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The 25 best movie musicals of all time

The American Film Institute picks the best song-and-dance stories ever put on film.

2. 'Show Boat'

  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

"Show Boat," directed by George Sidney, was released in 1951 and centers on the riverboat, which travels the Mississippi with a cast of performers on board. Passengers include Magnolia Hawks (Kathryn Grayson), the daughter of the ship's captain; her paramour Gaylord Ravenal (Howard Keel), a gambler; and Julie LaVerne (Ava Gardner), the boat's star performer who is discovered to have African-American ancestry.

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