Show Boat 1936

Show Boat


Universal, 1936, B/W, 115 minutes, ****

Released May, 1936




Charles Winninger (Andy), Helen Morgan (Julie), Sammy White (Frank) and Francis X. Mahoney (Rubberface) recreated their roles from the original Broadway production. Irene Dunne had replaced Norma Terris as Magnolia in the post-Broadway Tour. Allan Jones played Ravenal in St. Louis in 1934. Paul Robeson had played in the London production in 1928. Hattie McDaniel played Queenie in the West Coast production in 1933. Of the principal cast, only Helen Westley and Queenie Smith had not played in previous stage productions of Show Boat. This film is as close to the original 1927 stage production as any ever put on film. Universal, in money trouble, sold the production to MGM in 1938, which is why this production is often mistakenly referred to as an MGM production.



It's inevitable that this movie is often compared to the 1951 version by critics and fans. People say this one follows the original story almost scene for scene. I'm not old enough to have seen the original stage play in 1927, but I believe that this film is quite true to that portrayal. It is certainly a better screen play than that of the 1951 version.

One thing I like about this version is that the staging, props and costumes are more authentic for the period portrayed than those in the 1951 production. Though the 1951 version is in color and the sets and costumes are dazzling, they are less true to the turn-of-the-century setting. In fact, the sets and costumes in this 1936 production are so real looking, that it feels as though the film were actually made around the turn of the century. The musical arrangements, though certainly wonderful, are performed at a very fast tempo (the popular musical style of the time), which I find a bit distracting. I think that the faster tempo may be more true to the times - both that of the setting and that of the stage play. But I find the vocal arrangements in the 1951 version much more emotionally charged than in this version.



So each production offers a different vantage point and unique properties that make it special. Which one is best? As far as I'm concerned, they are both equal. If one wishes to see more of the story, the 1936 production is better, if one wants to see magnificent and dazzling settings and costumes and hear music more suited to the contemporary ear, the 1951 production is better. If you like the story, you should definitely see both versions! Both are top-notch entertainment and of historical interest.



One parting thought - the parts of Joe and Queenie were nearly eliminated in the 1951 version of the story. They are portrayed in the 1936 production by Paul Robeson and Hattie McDaniel. I find these two characters highly entertaining, and I think they enhance the story considerably.



Produced by: Carl Laemmle, Jr.

Directed by: James Whale

Assistant Director: Joseph A. McDonough

Technical Director: Leighton Brill

Stage Play, Screen Play and Lyrics by: Oscar Hammerstein II (based on the stage musical by Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern and the novel by Edna Ferber)

Music by: Jerome Kern

Lyircs for "Bill" by: Oscar Hammerstein II and P. G. Wodehouse

Musical Director: Victor Baravalle

Dance Numbers Staged by: LeRoy Prinz

Art Director: Charles D. Hall

Costumes Designed by: Doris Zinkeisen

Costumes Executed by: Vera West

Sound Supervisor: Gilbert Kurland

Cinematograper: John J. Mescall

Special Cinematographer: John P. Fulton

Film Editors: Ted Kent, Bernard Burton



Ranked 24 in the AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals



Cast: Irene Dunne [Magnolia Hawks], Allan Jones [Gaylord Ravenal], Charles Winninger [Cap'n Andy Hawks], Paul Robeson [Joe], Helen Morgan [Julie], Helen Westley [Parthy Hawks], Queenie Smith [Ellie], Sammy White [Frank Schultz], Donald Cook [Steve], Hattie McDaniel [Queenie, Joe's Wife], Marilyn Knowlden [Kim as a Child], Sunnie O'Dea [Kim as Adult], Arthur Hohl [Pete], Charles Middleton [Sheriff Vallone], J. Farrell MacDonald [Windy], Clarence Muse [Sam the Janitor], Additional Cast: Francis X. Mahoney [Rubberface], Charles Wilson [Jim Green], Patricia Barry [Kim as a Baby], Dorothy Granger, Barbara Pepper, Renee Whitney [Chorus Girls], Harry Barris [Jake], Stanley Fields [Jeb], Stanley J. "Tiny" Sandford [Backwoodsman], May Beatty [Landlady], Bobby "Bobs" Watson [Lost Child], Jane Keckley [Mrs. Ewing], E. E. Clive [Englishman], Helen Jerome Eddy [Reporter], Donald Briggs [Press Agent], LeRoy Prinz [Dance Director], Eddie "Rochester" Anderson [Trocadero Doorman], Patti Patterson [Banjo Player], Theodore Lorch [Simon Legree], Flora Finch [Woman], Helen Hayward [Mrs. Brencenbridge], Arthur Housman [Drunk], Elspeth Dudgeon [Mother Superior], Monte Montague [Old Man], Lois Verner [Small Girl], Grace Cunard [Mother], Marilyn Harris [Little Girl], Jimmy Jackson [Young Man], Harry Barris [Jake], Eddy Chandler, Lee Phelps, Frank Mayo, Edward Peil, Sr., Edmund Cobb, Al Ferguson [Gamblers], Maude Allen [Fat Woman], Artye Folz, Barbara Bletcher [Fat Girls], Forrest Stanley [Theater Manager], Jack Latham [Juvenile], George H. Reed [Old Black Man], Georgia O'Dell [School Teacher], Selmer Jackson [Hotel Clerk], George Hackathorne [YMCA Worker], Ernest Hilliard, Jack Mulhall, Brooks Benedict [Race Fans]



Musical Program: [0:00] Cotton Blossom (sung by Chorus behind titles and into opening scene); [0:04] Cap'n Andy's Ballyhoo (played by Marching Band during parade and spoken by Charles Winninger, dance demo by Frank and Ellie); [0:09] Where's the Mate for Me? (sung by Allan Jones); [0:11] Make Believe (sung by Allan Jones and Irene Dunne); [0:16] Ol' Man River (sung by Paul Robeson and Chorus); [0:21] Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man (sung by Helen Morgan, Irene Dunne, Hattie McDaniel, Paul Robeson and Chorus; "shuffled" by Irene Dunne and danced by Chorus); [0:37] Life Upon the Wicked Stage (instrumental arrangement played in background as the show is playing in the Show Boat); [0:41] I Have the Room Above (sung by Allan Jones and Irene Dunne); [0:49] The Play onboard the Cotton Blossom (when a man in the audience shoots at the villain, Cap'n Andy rings down the curtain and completes the play as a one-man show!); [0:58] Gallivantin' Around (sung and danced by Irene Dunne and Chorus); [1:02] You Are Love (sung by Allan Jones and Irene Dunne); [1:04] Cap'n Andy's Ballyhoo Cakewalk (the melody from Cap'n Andy's Ballyhoo dance demo used as a cakewalk, played on banjos, danced by Chorus at Magnolia and Ravenal's wedding); [1:05] Ol' Man River (short reprise by Paul Robeson); [1:06] I Still Suits Me (sung by Paul Robeson and Hattie McDaniel); [1:23] Make Believe (reprised by Allan Jones singing to Marilyn Knowlden); [1:25] Sousa March played on piano as Chorus Girls rehearse; [1:26] Bill (sung by Helen Morgan); [1:31] Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man (ballad version sung by Irene Dunne auditioning at Trocadero, ragtime version sung by Irene Dunne and danced by Sammy White); [1:37] Good-bye My Lady Love (sung and danced by Queenie Smith and Sammy White at the Trocadero); [1:40] After the Ball (sung by Irene Dunne and audience at Trocadero); [1:44] Make Believe (short reprise sung by Allan Jones as he thumbs through scrapbook); [1:47] Gallivantin' Aroundhummed by Chorus, danced by Sunnie O'Dea and Chorus); [1:52] You Are Love (finale, sung by Irene Dunne and Allan Jones); [1:53] Ol' Man River (short reprise sung by Paul Robeson); There are many fragments of other songs played instrumentally and integrated into the background score.