Show Boat (1951)

Director:

George Sidney

Writers:

John Lee Mahin (screenplay)
Jerome Kern (immortal musical play "Show Boat") ...

Release Date:

24 September 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

It's NEW!

Plot:

The daughter of a riverboat captain falls in love with a charming gambler, but their fairytale romance is threatened when his luck turns sour.

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Broadway Musical | Interracial Relationship | Riverboat | Based On Musical

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Kathryn Grayson	...	Magnolia Hawks
Ava Gardner	...	Julie LaVerne
Howard Keel	...	Gaylord Ravenal
Joe E. Brown	...	Cap'n Andy Hawks
Marge Champion	...	Ellie May Shipley
Gower Champion	...	Frank Schultz
Robert Sterling	...	Steve Baker
Agnes Moorehead	...	Parthy Hawks
Leif Erickson	...	Pete (as Lief Erickson)
William Warfield	...	Joe

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

UK:U | Australia:G | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

MGM vied for the rights to film "Show Boat" as early as 1938 (Universal Studios had owned the rights to the musical since 1929, and had made their own film version of it in 1936). MGM had hopes of starring the reigning operatic duo of Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald in the roles of Gaylord and Magnolia. but when that didn't happen, they showcased new stars Tony Martin and Kathryn Grayson - in a kind of screen test as Ravenal and Magnolia in the Kern film biography Till the Clouds Roll By (1946) (and Grayson did eventually appear in the 1951 "Show Boat"). The third lead in the film, the biracial Julie, was considered at various times for Judy Garland, Dinah Shore, and Lena Horne. Shore, although not a major film star, did have a somewhat exotic visage at the time -- her hair and eyes were very dark, and she did almost as many blues and torch songs as a band singer in the 1940's as did Garland. Horne mentions in her biography that she wanted to do the role of Julie badly, but only got as far as performing a single number in the "Clouds" film in the opening "Show Boat" vignette. America, after all, was still a segregated nation in 1950. Interracial romance was still taboo on screen -- and Julie kisses and romantically interacts with her white husband several times.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the "Ol' Man River" sequence, after the boat has stopped moving to allow Ravenal to climb on board, it begins moving again and passes other dock workers on rafts. Joe is seen in long shot, standing on the deck of the show boat and singing to them the words "You an' me, we sweat and strain...", etc. During that specific moment, his voice is not quite synchronized with his arm and lip movements (he shakes his fists for emphasis). Then, on the line "Ya get a little drunk". he is shown in medium shot, and his voice matches his lip movements perfectly.

Quotes:

Steve: [about Pete] There's still not enough room on this boat for the two of us!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Changing Stages" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Make Believe

Where are they now?

Ava Gardner, Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Marge & Gower Champion all under the sure and competent direction of George Sidney where are they? In which sky are those stars shining now? Maybe only in our memories. This was the golden era of musicals where other giants such as Stanley Donen and Vincente Minnelli as directors and Fred Asteire, Ginger Rogers (a little before), Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse as performers distinguished themselves. This movie is a landmark in the history of musical movies by the beauty of its lyrics and music and dance numbers. And the sceneries of course. Just only to watch (and listen to the song) the sequence where that old tune "Old Man River" is sung is this movie worth to be seen. Usually in these musicals the story is the weakest part of the movie but here it has even enough dramatic depth to interest the viewer. A very good movie in conclusion.