Themes: Cons and Scams, Opposites Attract, Interracial/Cross-Cultural Romance
Main Cast: Leon Ames, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, George Cleveland, Lila Leeds, Marjorie Main
Release Year: 1946
Country: US
Run Time: 83 minutes
Plot
Previously filmed in 1926 and 1934, George Kelly's venerable stage comedy The Show-Off was dusted off as a Red Skelton vehicle in 1946. Skelton is well cast as Aubrey Piper, an inveterate braggart who sorely annoys the family of his wife Amy (Marilyn Maxwell). All talk but no action, Piper gets Amy's family involved in one foredoomed get-rich-quick scheme after another. Through a fluke, the show-off actually makes good towards the end, but though he realizes that he could never have done so without his wife's help he insists upon blowing his own horn well past the fadeout and "end" credits. Only Skelton's inherent likeability saves Aubrey Piper from being a thoroughly obnoxious blowhard. Featured in the cast of The Show-Off is Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, who is given surprisingly little to do. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The Show-Off survived for decades as a very popular stage attraction and inspired a number of film versions, of which this was number three. Modern audiences may wonder what all the fuss was about, for Show-Off is, at best, a moderately amusing film with a plot that has been seen many times before and since. Those who are able to find sufficient appeal in the title character may have a very fine time of it. But those who agree with the assessment of the character made by numerous characters in the film itself -- that he is annoying, irresponsible and irritating -- will find it more difficult to laugh at his shenanigans. Indeed, some will watch the film totally appalled at, rather than amused by, the situations which Aubrey Piper gets himself and his wife's family into. Under the circumstances, how one reacts will depend a great deal upon one's fondness for Red Skelton. Skelton does a very fine job here, keeping much of his characteristic mugging under control, and he is much more winning than Piper himself. Show-Off also benefits from its supporting cast, from the lovely Marilyn Maxwell to the not-quite-lovely but always enjoyable Marjorie Main. The cast is a big help, but Show-Off is still a bit too annoying. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Preston Ames - Art Director, Cedric Gibbons - Art Director, Harry Beaumont - Director, Douglas Biggs - Editor, David Snell - Composer (Music Score), Robert Planck - Cinematographer, Albert Lewis - Producer, Ralph S. Hurst - Set Designer, Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer, George Wells - Screenwriter, George Kelly - Play Author
