I watched Show Boat (1951) because I was coming down with a cold, and the DVD was sitting beside the television. I am not an aficionado of Hollywood musicals—they are generally too glitzy and rah-rah-rah. But I often love the music from them, especially when done by good jazz musicians (e.g., Nancy Wilson singing “Happy Talk” from South Pacific). To my surprise, I liked Show Boat! The touchstone of any musical is—we should remember—good music, and Kern and Hammerstein provide “Ol’ Man River” sung powerfully by a big, black crewman (William Warfield). And the tune picked up by numerous jazz singers, “Can’t Stop Lovin’ That Man of Mine,” is sung beautifully and without affectation by the star on the river boat, Julie (played by Ava Gardner and dubbed by Annette Warren). Listening to her slow, careful delivery made me think how it would be impossible to sing that way today. Although musical styles change for lots of reasons, one reason is profound and pervasive: the change in the culture. Today we are revved up—hip hop, pulsating electric beats, distortion, layers of sound. Over half a century ago, things were slower—not necessarily better, but slower. People had it in their bones, and they could stretch out and languidly deliver a heart-felt love ballad so slowly that there was more silence between the notes than there was singing. A historical treat!
Show Boat also delighted me by including substantial social issues. When Julie was kicked off the river boat for being mulatto, she began her downward spiral fuelled by racism and alcohol. The musical cannot deal with this in any complexity, but it is woven seamlessly into the plot. In the main story, Magnolia (Kathryn Grayson) innocently falls for a suave riverboat gambler (Howard Keel), and life is opulent until his luck turns and leaves them destitute and then separated. Of course, this being a musical from over half a century ago, they still have true love and are destined to get back together for a happy ending. Today it would be both politically incorrect and fake, but in the world of Show Boat it seems natural.