The Show-Off (1946) - Turner Classic Movies

Brief Synopsis

A man's loud-mouthed bumbling almost ruins his new wife's family.

Cast & Crew

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Harry Beaumont

Red Skelton

Marilyn Maxwell

Amy [Fisher Piper]

Marjorie Main

Virginia O'brien

Eddie "rochester" Anderson

Photos & Videos

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Film Details

Also Known As

Carnation Charlie

Genre

Comedy

Adaptation

Release Date

Dec 1946

Premiere Information

not available

Production Company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.

Distribution Company

Loew's Inc.

Country

United States

Screenplay Information

Based on the play The Show-Off by George Kelly (New York, 5 Feb 1924).

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 23m

Sound

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color

Black and White

Film Length

9 reels

Synopsis

Amy Fisher is anxious about a blind date arranged by her friend Hortense's fiancé, Horace Adems. Horace has fixed Amy up with his colleague, Aubrey Piper, a pipe dreamer who spins tall tales about his mundane life. At dinner, Aubrey, who is really a lowly clerk at a freight office, brags to Amy that he is the manager of his department and tries to impress her with stories about his extensive travels, although he has never been out of Philadelphia. At the end of the evening, Aubrey borrows money from Horace and then pretends to pay the entire bill himself. Smitten by the smooth-talking Aubrey, Amy invites him to dinner at her parents' house, and there he meets Mr. and Mrs. Fisher, her brother Joe, an amateur inventor, and her sister Clara Harlin and her husband Frank, a successful businessman. After boasting about his accomplishments the entire evening, Aubrey tries to demonstrate his vast knowledge of chemistry and sets Joe's lab on fire, causing Mrs. Fisher to dub Aubrey the "big wind." When Mrs. Fisher discovers that Aubrey is only a clerk, her suspicions about his being a phony are confirmed. Pop Fisher is so repulsed by the loquacious Aubrey that he turns off his hearing aid whenever Aubrey enters the house. Although Amy knows that her family finds Aubrey repugnant, she recognizes his devotion to her and marries him anyway. Aubrey's reckless expenditures throw the newlyweds into debt, and when he buys a large dog to protect his wife, his landlord evicts the couple and their canine. As Horace guaranteed Aubrey's purchase of Amy's engagement ring, the jeweler threatens repossession when Aubrey fails to make his payments. To raise money, Aubrey appears on a radio show contest but loses all his winnings when he insults the show's sponsor. Soon after, Joe makes the mistake of telling Aubrey that he has been offered $30,000 by the Appleton paint company for his rust prevention formula. On Saturday, Horace picks Aubrey up in his new car to drive him to the jeweler to make restitution. Along the way, Aubrey, who has no driver's license, insists on taking the wheel and promptly causes a multi-car accident in which a policeman is injured. Aubrey is arrested for reckless driving, and Frank posts his bail. After their landlord moves their belongings into the street, Aubrey, Amy and their dog move in with the Fishers. Throughout Aubrey's tribulations, Amy never loses faith in her husband, however. Thinking that he is helping Joe, Aubrey visits Appleton and, representing himself as Joe's business manager, demands $100,000 for the formula, causing a furious Appleton to cancel the deal. Later, when he is brought to trial for his car accident, Aubrey insults the judge and pontificates on traffic conditions, prompting the judge to fine him $1,000. Mrs. Fisher is disgusted by Aubrey's antics, but Clara defends Aubrey and Amy's love and confides that she has a loveless marriage. Aubrey's troubles continue to mount when Horace presents him a bill for his car repair. Upon learning that Frank has paid Aubrey's fine, Mrs. Fisher, unable to contain herself any longer, tells Aubrey off. Humbled, Aubrey is about to admit that he bungled Joe's business deal when Appleton comes to the house and offers Joe $75,000 plus 25% of the profits. Declaring that Aubrey provided him with the inspiration for the formula, Joe insists that he accept a sixth of his share, and all ends happily when Amy announces she is pregnant.

Director

Harry Beaumont

Cast

Red Skelton

Marilyn Maxwell

Amy [Fisher Piper]

Marjorie Main

Virginia O'brien

Eddie "rochester" Anderson

George Cleveland

Leon Ames

Marshall Thompson

Jacqueline White

Wilson Wood

Lila Leeds

Emory Parnell

Grady Sutton

Charles Lane

Frank Orth

Francis Pierlot

Russell Hicks

Lee Tung Foo

Luke Chan

Al Hill

Alice Wallace

Ida Moore

John Tyers

Kitty Murray

Rochester's girl friend

Robert Williams

Pat Mcvey

Robert E. O'connor

Byron Foulger

Howard Mitchell

Court attendant

Tim Hawkins

Billy Newell

Jean Wong

Chinese cashier

Carol Nugent

Bert Davidson

Paul Barrett

Harold Piper

Radio technician

William Roberts

Radio technician

Wheaton Chambers

Jody Gilbert

Crew

Preston Ames

Douglass Biggs

Cedric Gibbons

Ralph S. Hurst

Associate (Sets)

Irene

Costume Supervisor

Albert Lewis

Robert Planck

Director of Photography

Douglas Shearer

Recording Director

Howard Shoup

David Snell

Bert Spurlin

Assistant Director

George Wells

Edwin B. Willis

Photo Collections

Film Details

Also Known As

Carnation Charlie

Genre

Comedy

Adaptation

Release Date

Dec 1946

Premiere Information

not available

Production Company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.

Distribution Company

Loew's Inc.

Country

United States

Screenplay Information

Based on the play The Show-Off by George Kelly (New York, 5 Feb 1924).

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 23m

Sound

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color

Black and White

Film Length

9 reels

Articles

The Show-Off (1946)

July 9, 2009

Amy Fisher is anxious about a blind date arranged by her friend Hortense's fiancé, Horace Adems. Horace has fixed Amy up with his colleague, Aubrey Piper, a pipe dreamer who spins tall tales about his mundane life. At dinner, Aubrey, who is really a lowly clerk at a freight office, brags to Amy that he is the manager of his department and tries to impress her with stories about his extensive travels, although he has never been out of Philadelphia. At the end of the evening, Aubrey borrows money from Horace and then pretends to pay the entire bill himself.

Smitten by the smooth-talking Aubrey, Amy invites him to dinner at her parents' house, and there he meets Mr. and Mrs. Fisher, her brother Joe, an amateur inventor, and her sister Clara Harlin and her husband Frank, a successful businessman. After boasting about his accomplishments the entire evening, Aubrey tries to demonstrate his vast knowledge of chemistry and sets Joe's lab on fire, causing Mrs. Fisher to dub Aubrey the "big wind."

When Mrs. Fisher discovers that Aubrey is only a clerk, her suspicions about his being a phony are confirmed. Pop Fisher is so repulsed by the loquacious Aubrey that he turns off his hearing aid whenever Aubrey enters the house. Although Amy knows that her family finds Aubrey repugnant, she recognizes his devotion to her and marries him anyway. This is not the best reason to get married as Amy soon discovers.

Producer: Albert Lewis
Director: Harry Beaumont
Screenplay: George Wells; George Kelly (play)
Cinematography: Robert Planck
Art Direction: Douglass Biggs, Preston Ames
Music: David Snell
Cast: Red Skelton (J. Aubrey Piper), Marilyn Maxwell (Amy Fisher Piper), Marjorie Main (Mrs. Fisher), Virginia O'Brien (Hortense), Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson (Eddie), George Cleveland (Pop Fisher), Leon Ames (Frank Harlin), Marshall Thompson (Joe Fisher), Jacqueline White (Clara Harlin), Wilson Wood (Horace Adems), Lila Leeds (Flo), Emory Parnell (Mr. Appelton).
BW-84m. Closed Captioning.

The Show-Off (1946)

The Show-Off (1946)

Amy Fisher is anxious about a blind date arranged by her friend Hortense's fiancé, Horace Adems. Horace has fixed Amy up with his colleague, Aubrey Piper, a pipe dreamer who spins tall tales about his mundane life. At dinner, Aubrey, who is really a lowly clerk at a freight office, brags to Amy that he is the manager of his department and tries to impress her with stories about his extensive travels, although he has never been out of Philadelphia. At the end of the evening, Aubrey borrows money from Horace and then pretends to pay the entire bill himself. Smitten by the smooth-talking Aubrey, Amy invites him to dinner at her parents' house, and there he meets Mr. and Mrs. Fisher, her brother Joe, an amateur inventor, and her sister Clara Harlin and her husband Frank, a successful businessman. After boasting about his accomplishments the entire evening, Aubrey tries to demonstrate his vast knowledge of chemistry and sets Joe's lab on fire, causing Mrs. Fisher to dub Aubrey the "big wind." When Mrs. Fisher discovers that Aubrey is only a clerk, her suspicions about his being a phony are confirmed. Pop Fisher is so repulsed by the loquacious Aubrey that he turns off his hearing aid whenever Aubrey enters the house. Although Amy knows that her family finds Aubrey repugnant, she recognizes his devotion to her and marries him anyway. This is not the best reason to get married as Amy soon discovers. Producer: Albert Lewis Director: Harry Beaumont Screenplay: George Wells; George Kelly (play) Cinematography: Robert Planck Art Direction: Douglass Biggs, Preston Ames Music: David Snell Cast: Red Skelton (J. Aubrey Piper), Marilyn Maxwell (Amy Fisher Piper), Marjorie Main (Mrs. Fisher), Virginia O'Brien (Hortense), Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson (Eddie), George Cleveland (Pop Fisher), Leon Ames (Frank Harlin), Marshall Thompson (Joe Fisher), Jacqueline White (Clara Harlin), Wilson Wood (Horace Adems), Lila Leeds (Flo), Emory Parnell (Mr. Appelton). BW-84m. Closed Captioning.

Quotes

Trivia

The original play opened in New York on 5 February 1924. It starred Louis John Bartels and Helen Lowell and was directed by the author, George Kelly (I).

Notes

The working title of this film was Carnation Charlie. The film opens with the image of a statue of William Penn overlooking the city of Philadelphia. A voice-over narrator proclaims "This is the city of Philadelphia, guarded day and night by the kindly old William Penn, founder and father of the great metropolis. With fond pride he gazes down at his foster children, now 2,000,000 strong. A happy and industrious family, brothers and sisters in the city of brotherly love." The camera then pans down to street level. George Kelly directed the initial Broadway run of his play, which starred Louis John Bartels and Helen Lowell. Kelly's play was first filmed by Paramount in 1926 as The Show Off, with Malcolm St. Clair directing and Ford Sterling and Lois Wilson starring. Paramount filmed the play again in 1930, as Men Are Like That, with Frank Tuttle directing and Hal Skelly and Doris Hill starring (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1921-30; F2.5025 and F2.3552). In 1934, M-G-M filmed a version of the play directed by Charles F. Riesner and starring Spencer Tracy (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1931-40; F3.4047). The CBS television network aired a version of the play on its Best of Broadway series on February 2, 1955. The CBS television comedy was directed by Sidney Lumet and starred Jackie Gleason and Thelma Ritter.

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