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The most underrated musical sequence in the film

posted 21 years ago by kathyselden
23 replies | jump to latest

"Make Believe" does not get enough credit. People are always referring to "Old Man River" as the greatest scene in the film, and who am I to argue? But I was very dissapointed to find that "Can't Help Loving Dat Man Of Mine" is praised more than "Make Believe". I mean, for one thing, Ava Gardner doesn't even SING the song. And it's too slow for my liking. It's a good song, but I cannot resist pushing the 'forward' button whenever it comes on.
Make believe is strong, funny (when Howard Keel is singing to the dress), and it's a beautiful song,sung with beatiful voices.

"A toast to Success!"
"Yours or mine?"

[–] keith-298 20 years ago

i could not have agreed more...

"show boat" is the first musical that introduced me to kathryn grayson. i "fell" in love with her from the moment she appeared on the screen, making believe she is in a play, i thought to myself, what a beautiful face. then when she started singing "make believe"...well, i have become a kathryn grayson fan ever since!!! "make believe" is a melodious song, with the great voices of howard keel and kathryn grayson blended into a saccarine song!!!
keith

[–] gkeith_1 20 years ago

Yes, Kathy, I think so too. See my post I just wrote about Howard. "Make Believe" makes me think of my father who died when I was a baby, and how I have always wished he would come back to me. Believe me when I say I always cry when Howard sings that song to his little girl Kim. She does not know he is her father, just like Louise doesn't know Billy is her father in "Carousel" when he visits from heaven. Thank you for your wonderful post.

Anita de Acosta Keith
Columbus, Ohio USA

____________________________________________________________

My fave quotes from "Peter Pan 2003":

"Most children grow up. Except one."

"Forget them, Wendy. Forget them all."

[–] kathyselden 20 years ago

Thank you, I'm really glad you agree with me!
I'm sorry about your father ( I feel silly saying that because I don't know you!). But I agree, there is something very special about the way Howard Keel sings that song. I don't know why it is so underrated!

"A toast to Success!"
"Yours or mine?"

[–] gkeith_1 20 years ago

Dear Kathy,

I didn't know it was underrated. With me, it is #1, with "Old Man River" being a close second. Don't feel silly. I don't remember my father, but I'm sure in my babyhood I felt a very deep grief. When I hear this song, and see this scene in this movie, something of my father always comes back to me. Thank you very much for your concern. You are very kind and sweet. People would underrate something like that anyway, because most people I feel never had the tragedy of losing their father during their infancy. Most people's fathers die of old age (just my opinion), and they don't have that grief until much later in life.

_______________________________________________________________________

"Most children grow up. Except one."

"Forget them, Wendy. Forget them all."

[–] kathyselden 20 years ago

It is TOTALLY underrated. I had never heard of the song "Make Believe" until I saw Show Boat, and when I searched for the lyrics on the internet I couldn't even find ONE hit! Not even a mention in the reviews. Ah well,at least I've heard it, and at least it strikes a chord with you.
I can relate to the song because it says exactly how I feel. I just get kind of annoyed when people are being negative and fail to see the 'magic' and 'romance' in life (I know,I know, I sound silly but I really do believe that life can be exciting like in stories and plays).

"A toast to Success!"
"Yours or mine?"

[–] keith-298 20 years ago

i have just watched the "make believe" scene again (as a tribute to howard keel). this time, i felt sad, as mr keel is no longer with us...but their voices linger on!!!

[–] 20 years ago

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[–] ettinger-3 20 years ago

Look for the lyrics at http://www.theatre-musical.com/showboat/lyrics.html

[–] kathyselden 20 years ago

Hey thanks a lot for that. I searched and searched but I couldn't find the lyrics, so I gave up after a while. So thank you!

"A toast to Success!"
"Yours or mine?"

[–] xylonian-1 20 years ago

I like all the songs....

[–] cnicknz 13 years ago

Barbra Streisand revived "Make Believe" in a beautiful version on her third album in 1964 and the following year she sang it in her first TV special My Name is Barbra. If you love the song, check out her fine versions.

[–] gkeith_1 18 years ago

Dear Kathy,

I don't know if I replied about this or not, two years ago, but thanks for your understanding. Howard Keel passed away during that time. In 2005, I read his autobiography, that I got from our local library. It was written just before he died, apparently, and published in 2005. It was a wonderful book, telling about his early life before he went to Hollywood. He was an inspector in the Douglas Aircraft factory.

Howard Keel had the most beautiful and wonderful singing voice. I have seen the movie "Show Boat" once or twice since he has passed away, and I am crying now more than ever.

Try searching for: "lyrics Make Believe Show Boat". That may work.

Keep on appreciating the good singers. Write back anytime. I love all the singing and dancing musicals. I have critiqued a lot of movies on IMDB.

Sincerely,

:)

"Most children grow up. Except one."

"Forget them, Wendy. Forget them all."

[–] funkyfry 18 years ago

In the book it's pretty clear that Kim does know Gaylord is her father, but maybe they changed that for the film, I don't know. Kim doesn't realize that he's about to abandon her though, and Gaylord Ravenal certainly is a prototype Hammerstein "hero".

Did I not love him, Cooch? MY OWN FLESH I DIDN'T LOVE BETTER!!! But he had to say 'Nooooooooo'

[–] ijonesiii 19 years ago

"Make Believe" is an absolutely gorgeous duet and Keel and Grayson just sing flawlessly together, they always have. I used to sing "Make Believe" with this girl I went to high school with all the time. It is definitely one of the forgotten duets of musical theater that never really got the attention it deserved.

[–] chesterrodney 19 years ago

I like all the songs too. I recently purchased the movie's soundtrack on CD. And I play it all the time. "Show Boat", "Meet Me In St. Louis", and "The Wizard Of Oz" are my three all time favorite musicals!

[–] danobird 19 years ago

Did Ava Gardner really not sing 'can't help lovin dat man?' come to think of it it is obvious she is miming but i just thought it was down to the camers equipment or editing at the time?? i love that song but i agree it could have been made better! i've loved showboat since i waslike ten!none of my friends have even heard of it but i think it's great! i know i'm probably being a traitor to my generation but the movies aren't the same nowdays!i still love going to the movies and enjoy modern films but there is something about the old ones that's magical!must have been born 60 years too late LOL!

i love most of the songs and get a great kick out of Along came Bill and LIfe upon the wicked stage aint nothin for girl!

It doesn't do to dwell on dreams...and forget to live!

[–] justoldbill 18 years ago

Annette Warren dubs "Can't Help Lovin That Man" and "Bill" in the film. Ava Gardner did her own prerecordings, and they appeared on the soundtrack album for the use of her name. I think the feeling was that, persuasive as her renditions were, they suffered in comparison to Grayson and Keel and they didn't sufficently "hit the mark" when played in a large theatre. Of course, today that could be taken care of, but we're talking 1951 technology here.

[–] hdgbb 18 years ago

I have listened to Ava's recordings on the soundtrack, and they are much more natural-sounding than the voice that was dubbed-in! I actually played back the video of Ava's (singing) scenes and played the audio of her singing from the soundtrack...getting the two in synch......remarkable difference! They should have let her voice remain! She never forgave the studio for doing that to her!

[–] sdiner82 10 years ago

To compare Ava Gardner's and Annette Warren's renditions of Julie's 2 songs, look no further than "That's Entertainment III" (1994). One sequence shows Ava Gardner singing "Can't Help Loving That Man" but cleverly alternates between Ava's own voice (which is heard on the soundtrack LP)and the dubbed voice of Annette Warren (used in the movie). No question that Gardner's own voice is the superior one and should have been used in the movie (how I wish that Turner Classic Movies would correct this disastrous mistake, though I'm certain copyright problems would prevent this from happening). Another sequence in "That's Entertainment--III" (by far, the best of those three movies) focuses on Lena Horne, who expresses her anger at the way she was treated by MGM in general and particularly by the studio's refusal to cast her in the role of Julie (although she does admit that she and Ava Gardner were good friends and that Gardner was one of the few people at the studio she liked). However, if you check out MGM's 1946 alleged biography of Jerome Kern "Till the Clouds Roll By", that movie begins with a 15-minute segment recreating the highlights of the 1927 Broadway opening night of "Show Boat" with Kathryn Grayson (proving she was the perfect and only choice to portray Magnolia in the movie 5 years in the future), Tony Martin (making you realize why Howard Keel was his ideal replacement in the full-length movie) and Ms. Horne as Julie. Her rendition of "Can't Help Loving That Man" is sublime but, acting-wise (sorry, Lena!), Ava was the better choice. It is also somewhat disheartening to hear the incredible Ms. Horne, a fiercely intelligent lady, harboring such bitterness 43 years after the fact. Had MGM cast her in "Show Boat", Southern theaters at that time were still excising her song numbers from movie musicals, and MGM was in no way going to endanger the studio's then-extravagant $2,000,000-plus investment in such a valuable property. Fortunately, matters improved as the years passed. In an excellent-but-forgotten 1969 Western "Death of a Gunfighter", 51-year-old Lena Horne played Richard Widmark's lover--and nobody peeped!

[–] funkyfry 18 years ago

I agree that "Make Believe" is great, it makes up just a little bit for the fact we don't get to hear Keel sing "You Are Love" (a song which Kern himself apparently detested but which I like).

My vote for the most underrated musical sequence in the film would definitely go to Marge and Gower Champion's graceful yet athletic routine to "Life Upon the Wicked Stage". Actually I kind of detest this version of "Show Boat" but I've considered buying it on DVD just so I can watch that scene whenever I want.

Did I not love him, Cooch? MY OWN FLESH I DIDN'T LOVE BETTER!!! But he had to say 'Nooooooooo'

[–] Absalon_MacNair 18 years ago

Above all, I personally prefer the 1936 version of all of the songs. For one thing, their tempos were not too slow so the film didn't seem too dragged out. "Can't Help Loving Dat Man of Mine" is much more fun in the orignal, it features moments with Hattie McDaniel and Paul Robeson, and it foreshadows the famous miscegenation(sp?) scene. If you enjoy this show but have only seen this version, you should check out the one from 1936. You will definitely love it.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] dailyshampoo48 11 years ago

'Make Believe' sends shivers down my spine. The music in this film is just incredible.