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There's No Business Like Show Business (film)
Encyclopedia
There's No Business Like Show Business (1954
) is a 20th Century Fox
musical film that was released on December 16, 1954. The title is borrowed from the famous song in the stage musical (and MGM film) Annie Get Your Gun
.
The film stars Ethel Merman
, Dan Dailey
, Donald O'Connor
, Mitzi Gaynor
, Marilyn Monroe
, Richard Eastham
, and Johnnie Ray
. It was directed by Walter Lang
and written by Lamar Trotti
(story) and Phoebe Ephron
and Henry Ephron
. It was filmed in CinemaScope
and Ethel Merman's first film in widescreen
.
) and Molly (Ethel Merman
) Donahue, a husband-and-wife vaudeville team known as the Donahues, pursue both a stable family life as well as success with their rendition of Midnight Train to Alabam.
As the years pass and the kids Steve, Katy, and Tim join the act one by one, their act eventually becomes the Five Donahues . Worried that the children will suffer from their nomadic lifestyle, Molly persuades Terry to send them to a Catholic boarding school, but the youngsters, missing both their parents and the thrill of performing, continually try to run away.
Comforted by Father Dineen's assurances that the children are better off with them, Terry and Molly buy a home in New Jersey for their brood, but when the Depression hits Terry and Molly are forced to take whatever jobs they can find, including singing for radio advertisements and working at a carnival.
Eventually, movie theaters come to their rescue by providing live stage entertainment before showings, and the Donahues are back to performing. In 1937, Tim graduates from high school, and the act becomes the Five Donahues once again, with Katy (Mitzi Gaynor
) concentrating on dancing, Steve (Johnnie Ray
) demonstrating an admirable singing voice, and Tim (Donald O'Connor
) being an all-around performer like his father.
The family is a success and have soon hit the top, thrilling audiences at New York's famed Hippodrome Theatre with an extravagant multi-themed performance of "Alexander's Ragtime Band
" with each family member being featured in their own segment in addition to the ensemble sections which bookend the piece.
One night after a show, a worried Molly and Terry return home alone while Katy goes out on a date, Steve takes a walk, and the womanizing Tim goes out with an older chorus girl. Katy and Tim both wind up at a nightclub, Gallagher's Golden Pheasant Room, where Tim teases Victoria Hoffman, (Marilyn Monroe
) a hatcheck girl about the unnatural elocution her singing teacher has instructed her to practice.
Vicky forgets Tim's wisecracks though, when Eddie, her agent, informs her that he has persuaded famed producer Lew Harris to visit the club. With the help of her co-workers, Vicky gets onstage and impresses Lew and Tim with her singing After You Get What You Want, (You Don't Want It). Backstage, Vicky learns that Tim is one of the well known Donahues but quickly dismisses him in order to talk business with Harris.
Back at the Donahue home, Molly and Terry welcome Katy and then Steve, who informs his family that he wants to become a priest. Terry is distraught over his son's decision, but their discussion is interrupted by the appearance of Tim, who got drunk after he was dismissed by Vicky. Escorting Tim upstairs to sleep it off and nearly drowning him by dunking his head into a large sink to sober him up, Molly worries aloud if he hasn't bitten off more than he can chew. Tim goes to sleep and Molly heads downstairs to deal with Katy being out all night, with her six-dollar and twenty-cent cab ride home, and with Steve's decision to become a priest.
Katy tells her father not to be so shocked and disappointed, because maybe Steve could end up a cardinal
. Wailing in frustration, Terry tells the family that the only cardinal he wants in his family is one who plays ball for St. Louis (the St. Louis Cardinals
).
Later, having accepted Steve's choice, the family throws him a farewell party with songs, dances, and impressions, the centerpiece of which is a performance of their parents' old Alabam' act by Tim and Katy. Steve tells the assembly that he hopes everyone will come see his new act when it is worked up in the seminary over the next four year and follows this with an up-tempo jazz-influenced gospel tinged vsersion of If You Believe after which Molly and the gang belt out a chorus of Remember. Molly is crying afterward and Terry is just about to, but they both understand that eventually the bird has to leave the nest and go out on his own.
After the party, the rechristened Four Donahues accept an engagement in Miami. Upon arrival, Tim is thrilled to find that Vicky, now known as Vicky Parker, is also appearing there; however she is performing a considerably more sensual version of the same "Heat Wave
" number as the family. After falling in complete lust with Vicky's performance, Tim gives his approval for her to perform the number without checking with the family beforehand.
Vicky is a sensation and, although she gently shrugs off his proposals so that she can focus on her career, Tim falls in love with her as a result. Molly, still irate that Vicky "stole" her song, is further irritated upon learning that Harris is staging a Broadway revue around Vicky, and that Vicky wants Tim and Katy to join her without Molly and Terry.
Realizing what a great opportunity this is, Terry persuades Molly to let the kids go and she agrees, on one condition. They have to take the four expensive Cuban costumes as well, originally intended for the family's version of the "Heat Wave" number they let Vicky perform instead. They all share a laugh, and soon Molly and Terry are performing on their own again while Tim and Katy rehearse with Vicky in New York.
Katy begins dating Charlie Gibbs the show's tall and spare lyricist, and after Steve is ordained, he asks whether or not Steve can perform a small wedding ceremony in the near future. Shocked and annoyed, Katy demands to know whom Charlie plans to marry with her brother officiating, and Charlie sweetly tells her that she herself is the candidate. Having heard none of this in advance, Katy is pleasantly surprised and they set the date.
Tim continues dating Vicky, but one night a wardrobe mistress passes in the hallway with a new dress, telling Vicky that Harris selected it as her opening statement. Feeling that the dress makes the most completely inappropriate opening statement not to mention being the most completely wrong shade of purple as well, she phones back to the club and postpones her dinner date with Tim in order to discuss the matter with Harris. The costume designer, a tall, spare haute-couture man chimes in, correcting her that the color is not purple; it's `heliotrope.' Vicky angrily complains that no matter whether the dress is heliotrope, hydrangea, or petunia it's still the wrong shade of purple for her, not to mention the most completely unflattering style. Harris, equally annoyed, reminds Vicky that the dress cost $1400, and that's not heliotrope.
Vicky loses track of time and stands Tim up, and Tim, mistakenly assuming that Vicky is having an affair with Harris, gets drunk and comes back to the theatre where he confronts Vicky about her supposed affair. She is stung by the accusation and annoyed that a fellow performer such as Tim, who was born to the business of performing, should chastise her for trying to follow her love of the theatre and doing whatever it takes to reach her goals. She denies his accusations but also spurns Tim in his drunken state.
Tim leaves the theatre with one of the chorus girls, goes out and gets even more drunk, and becomes involved in a car accident. Molly and Terry learn of the accident just hours before opening night of the show for which Vicky and Katy have been rehearsing and Terry goes down to the hospital to confront Tim about his conduct. Tim rebuffs the advice, whereupon Terry slaps him across the face and storms out.
In the meantime, Molly has gone down to the theatre to be with Katy in this trying time. Lew Harris is beside himself and trying to decide if he should postpone the opening, but Molly, who has been rehearsing extensively with Katy, convinces Harris that while she'll have to fake the dancing, a feat with which she's been getting away for decades, she can go on in Tim's place.
After all is decided the show is a resounding success on opening night. The next day Terry and Molly go back to the hospital to pick up Tim but discover that he has vanished, leaving behind a note apologizing for his behavior. Molly and Terry are both heartbroken but decide to take action.
While Molly continues to perform in the show, the Donahues hire private detectives to search for Tim, and they scour the clubs and bars of New York looking for him. After almost a year, Steve joins the Army as a chaplain, while Molly still blames Vicky for Tim's disappearance.
When Molly tells Terry that the Donahues are being sought for a benefit performance at the Hippodrome before it is closed the following May, Terry shows no interest and instead disappears by train to search for Tim. During the montage, we see him reminisce about all the good times they shared with Tim.
Months later, on the day of the benefit, Katy, who has become close friends with Vicky, arranges for her to share a dressing room with Molly. Annoyed at the arrangement, Molly begins to pack up and head upstairs for some peace and quiet, however, Katy not only tells her mother that she'll be doing nothing of the kind, but that she needs to apologize to Vicky for snubbing her at every turn for the past year.
Incensed at this, Molly demands that Vicky speak up for herself about how true and deep her love is for Tim and Molly buys it.
Finally forgiving Vicky, Molly is also comforted by the arrival of Steve, who, after telling her that Vicky must be quite a girl for putting up with all Tim's shenanigans all this time, tells her not to lose hope. Molly agrees, telling Steve that she was wrong again. As Molly performs the title song, Steve and Katy watch from the wings; then Tim, wearing a US Navy uniform, appears behind them. Katy sees him first and takes him deeply into a silent embrace. His brother Steve follows and together they try to attract Molly's attention onstage, finally succeeding.
Molly hesitates when she sees Tim but completes the number before running offstage to embrace her son. Tim tells her that he had to work things out for himself, and the family is finally complete when Terry joins them a few minutes later, having come to see the benefit after all. Thrilled to be reunited, the Five Donahues, with Vicky holding Tim's hand, go onstage and happily reprise a short encore of their version of "Alexander's Ragtime Band."
The six principals then march down a flight of stairs out of view and a chorus of men and women all in multicolored flowing attire circle around the perimeter going up and down the stairs singing the title song. The six principals then come up on a platform in the middle thereof, adding their vocals to the chorus, and the film concludes with their finale.
for the role. Monroe finally agreed after Fox promised her the lead in Billy Wilder's screen version of the Broadway hit The Seven Year Itch
. Merman had first sung "There's No Business Like Show Business" in the original Broadway production of Annie Get Your Gun
in 1946 and would go on to sing it again in the 1967 television broadcast of the musical's Lincoln Center revival production.
1954 in film
The year 1954 in film involved some significant events and memorable ones.-Events:*May 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda...
) is a 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
musical film that was released on December 16, 1954. The title is borrowed from the famous song in the stage musical (and MGM film) Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
.
The film stars Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's...
, Dan Dailey
Dan Dailey
Daniel James Dailey Jr. was an American dancer and actor.-Early life and career:Born in New York City on December 14, 1915, to James J. and Helen Dailey, both born in New York City. He appeared in a minstrel show when very young, and appeared in vaudeville before his Broadway debut in 1937 in...
, Donald O'Connor
Donald O'Connor
Donald David Dixon Ronald O’Connor was an American dancer, singer, and actor who came to fame in a series of movies in which he co-starred alternately with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule...
, Mitzi Gaynor
Mitzi Gaynor
-Life and career:Gaynor was born as Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber in Chicago, Illinois to Pauline Fisher, a dancer, and Henry von Gerber, a violinist, cellist, and music director. The family first moved to Detroit and when she was eleven to Hollywood, California.She trained as a ballerina...
, Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
, Richard Eastham
Richard Eastham
Richard Eastham, born as Dickinson Swift Eastham , was an American actor of stage, film, and television and a concert singer known for his deep baritone voice.-Tombstone Territory:...
, and Johnnie Ray
Johnnie Ray
Johnnie Ray was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor of what would become rock and roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage personality.-Early life:John Alvin Ray was born in...
. It was directed by Walter Lang
Walter Lang
Walter Lang was an American film director.-Early life:Walter Lang was born in Memphis, Tennessee. As a young man he went to New York City where he found clerical work at a film production company. The business piqued his artistic instincts and he began learning the various facets of filmmaking...
and written by Lamar Trotti
Lamar Trotti
Lamar Jefferson Trotti was an American screenwriter, producer, and motion picture executive.- Early life and education :Trotti was born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He became the first graduate of the Henry W...
(story) and Phoebe Ephron
Phoebe Ephron
Phoebe Ephron was a playwright and screenwriter who often worked with her husband, Henry Ephron. She was active as a writer from the early 1940s through the early 1960s...
and Henry Ephron
Henry Ephron
Henry Ephron was a playwright, screenwriter and film producer who often worked with his wife Phoebe Wolkind Ephron.Born in Bronx, New York, He was active as a writer from the early 1940s through the early 1960s...
. It was filmed in CinemaScope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
and Ethel Merman's first film in widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
.
Plot
In 1919, Terrance (Dan DaileyDan Dailey
Daniel James Dailey Jr. was an American dancer and actor.-Early life and career:Born in New York City on December 14, 1915, to James J. and Helen Dailey, both born in New York City. He appeared in a minstrel show when very young, and appeared in vaudeville before his Broadway debut in 1937 in...
) and Molly (Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's...
) Donahue, a husband-and-wife vaudeville team known as the Donahues, pursue both a stable family life as well as success with their rendition of Midnight Train to Alabam.
As the years pass and the kids Steve, Katy, and Tim join the act one by one, their act eventually becomes the Five Donahues . Worried that the children will suffer from their nomadic lifestyle, Molly persuades Terry to send them to a Catholic boarding school, but the youngsters, missing both their parents and the thrill of performing, continually try to run away.
Comforted by Father Dineen's assurances that the children are better off with them, Terry and Molly buy a home in New Jersey for their brood, but when the Depression hits Terry and Molly are forced to take whatever jobs they can find, including singing for radio advertisements and working at a carnival.
Eventually, movie theaters come to their rescue by providing live stage entertainment before showings, and the Donahues are back to performing. In 1937, Tim graduates from high school, and the act becomes the Five Donahues once again, with Katy (Mitzi Gaynor
Mitzi Gaynor
-Life and career:Gaynor was born as Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber in Chicago, Illinois to Pauline Fisher, a dancer, and Henry von Gerber, a violinist, cellist, and music director. The family first moved to Detroit and when she was eleven to Hollywood, California.She trained as a ballerina...
) concentrating on dancing, Steve (Johnnie Ray
Johnnie Ray
Johnnie Ray was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor of what would become rock and roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage personality.-Early life:John Alvin Ray was born in...
) demonstrating an admirable singing voice, and Tim (Donald O'Connor
Donald O'Connor
Donald David Dixon Ronald O’Connor was an American dancer, singer, and actor who came to fame in a series of movies in which he co-starred alternately with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule...
) being an all-around performer like his father.
The family is a success and have soon hit the top, thrilling audiences at New York's famed Hippodrome Theatre with an extravagant multi-themed performance of "Alexander's Ragtime Band
Alexander's Ragtime Band
"Alexander's Ragtime Band" is the name of a song by Irving Berlin. It was his first major hit, in 1911. There is some evidence, although inconclusive, that Berlin borrowed the melody from a draft of "A Real Slow Drag" submitted by Scott Joplin that had been submitted to a...
" with each family member being featured in their own segment in addition to the ensemble sections which bookend the piece.
One night after a show, a worried Molly and Terry return home alone while Katy goes out on a date, Steve takes a walk, and the womanizing Tim goes out with an older chorus girl. Katy and Tim both wind up at a nightclub, Gallagher's Golden Pheasant Room, where Tim teases Victoria Hoffman, (Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
) a hatcheck girl about the unnatural elocution her singing teacher has instructed her to practice.
Vicky forgets Tim's wisecracks though, when Eddie, her agent, informs her that he has persuaded famed producer Lew Harris to visit the club. With the help of her co-workers, Vicky gets onstage and impresses Lew and Tim with her singing After You Get What You Want, (You Don't Want It). Backstage, Vicky learns that Tim is one of the well known Donahues but quickly dismisses him in order to talk business with Harris.
Back at the Donahue home, Molly and Terry welcome Katy and then Steve, who informs his family that he wants to become a priest. Terry is distraught over his son's decision, but their discussion is interrupted by the appearance of Tim, who got drunk after he was dismissed by Vicky. Escorting Tim upstairs to sleep it off and nearly drowning him by dunking his head into a large sink to sober him up, Molly worries aloud if he hasn't bitten off more than he can chew. Tim goes to sleep and Molly heads downstairs to deal with Katy being out all night, with her six-dollar and twenty-cent cab ride home, and with Steve's decision to become a priest.
Katy tells her father not to be so shocked and disappointed, because maybe Steve could end up a cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
. Wailing in frustration, Terry tells the family that the only cardinal he wants in his family is one who plays ball for St. Louis (the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
).
Later, having accepted Steve's choice, the family throws him a farewell party with songs, dances, and impressions, the centerpiece of which is a performance of their parents' old Alabam' act by Tim and Katy. Steve tells the assembly that he hopes everyone will come see his new act when it is worked up in the seminary over the next four year and follows this with an up-tempo jazz-influenced gospel tinged vsersion of If You Believe after which Molly and the gang belt out a chorus of Remember. Molly is crying afterward and Terry is just about to, but they both understand that eventually the bird has to leave the nest and go out on his own.
After the party, the rechristened Four Donahues accept an engagement in Miami. Upon arrival, Tim is thrilled to find that Vicky, now known as Vicky Parker, is also appearing there; however she is performing a considerably more sensual version of the same "Heat Wave
Heat Wave (song)
"Heat Wave" is a popular song. It was written by Irving Berlin for the 1933 musical As Thousands Cheer, and introduced in the show by Ethel Waters....
" number as the family. After falling in complete lust with Vicky's performance, Tim gives his approval for her to perform the number without checking with the family beforehand.
Vicky is a sensation and, although she gently shrugs off his proposals so that she can focus on her career, Tim falls in love with her as a result. Molly, still irate that Vicky "stole" her song, is further irritated upon learning that Harris is staging a Broadway revue around Vicky, and that Vicky wants Tim and Katy to join her without Molly and Terry.
Realizing what a great opportunity this is, Terry persuades Molly to let the kids go and she agrees, on one condition. They have to take the four expensive Cuban costumes as well, originally intended for the family's version of the "Heat Wave" number they let Vicky perform instead. They all share a laugh, and soon Molly and Terry are performing on their own again while Tim and Katy rehearse with Vicky in New York.
Katy begins dating Charlie Gibbs the show's tall and spare lyricist, and after Steve is ordained, he asks whether or not Steve can perform a small wedding ceremony in the near future. Shocked and annoyed, Katy demands to know whom Charlie plans to marry with her brother officiating, and Charlie sweetly tells her that she herself is the candidate. Having heard none of this in advance, Katy is pleasantly surprised and they set the date.
Tim continues dating Vicky, but one night a wardrobe mistress passes in the hallway with a new dress, telling Vicky that Harris selected it as her opening statement. Feeling that the dress makes the most completely inappropriate opening statement not to mention being the most completely wrong shade of purple as well, she phones back to the club and postpones her dinner date with Tim in order to discuss the matter with Harris. The costume designer, a tall, spare haute-couture man chimes in, correcting her that the color is not purple; it's `heliotrope.' Vicky angrily complains that no matter whether the dress is heliotrope, hydrangea, or petunia it's still the wrong shade of purple for her, not to mention the most completely unflattering style. Harris, equally annoyed, reminds Vicky that the dress cost $1400, and that's not heliotrope.
Vicky loses track of time and stands Tim up, and Tim, mistakenly assuming that Vicky is having an affair with Harris, gets drunk and comes back to the theatre where he confronts Vicky about her supposed affair. She is stung by the accusation and annoyed that a fellow performer such as Tim, who was born to the business of performing, should chastise her for trying to follow her love of the theatre and doing whatever it takes to reach her goals. She denies his accusations but also spurns Tim in his drunken state.
Tim leaves the theatre with one of the chorus girls, goes out and gets even more drunk, and becomes involved in a car accident. Molly and Terry learn of the accident just hours before opening night of the show for which Vicky and Katy have been rehearsing and Terry goes down to the hospital to confront Tim about his conduct. Tim rebuffs the advice, whereupon Terry slaps him across the face and storms out.
In the meantime, Molly has gone down to the theatre to be with Katy in this trying time. Lew Harris is beside himself and trying to decide if he should postpone the opening, but Molly, who has been rehearsing extensively with Katy, convinces Harris that while she'll have to fake the dancing, a feat with which she's been getting away for decades, she can go on in Tim's place.
After all is decided the show is a resounding success on opening night. The next day Terry and Molly go back to the hospital to pick up Tim but discover that he has vanished, leaving behind a note apologizing for his behavior. Molly and Terry are both heartbroken but decide to take action.
While Molly continues to perform in the show, the Donahues hire private detectives to search for Tim, and they scour the clubs and bars of New York looking for him. After almost a year, Steve joins the Army as a chaplain, while Molly still blames Vicky for Tim's disappearance.
When Molly tells Terry that the Donahues are being sought for a benefit performance at the Hippodrome before it is closed the following May, Terry shows no interest and instead disappears by train to search for Tim. During the montage, we see him reminisce about all the good times they shared with Tim.
Months later, on the day of the benefit, Katy, who has become close friends with Vicky, arranges for her to share a dressing room with Molly. Annoyed at the arrangement, Molly begins to pack up and head upstairs for some peace and quiet, however, Katy not only tells her mother that she'll be doing nothing of the kind, but that she needs to apologize to Vicky for snubbing her at every turn for the past year.
Incensed at this, Molly demands that Vicky speak up for herself about how true and deep her love is for Tim and Molly buys it.
Molly hesitates when she sees Tim but completes the number before running offstage to embrace her son. Tim tells her that he had to work things out for himself, and the family is finally complete when Terry joins them a few minutes later, having come to see the benefit after all. Thrilled to be reunited, the Five Donahues, with Vicky holding Tim's hand, go onstage and happily reprise a short encore of their version of "Alexander's Ragtime Band."
The six principals then march down a flight of stairs out of view and a chorus of men and women all in multicolored flowing attire circle around the perimeter going up and down the stairs singing the title song. The six principals then come up on a platform in the middle thereof, adding their vocals to the chorus, and the film concludes with their finale.
Cast (in credits order)
- Ethel MermanEthel MermanEthel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's...
as Molly Donahue - Donald O'ConnorDonald O'ConnorDonald David Dixon Ronald O’Connor was an American dancer, singer, and actor who came to fame in a series of movies in which he co-starred alternately with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule...
as Tim Donahue - Marilyn MonroeMarilyn MonroeMarilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
as Victoria "Vicky" Hoffman - Dan DaileyDan DaileyDaniel James Dailey Jr. was an American dancer and actor.-Early life and career:Born in New York City on December 14, 1915, to James J. and Helen Dailey, both born in New York City. He appeared in a minstrel show when very young, and appeared in vaudeville before his Broadway debut in 1937 in...
as Terence Donahue - Johnnie RayJohnnie RayJohnnie Ray was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor of what would become rock and roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage personality.-Early life:John Alvin Ray was born in...
as Steve Donahue - Mitzi GaynorMitzi Gaynor-Life and career:Gaynor was born as Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber in Chicago, Illinois to Pauline Fisher, a dancer, and Henry von Gerber, a violinist, cellist, and music director. The family first moved to Detroit and when she was eleven to Hollywood, California.She trained as a ballerina...
as Katy Donahue - Richard EasthamRichard EasthamRichard Eastham, born as Dickinson Swift Eastham , was an American actor of stage, film, and television and a concert singer known for his deep baritone voice.-Tombstone Territory:...
as Lew Harris - Hugh O'BrianHugh O'BrianHugh O'Brian is an American actor, known for his starring role in the ABC television series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp .-Early years and career:...
as Charles Biggs - Frank McHughFrank McHughFrancis Curray "Frank" McHugh was an American film and television actor.Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents ran a stock theatre company and as a young child he performed on stage...
as Eddie Dugan - Rhys WilliamsRhys Williams (actor)Rhys Williams was a Welsh character actor in movies and television, whose career spanned several decades.He made his film debut in How Green Was My Valley . This movie takes place in rural Wales with a large cast of Welsh characters, but was actually filmed in Hollywood with Canadian, American,...
as Father Dineen - Lee PatrickLee Patrick (actress)Lee Patrick was an American theater and film actress.-Early life and education:Born in New York City, Patrick began acting on Broadway in 1924. For more than a decade, she was constantly employed and established herself as a popular actress. She appeared in the original 1929 production of June...
as Marge - Eve MillerEve MillerEve Miller , was an American actress who appeared in 41 films between 1945 and 1961. She was born in Los Angeles, California, USA and died in Van Nuys, California by suicide aged 50.-Early life:...
as Hatcheck Girl - Robin RaymondRobin RaymondRobin Raymond, , sometimes credited as Robyn Raymond, was a film actress. She appeared in over 40 films including Johnny Eager and as a slave girl in Arabian Nights...
as Lilliam Sawyer
Production
Monroe did not want to make this film; when she turned the part down, the studio tested Sheree NorthSheree North
Sheree North was an American actress, singer, and dancer. She was known for being 20th Century Fox's answer to Marilyn Monroe from 1954 to 1956...
for the role. Monroe finally agreed after Fox promised her the lead in Billy Wilder's screen version of the Broadway hit The Seven Year Itch
The Seven Year Itch
The Seven Year Itch is a 1955 American film based on a three-act play with the same name by George Axelrod. The film was co-written and directed by Billy Wilder, and starred Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell, reprising his Broadway role...
. Merman had first sung "There's No Business Like Show Business" in the original Broadway production of Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
in 1946 and would go on to sing it again in the 1967 television broadcast of the musical's Lincoln Center revival production.