There are two main types of musicals--those where the emphasis is clearly on the music and others where the music is incidental to the story. While which style you like is up to you, for me, I much prefer those with less music--where the story is predominant. So, because of my personal preference, movies like "There's No Business Like Show Business" are NOT exactly my cup of tea, so to speak.

The film is about a fictional show business family, the Donohues. When the film begins, the three children are young. But then through the miracle of movie magic, soon about 15-20 years pass--and the children are now grown (and include Donald O'Connor and Mitzi Gaynor). Oddly, the parents, Dan Dailey and Ethel Merman, didn't seem to age a day. Even more noticeable is Marilyn Monroe--you see her early in the film and after all those years she looks as if she hasn't aged a day. Even if it was only 10 years--still, she looked EXACTLY the same! While the film follows the family with their ups and downs (and the third child when he decides to become a priest),all of it seems to be there just to provide a chance to sing and dance...a lot. Many of the songs are very familiar. Overall, very glossy and enjoyable if all you want is lots of singing and dancing...which I didn't. Watchable for a guy like me, but only just, as the story didn't seem strong enough to handle all the songs.

There's No Business Like Show Business is not a great film. The story is very contrived with the mismatched chemistry between Monroe and O'Connor not ringing true at all, the script is a lot of melodramatic fluff and not much else, the film is a little overlong and Johnny Ray's performance is a failure in almost every regard. What it is though is a decent one, the music, choreography and most of the cast being what salvages it. The score is sumptuous and catchy and Irving Berlin's songs are literally like a song-book collection and a truly delightful one at that, Heat Wave and the title number coming off the best. If you love Berlin's music as I do, you'll love the music here. The choreography is lively but with grace also, Heat Wave just sizzles. Apart from Ray the cast are fine. Marilyn Monroe oozes beauty and sex appeal, with her glory moment being in Heat Wave, as mentioned already the number sizzles just as much as its title and Monroe literally smolders in it. Donald O'Connor dances wonderfully and his acting is quite touching, and the same can be said with Mitzi Gaynor, who provides the emotional moments without feeling fake at all. They are far more believable together than O'Connor and Monroe, and they're good singers too. Dan Dailey performs with much professionalism and Ethel Merman's warm personality and big brassy voice brings thrills up the spine. Walter Lang directs efficiently if more in the musical numbers than the drama ones and the film is a very well-made one, the colours just leap out of you, the costumes and sets look beautiful and the photography compliments all those in a great way. Overall, far from flawless with a few things like the story, script, length and one performance that fall flat but the things that There is No Business Like Show Business gets right are numerous and they do dazzle. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox

There's No Business Like Show Business has the distinction of being the last of the Irving Berlin songbook musicals filmed. It came out the same year as White Christmas, also of the same genre.

Take a listen to the background music of films like Holiday Inn, Blue Skies, Alexander's Ragtime Band, and this one. I defy you to find one non-Berlin note in the film and that's no accident. The more songs of Irving Berlin used, the more money he made. He was one shrewd businessman Irving, most of the time.

The title song is identified with Ethel Merman and it was introduced in Annie Get Your Gun. Merman like Mary Martin had a conspicuous lack of success in Hollywood as much as she was an icon on Broadway. She only did the screen version of two of her Broadway hits, Anything Goes and Call Me Madam. That's two more than Mary Martin did.

Anyway, I think the genesis of There's No Business Like Show Business probably came about when Call Me Madam became such a hit and the movie money people saw how the chemistry was between her and Donald O'Connor. So O'Connor was signed to play one of her three children. The other two children were Johnnie Ray and Mitzi Gaynor.

The plot such as it is, is the story of the Donahue family between both World Wars. The father of the aforementioned children is Dan Dailey and he and Merman do some good Irving Berlin numbers together. I've always marvelled at how graceful Dan Dailey moved on the screen in his musical films. He was not a creative sort in the same way Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly were. Probably if he had been, his reputation would be higher today. But he was a pleasing entertainer every time you saw him.

By all accounts it wasn't a happy film for Ethel. Marilyn Monroe is in the film and Ethel was jealous of her. Not that Monroe wasn't her usual difficult self. Probably that helped the plot because it does call for the two to be at odds. Merman believes that Monroe has led Donald O'Connor astray.

Mitzi Gaynor was a wonderful talent as well. Too bad she wasn't born twenty years earlier, what a big star she would have been in the thirties and forties in Hollywood musicals then. Good singer and one fabulous dancer.

The plot does get kind of sticky in spots and Johnnie Ray didn't set the screen on fire when he wasn't singing. No accident he didn't become a film star.

Still for those of us who bless the day Irving Berlin put down his first notes of an original song, it's worth watching.