The daughter of a riverboat captain falls in love with a charming gambler, but their fairytale romance is threatened when his luck turns sour.
San Diego Comic-Con 2017 is coming up soon. So, we had Kevin Smith bring out an old friend to introduce some of the titles we'll be talking about on the #IMDboat.
Related News
On this day in pop culture history: the first ‘X-Men’ movie opened in theaters
14 July 2016 3:00 PM, +02:00 | Hitfix
14 July 2016 3:00 PM, +02:00 | Hitfix
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Connect with IMDb
Share this Rating
Title: Show Boat (1951)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
User Polls
Photos
Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Kathryn Grayson | ... | ||
| Ava Gardner | ... | ||
| Howard Keel | ... | ||
| Joe E. Brown | ... | ||
| Marge Champion | ... | ||
 |
Gower Champion | ... | |
| Robert Sterling | ... | ||
| Agnes Moorehead | ... | ||
| Leif Erickson | ... |
Pete
(as Lief Erickson)
|
|
|
|
William Warfield | ... | |
Entertainment news, trailer drops, and photos abound at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con. Check out IMDb’s coverage, featuring Kevin Smith as our host, celebrity interviewer, and captain of the IMDboat, July 20 to 22.
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
The "Cotton Blossom", owned by the Hawk family, is the show boat where everyone comes for great musical entertainment down south. Julie LaVerne and her husband are the stars of the show. After a snitch on board calls the local police that Julie (who's half- African-American) is married to a white man, they are forced to leave the show boat. The reason being, that down south interracial marriages are forbidden. Magnolia Hawk, Captain Andy Hawks' daughter, becomes the new show boat attraction and her leading man is Gaylord Ravenal, a gambler. The two instantly fall in love, and marry, without Parthy Hawks approval. Magnolia and Gaylord leave the "Cotton Blossom" for a whirl-wind honeymoon and to live in a Pl: fantasy world. Magnolia soon faces reality quickly, that gambling means more to Gaylord than anything else. Magnolia confronts Gaylord and after he gambles away their fortune he leaves her - not knowing she is pregnant. Magnolia is left penniless and pregnant, and is left to fend ... Written by Kelly
Taglines:
HERE IT COMES! The M-G-M "SHOW BOAT"! See more »Certificate:
See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
24 September 1951 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Magnolia See more »Filming Locations:
Backlot, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA See more »Box Office
Budget:
$2,295,429 (estimated)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1
Edit
See more »
(1927) (uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Played during the opening credits and sung in first scene
Sung by Cotton Blossom chorus
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The original choice for the role of Julie was Judy Garland, but since she had ended her contract with MGM, the idea of casting Garland was dropped. Both Lena Horne and Dinah Shore were next in line until the role finally went to Ava Gardner. See more »Goofs
In the opening scenes with the calliope player, the keyboard is a contemporary 1950's black console, whereas a period console would have been made of wood, and perhaps elaborately carved and detailed. See more »Quotes
Cap'n Andy Hawks: (hearing of Magnolia's engagement to Ravenal) Son, I hope it's not Saturday night one minute, with a cold Monday morning to follow. Whatever happens, Nollie, always remember to smile.See more »
Crazy Credits
Some prints of this film spell Leif Erickson's name the correct way in the opening credits; others spell it as "Lief Erickson". See more »Soundtracks
Cotton Blossom(1927) (uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Played during the opening credits and sung in first scene
Sung by Cotton Blossom chorus
See more »
Contribute to This Page
Check out IMDb's 2017 Comic-Con Guide for the latest celebrity interviews, event coverage, cosplay photos, and more.
Don't worry about comparisons with the original, supposedly weak story line, etc, etc - just suspend belief and enjoy it as a musical.
The key vocalists are absolutely first rate: Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson and William Warfield were at the tops of their games here. The superb, effortless vocals from Keel and Grayson are lessons on how to sing - you'll never hear 'Make Believe' sung better than this.
William Warfield's version of 'Old Man River' is just magic. People usually talk about Paul Robson in the same breath as 'Old Man River' but none of Robson's renditions can match this performance. Warfield is a true bass (Robson was a bass-baritone) and delivers this song with magnificent power and resonance. Warfield is The Man.
Sit back and enjoy the music...