THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS -- Walter Lang, dir

©1954
studio: 20th Century Fox
production company: 20th Century Fox
dir: Walter Lang
cast: Ethel merman, Donald O'Connor, Marilyn Monroe, Dan Dailey, Johnnie Ray, Mitzi gaynor, Richard Eastham, Hugh O'Brian, Frank McHugh, Rhys Williams, Lee Patrick
screenplay: Phoebe Ephron & Henry Ephron from a story by Lamar Trotti
choreography: Robert Alton
lyrics: Irving Berlin

Molly and Terry Donahue, plus their three children, are The Five Donahues. Son Tim meets hat-check girl Vicky and the family act begins to fall apart.

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I'm a sucker for an old-fashioned musical, and this is no exception. Watching Donald O'Connor and Mitzi Gaynor dance is gret fun. Listening to Ethel Merman sing ... well, I enjoyed the movie anyway.

I admit to being surprised that Marilyn Monroe was in this. I wasn't aware that she did any big musical movies such as this. She played her part quite well and was a much better actress than I was expecting.

This was a fun movie, full of everything one might expect from the era, including war hero sons. None of the song and dance numbers was outstanding, which would explain why it would have been eclipsed by some of the others from that era, but still a movie worth watching.

Recommended.