Show Boat

A disappointing first go-around for the Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein II stage classic, SHOW BOAT was shot as a silent, then songs and dialog were added. The resulting part-talkie version includes an endless prolog featuring Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld and Univeral Pictures boss Carl Laemmle, in addition to several numbers performed by members of the original cast. Tess Gardella sings "C'Mon, Folks" and "Hey, Feller" with the Jubilee Singers; Jules Bledsoe does "Ol' Man River,"; and Helen Morgan sings "Bill" and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man"; regrettably, the rest of the film pales in comparison to these prolog numbers. The story, first told in a novel by Edna...