Inclubabu Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Spondonman Wouldn't it be nice to be able to peep through the (heavy) curtains of Time and physically drop into any previous year to properly sample the air, the people, the entertainment, the booze - or the lack of it. I'm afraid that's what we need to be able to do to fully understand this now, because watching often blurry incomprehensible 2D images through gauze requires some patience.It's 1929, Warner Brothers wanted to produce a revue talking picture starring most of its contracted players, a collection of comedy items, singing and dancing numbers linked by Frank Fay, who for the most part was rather Fey. The hodge-podge he introduced ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous, however all worthy of watching now to us archaeologists – when his turn eventually came to sing he was unsurprisingly cringeworthy too. There's almost endless impenetrable comic patter to get through but many good songs lie within, and for the most part with excellent orchestrations from Louis Silvers conducting the always sharp Vitaphone Orchestra. Winnie Lightner, fresh from Goldiggers Of Broadway belted out Ping Pongo and Singing In The Bathtub and these are definitely the highlights – she was allowed to be a highlight, sadly everyone else is shadowy and now of the shadows. The Technicolor section for Li-Po-Li sung by Nick Lucas and danced to by the not so inscrutable Myrna Loy was lost, found, restored – it's completely charming for the supposedly Oriental set as well as for the idiotic song lyrics. The big finale goes on for too long, but as with everything else in here is absolutely fascinating, even in the surviving black & white prints. John Barrymore played Richard III from a scene from Shakespeare's Henry VI, apparently this was well received in 1929…The film itself was not so well received in 1929 in that it only recovered less than twice its cost – it was expected to do better. It has me glued to the TV every time I put it on, but do you enjoy time travel as much as I do?

wes-connors 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

Floyd Bekins Although dismal as cinema (static wide-angle camera records acts performed on a large theatre stage) it is great notstalgia to see (in a few rare close-ups) stars of the 20's, many of whom were yet to become famous. Particularly, as Master of Ceremonies, Frank Fay, who, 15 years later in 1944, would be cast on Broadway in a role which had already been offered to (and turned down by) 4 famous stars: Harold Lloyd, Edward Everett Horton, Robert Benchley, and Jack Haley. Frank Fay then originated in his greatest role the character Elwood P. Dowd in the Mary Chase play "Harvey" (the name of his imaginary 6-foot-tall rabbit friend). When the producers later sent Fay to take the National Touring Company cast on the road, the play then continued on Broadway with the remaining cast, but with role of Elwood P. Dowd played by James Stewart, who had just finished his movie characterization of George Bailey (It's Wonderful Life). Another road show cast I saw in 1947 at San Francisco's Geary Theatre starred Joe E. Brown, who would recommend Stewart for the movie version.

nlangdon "Show of Shows" is one of the worst films made in the early talkie period and the worst of all the great reviews. Warner Brothers tried to one-up all the other studios by making an all-Technicolor review (although "King of Jazz" was all color) and making it longer than any of the others. Their plans were thwarted when 15% of the movie had to be filmed in black and white due to lack of Technicolor cameras. Winnie Lightner's two numbers save the film from total oblivion, but otherwise beware. This supposed musical comedy opens with a French revolution scene. A poor soul is dragged up to the guillotine and his head is lopped off. Someone in the background then shouts, "Now on with the Show Of Shows!" It goes downhill from there.