There’s No Business Like Show Business

In 1919, Terence and Molly Donahue are already a husband-and-wife vaudeville team. They perform together as a couple and establish the dynamic that will anchor the family's act.

By 1923, their children Steve, Katy, and Tim join the family act, and the troupe is billed as The Five Donahues. The act grows more ambitious as the kids mature.

As the children mature, Terence and Molly enroll them in a Catholic boarding school in Boston. Father Dineen sends a telegram suggesting the boys miss their parents but could become leaders, while Molly insists they stay enrolled.

The family relocates to New Jersey, shifting the base of their performances and daily life. The move signals a new chapter in their careers.

In October 1929, the stock market crashes and the theatre stock company drops the Donahues in favor of motion pictures. The family scrambles for work, taking carnival acts and radio ads to survive.

Movie theaters start providing live entertainment before screenings, and The Five Donahues find work again by performing before films.

By 1937, Tim has graduated high school, Katy pursues dancing, and Steve develops singing talent. The siblings’ careers are advancing while the family dynamic remains close.

At Gallagher's-linked events, Tim meets aspiring performer Victoria 'Vicky' Hoffman and learns he is part of the Five Donahues, but she dismisses him as simply another act. Her ambition and distance foreshadow later Broadway plans.

Steve announces his desire to become a priest, disappointing Terence. Tim arrives home drunk, and the family throws a farewell party for Steve as he prepares for ordination.

The troupe, now billed as The Four Donahues, heads to Florida for an engagement where Tim reconnects with Vicky during rehearsals. Vicky performs a tropical-themed number that was meant for the Donahues, and Tim falls in love with her, though she does not reciprocate.

The next day, Vicky informs them Lew Harris is arranging a Broadway show with her as the star, and she wants Tim and Katy to join. Molly reluctantly agrees to let them pursue the opportunity.

During rehearsals, Katy begins dating Charlie Gibbs and marries him after Steve is ordained as a priest. The family life continues to intersect with the evolving show.

Tim grows resentful when Vicky's schedule conflicts with Lew Harris's demands, leading to a late dinner, alcohol consumption, and a car accident. He ends up hospitalized as tensions simmer.

The morning after, Tim leaves a note and disappears, prompting Molly and Terence to launch a missing-person investigation and search nightclubs for answers, yet they find no trace.

On the Hippodrome Theatre's closing night, Steve arrives backstage in an Army chaplain uniform. Tim reappears in a sailor’s uniform just as Molly sings the title song, and the Five Donahues reunite for a triumphant finale.