A song-and-dance man and his comic partner undergo romantic ups and downs when they team up with a female duo and transition from burlesque to vaudeville.
Our picks for what to watch this week include a shocking true story, a second season with lots of unanswered questions, and a murderous musical episode.
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Show Business (1944)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
More Like This
Mississippi
(1935)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
|
Musical
Directors:
A. Edward Sutherland,
Wesley Ruggles
Stars:
Bing Crosby,
W.C. Fields,
Joan Bennett
Kid Millions
(1934)
Comedy
|
Musical
Directors:
Roy Del Ruth,
Willy Pogany
Stars:
Eddie Cantor,
Ann Sothern,
Ethel Merman
The Kid from Spain
(1932)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
|
Musical
|
Romance
Director:
Leo McCarey
Stars:
Eddie Cantor,
Lyda Roberti,
Robert Young
If You Knew Susie
(1948)
Comedy
Director:
Gordon Douglas
Stars:
Eddie Cantor,
Joan Davis,
Allyn Joslyn
Ali Baba Goes to Town
(1937)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
|
Fantasy
|
Musical
Director:
David Butler
Stars:
Eddie Cantor,
Tony Martin,
Roland Young
Roman Scandals
(1933)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
|
Fantasy
|
Musical
Director:
Frank Tuttle
Stars:
Eddie Cantor,
The Goldwyn Girls,
Ruth Etting
Strike Me Pink
(1936)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
|
Musical
Director:
Norman Taurog
Stars:
Eddie Cantor,
Ethel Merman,
Sally Eilers
Thank Your Lucky Stars
(1943)
Comedy
|
Musical
Director:
David Butler
Stars:
Eddie Cantor,
Dennis Morgan,
Humphrey Bogart
Step Lively
(1944)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
|
Music
Director:
Tim Whelan
Stars:
Adolphe Menjou,
George Murphy,
Frank Sinatra
A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob
(1941)
Comedy
|
Romance
Director:
Richard Wallace
Stars:
George Murphy,
Lucille Ball,
Edmond O'Brien
Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Eddie Cantor | ... | Eddie Martin | |
| George Murphy | ... | George Doane | |
| Joan Davis | ... | Joan Mason | |
| Nancy Kelly | ... | Nancy Gaye | |
| Constance Moore | ... | Constance Ford | |
| Donald Douglas | ... | Charlie Lucas (as Don Douglas) | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (37) »
Storyline
Four young hopefuls, George, Connie, Joan and Eddie, doing the Burlesque and Amateur Circuits meet by chance, and decide to form a team. Of course, their act is a success, and they finally make it to Vaudeville! George is crazy for Connie, however, George's ex-flame, Nancy Gai isn't too thrilled and from the moment she hears about George and Connie tying the knot, she does everything to break up their union... sadly, one night she succeeds, and the foursome go separate ways. Connie divorces George, and gets engaged to a rich agent, and makes it on her own- singing in an upper-class Boston Night Club, while Eddie and Joan still keep a successful couple act, but George ends up in a sleazy San Francisco bar, singing for drinks. After all, one minute you're the toast of the town, the next - you're in the gutter. Isn't that Show Business? Can the group be reunited? Can they be a success once more!? Written by Amber <amber@sweetiedarling.com>
Plot Keywords:
tap dancing | burlesque | vaudeville | divorce | manhattan new york city |Taglines:
Broadway Cavalcade! (Posters). See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
8 December 1944 (Sweden) See more »Also Known As:
Su majestad la farsa See more »Filming Locations:
RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USACompany Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
See more »
(1924) (uncredited)
Music by Isham Jones
Lyrics by Gus Kahn
Played during the opening credits and also in the score
Performed by George Murphy
Danced by him and Constance Moore
Reprised by Murphy at the end
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Bert Gordon, George Jessel, Pat Rooney and Gene Sheldon were definitely filmed in a sequence which was cut before the release of the movie. Also in studio records, but not seen in the film, are Matthew 'Stymie' Beard (Harold), Billy Bester (Call Boy), Marietta Canty (Maid), Don Dillaway (Gambler), Ralph Dunn (Taxi Driver), Edmund Glover (Gambler), Harry Harvey Jr. (Page Boy), Russell Hopton (Gambler), Sam Lufkin (Waiter on Stage), Jerry Maren (Midget), Charles Marsh (Man Eating Peanuts), Chef Milani (Head Waiter), Bert Moorhouse (Desk Clerk), Forbes Murray (Director), William J. O'Brien (Peanut Gag Man), and Joseph Vitale (Caesar). See more »Quotes
Joan Mason: I don't know Charlie, I might be crazy, but if I don't eat at least once a week I get dizzy spells.See more »
Soundtracks
It Had to Be You(1924) (uncredited)
Music by Isham Jones
Lyrics by Gus Kahn
Played during the opening credits and also in the score
Performed by George Murphy
Danced by him and Constance Moore
Reprised by Murphy at the end
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.See what movies and TV series you can watch for free today, and visit IMDb Freedive for even more. Select any poster below to play the movie!
Explore popular and recently added TV series available to stream now with Prime Video.
We have a musical that starts well but then fades until you are finally glad that it has come to an end. The cast are fine when it comes to singing and dancing especially in the first half of the film – some great songs and sequences. However, the lead character as played by George Murphy isn't nice to his girlfriend Nancy Kelly from the start and so the audience aren't really on his side from the beginning. In fact, none of the relationships make sense – his other alliance with Constance Moore is totally confusing. She divorces him, then wants him back – it never makes sense. The film suffers because it chooses to follow this unrealistic love triangle story that would just never be there. Eddie Cantor and Joan Davis provide the comedy partnership and deliver their lines well, but you have to be a Cantor fan to enjoy his schtick.
There are moments of humour and good songs but why perform "It Had to Be You" three times? It was good on the first occasion but then becomes corny. The film gets boring, I'm sad to say.