My heart will always lie with the 1951 remake of Show Boat, but I'm still glad I went back and watched the original a couple of years ago. It made me appreciate all the changes the remake made! All kidding aside, if you love Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein's music as much as I do, you'll want to watch both versions.
Instead of Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel showing off their beautiful voices and great chemistry, Irene Dunne and Allan Jones don't even appear to like each other very much. Irene is the daughter of a show boat captain, Charles Winninger (reprising his Broadway role). Her mother, Helen Westley, doesn't want her daughter cavorting with riff raff actors. When a drifter (Allan) gets picked up and put in the show, Irene can't help falling for him. You'll still get to hear all the great songs, but the movie doesn't have the same oomph as the remake. It's not just Technicolor that adds to the excitement; it's the only version that changes the story from Edna Ferber's novel - for the better!
The highlights in the original include Paul Robeson's rendition of "Ol' Man River" and a couple of songs that weren't included in the remake. Anyone want to hear Hattie McDaniel sing? She sings a duet with Paul Robeson, and assists Helen Morgan in the chorus of "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man." I was glad to see Helen Morgan in a film, since I'd seen the 1957 biopic of her life; Show Boat was her last movie. If you're going to see the highlights, you're going to have to sit through the lowlights, which are some ridiculously embarrassing racial scenes, including Irene Dunne giving a performance in blackface. See what I mean about sticking with the remake?
Instead of Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel showing off their beautiful voices and great chemistry, Irene Dunne and Allan Jones don't even appear to like each other very much. Irene is the daughter of a show boat captain, Charles Winninger (reprising his Broadway role). Her mother, Helen Westley, doesn't want her daughter cavorting with riff raff actors. When a drifter (Allan) gets picked up and put in the show, Irene can't help falling for him. You'll still get to hear all the great songs, but the movie doesn't have the same oomph as the remake. It's not just Technicolor that adds to the excitement; it's the only version that changes the story from Edna Ferber's novel - for the better!
The highlights in the original include Paul Robeson's rendition of "Ol' Man River" and a couple of songs that weren't included in the remake. Anyone want to hear Hattie McDaniel sing? She sings a duet with Paul Robeson, and assists Helen Morgan in the chorus of "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man." I was glad to see Helen Morgan in a film, since I'd seen the 1957 biopic of her life; Show Boat was her last movie. If you're going to see the highlights, you're going to have to sit through the lowlights, which are some ridiculously embarrassing racial scenes, including Irene Dunne giving a performance in blackface. See what I mean about sticking with the remake?