My journey ends here...
There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
Poster
,
,
The supporting role played by Marilyn in this tribute to the composer Irving Berlin was a compromise, to the convergence of various interests.
First, it compensated for her refusal to appear in "Pink Tights", a movie she had postponed despite the studio's insistence.
Then, it brought her back to Los Angeles, after she had lived 2 or 3 months in San Francisco with her new husband, Joe DiMaggio.
Finally, it gave Marilyn the kind
of concessions she dreamt to obtain : she was allowed to be
flanked by her own crew - her drama teacher Natasha Lytess,
singing teacher Hal
Schaefer, and dance teacher Jack Cole, she apparently prefered to Robert Alton, the choregrapher engaged by the producer Sol C. Siegel.
In addition, according to most biographers, a project had been promised to her which she liked much more, "The Seven Year Itch"
(1955).
Marilyn's character, Vicky, hastily outlined and grafted on the original plot, inherited of some songs which had to be first sang by Ethel Merman.
The talents combination which resulted was weird, from every point of view : most critics considered that the association of Marilyn, his baby-faced lover, Donald O'Connor, and the shameless Ethel Merman really was lacking of credibility.
Marilyn's relationships with the director, Walter Lang, were particularly unpleasant. It's said that Lang didn't miss any opportunity to denigrate Marilyn; this one, as usual, was late, and however, as usual, she worked hard with her teachers to give the best of herself, very worried not to be equal to the singing and dance professionals with who she was shooting.
In this movie, Marilyn sings "A Man Chases a Girl"
(with O'Connor), "After You Get What You Want You Don't Want It", the
controversial title "Heat Wave", "Lazy" and of course , the title-song
"There's No Business Like Show Business".
The shooting started late, on May 29th 1954, because Marilyn didn't manage to get rid of the bronchitis she had contracted during her trip in Korea, and suffered from anemia and the side effects of the sedatives she took.
The bad welcome given to the movie upset Marilyn.
This production having got behind, the shooting of "The Seven Year Itch" had to be postponed, and Marilyn couldn't rest between the 2 shootings.
Shooting
"After You Get What You Want You Don't Want it"
with Donald O'Connor
;
,
with Johnny Ray
-
alone
,
,
,
,
,
Costume "Lazy"
with Earl Wilson
,
with Sidney Skolsky
with the crew
–
alone
other
,
;
Costume Vicky
with other actors
,
;
-
with
,
,
Fur
;
"Heat Wave"
with other actors
,
,
,
-
,
-
,
,
,
;
-
with Emmeline Snively
with Irving Berlin
with Sidney Skolsky
alone
,
,
;
;
;
"Lazy"
with other actors
,
,
,
,
;
,
,
alone
,
,
,
,
-
Bathrobe
with other actors
-
,
Beige dress
with Donald O'Connor
with other actors
Blue dress
other
with other actors
-
,
,
,
,
;
-
,
;
with Donald O'Connor
,
;
,
with Johnny Ray
alone
,
other
Peach dress
with Donald O'Connor
alone
;
;
On the set of "Desirée"
,
,
Brown suit
Publicity pictures
with Donald O'Connor
-
,
,
;
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
alone
Make-up
Hairdressing
,
Fitting
costume "Heat Wave"
-
-
,
costume Vicky
,
fur and hat
bathrobe
beige dress
-
,
white lace dress
,
white dress
,
blue dress
,
,
peach dress
CREDIT
Twentieth Century-Fox, Cinémascope and DeLuxe Color.
Runtime : 117 mn
Release date : December 16th
1954.
Director : Walter Lang.
Producter : Sol C. Siegel
Screenplay : Henry Ephron, Phoebe Ephron, Lamar Trotti
(plot).
Director of photography : Leon Shamroy
Film editing : Robert E. Simpson
Musique : Irving Berlin
Costumes : Charles LeMaire,
William Travilla,
Miles White.
CAST
Ethel Merman - Molly
Donald O'Connor - Tim Donahue
Marilyn
Monroe - Vicky
Dan Dailey
- Terry Donahue
Johnnie Ray
- Steve Donahue
Mitzi
Gaynor - Katy Donahue
Richard
Eastham - Lew Harris
Hugh
O'Brian - Charles Gibbs
Frank
McHugh - Eddie Duggan
Rhys
Williams - Father Dineen
Lee Patrick - Marge
Eve Miller - hat check girl
Robin Raymond - Lillian
Gavin
Gordon - Geoffrey
George
Chakiris - dancer
TECHNICAL CREW
Robert Alton - choregrapher
Jack Cole - choregrapher (uncredited)
John DeCuir - art direction
Lyle R .Wheeler - art direction
Alfred Newman - conductor, music supervisor
Lionel Newman - conductor, music supervisor.
SYNOPSIS
The 5 Donahue - the mother Molly (Ethel Merman), the father Terry (Dan Dailey) and their children Tim (Donald O'Connor), Katy (Mitzi Gaynor) and Steve (Johnny Ray) - formed a familiy company, which everyone of them is about to leave.
Young Steve is the first to leave, to follow his vocation and become a priest.
Tim mets Vicky (Marilyn Monroe), hat check girl in a night-club, and falls in love with her. They meet by chance in a hotel in Florida, where the 4 Donahue and Vicky have to perform.
Confusion reigns, because the Donahue and
Vicky are planned to perform the same act - "Heat Wave".
In a scene, cut by the film editing, Molly (Ethel Merman) was singing "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better".
Initially preceding Marilyn's song 'Heat Wave",
this song had a function in the screenplay, given that, during the main
part of the movie, the characters fights to sing "Heat Wave", the
showstopper.
Tim convinces his mother, Molly, to let the young
woman sing this song, and Molly's aversion towards this young cheeky
grows when Vicky persuades Tim and Katy to take part with her in a
Broadway show. The Donahue are only 2 - the father and the mother -
like at their early stages.
Katy falls in love
with songwriter Charley Gibbs (Hugh O'Brian), and Tim is
shell-shocked when he imagines (wrongly) that Vicky cheats on him
with Lew Harris (Richard Eastham), the entertainment
producer.
Jealous, feeling rejected, he's drowning in sorrow the opening night,
misses the show and is injured in a car accident. However, Molly
bravely continues the show.
Terry, Tim's father, fights with him at the hospital, then Tim disappears.
Terry is extremely affected by this episode, and doesn't want to sing at all. Molly Donahue remains very cold towards Vicky, although Katy tries to bring them together, during a show to the actors benefit. The 2 women become friends.
This is the moment when Steve chooses to appear backstage (now he is a military chaplain), and Tim, from now on in the Marine, does the same, allowing the 5 Donahue, joined by Vicky, to once again perform all together, and to sing the title-song, high point of their show.
NOMINATIONS
To the Academy Awards
- Costum Design, Color : Charles LeMaire, William Travilla, Miles White.
- Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture : Alfred Newman,
Lionel Newman.
- Writing, Motion Picture Story : Lamar Trotti.
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