Show Boat (1951)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

George Sidney

Writers:

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

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:

Riverboat | New Year's Eve | Based On Musical | Christmas | Famous Score

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Boyd Ackerman	...	Chorus boy (uncredited)
Bette Arlen	...	Chorus girl (uncredited)
Mary Bezemes	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Carol Brewster	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Peter Camlin	...	Croupier (uncredited)
Sue Casey	...	New Year's Eve Cutie (uncredited)
Chick Chandler	...	Joe - Trocadero stage assistant (uncredited)
Linda Christian	...	Chorus girl (uncredited)
Sheila Clark	...	Kim Ravenal, age 4 (uncredited)
John Crawford	...	Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
Frank Dae	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Nova Dale	...	Chorus girl (uncredited)
Roy Damron	...	Chorus boy (uncredited)
Anne Dore	...	Chorus girl (uncredited)
Michael Dugan	...	Chorus boy (uncredited)
Marietta Elliott	...	Chorus girl (uncredited)
Lisa Ferraday	...	Renee (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
George Ford	...	Chorus boy (uncredited)
Robert Fortier	...	Chorus boy (uncredited)
Dan Foster	...	Deckhand (uncredited)
Mary Jane French	...	Chorus girl (uncredited)
William Hall	...	Bouncer (uncredited)
Len Hendry	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Earle Hodgins	...	Riverboat bartender (uncredited)
Shep Houghton	...	Specialty dancer (uncredited)
Tom Irish	...	Bellboy (uncredited)
Claude Jaeger	...	Chorus boy (uncredited)
Joyce Jameson	...	Chorus girl (uncredited)
Adele Jergens	...	Cameo McQueen (uncredited)
Edward Keane	...	Hotel manager (uncredited)
Helen Kimbell	...	Chorus girl (uncredited)
Marilyn Kinsley	...	Chorus girl (uncredited)
Fuzzy Knight	...	The Trocadero piano player (uncredited)
Judy Landon	...	Chorus girl (uncredited)
John Phillip Law	...	Extra (uncredited)
Norman Leavitt	...	George (the calliope player) (uncredited)
Meredith Leeds	...	New Year's Eve Cutie (uncredited)
George Lynn	...	Blackjack dealer (uncredited)
Ian MacDonald	...	Drunken sport (uncredited)
Alice Markham	...	Chorus girl (uncredited)
Alphonse Martell	...	Headwaiter (uncredited)
Owen McGiveney	...	Windy McClain (uncredited)
Louis Mercier	...	Poker player (uncredited)
Ida Moore	...	Little Old Lady (uncredited)
Anna Q. Nilsson	...	Seamstress (uncredited)
Emory Parnell	...	Jake Green (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	...	Player (uncredited)
James Pierce	...	Doorman (uncredited)
Tao Porchon	...	Chorus girl (uncredited)
Allan Ray	...	Elevator Operator (uncredited)
Charles Regan	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Al Rhein	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Suzanne Ridgeway	...	Racetrack Spectator (uncredited)
Bert Roach	...	Drunk (uncredited)
Joseph Roach	...	Chorus boy (uncredited)
Jean Romaine	...	New Year's Eve Cutie (uncredited)
Harry Seymour	...	Riverboat piano player (uncredited)
George Sherwood	...	Trainer (uncredited)
Carl Sklover	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Bob Stebbins	...	Bellhop (uncredited)
William Tannen	...	Man with Julie (uncredited)
Regis Toomey	...	Sheriff Ike Vallon (uncredited)
Dee Turnell	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Mitzie Uehlien	...	Chorus girl (uncredited)
Annette Warren	...	Julie LaVerne (uncredited) (singing voice)
Frank Wilcox	...	Gambler Mark Hallson (uncredited)
Lyn Wilde	...	Chorus girl (uncredited)
Frances E. Williams	...	Queenie (uncredited)
Marjorie Wood	...	Landlady (uncredited)

Directed by
George Sidney

Writing credits
John Lee Mahin		(screenplay)
Jerome Kern		(immortal musical play "Show Boat") and
Oscar Hammerstein II		(immortal musical play "Show Boat")
Edna Ferber		(novel "Show Boat")
Jack McGowan		screenplay unused (uncredited)
George Wells		screenplay unused (uncredited)

Produced by
Ben Feiner Jr.	....	associate producer
Arthur Freed	....	producer
Roger Edens	....	associate producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Charles Rosher		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John D. Dunning		(as John Dunning)

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons
Jack Martin Smith

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Walter Plunkett

Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair styles designer
William Tuttle	....	makeup designer

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Roger Edens	....	director, "Ol' Man River" sequence (uncredited)
Carl 'Major' Roup	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Richard Pefferle	....	associate set decorator (as Richard A. Pefferle)

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording supervisor

Special Effects by
Warren Newcombe	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Man Ray	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Music Department
Alexander Courage	....	additional orchestrator
Adolph Deutsch	....	musical director
Conrad Salinger	....	orchestrator
Robert Tucker	....	music arranger: vocal arrangements
Robert Franklyn	....	additional orchestrator (uncredited)
Paul Marquardt	....	additional orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Robert Alton	....	dances by
Peter Ballbusch	....	montage sequences
James Gooch	....	technicolor color consultant
Henri Jaffa	....	technicolor color consultant
Alex Romero	....	assistant choreographer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1951) (USA) (theatrical) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1962) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1972) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print Technicolor)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

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:

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

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The Breen Censorship Office tried to raise an objection against the use of the "miscegenation sequence" in this film version of the show, but they were unable to do so because the 1936 film version had already used it and thus set a precedent.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): At one point, Magnolia (Kathryn Grayson) refers to Lady Southweight and Hamilton Barsdale as being characters in "Tempest and Sunshine", a melodrama adapted from a then-popular novel. There are no such characters in that play. In the scene in which Cap'n Andy (Joe E. Brown) introduces the show boat actors to the crowd, Julie (Ava Gardner) and Steve (Robert Sterling) make another reference to Hamilton, and Cap'n Andy then says: "You have to see the play tonight folks, to learn their secret - "Tempest and Sunshine", beautiful drama of tears and laughter".

Quotes:

Joe: [brushing Pete's clothes off immediately after his fistfight with Steve] Please, Mister Pete, don't go gettin' yourself all riled up over things. Besides, Mister Steve and Miss Julie, they gotta play performances here.
Pete: Yeah? Well I know a thing or two; we'll see how many performances they play in this town!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Changing Stages" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Bill

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.