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List Price: $6.98Price: $5.71 You Save: $1.27 (18%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786301066648
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
ISBN: 6301066642
Label: 20th Century Fox
Languages: EnglishOriginal LanguageAnalog
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: May 29, 2001
Running Time: 117 minutes
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Theatrical Release Date: December 16, 1954
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
This 1954 dinosaur brings together two giants of Broadway, Ethel Merman and Irving Berlin, just as their moment was passing forever, to create one last hurrah: a celebration of the glories that were vaudeville. Still, it's hard to imagine that Broadway--or nightclub entertaining, for that matter--was ever quite this lavish and satisfying. The story centers on a married couple, the Donahues (Dan Dailey and Merman), who live on the road as vaudeville entertainers, and since they have children, begin incorporating the kids into the act. Eventually, the kids grow up to be Donald O'Connor, Mitzi Gaynor, and Johnny Ray, and they begin having interests of their own. Donald's is an ambitious showgirl (Marilyn Monroe), whose standoffish response to his romantic overtures drives him to drink. Best for its lavish, splashy production numbers built around some of the best of the Berlin songbook, including the title tune and "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody." --Marshall Fine
Description:
An all-star cast that includes Ethel Merman, Dan Dailey, Marilyn Monroe, Donald O'Connor, Johnnie Ray and Mitzi Gaynor sparks this tuneful Irving Berlin musical that depicts the trials and triumphs of a veteran vaudeville family. Molly (Merman) and Terry (Dailey) Donahue start out as a duo and keep adding kids to the act until they finally become The 5 Donahues. Their busy, sometimes tumultuous lives aren't always easy, but the Donahues have plenty of love to get them through the hard times and more than enough talent to keep them on top. Highlighted by one classic Irving Berlin song after another and an array of dazzling production numbers, this upbeat, utterly delightful tale of life on the stage proves, beyond and doubt, that There's No Business Like Show Business!
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
In this production, it is a feast to watch and listen! Music is playing and people are dancing from the very beginning and it does not stop until the movie does. The actors are phenominal, including the comical Donald O Connor, the robust Ethel Merman, and the seductive Marilyn Monroe, as charming as ever. If you enjoy musicals, this is a must. There is all different types of music, and an array of performers. Marilyn portrays her role fantastically and she offers a few chuckles, too. She sings some great songs, one of my favorite being "Heat Wave", and there's plenty of dancing in there too. Bright, colorful, and fun, this is a movie for everyone.
Rating: -
Before 1955, what more did you need in a musical? A flimsy storyline...some great star power...and a ton of great tin pan alley songs were all you needed in the recipe for a great musical. THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS had it all. Leading the cast and the loudness was Ethel Merman. She was never a great movie star, but what a powerhouse. A hundred chorus singers could be singing around here and all you would hear is Merman. Also in the cast was Dan Dailey as Merman's husband. Sadly, I think he was severly underused in the movie. Their children were played by Donald O'Connor, Mitzi Gaynor, and the horrible Johnnie Ray. Basically the story revolved around this vaudville family, but that is not important.
What is important is the movie featured over two dozen great Irving Berlin songs like: A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody, You'd Be Surprised, Heat Wave, Alexander's Ragtime Band, and Ethel Merman's theme song There's No Business Like Show Business among others.
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Rating:  -
Where do I begin? First of all the story line was weak. The movie seemed to drag on forever. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief when it was finally over. Seriously, how many different versions of Alexander's Ragtime Band can a person listen to in a single movie and not go insane?
Now for the good parts. The costumes were gorgeous. The dancers were very talented. They made complicated steps appear effortless.
Overall, the movie was over the top during the musical numbers and weak during the non musical scenes. The contrast was almost too much to bear. There are many other musicals that balance the two, but not this one.
Rating: -
This is a mind-boggling "theater" movie, a sort of "Ozzie and Harriet" on steroids. The movie dives right into the life and times of "the Donahues" -- the show biz family to end all show biz families. It's unintentionally hysterical, shocking, wild, big, bizarre... for me it really ran straight down the list of adjectives from Capital "A!" to triple ZZZ! Everything big, bright, fizzy, funny, fine!
First: I never really appreciated Marilyn Monroe till I saw her in this movie. She was (perhaps is) the hottest woman on earth! In her "Heat Wave" song she suddenly kisses one of the dancers. It didn't seem choreographed. It was incredibly hot. The woman was all curves, an endless flowing river of sensuality. Sorry, Madonna, you are a pale, poor imitation. Marilyn had the goods: the looks, the voice, the sex appeal. She is so much fun just to watch. "Heat Wave" must have been conceived after someone ingested heavy drugs and washed them down with Jamaican rum.
Ethel Merman ... Read More
Rating: -
Great show. It was just as good now as it was the first time I saw it.
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