A naive showgirl marries a gambler while working on a Mississippi paddle steamer. However, the work-shy good-for-nothing abandons his new wife, forcing her to turn to her friends on board the boat for moral support. Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein's musical, starring Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ava Gardner, Agnes Moorehead and Joe E Brown. Songs include Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man, After the Ball and Ol' Man River.

A dashing Mississippi river gambler wins the affections of the daughter of the owner of the Show Boat.