“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.
Vienna's Classic Hollywood
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.
That should read Cinecon.
Anne had a lovely voice.
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.