All That Jazz Quotes

Context

This line is spoken by Joe Gideon, played by Roy Scheider, in the film All That Jazz, directed by Bob Fosse (1979).

Joe Gideon is a chain-smoking, pill-popping workaholic by day and playboy by night. As a famous choreographer-director, he is physically burning out. Every morning he greets his hungover, bloodshot image in the bathroom mirror with, "It's showtime, folks!"

The movie is somewhat biographical, based on the life of Broadway legend Bob Fosse, who also directed and wrote All That Jazz. The 1979 movie ends with a fantasy sequence about how Joe dies of heart failure. It seems Fosse eerily predicted his own death, as he went to the big stage in the sky due to a heart attack in 1987. That's all, folks!

Check out some of the show with this clip.

Where you've heard it

If there were an award for movie clichés, this line would be a slam dunk winner. Some of the more memorable "It's showtime!" movie moments can be seen in Beetlejuice, Groundhog Day, Showtime, The Incredibles, and Something's Gotta Give.

Additional Notable References:

• Meet the real Joe Gideon
• First ever comet landing?
• Sting… not him, the other guy
• Philippine musical variety show

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

This one-size-fits-all quote can be used anywhere to announce anything that's fun, boring, scary, or weird. Jazz hands are optional, but strongly recommended.