Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since ca. 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment, especially light entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side (including managers, agents, producers and distributors) to the creative element (including artists, performers, writers, musicians and technicians). The term was in common usage throughout the 20th century but the first known use in print dates from 1850. At that time and for several decades it always included an initial the. By the latter part of the century it had acquired a slightly arcane quality associated with the era of variety, but the term is still in active use.<
Famous quotes containing the words show and/or business:
“Isabella. Yet show some pity.
Angelo. I show it most of all when I show justice;
For then I pity those I do not know,
Which a dismissed offence would after gall.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“Dishonesty in government is the business of every citizen.... It is not enough to do your own job. There’s no particular virtue in that. Democracy isn’t a gift. It’s a responsibility.”
—Dalton Trumbo (1905–1976)