How a high-stakes studio standoff shaped a 1954 musical comedy-drama masterpiece

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Before Marilyn Monroe joined the ensemble of the 1954 musical There's No Business Like Show Business, she was suspended by 20th Century-Fox for refusing another role. Her eventual participation required a pay raise and a promise for her next project, turning a tense studio negotiation into a piece of cinema history.

Directed by Walter Lang, the film follows the Donahues, a vaudeville family navigating the changing landscape of 20th-century entertainment. The narrative spans from their early days as a troupe in 1919 to their eventual reunion at the Hippodrome Theatre. Along the way, the family faces personal and professional upheaval, including the stock market crash of 1929 and the shifting career paths of the children, one of whom eventually joins the Army as a chaplain.

The production was notable for being Fox's debut musical in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color, with Irving Berlin receiving $500,000 for his contributions. Behind the scenes, the casting process was fraught with conflict. Marilyn Monroe was initially slated to be replaced by Sheree North, who even screen-tested in Monroe's wardrobe while the star was suspended. Monroe only accepted the role after the studio guaranteed her a future project, The Seven Year Itch, and a weekly salary increase of $3,000.

Upon release, the film received mixed critical reception. While some reviewers lauded the performances of Ethel Merman and Donald O'Connor, others were polarized by Monroe's musical numbers. Ed Sullivan famously criticized her performance of Heat Wave as a lapse in taste, while other critics compared her style to Mae West. Despite the star power, the film struggled financially; while it grossed about $5 million in North America by early 1956, it fell short of the $6.5 million Variety estimated was required to break even against its $4.3 million production cost.

The film's legacy remains tied to its iconic title song, originally written by Berlin for the stage musical Annie Get Your Gun. Ethel Merman, who performed the song in the original 1946 Broadway production, reprised it for the film. Decades later, the movie continues to be studied for its place in the golden age of Hollywood musicals, even if its commercial performance did not meet the studio's high expectations.

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