Edna Ferber's Show Boat

Spanning four decades the lives of performers on a Mississippi river boat see sheltered beauty Magnolia Hawks (Irene Dunne) take over as the show's leading lady when mulatto Julie (Helen Morgan) and her white husband are forced out of town by a narrow-minded sheriff. Charismatic opportunist Gaylord Ravenal (Allan Jones) wins Magnolia's heart but his gambling losses threaten to ruin their chances for a happy marriage. Despite her mother's objections the naive young daughter of a show boat captain is thrust into the limelight as the company's new leading lady.