. Brodie               Executive Vice President and
Nancy S. Brodie                  Chief Financial Officer

/s/Ann M. Strootman              Vice President and Controller
Ann M. Strootman

  JULIA CHANG BLOCH              Trustee

*JAMES A. HAGEN                  Trustee

*PHILLIP E. LIPPINCOTT           Trustee

*JOHN F. MCCAUGHAN               Trustee

  EDMUND F. NOTEBAERT            Trustee

*ALAN B. MILLER                  Trustee

  ROBERT H. ROCK                 Trustee

*DANIEL J. TORAN                 Trustee

*NORMAN T. WILDE, JR.            Trustee

*WESLEY S. WILLIAMS, JR.         Trustee

*By:/s/ Robert E. Chappell
       Robert E. Chappell, attorney-in-fact




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