On with the Show! is a 1929 American musical film released by Warner Bros. The film is noted as the first ever all-talking all-color feature length movie, and the second color movie released by Warner Bros.; the first was a partly color, black-and-white musical, The Desert Song (1929).
With unpaid actors and staff, the stage show Phantom Sweetheart seems doomed. To complicate matters, the box office takings have been robbed and the leading lady refuses to appear. Can the show be saved?
The cast includes William Bakewell as the head usher eager to get his sweetheart, box-office girl Sally O'Neil, noticed as a leading girl. Betty Compson plays the temperamental star and Arthur Lake the whiny young male lead. Louise Fazenda is the company's eccentric comedienne, who is given little to do but laugh at inappropriate moments, her hair hennaed an improbable shade of red. Joe E. Brown plays the part of a mean comedian who constantly argues with Arthur Lake.
All of the characters are stereotypes and much of the attempts at humor are fascinating historically, but were dated even at the time of the film's release. Contemporary critic Mordaunt Hall noted in his New York Times review that he imagined the lovely hues "writhed in agony" serving such a story.
Hey why don't we all just dive in to statistics river?
Come on, yeah come on, yeah come on yeah
It sweeps along to where shitheads forget
Come on, yeah come on, yeah come on yeah
And the deal is closed
The celebration served
Bank accounts will grow
On with the show
On with the show!
Good evening one and all we're all so glad to see you here
We'll play your favorite songs while you're all soak up the atmosphere
We'll start with old man river, then maybe stormy weather, too
I'm sure you know just what to do
On with the show good health to you
Please pour another glass, it's time to watch the cabaret
Your wife will never know that you're not really working late
Your hostess here is Wendy, you'll find her very friendly, too
And we don't care just what you do
On with the show good health to you
Petina, start the show at 2 o'clock
And if by chance you find that you can't make it anymore
We'll put you in a cab and get you safely to the door
But we've got all the answers, and we've got lovely dancers, too
There's nothing else you have to do
On with the show good health to you
You're all such lovely people dancing gaily round the floor
But if you have to fight, please take your trouble out the door
For now I say with sorrow, until this time tomorrow
We'll bid you all a fond adieu
(Jagger/Richards)
Good evening one and all we're all so glad to see you here
We'll play your favorite songs while you're all so happy atmosphere
We'll start with over river, then maybe stormy weather, too
I'm sure you know just what to do
On with the show good health to you
Please pour another glass it time to watch the cabaret
Your wife will never know that you're not really working late
Your hostess here is Wendy, you'll find her very friendly, too
And we don't care just what you do
On with the show good health to you
Petina, start the show at 2 o'clock
Oh if by chance you find that you can't make it anymore
We'll put you in a cab and get you safely to the door
But we've got all the answers, and we've got lovely dancers, too
There's nothing else you have to do
On with the show good health to you
You're all such lovely people dancing, eating round the floor
But if you have to fight, please take your trouble out the door
For now I say with sorrow, until this time tomorrow
We'll bid you all a find adieu
On with the show good health to you
Frankie Died Just The Other Night
Some Say It Was Suicide
But We Know
How The Story Goes
With His Six String Knife
And His Street Wise Pride
The Boy Was A Man Before His Time
And She Knew
All Their Dreams Would Come True
But Ya See, Frankie Was Fast
Too Fast To Know
He Wouldn't Go Slow
Until His Lethal Dose
And She Knows
He'll Finally Come Too Close
Well, On With The Show
Going On With The Show
Come On Baby
No, No, No
Oh My, My, My......
He Awas Bad
He Was Never Good
But One Thing That He Understood
And She Knew
All Those Lies Would Come True
The Time Has Come And
He's Paid His Dues
Suzy Finally Got The News
She Always Knew
This Day Would Come Soon
He Was Stopped On A Dime
With A Switchblade Knife
Some Damn Punk Went And
Took Frankie's Life
And She Knew
She'd Have To Pull Through
Broken Down, With His Broken Dreams
With A Wink Of An Eye
Said Suzy, Listen To Me
You Must Go
On With The Show
Go On With The Show
Come On Baby
No No No
Oh My My My.....
Sun is shining for me
I'll be on my way
I'll be rolling along, cos I need to
Feel alright
From the evening till the early light
Nowhere to go but it's on with the show
Wander down in the lane (? )
I'll be strolling to
I do a brave show for you , don't you know i
Feel alright
From the evening to the early light
Nowhere to go but it's on with the show
Feel alright
From the evening to the early light
Nowhere to go but it's on with the show
Frankie died just the other night.
Some say it was suicide,
But we know
How the story goes.
With his six string knife
And his street wise pride
The boy was a man before his time,
And she knew
All their dreams would come true.
But ya see, Frankie was fast,
Too fast to know.
He wouldn't go slow
Until his lethal dose.
And she knows
He'll finally come too close.
Well, on with the show.
Going on with the show.
Come on baby
No, no, no.
Oh my, my, my . . .
He was bad.
He was never good.
But one thing that he understood.
And she knew
All those lies would come true.
The time has come and
He's paid his dues.
Suzy finally got the news.
She always knew
This day would come soon.
He was stopped on a dime
With a switchblade knife.
Some damn punk went and
Took Frankie's life.
And she knew
She'd have to pull through.
Broken down, with his broken dreams,
With a wink of an eye
Said "Suzy, listen to me
You must go
On with the show."
Frankie died just the other night
Some say it was suicide
But we know
How the story goes
With his six string knife
And his street-wise pride
The boy was a man before his time
And she knew
All their dreams would come true
But ya see Frankie was fast
He was too fast to know
He wouldn't go slow
Until his lethal dose
And she knows
He'll finally come too close
Well on with the show
Going on with the show
Come on baby
No, no, no
Oh my, my, my, my, my, my
He was bad
He was never good
But one thing that he understood
And she knew
All these lies would come true
The time has come
And he's paid his dues
And Suzy finally got the news
She always knew
This day would come soon
He was stopped on a dime
With a switchblade knife
Some damn punk went and
Took Frankie's life
And she knew
She'd have to pull through
Broken down
With his broken dreams
With a wink of an eye
Said Suzy, listen to me
You must go
On with the show
Telephone, telephone
What did you scream into your telephone? Telephone!
What did you scream into your telephone? Telephone!
I'm a shit stain slave with a grind of my own
I work day and night, less respect than a Juggalo
I'm frying on the outside and frozen in the center
I'm telling you, I'm telling you to watch out for my temper
You won't like me when I'm angry
You'll see banners everywhere
The street where I'm from,
in the town where I live is now barely even there
Telephone, telephone
What did you scream into your telephone? Telephone!
What did you scream into your telephone? Telephone!
I haven't had fun in what seems like years
I had a thumbs up for you but it was caught in the gears
These tears are just onion eyes
This heart is just broken
This body is a break room where burnouts are smoking
This body is a break room where the burnouts are smoking
Telephone!
What did you scream into your telephone? Telephone!
What did you scream into your telephone? Telephone!
Telephone!
I'm a clown, I'm just here to entertain
Tear me up and stuff me down the drain
I'm a clown, I'm just here to entertain
Tear me up and stuff me down the drain
But we know how the story goes
With his 6-string knife
And his street-wise pride
The boy was a man before his time
And she knew all their dreams would come true
Ya see Frankie was fast
He was too fast ya know
He wouldn't go slow until his lethal dose
And she knows he'd finally come too close
On with the show
Goin on with the show
Come on baby no no no
On with the show
Goin on with the show
Come on baby no no no
He was bad - he was never good
But one thing that he understand
And she knew all these lies would come true
The time has come and he paid his dues
And Suzy finally got the news
She always knew this day would come soon
On with the show
Goin on with the show
Come on baby no no no
On with the show
Goin on with the show
Come on baby no no no
Stuck on a dime with a switch-blade knife
Some damn punk went and took Frankie's life
And she knew she'd have to pull through
Broken down with his broken dreams
With a wink of an eye said Suzy listen to me
You must go on with the show
On with the show
Goin on with the show
Come on baby no no no
On with the show
Goin on with the show
Come on baby no no no