There are two numbers in this movie that are standouts, and fortunately, they come close together. Marilyn Monroe singing "Heat Wave," (anybody else notice how her navel was covered but there was a cutout below revealing part of her abdomen?) and the charming Donald O'Connor singing (and dancing!) "A Man Chases a Girl (until she catches him)." Other than that, there's practically no plot, Johnnie Ray exaggerates his lyrics (one wonders how the bisexual Ray felt about playing a priest), and Ethel Merman is typically loud (I love it when Dan Dailey says, "Who are you, Whispering Jack Smith?" when she tells him not to raise his voice to her) but looks fabulous. I remember Ethel Merman as an overweight woman with big hair and had seen photos of her in her youth she knew she was pretty in her young days, but in her middle years (she was 46 years old when this was filmed) she was still quite shapely and rather attractive. But as good as Ethel and Dan looked together, Donald and Marilyn just didn't go together. Marilyn looked much too old and worldly for Donald, even though I believe they were born the same year. Together they didn't work, but separately they were great. Too bad Donald really isn't given credit for his fine singing voice in addition to his wonderful dancing.
Review of There's No Business Like Show Business
