There's No Business Like Show Business

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2:45

There's No Business Like Show Business

Released Dec 16, 1954

1h 57m

Musical

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

73%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

58%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Terry (Dan Dailey) and Molly (Ethel Merman) are vaudeville performers who eventually add their three children to the act to become The Five Donahues. However, their children start to go their own way in time, with Steve (Johnnie Ray) deciding to become a priest. The other grown children, Katy (Mitzi Gaynor) and Tim (Donald O'Connor), join a show starring Victoria Parker (Marilyn Monroe). The Donahue parents become a performing pair again, but the family still faces personal upheaval.

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Overstuffed and cornball, but some great Berlin musical numbers, especially Monroe's "Heat Wave."

Rated: 4/5

Jul 26, 2003

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

If you're looking for a good film that features Irving Berlin tunes, this one is not the film you're looking for.

Rated: C

Aug 7, 2012

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Though Marilyn Monroe was the country's biggest movie star, this plotless musical, a tribute to the genius composer Irving Berlin, belongs to Ethel Merman.

Rated: B

Jul 27, 2012

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David Kaplan

Kaplan vs. Kaplan

Rated: 4/5

Mar 1, 2008

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Eric Lurio

Greenwich Village Gazette

The decline of the musical starts here. Faux Kelly just doesn't work.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 21, 2004

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Steve Crum

Kansas City Kansan

Corny, loud, splashy, but it has Merman and solid cast

Rated: 4/5

Oct 24, 2004

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Damian

It has a plenty of really good numbers which I really love to rewatch. The staging of the scenes is a feast for the eyes, very colorful and stylish. And, of course, the main reason to watch this film is Marilyn Monroe. Every moment she appears on screen is a celebration.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/04/24

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Rare T

This movie should not be evaluated by its plot, as that wasn’t intended to be its selling point from the beginning. There’s No Business Like Show Business tells you everything you need to know through its title, which it lives up to. It’s all about the flash and extravaganza of show business, and the numbers are pretty decent. That wouldn’t be possible without the impressive performances of the Marilyn Monroe, Ehel Merman, and Mitzi Gaynor trio, not to mention Donald O’Connor and the others.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/12/24

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Audience Member

Alexander ragtime song done to death in first half hour. If y can survive that torment the rest of movie keeps ya nterest with good variety of performances.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/03/24

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Mike P

Unfairly maligned musical extravaganza about a vaudevillian family; The Five Donohues; is really quite impressive and enjoyable in its own right. And the cast is dynamite; Ethel Merman; Donald Occonor; Mitzi Gaynor; and Marylin Monroe! And it does a MUCH better version of the title number than Annie Get Your Gun does!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/26/24

Full Review

Autumn M

There's No Business Like Show Business is a movie about a family who is in show business, and go through various changes as the children grow and mature. Notable performances by Donald O' Connor ( Singing in the Rain); Ethel Merman ( Broadway star) and Marilyn Monroe. It was a fun little musical, with colorful, sultry numbers like " Heat Wave." It was not ground-breaking in any way, but definitely enjoyable with performances from the Golden Age stars. Recommended.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

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steve d

forgettable and uneventful.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Walter Lang

Director

Ethel Merman

Molly Donahue

Dan Dailey

Terence Donahue

Marilyn Monroe

Vicky Hoffman

Donald O'Connor

Tim Donahue

Johnnie Ray

Steve Donahue

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There's No Business Like Show Business: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Terry (Dan Dailey) and Molly (Ethel Merman) are vaudeville performers who eventually add their three children to the act to become The Five Donahues. However, their children start to go their own way in time, with Steve (Johnnie Ray) deciding to become a priest. The other grown children, Katy (Mitzi Gaynor) and Tim (Donald O'Connor), join a show starring Victoria Parker (Marilyn Monroe). The Donahue parents become a performing pair again, but the family still faces personal upheaval.

Director: Walter Lang
Producer: Sol C. Siegel
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Musical, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 16, 1954, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Runtime: 1h 57m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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