This review is part of the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon. Today's star is Howard Keel.
The issues of miscegenation and gambling addiction come with big musical numbers in Show Boat, the third film version of Edna Ferber's novel and second adaptation of the Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein musical. Big and with some good performances, Show Boat entertains with its musical numbers and story.
The Cotton Blossom is a riverboat going up and down the Mississippi, bringing entertainment to the various river towns along the way. Captain Andy Hawks (Joe E. Brown) is the cheerful leader of this showboat, while his wife Parthy (Agnes Moorehead) rules the till with an iron fist. Having arrived in the newest town, the citizens are eager to see the various acts. Among them are the dancing duo of Ellie Shipley and Frank Schultz (Marge and Gower Champion), the handsomest leading man Steven Baker (Robert Sterling) and the Songbird of the South, Julie LaVerne (Ava Gardner). Steven and Julie may be married, but the wicked boat engineer Pete (Lief Erickson) won't stop bothering Julie. Pete also knows something only Steven knows: Julie is a mulatto who is "passing" for white. The secret comes out, forcing them to leave the showboat for a fate unknown.
This devastates the Hawks' daughter Magnolia (Kathryn Grayson), who built a firm friendship with Julie. Magnolia dreams of taking to the stage herself, an idea that appalls Parthy but delights Andy. With the leading lady and man now gone, Magnolia now has to take Julie's place. This works out well for gambler Gaylord Ravenal (Howard Keel), who needs a quick trip to New Orleans. Claiming to be an actor, the handsome singer manages to get aboard the Cotton Blossom. He and Nollie also fall in love.
Eventually, Gaylor and Nollie marry and strike out on their own to Chicago. Gay, however, is still as much in love with gambling as he is with Magnolia. Feeling that he will only drag her down, he leaves near New Year's Eve. Nollie is devastated, especially because she finds that she is pregnant. Fortunately, the now-married Frank and Ellie are booked in a Chicago club for a New Year's party, and they get Nollie a chance to sing there. Julie and Andy also play a role in Nollie's eventually triumphant debut. The lives of Gaylord and Magnolia, now with their daughter Kim, will interact with Julie again, but will Gaylord and Magnolia finally find themselves on Old Man River?
Show Boat, like those aboard the Cotton Blossom, wants to entertain. That they certainly did. Show Boat opens up with as lavish a musical number can be made on the water. The film starts with a group of dancers with tambourines welcoming everyone to come aboard (for a price). We get a bit of the Champions dancing, which is well-flowing and are introduced to most of the various characters. Once Julie and Steven are forced off the ship, we turn to the main love story of Gaylord and Magnolia.
Their duet, Make Believe, is one of the well-crafted songs that Show Boat has from the Kern/Hammerstein musical. It is interesting to see and hear Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson sing this number. They both are fine singers. Their styles, however, are different. Keel is closer to Broadway, with his rich tones and expressive manner. Grayson, conversely, is more operatic, with a grander manner. In terms of acting, Keel is quite effective. Handsome and tall, Keel has a suave, devilish manner to his Gaylord, which suits the character perfectly.
I was not won over by Grayson, who seemed to make Magnolia less an innocent and more of an idiot. However, she was stronger as an actress than Ava Gardner. Gardner was a great beauty, but I think she was too mannered as Julie. This is fine in the beginning, when she is meant to be a bit more theatrical. However, she kept to that manner when she made her return late in the film. It felt to me a bit too forced. She also did not sing, and this is a rare time when the miming was pretty evident. It is unfortunate though because her song, Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man, is one of the great songs from the show. As an actress, Gardner did better when acting out Bill, another Show Boat standout. Gardner at the end still has a bit of a breathy manner when acting against Keel near the end. However, her last scene in Show Boat does hit the viewer, her watching as our lovers are reunited, as happy an ending as one could wish.
As a side note I think, had the times been more open to such a thing, that Lena Horne would have been better in the role of Julie. Yet, I digress.
Joe E. Brown and Agnes Moorehead were perfect as Captain Andy and Parthy Hawks. He was delightful, making Captain Andy a pleasant, fun fellow who supported his cast and crew and loved his family. Moorehead balanced him as the no-nonsense den mother who still had fond affection for her husband.
Show Boat has a lot of outdoor footage, though I do not think it was actual location footage. The film still looks glorious though, full of bright colors. These are toned down when needed. Such a point is when William Warfield as Joe sings perhaps the most legendary of Show Boat's original songs: Old Man River. It is hard not to be moved when Old Man River starts playing. Deeply affecting and universal about our individual lives compared to the world, Old Man River is both well-performed and well-filmed.
Show Boat also features a song that did not come from the musical per se. After the Ball, sung by Grayson, was already a standard when the musical hit Broadway. Although not written specifically for Show Boat, After the Ball is still a lovely number. The scene where Grayson sings it is effective. It gives both Grayson and Brown a chance for a touching reunion.
Show Boat is a good film. It is not as splashy as other MGM musicals but still with good musical numbers that showcase the dancers. There are good performances from Howard Keel, Joe E. Brown and Agnes Moorehead. There are also some of the great songs from one of the defining musicals of the century. Show Boat entertains, and like Old Man River, it just keeps rolling along.
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