There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954)

Directed by: Walter Lang | 117 minutes | comedy, drama, musical, romance | Actors: Ethel Merman, Donald O’Connor, Marilyn Monroe, Dan Dailey, Johnnie Ray, Mitzi Gaynor, Richard Eastham, Hugh O’Brian, Frank McHugh, Rhys Williams, Lee Patrick, Eve Miller, Robin Raymond, Dorothy Abbott, Charlotte Austin George Chakiris, John Doucette, Elaine DuPont, Isabelle Dwan, Donald Kerr, Jimmie Maddin, Matt Mattox, Buzz Miller, Ron Nyman

Well into the 1950s, the production studios had more power over the movie stars than the other way around. It happened often enough that an actor or actress had to show up in a movie because of ‘contractual obligations’ that he or she didn’t feel like at all. For the musical ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’ (1954), a search was made for a film star who had sufficient box-office appeal to make the film a success. And who was a bigger star at that time than Marilyn Monroe? The actress actually had no appetite for a role in that film, but when she was promised the lead role in ‘The Seven Year Itch’ (1955), she decided to take it anyway. A new character was created especially for the diva and she now took care of songs that were actually promised to other actors.

As in most musicals, the story of ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’ (after the play by Lamar Trotti and scripted by the Ephron couple) is paper thin. At the center is the Donahue family. Father Terrence (Dan Dailey) and mother Molly (Ethel Merman) earn a living as vaudeville performers. Their children Steve (Johnnie Ray), Katy (Mitzi Gaynor) and Tim (Donald O’Connor) are taught the profession from scratch. However, as they get older, things change. Steve, who has never really enjoyed singing and dancing, decides one day that he would rather become a priest and quits the profession. Katy meets a charming lyricist and becomes pregnant by him. And the youngest shoot, Tim, meets the handsome Vicky (Marilyn Monroe), who has aspirations of her own as an artist and becomes a competitor of the Donahues. The relationship between the two is troubled and when Tim thinks Vicky is cheating on him with her manager, he takes a drink.

Unlike his masterly genre counterpart ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ (1952), the songs composed and written by Irving Berlin are not integrated into the story. No, in ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’ it seems more like that some plot has been hastily woven between the grandiose musical interludes to make the whole look cohesive. Unfortunately, they didn’t succeed, because this film hangs together like loose sand. The songs are definitely its strongest point. By far the most money has been put into it, because the sets, clothing, choreography and music are amazing. Exactly what you would expect from director Walter Lang, who made such colorful and lavish settings his trademark. But everything in between comes across a bit shabby and is in fact nothing more than a collection of clichés. Fortunately, there are enough musical interludes in this film, otherwise it would have been very difficult to watch the film.

The cast puts its best foot forward and even though Marilyn Monroe was drawn as a big draw, it’s Donald O’Connor and Ethel Merman who steal the show. The fantastic (and always grossly underrated) O’Connor – whose own life bore quite a few similarities to that of his character – had already proven himself to be a great singer and dancer in ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ as well as in ‘There’s No Business’. Like Show Business’, he gets plenty of opportunity to showcase his talents. Ethel Merman is all over the place and certainly doesn’t have the best singing voice, but she completely controls the film. Monroe does her thing which is incredibly sultry singing and swaying hips. Especially her version of Berlin’s ‘Heat Wave’ leaves a crushing impression. Dan Dailey and Mitzi Gaynor are solid and likeable. The big problem is Johnnie Ray, a crooner who made his first and also his last film with ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’. He can absolutely sing, but his acting is cringe-inducing. A huge miss of the casting!

Surprisingly, ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’ managed to win no fewer than three Oscar nominations, for best costume design, best scoring of a musical picture and best story (Lamar Trotti), of which the last nomination in particular will raise the necessary question marks. Even for those who love the old-fashioned Hollywood musical, ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’ will disappoint. The biggest flaw is the incoherence of this film. The musical interludes are without exception great, but the plot is so horrendous that you tend to fast forward to the next song. It’s a waste of all the talent involved in this. Want to see a quality musical? Then you better watch ‘Singin’ in the Rain’!