Show Boat (1936)

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Movie
Original title Show boat
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1936
length 115 minutes
Rod
Director James Whale
script Edna Ferber ,
Oscar Hammerstein II
production Carl Laemmle, Jr. for Universal Pictures
music Robert Russell Bennett,
Jerome Kern
camera John J. Mescall
occupation

Show Boat from 1936 is the second of the three film adaptations of the musical of the same name by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II . The novel by Edna Ferber forms the basis for the musical and the film adaptations. The leading roles are cast with Irene Dunne , Allan Jones and Helen Morgan . Directed by James Whale .

action

Cap'n Andy Hawks operates the music steamer "Cotton Blossom". The ship has just docked in New Orleans . Magnolia Hawks, the daughter of Cap'n Andy and a gifted singer, meets the charming but somewhat dodgy player Gaylord Ravenal. They both fall in love. During rehearsals for the show, the troupe's official star, Julie LaVerne, is expelled from the city by local authorities because she and her husband are not legally married. Julie has an African American mother, which everyone on the "Cotton Blossom" knows, but in the eyes of the authorities it is racial disgrace. Magnolia and Gaylord take on Julie's number, and their romance goes in a positive direction. Then it is revealed by a competitor that Gaylord was acquitted of a murder charge only on the basis of alleged self-defense. Nevertheless, Magnolia marries Gaylord, although her mother Parthy is skeptical of the marriage. A year later their daughter Kim is born, but Gaylord has started playing cards again. To save their marriage, Magnolia follows her husband to Chicago with a heavy heart. Gaylord's addiction to gambling finally drives the family to ruin, which means that they have to move into a shabby apartment. Because he is ashamed of the social decline and wants to give Magnolia a chance for a new beginning, Gaylord leaves his family. Ellie and Frank, former artists on the Cotton Blossom , campaign for Magnolia to be able to audition at "Trocadero", an exclusive nightclub. However, she only gets the engagement after Julie, the real star, pulls out of her contract. Julie, who was abandoned by Steve after her parentage was revealed and grief-stricken to alcohol, says goodbye to Magnolia in tears. On New Year's Eve, Cap'n Andy and his wife appear in the “Trocadero”, looking for their daughter. Magnolia sings the sad ballad After the Ball and after her father asked the audience for attention, everyone joins in. The evening was a huge success and Magnolia rose to become an international star. As the years go by, Kim becomes a hopeful actress who makes her debut on Broadway . She recognizes her father in the audience and the parents make up in tears.

background

The author Edna Ferber was next to Fannie Hurst one of the most popular writers of the 1920s in the USA. Her mostly broad-based novels usually portrayed the dramatic fate of women against the background of profound social and historical upheavals and developments. Show Boat was first published in 1926 as a serialized novel and, in addition to the heroine's intricate love story, deals with social issues such as relationships between different ethnic groups, discrimination against African Americans and the changes in show business from the Mississippi steamer to the opulent Broadway show in the style of a Florence Ziegfeld . In 1927 Ferber processed the material into a musical with music by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II . The resounding success led to countless touring performances across the United States. In 1929 Universal Pictures filmed the story for the first time with Laura La Plante and Joseph Schildkraut in the leading roles.

The 1936 version became a downright prestige production for the studio. All major roles were cast by actors who had appeared in at least one performance of the play. Irene Dunne , who received a fee of 100,000 US dollars for her role in Magnolia, had appeared in one of the numerous touring events. Helen Morgan and Charles Winninger even appeared on the original show. After Irene Dunne first appeared as the long-suffering heroine of tearful melodramas such as Back Street and Magnificent Obsession , since Stingaree she has had increasing opportunities to prove her vocal achievements. In the end, however, she wasn't entirely satisfied with her performance in Show Boat . In an interview with John Kobal decades later, she said:

“James Whale wasn't the right director. He was more interested in atmosphere and lighting and knew so little about this life. I could put it all down now, but there is no reason for that. We had so many performers on [Broadway Musical], you could just expect the very best. I also only recognized the matter in retrospect. "

For the time, the sensitive issue of racial discrimination was brought to the screen aggressively and with clear sympathy for the oppressed African-Americans. There is a deep friendship between Magnolia and Julie, and the rest of the Hawks family make no fuss about Julie's parentage. The Afro-American employees, especially Joe and his wife, are always treated with respect and esteem. In view of the strict censorship regulations of the Production Code , which forbade any sexual relationship between members of different ethnic groups, Universal had to obtain special permission in order to be able to adequately portray the marriage between Julie and Steve at all.

Nevertheless, the ethnic groups were not portrayed as equal and Irene Dunne even appeared as a blackface during the song " Gallivantin 'Around " , thus made into an African American. Such appearances were not considered offensive by the white population at the time, but were part of a decades-long tradition in vaudeville (see Minstrel Shows ). Al Jolson in particular was known for his blackface appearances. In the film Wonder Bar , for example, there is the five-minute revue scene “ Goin 'to Heaven on a Mule ” with Jolson as an African American and two dozen African American child actors who were dressed up as angels. Jolson even uses a certain slang in the number that was supposedly used by African Americans.

Preparations for filming began at the end of 1934 with Frank Borzage as director and Irene Dunne and Russ Columbo in the lead roles. In December 1935, filming began, but without a male leading actor and with James Whale as the director in charge. At first the studio had hoped to be able to borrow Nelson Eddy from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and then toyed with the idea of ​​using their own contract actor John Boles . Ultimately, the choice fell on Allan Jones, who had recently completed the filming of A Night at the Opera alongside the Marx Brothers . For a short time, WC Fields was also in discussion as Cap'n Andy.

The hoped-for financial success did not materialize, and in the end the loss of 300,000 US dollars ultimately led to the studio and its cinema chain being sold to the financial group Cowdin's Standard Capital on March 14, 1936 for 4.1 million US dollars.

1951 turned MGM directed by George Sidney another remake with Kathryn Grayson , Ava Gardner , Howard Keel and Joe E. Brown , which came in Germany under the title Mississippi-Melodie in the cinema.

Song numbers

In the film version, some vocal numbers were completely removed from the original musical, such as " Life Upon the Wicked Stage ". The ballad “ Why Do I Love You? “Was only used as background music. " I Have the Room Above Her ", " Gallivantin 'Around " and " Ah Still Suits Me " were newly composed for the film .

The order of the numbers is now:

  • Cotton Blossom - Choir
  • Where's the Mate for Me - Allan Jones
  • Make Believe - Allan Jones and Irene Dunne
  • Ol 'Man River - Paul Robeson
  • Can't Help Lovin 'Dat Man - Helen Morgan, Hattie McDaniel, Paul Robeson, and Irene Dunne *
  • I Have the Room Above Her - Allan Jones and Irene Dunne
  • Gallivantin 'Around - Irene Dunne
  • You Are Love - Allan Jones, Irene Dunne
  • Ah Still Suits Me - Paul Robeson and Hattie McDaniel
  • Make Believe - Allan Jones
  • Bill - Helen Morgan
  • Can't Help Lovin 'Dat Man - Irene Dunne
  • Goodbye, Ma Lady Love - Sammy White and Queenie Smith
  • After the Ball - Irene Dunne
  • You Are Love - Irene Dunne and Alan Jones
  • Ol 'Man River - Paul Robeson during the credits

Reviews

Most critics saw the film as a significant improvement over the 1929 version . In some glowing reviews Show Boat was hailed as the best film musical of all time.

The New York Times was particularly impressed.

"Universal's excellent film editing [...] is the most gratifying proof that [Show Boat] is not only one of the best musicals of the century, but also one of the best musical films we have ever seen."

The Washington Post also found nothing but praise:

“It was great to see Show Boat again, it had all the warmth you get when you meet an old friend. […] Helen Morgan proves that she belongs to the film […] and Paul Robeson's interpretation of “Ol 'Man River” is the best vocal part that was ever heard on the screen. "

Liberty, a more intellectual magazine, astutely recognized a special quality in Irene Dunne, which only a few months later would fully develop in Theodora Goes Wild : her talent for comedy.

“The movie's most pleasant surprise is the star, Irene Dunne. She captures every nuance of the role that spans a lifetime and brings the warmth and intelligence to the portrayal that we know of her. But one is hardly prepared for her good flair for light comedy - a talent that she has kept hidden from the camera to this day. "

Awards

James Whale was nominated for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival in 1937.

In 1996 Show Boat was inducted into the National Film Registry .

literature

Web links

Original quotes

  1. ↑ James Whale wasn't the right director. He was more interested in atmosphere and lighting and he knew so little about that life. I could have put my foot down about it but there would have been no reason to do so because we had so many of the original people that you could only expect the best. I knew the whole thing backwards.
  2. ↑ Universal's excellent screen transcription […] is the pleasantest kind of proof that [Show Boat] was not merely one of the best musical shows of the century but that it contained the gossamer stuff for one of the finest musical films we have seen.
  3. ↑ It was grand seeing “Show Boat” again, it had all the warmth of meeting an old friend […] Helen Morgan proves definitely that she should be in pictures [….] And Paul Robeson's rendition of "Old Man River" is the greatest singing ever heard on the screen.
  4. ↑ The most gratifying surprise of the picture is its star, Irene Dunne. Catching every shade in a role that spans a lifetime, she imbues the part with her usual warm intelligence. But one is hardly prepared for her gay comedy flair - a flair she has kept, up to now, hidden from the screen.