{"id":26032,"date":"2012-05-24T10:33:20","date_gmt":"2012-05-24T17:33:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=26032"},"modified":"2021-01-05T16:19:34","modified_gmt":"2021-01-05T23:19:34","slug":"show-boat-1936","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=26032","title":{"rendered":"Show Boat (1936)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Love is such a funny thing; there&#8217;s no sense to it.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Poster-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-26039\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Poster-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Poster-82x128.jpg 82w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Poster.jpg 275w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen the lead singer (Helen Morgan) on a show boat is discovered to be a half-black woman married to a white man (Donald Cook), she leaves and is replaced by the daughter (Irene Dunne) of the boat&#8217;s owner (Charles Winninger), despite the disapproval of Dunne&#8217;s shrewish mother (Helen Westley). Meanwhile, Dunne falls in love with her leading man (Allan Jones), a riverboat gambler, but their marriage remains a decidedly rocky affair.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Actors and Actresses<\/li>\n<li>African-Americans<\/li>\n<li>Irene Dunne Films<\/li>\n<li>James Whale Films<\/li>\n<li>Marital Problems<\/li>\n<li>Musicals<\/li>\n<li>Paul Robeson Films<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary notes that this James Whale-directed adaptation of the <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Show_Boat\">&#8220;Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein musical&#8221;<\/a> (which retains &#8220;soap-opera elements from <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Show_Boat_%28novel%29\">Edna Ferber&#8217;s novel<\/a>&#8220;) is &#8220;flavorful, schmaltzy, and rewarding&#8221;, with &#8220;lavish production, wonderful music, and a splendid cast&#8221;. He points out that &#8220;dramatic highlights include the scene in which the play is performed on the Show Boat, and conversations between Paul Robeson and Hattie McDaniel&#8221; (playing married servants on the boat); he also points out some of the film&#8217;s &#8220;musical highlights&#8221;, including &#8220;the McDaniel-Robeson duet, Helen Morgan giving a soulful rendition of &#8216;Bill&#8217;, some surprisingly effective singing by Dunne (in a role that would have been ideal for Jeanette MacDonald), and, of course, Robeson&#8217;s spellbinding &#8216;Ol&#8217; Man River&#8217;.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m in agreement with most of Peary&#8217;s assessment points: the production is indeed &#8220;lavish&#8221;, the cast is in fine form, and many of the songs are quite enjoyable. I also appreciated the opportunity to see Show Boat-theater so lovingly revived for modern audiences, who otherwise would have little understanding of this erstwhile form of traveling entertainment. However, I don&#8217;t find the film as a whole nearly as engaging as Peary seems to. The primary problem is that the central narrative &#8212; about Dunne&#8217;s rocky road to fame and troubled marriage with Jones &#8212; simply isn&#8217;t all that interesting, and the most compelling characters &#8212; Morgan, McDaniel, and Robeson &#8212; are relegated to supporting roles. The miscegenation subplot which propels the earliest portion of the screenplay is quite fascinating, and Whale deftly handles a pivotal scene in which Cook takes unusual measures to demonstrate his commitment to Morgan; but other than a critical appearance once more later in the story, Morgan&#8217;s tragic story is left sadly unexplored. <\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Robeson&#8217;s performance of &#8220;Old Man River&#8221; does indeed remain (for me) the film&#8217;s indisputable highlight, leading me to wish we could learn more about his soulful character as well (the Expressionist montage flashing across the screen while Robeson sings could easily morph into a film of its own). To that end, as Peary notes, &#8220;the film&#8217;s portrayal of blacks is a sticky issue&#8221;, given that &#8220;on the one hand, they fit into stereotypes&#8221;, but &#8220;on the other, they display class, talent, [and] strength&#8221;, and are &#8220;given quality screen time&#8221;; overall, I think Whale does a respectful job handling the film&#8217;s thorny race issues, despite the unfortunate yet historically realistic appearance of Dunne in black-face at one point. Indeed, Whale&#8217;s direction is never at fault, and fans of his work will surely be interested to check out his foray into a genre completely different from the one he&#8217;s best known for (horror). But unfortunately, I can&#8217;t quite recommend this title as must-see viewing for all film fanatics. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Paul Robeson&#8217;s incomparable rendition of &#8220;Ol&#8217; Man River&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Robeson.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Robeson.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-26034\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Robeson.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Robeson-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Robeson-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Irene Dunne as Magnolia<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Dunne.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Dunne.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-26036\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Dunne.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Dunne-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Dunne-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Helen Morgan as Julie<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Morgan.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Morgan.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-26038\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Morgan.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Morgan-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Morgan-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>An amusing glimpse at 19th century small-town entertainment<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Melodrama.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Melodrama.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-26037\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Melodrama.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Melodrama-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Melodrama-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>John Mescall&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-26035\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Cinematography.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Cinematography-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Show-Boat-Cinematography-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, though it&#8217;s recommended. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0028249\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1936\/05\/15\/archives\/the-screen-a-bravo-for-universals-splendid-film-edition-of-show.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.tvguide.com\/show-boat\/review\/117660\">TV Guide Review <\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/14337\/show-boat#articles-reviews?articleId=17715\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/show-boat-1\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Love is such a funny thing; there&#8217;s no sense to it.&#8221; Synopsis: When the lead singer (Helen Morgan) on a show boat is discovered to be a half-black woman married to a white man (Donald Cook), she leaves and is replaced by the daughter (Irene Dunne) of the boat&#8217;s owner (Charles Winninger), despite the disapproval of Dunne&#8217;s shrewish mother (Helen Westley). Meanwhile, Dunne falls in love with her leading man (Allan Jones), a riverboat gambler, but their marriage remains a&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=26032\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26032"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26032\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61813,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26032\/revisions\/61813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}