Show Boat

Irene Dunne stars as Magnolia Hawks, the naive young daughter of a show boat captain, who becomes the company's new leading lady despite her mother's objections. As she rises to fame on stage in Chicago, her life is marked by love and loss, including a reunion with Gaylord Ravenal (Allan Jones), a charming gambler who had abandoned her years earlier. Meanwhile, Julie LaVerne (Helen Morgan) faces similar struggles as a black actress forced out of the show boat due to racial segregation, taking her husband Steve Baker (Donald Cook) with her.