Undescribable Perfection

That was an excellent one.

Purely Joyful Movie!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

In the early days of sound, some Hollywood studios made giant song and dance spectaculars to showcase all their actors in this new medium. The most famous was MGM's "Hollywood Review of 1929". "The Show of Shows" is Warner Brothers entry into this very short-lived genre...and thankfully this sort of film was soon out of style. I say thankfully because these films were pretty awful. Now they ARE of great interest to film historians, but seeing and hearing actors doing bizarre acts of dubious quality is hard to endure at times-- especially because a lot of non-singers were inexplicably forced to sing. In the case of "The Show of Shows" it's made worse because the folks arranging the songs and directing the pieces were apparently insane--and often choruses were was out of sync and sounded very amateurish. And imagine starting this program with a precision drill team dancing up and down a huge flight of steps. What's THAT all about?!So is this worth seeing? Well, no...unless you are either very drunk, have very low standards or simply are curious. But at over two hours, the curiosity wears very, very thin. Among the notables you will recognize (and most you won't) are John Barrymore, Mary Astor, Myrna Loy and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.--but a huge number of these stars are folks whose careers were about to turn very sour. With the advent of sound, popular comics like Lloyd Hamilton, Lupino Land and Ben Turpin would soon have trouble finding work and the film is filled with has-beens. I am very familiar with the stars of this era, but would STILL love it if someone could add captions to this film so you realize who you are watching! Overall, I'd say that this film is tough to endure, long-winded and terrible. And those are only the good qualities.

A really big show from Warner Bros. "The Show of Shows" was the studio's version of rival MGM's highly successful musical variety series (which are, presently, restored by Warner Bros.). Unfortunately, only the "Oriental" number introduced by Rin Tin Tin is currently availably in color; originally, only a small part of this film was presented in black and white. Audiences likely enjoyed the extravagant opportunity to see some of their favorite stars in an "All-talking, all-singing!" motion picture...Contributing also as a writer, host Frank Fay does a good job. The studio's biggest star at the time was Richard Barthelmess (rising from #8 in 1928 to #7 in 1929 according to the annual Quigley Poll of Box Office stars); he does not sing or dance, preferring to briefly appear as a dignified presenter. The legendary Al Jolson does not appear at all, but Sid Silvers imitates him well. John Barrymore contributes a fine excerpt as "Richard III" from "Henry VI" - rare celluloid from the Shakespearian maestro...Another highlight is the biggest hit song from the show, "Lady Luck" performed memorably by band-leader Ted Lewis (who took it to #3 on the record charts) and singer-guitarist Nick Lucas (who helped keep Lewis from rising higher by locking down #1 for ten weeks with his "Tip Toe Through the Tulips"). Of the many cover versions, "Singin' in the Bathtub" (a good-natured poke at MGM's "Singin' in the Rain") rose to #10 in a version by Guy and Carmen Lombardo; here, Winnie Lightner contributes a vibrant version.***** The Show of Shows (11/21/29) John G. Adolfi ~ Frank Fay, Nick Lucas, Winnie Lightner, John Barrymore

It is very hard to rate this film. As entertainment value for 21st century viewers, it fails miserably. However, for the student of early sound films and history, it is a jewel. "Show of Shows" was a revue filmed to compete with MGM's successful "Hollywood Revue of 1929", which still survives intact complete with its Technicolor scenes.The purpose of the all-star revue was to showcase a particular studio's silent stars in speaking roles, and show that they could make the transition. However, Warner Bros. seems to have forgotten this and employs many acts and stars that they didn't even have under long-term contract such as Ben Turpin, Lloyd Hamilton, Beatrice Lillie, and even a marching band. Meanwhile, their biggest talent - Al Jolson - is noticeably absent. Even at a high salary he could not be compelled to join in. Almost every act is overly long and the film plays like a dozen or so Vitaphone shorts strung together with no continuity. The finale is also overly long, but it is really enjoyable with all of its dance numbers.The highlights of the film are two numbers from Winnie Lightner - "Pingo Pongo" and "Singin in the Bathtub", a couple of numbers with Nick Lucas, John Barrymore performing Shakespeare, and the Chinese Fantasy "Li Po Li" with Nick Lucas and Myrna Loy. This last number is the only part of the film that survives in Technicolor, and it really is quite attractive. Reasonably enough, the players in these good acts were long-term Warner Bros. stars so perhaps the director knew how to play to their strengths since he was familiar with them.This film acts as a snapshot at an odd point in film history - the year 1929, which was the bridge year between two eras - the silent and sound eras, and the roaring 20's and the Great Depression. Just two years later this same film would have had an entirely different cast, as Warner Bros. would abandon its silent era stars and the stars they hired just to produce the early musicals in favor of those stars that gave Warner Bros. its distinctive urban look and feel - James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Edward G. Robinson, and others.

One of a handful of "revue" films from the early sound era, this film mixes musical numbers and comedy routines, a la vaudeville. Some items don't really work, in particular Frank Fay's role as emcee, and the finale, which is rather loosely structured. On the other hand, Winnie Lightner does two terrific turns, especially with "Singin' in the Bathtub," which is put over with punch. Some versions have the "Li-Po-Li" segment in 2-strip Technicolor, which gives the routine unusual sheen and polish, playing off the strengths of the system, especially in the use of turquoises and reds.Generally superior, I think, to MGM's "Hollywood Revue of 1929," and worth watching if you can