cmdahoust
At the end of the movie when Ethel Merman is singing the number and her son (Donald O'Connor) who has been missing for a year shows up. Her family is on the side of the stage trying to get her attention that he is there. She looks over and sees him, and stops for a spilt second. Then she finishes the song without missing a beat. She then rushes off stage to hug him. That one scene is a microcosm of the life in show business. She kept her composure and finished the song under the most difficult of circumstances. Merman's character exemplifies what being in the industry meant to people. Thus the title of the movie.
jarrodmcdonald-1
Despite her fabulous vocals, There's No Business Like Show Business is nearly bogged down by Ethel Merman's over-the-top acting style. Also, 20th Century Fox seems to be showcasing costar Marilyn Monroe much more favorably in this picture. For instance, scenes with Monroe give a generous amount of close-ups of her. But scenes with the other characters when she is absent from the action are devoid of close-ups. The viewers should have an intimate relationship with all the characters in the story, not just with Marilyn Monroe.Merman and costar Donald O'Connor previously appeared in Call Me Madam, a year earlier at Fox. And back in the 1930s, Miss Merman appeared in the studio's smash hit Alexander's Ragtime Band, which also featured her singing classic Irving Berlin tunes. She wasn't so flamboyant in that production, and Marilyn Monroe was still Norma Jean Baker in those days.
MartinHafer
There are two main types of musicals--those where the emphasis is clearly on the music and others where the music is incidental to the story. While which style you like is up to you, for me, I much prefer those with less music--where the story is predominant. So, because of my personal preference, movies like "There's No Business Like Show Business" are NOT exactly my cup of tea, so to speak.The film is about a fictional show business family, the Donohues. When the film begins, the three children are young. But then through the miracle of movie magic, soon about 15-20 years pass--and the children are now grown (and include Donald O'Connor and Mitzi Gaynor). Oddly, the parents, Dan Dailey and Ethel Merman, didn't seem to age a day. Even more noticeable is Marilyn Monroe--you see her early in the film and after all those years she looks as if she hasn't aged a day. Even if it was only 10 years--still, she looked EXACTLY the same! While the film follows the family with their ups and downs (and the third child when he decides to become a priest), all of it seems to be there just to provide a chance to sing and dance...a lot. Many of the songs are very familiar. Overall, very glossy and enjoyable if all you want is lots of singing and dancing...which I didn't. Watchable for a guy like me, but only just, as the story didn't seem strong enough to handle all the songs.
dglink
Memo to Twentieth Century Fox: Leave the musicals to MGM. On paper, this big-budget musical extravaganza filmed in CinemaScope must have looked like a sure-fire winner. Unfortunately, if not for the presence of a delicious young Marilyn Monroe in a small but showy role, "There's No Business Like Show Business" would have been relegated to the forgotten-films bin. Overlong at 117 minutes, the corny story of a vaudeville family is regularly interrupted by musical numbers that lumber on interminably. Even standards like "Alexander's Ragtime Band" and the title tune are botched.Besides Monroe, Donald O'Connor survives the film; however, his perky performance and effortless hoofing call for a partner like Gene Kelly. Dan Dailey and Mitzi Gaynor also do well, but Ethel Merman has always been too much for the big screen; a stage icon, she plays to the rear seats in the fourth balcony. Which brings us to Johnnie Ray. The man may have an important place in music history, but definitely not in movie history. To be fair, the subplot about the eldest son becoming a priest is cloying and unconvincing to begin with; James Dean would have gagged on the lines. But Ray's voice and demeanor are just grating. When asked why he never made another film, Ray replied that he had never been asked. A viewing of "There's No Business Like Show Business" makes it perfectly clear why he was never asked.Devotees of Marilyn Monroe want to see her every performance, and she is charismatic eye-candy here. Although her sexy "Heatwave" number is already famous, she acquits herself well even in a silly routine with O'Connor and Gaynor. Beyond Monroe and O'Connor, however, little stands out. The storyline is too thin to bear scrutiny, the characters are superficial, and the direction by Walter Lang perfunctory. The best scenes have already been included in Monroe compilations; the rest can be relegated to the bin.
AD
