Introduction to SHOW BOAT

[@rolex4524]

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) still airs this fantastic 1936 Universal Pictures/James Whale version. Of course, you can still easily find copies on DVD or download to own.

[@judylane7098]

Fantastic combination of talent from all involved, realism meets audience with a crash of lightning. Beautiful today as well as yesterday.

[@godfixescrackedpots]

Beautifully done. Excellent research combined with wonderful music.

[@carloshugogeib7961]

very very interesting for me, Show Boat is one of my favorites musicals, it seems really.more to an opereta with an opera plot.

[@johnprovince5304]

This film is what James Whale was proudest of, not his classic Frankenstein films. I much prefer it to MGM's sanitized version years later.

[@dianaaljadeff2983]

Me too a much better version acted and sung

[@charleslawrence3689]

shiowboat one of the greatest musical broadway and screen story every told and it h it heights that never were exp[ected at all great story great actors g r eat singers wow what a combination a sure hit and that it was

[@dovbarleib3256]

So Oscar Hammerstein wrote the lyrics for Ole Man River. Now that explains everything about its epic power and indelible influence.

[@michaelmcgee8543]

Enjoyed!

[@donaldhelton9308]

It is still a beautiful musical.Fantastic music

[@HMV101]

Interesting information indeed, my most favourite musical ever; many thanks for uploading. One question however, why was this uploaded with the image squeezed horizontally to half its proper width? Characters all appear to be suffering from anorexia. I found this very distracting and am amazed nobody else noticed it.

[@XX-gy7ue]

EDNA FERBER IS A SAINT AND SHOWBOAT IS A MIRACLE

[@Axgoodofdunemaul]

If only someone would make a movie of Showboat without changing anything in the original play. None of the movies, even the first one, as good as it is, has done that.

[@bobprochko832]

You mean the 1930 version with Laura LaPlant?

[@kennethwayne6857]

The 1936 version, which is the second 'Show Boat' film, is the closest we'll get to the original stage production. Although there are differences, especially towards the end, we have a few original cast members and the screenplay is by Oscar Hammerstein.

[@STho205]

The silent film waa closest to the novel. The rest were the Broadway musicals done as films.

[@Nacho-Mamma]

Although I grew up with the second movie, the first movie is my favorite.

[@dianaaljadeff2983]

Mine too

[@dianavictoriaaljadeff5302]

I have this Show Boat version which is better than the 1951 one with some of the original cast members:Helen Morgan,Charles Winniger,Sam White and members of the 1932 cast Irene Dunne and Paul Robeson.Only Allan Jones(Ravenal) wasnt on Broadway.Marveleus.

[@petertaylor3600]

dianavictoria Aljadeff There were musical numbers that weren't in the '51 version for some reason. The original cast of the earlier film were far better than the fifties version, good though it was.

[@collegealgebravideos9540]

The "for some reason" is that MGM always re-wrote the musicals to fit their cookie cutter

[@highmyope-ps2by]

And the wonderful Hattie McDaniel.

[@dianaaljadeff2983]

I made a mistake in my comentary Irene Dunne didnt play Magnolia in.the 1932 revival she was played again by Norma Terris with Dennis King as Ravenal Paul Robeson as Joe and members of the original 1927 cast with Terris like Morgan Winninger and Sammy White. Dunne only played Magnolia in touring performances between 1927 and 1929 never on Broadway . In.1932 she was making movies in Hollywood when Norma Terris played Magnolia again on Broadway. . Irene Dunne only played again Magnolia on.the 1936 movie.

[@ValSMITH-it4lg]

​@@dianaaljadeff2983 Wish they had used John Boles in the 1930's movie version with Irene Dunne. He had such a fabulous voice and the two of them had incredible chemistry.

[@VTMCompany]

The 1936 Universal release of "Show Boat" wasn't the first. "Show Boat" was first released by Universal in 1929 starring Laura La Plante.

[@MightyMezzo]

The 1929 film is actually a part-talkie adaptation of Edna Ferber’s novel, with a few songs from the show added as a prelude.

[@melissa2688]

@@MightyMezzo I just saw the silent version of Show Boat on TMC a few months ago. That night, three versions were shown: the silent, 1936 version by James Whale (which was amazing) and the 1951 movie. The silent version had a little bit of sound but not too much. Like I wrote earlier, it was a great night on TMC

[@vanzofaust]

It's very sad that this version of the film is no longer shown. The white-washed 1952 version skirts the real issues. This one is far more powerful and makes very bold statements. A pity that a misguided sense of PC is depriving the public of this great original version of Showboat.

[@larryelliott394]

Musical theatre oil painting by Larry Elliott at Piecetime puzzles Larry Elliott

[@johncastiello8367]

At one point the 1936 version was not shown on television because of copyright problems MGM bought the rights from Universal and held it off TV and when they sold their packages of old films in the late fifties and early sixties the 36 version was held off Universal no longer own the rights to film I first saw it and it Revival in the seventies it was a film we heard of it but never saw this happened to a lot of great films of that time.

[@EJP286CRSKW]

It's been available for decades.

[@jacquesaubin4454]

It's on a Criterion blu-ray now

[@waldolydecker8118]

What the hell does a misguided sense of personal computers have to do with depriving the public of this great original version of Showboat? The personal computer has expanded your ability to view this great original version of Showboat. Hell, you can even view it now on your cellphone, thanks to computer technology. Quit whining.

[@dylanwalthall3276]

Musical Theatre CofC

[@stanleygreene5808]

B

[@tejaswoman]

Tried to watch this, but watching Helen Morgan pretend to be biracial just made me want to barf. Whoever dubbed Ava Gardner at least gave the character a shot at believability, though once I learned about Lena Horne missing out on the chance to play Julie I would never forgive the producers.