20 movies like The Great Gabbo, ordered by similarity : Footlight Parade(1933), Top Hat(1935), Summer Stock(1950), Two Girls and a Sailor(1944), Lady Be Good(1941), Coney Island(1943), Man About Town(1939), Chasing Rainbows(1930), Shall We Dance(1937), On With the Show(1929), Three Little Words(1950), Thanks a Million(1935) ...
Musical
USA
1929
95 Minutes
Erich von Stroheim Betty Compson Don Douglas Babe Kane
ventriloquist assistant dancer dummy husband wife brooding disturbing outlandish dark café stage backstage puppetry madness performance show business rejection failure fall
An insanely, egocentric ventriloquist, even though he is possessed by his wooden dummy, is in love with a dancer who is in love with another. The dummy gives advice to the ventriloquist.
Musical
USA
1933
102 Minutes
James Cagney Joan Blondell Ruby Keeler Dick Powell Guy Kibbee Ruth Donnelly Hugh Herbert Frank McHugh
director actor secretary competitor theater owner ex-wife lighthearted charming spectacular witty new york city stage backstage apartment street filmmaking musicals theft secret love show business
Chester Kent struggles against time, romance, and a rival's spy to produce spectacular live "prologues" for movie houses.
Musical, Romance
USA
1935
99 Minutes
Fred Astaire Ginger Rogers Edward Everett Horton Helen Broderick Eric Blore Erik Rhodes
wife butler dancer producer love interest playful charming witty hotel stage bathroom london venice song and dance romance mistaken identity aspirations dance show business quest
An American dancer comes to Britain and falls for a model whom he initially annoyed, but she mistakes him for his goofy producer.
Musical, Comedy
USA
1950
109 Minutes
Judy Garland Gene Kelly Eddie Bracken Gloria DeHaven Marjorie Main Phil Silvers Ray Collins Carleton Carpenter Nita Bieber Hans Conried Paul E. Burns
actress sister dancer housekeeper fiancé cheery lighthearted farm connecticut stage farming sibling rivalry song and dance romance show business transformation love rivalry 1950s
A small-town farmer, down on her luck, finds her homestead invaded by a theatrical troupe invited to stay by her ne'er-do-well sister.
Musical, Romance
1944
124 Minutes
Van Johnson June Allyson Gloria DeHaven Jimmy Durante Tom Drake Henry Stephenson Henry O'Neill Ben Blue Frank Sully Donald Meek Lena Horne
singer sister wealthy man sailor vaudevillian amusing spectacular charming emotional nightclub apartment backstage canteen new york city warehouse world war ii home front sibling rivalry sister relationship love triangle
A sailor (Van Johnson) from a rich family meets a nightclub-singing sister act (June Allyson, Gloria DeHaven) in wartime New York.
Musical
USA
1941
111 Minutes
Eleanor Powell Ann Sothern Robert Young Lionel Barrymore John Carroll Red Skelton Virginia O'Brien Tom Conway Dan Dailey Reginald Owen Rose Hobart
songwriter husband best friend dancer judge charming cheery stage backstage courtroom apartment divorce marriage friendship show business music love transformation 1930s
A composer and his songwriter wife clash as they succeed in working together, writing hit Broadway shows, but fail in their marriage to the point of getting divorced twice.
Musical, Romance
USA
1943
96 Minutes
Betty Grable Cesar Romero George Montgomery Charles Winninger Phil Silvers Matt Briggs Paul Hurst Frank Orth
promoter saloon owner singer carnival worker bartender drunk amusing cheeky lighthearted coney island broadway theater saloon carnival backstage stage show business jealousy carnivals ambition love triangle
Set at the turn of the century, smooth talking con man Eddie Johnson weasels his way into a job at friend and rival Joe Rocco's Coney Island night spot. Eddie meets the club's star ... See full summary »
Musical, Comedy
USA
1939
85 Minutes
Jack Benny Dorothy Lamour Edward Arnold Binnie Barnes Monty Woolley Isabel Jeans Phil Harris Betty Grable E.E. Clive Eddie Anderson Leonard Mudie
broadway producer singer love interest wife husband jealous man madcap hysterical charming london stage country house show business jealousy unrequited love schemes misunderstanding relationships love pursuit
Producer Bob Temple, who's brought an American show to London, loves his star Diana, but she won't take him seriously as a lover. To show her, he picks up stranger Lady Arlington, whose ... See full summary »
Musical, Comedy
USA
1930
100 Minutes
Bessie Love Charles King Jack Benny George K. Arthur Polly Moran Gwen Lee Nita Martan Eddie Phillips Marie Dressler Youcca Troubetzkoy
singer partner manager vaudevillian performer wife endearing engaging amusing stage backstage vaudeville show dressing room relationships performance heartbreak show business marriage friendship love
The road-show troupe of a top Broadway show go cross-country while taking the audience along on the on-stage scenes as well as what happens and is happening back stage of the production. ... See full summary »
Musical, Comedy
USA
1937
109 Minutes
Fred Astaire Ginger Rogers Eric Blore Edward Everett Horton Jerome Cowan Ketti Gallian William Brisbane Ann Shoemaker Ben Alexander Emma Young Sherwood Bailey
dancer fan agent husband wife amusing lighthearted paris new york city ship dance show business love marriage love temptation transformation 1930s
A ballet dancer and a showgirl fake a marriage for publicity purposes, then fall in love.
Musical, Comedy
USA
1929
103 Minutes
Betty Compson Sally O'Neil Arthur Lake Joe E. Brown Louise Fazenda William Bakewell Sam Hardy Harry Gribbon
star ingénue comedian actor producer understudy charming lighthearted amusing new jersey theater stage backstage relationships performance music romance show business financial troubles love
A musical advertised as the first 100% natural color, all-singing production. The plot concerns a wide-eyed former hatcheck girl who takes the place of a rebellious star.
Musical
USA
1950
102 Minutes
Fred Astaire Vera-Ellen Red Skelton Arlene Dahl Keenan Wynn Gale Robbins Gloria DeHaven Harry Shannon Debbie Reynolds Paul Harvey Carleton Carpenter
songwriter dancer wife entertainer nightclub owner cheery witty theater new york city backstage partnership friendship songwriting performance disaster second chance adventure rivalry love transformation
The story of the successful Tin Pan Alley songwriting team of Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby is told loosely and lightheartedly.
Musical, Comedy
USA
1935
87 Minutes
Dick Powell Ann Dvorak Fred Allen Patsy Kelly Raymond Walburn David Rubinoff Benny Baker Andrew Tombes Alan Dinehart Paul Harvey Edwin Maxwell
singer dancer manager politician wife rival playful cheeky engaging bus new york city town rally hotel ambition politics radio romance performance rise
Entertainers enter a political rally to get out of the rain and become part of the show. One of them (Powell) gives a speech in place of the besotted candidate (Walburn) and is chosen to be... See full summary »
Musical
USA
1957
114 Minutes
Gene Kelly Mitzi Gaynor Kay Kendall Taina Elg Jacques Bergerac Leslie Phillips Henry Daniell Patrick Macnee Stephen Vercoe Philip Tonge Owen McGiveney
dancer pretty woman love interest amusing lighthearted london paris stage song and dance female bonding competition romance affair discovery rivalry love 1950s
The former members of a dance troupe are suing because of recently published memoirs. Each one insists on own point of view.
Musical, Comedy
USA
1937
90 Minutes
socialite writer singer father daughter playful lighthearted stage backstage new york city theater love triangle unlikely romance humiliation jealousy love rivalry quest 1930s
Broadway producer satirizes an important New York family. The family sues but their daughter falls in love with producer.
Musical
USA
1982
87 Minutes
Diane Lane Ray Winstone Peter Donat David Clennon John Lehne Cynthia Sikes Laura Dern Fee Waybill Christine Lahti
teenager singer punk rocker mother manager unrestrained gutsy small town stage backstage bus troubled youth rebellion music industry rock 'n' roll young love rise fall underdog transformation
Corrine Burns retreats far into plans for her band, The Fabulous Stains, after her mother's death. So far that she gets them (she and two cousins) on a tour with a washed-out glam-rock ... See full summary »
Musical
USA
1987
105 Minutes
Catherine Mary Stewart Cameron Dye Steve Railsback Alex Rocco
singer band leader manager brother father lover emotional los angeles stage backstage rock 'n' roll show business emotional abuse addiction new love transformation wretched excess 1980s
A young songwriter/musician joins a rock group but pays the price for success when she becomes involved with the band's leader and he tries to steal her music.
Musical, Comedy
USA|UK|Canada
2007
115 Minutes
John Travolta Nikki Blonsky Amanda Bynes Christopher Walken Zac Efron Elijah Kelley Queen Latifah Michelle Pfeiffer Brittany Snow James Marsden Allison Janney
teenager dancer mother father best friend rival campy heartwarming inspiring baltimore household television studio high school dance racism television love competition underdog rivalry
Pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad teaches 1962 Baltimore a thing or two about integration after landing a spot on a local TV dance show.
Musical, Comedy
USA
1935
105 Minutes
Jack Benny Eleanor Powell Robert Taylor Una Merkel Sid Silvers Buddy Ebsen June Knight Vilma Ebsen Nick Long Jr. Robert Wildhack Paul Harvey
singer dancer producer widow columnist secretary amusing witty new york city broadway theater dance show business love deception quest rise love rivalry 1930s
Bob Gordon is staging a new Broadway Show. He gets an offer of money by Lillian, if she can dance in his show. Gordon's old class mate Irene, tries to get the leading role in this show, but Lillian insists in getting this part herself.
Musical
USA
1951
107 Minutes
Kathryn Grayson Howard Keel Ava Gardner Joe E. Brown Gower Champion Marge Champion Robert Sterling Agnes Moorehead Adele Jergens William Warfield Leif Erickson
singer gambler husband wife daughter melodramatic powerful steamboat casino mississippi stage music gambling race relations marriage performance temptation discovery forbidden love 1900s
The daughter of a riverboat captain falls in love with a charming gambler, but their fairytale romance is threatened when his luck turns sour.
Musical
1993
150 Minutes
Bette Midler Peter Riegert Cynthia Gibb Ed Asner Christine Ebersole Michael Jeter Andrea Martin Linda Hart Anna McNeely Jeffrey Broadhurst Tony Shalhoub
mother daughter sister agent vaudevillian burlesque dancer charming spirited backstage family home office stage gypsy rose lee mother/daughter relationship ambition show business burlesque sibling rivalry growing up rise
Stage-mother Mama Rose (Bette Midler) sees one daughter quit, while her other one (Cynthia Gibb) becomes stripper Gypsy Rose Lee.