SHOW BUSINESS (1944)

“Show Business” is a wee gem of a musical, with four good leads – Constance Moore and George Murphy for the romance , and Joan Davis and Eddie Cantor for the comedy, plus a slew of tuneful numbers.

”Show  Business”  is just that, a story of four performers and their efforts to be a success , their ups and downs, set around the First World War.

A quirk of the film was having the five main performers using  their own Christian names – Eddie, George, Joan, Connie and Nancy (Nancy Kelly).

 

 

 

Joan Davis, Eddie Cantor

Joan and Eddie do a sketch of “Anthony and Cleopatra” ,with some funny dialogue:

Joan: “Do’eth thou’eth love’eth  me’eth?

Eddie: “Yeth.”

Joan: “Will’t  thou cares for an Egyptian cigarette?”

Eddie: “No, I am smoking  already!”

Joan: Shooteth a little crap?”

Eddie: Thou knowest I never gamble.”

Joan: “Drink?”

Eddie: “I never drink.”

Joan:”May I give you a flower. You must smell.”

 

Eddie: ……”Remember , my Queen, I’m only a boy, just past twenty.”

Joan: ”Past it? You’ve lapped it two or three times .”

 

And every so often, Joan turns to the camera and says, “I love that boy, love him , I tell you.”

George Murphy, Constance Moore.

 

I wanna a girl just like the girl that married dear old dad.”

Great song ,and Constance Moore sings it beautifully.

 

Nancy Kelly

Nancy Kelly has a smallish role as a singer who tries to break up the Murphy/Moore romance.  Nancy has a lovely number, “You  May Not Remember” – dubbed by Nora Martin.

The film’s director was Edwin L.Marin  who was also responsible for several Randolph Scott westerns, also Nocturne, Johnny Angel, several of the Maisie films; and even a couple of Judy Garland’s early films. A versatile director who was only 52 when he died in 1951.

 

Constance Moore, John Maschio

i was impressed by Constance  Moore (1920-2005)  who married John Maschio, a theatrical agent in 1939. After that Constance only worked intermittently  in films, but appeared on many radio shows, sang in nightclubs and on Broadway ( in “BY JUPITERL, with Ray Bolger.)
She  had glamour, style and a lovely singing voice.

 

 

SHOW BUSINESS is available on dvd.

 

 

4 responses »

  1. I had forgotten You May Not Remember was from Show Business. I mainly remember Anne Jeffrey’s singing it in a Western. When I met Anne at the 196 Ciecon I mentioned it and she told me it was written by Jessel.

  2. I just remembered Constance was supposed to be at that Cinecon too but cancelled for family reasons. We still saw her scheduled film the very funny I’m Nobody’s Sweetheart Now as a tough nightclub singer. I would love to have met her. She did turn up the following year. Miles Krueger the historian sent me pictures of him and Constance.

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