When I began watching "There's No Business..." I had fairly low expectations. To be honest, I was watching it because of Donald O'Connor and Ethel Merman (her acting, not her singing, although I don't mind that too much) and I figured that it would be mediocre at best. However, by the end of the movie, I was just very very... happy. There's really no other word for it. The majority of the reviews for this film cite its thin plot and melodrama as a negative, but I think that's just because most musicals have a more contrived and contained plot. "TNBLSB" has a more general story (which I won't recap) that, in my opinion, gives it more of an emotional impact by the end. All ends well, of course, but because of the nature of the problem (a lost child versus the typical "lost love"), the final resolution is more satisfying. Acting-wise, Johnny Ray isn't so bad that he ruins any scenes and I've always liked Ethel Merman's kind of maternal smart-aleckiness. Personally, I didn't think the musical numbers were anything spectacular, but that greatly depends on the taste of the viewer. Anyway, despite all the bad reviews of this film, I definitely think it's one to check out if you're a fan of any of the actors or of the musical genre.
