You know, about 1950, give or take, A “Show Boat” came down the Ohio to Huntington, WV. My mother, a couple of my sisters, and I went to see it. I was somewhere around eleven and I remember very little about it except I thought it was really swell. You have to understand that, in those days, television sets were very expensive, very small, and had very few things to watch.
That has nothing to do with anything I’m going to talk about. I just threw it in.
The Book, “Show Boat” by Edna Ferber
In 1926, Edna Ferber wrote a book called “Show Boat.” Much to my regret, I never read it. I have, though, seen both the 1936 and 1951 versions of the movie. And, being an incurable romantic, I liked them both. The 1936 version I have only seen on TV (I’m not that damned old). The 1951 version, I laid out cold, hard cash to see. Very recently, I watched the 1951 “Show Boat” on TCM. And, to be honest, that’s what prompted me to write this.
The 1951 movie starred Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel. The music was beautiful and, in a couple of cases, thought provoking. By the way, I have rather selective tastes in music. Some things I like, some things are lousy, and some things I just flat-out don’t understand.
As with any story worth either reading or watching, “Show Boat” has a beginning, a middle, and an end. In some scenes, it is dramatic and somewhat sad. In other scenes, it is delightful. If you think about it, that’s life, isn’t it?
The 1951 movie has a happy ending, which is something that appeals to me. But, at the same time, the very last few seconds just may bring a tear to your eye.
Oh, I almost forgot. It also starred Ava Gardner. How could I forget that?
