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Sinatra & Kelly: On the Town

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Some critic--I can't remember who--defined the musical parts of a musical as "explosions of joy." Which makes 1949's "On the Town" one of the most joyfully explosive movie musicals ever. Before the three sailors (Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin) get to leave their ship on 24-hour shore leave, they are "serenaded" by a heavy-equipment operator who stretches and musically moans "I feel like I'm not out of bed yet." A digital ticker-tape-type clock marks the exact time our boys can leave ship as they launch into the theme song, "New York, New York, a Wonderful Town," (which was bowdlerized from "a Helluva Town" on Broadway).

The plot is a nifty number where all three gobs pick up gals but one of them loses his--through neither of their fault--then spends the rest of the day looking for her. The satiric vein is mined along the day with references to museum snobs, overcrowded nightclubs, hillbilly music, taskmaster Russian ballet coaches and that Manhattan favorite--eavesdropping on the subway.

Just briefly, there are two paradoxical reasons why I think this film works so well. First, we have here a repertory cast whose areas of expertise hadn't quite jelled yet. So Frank Sinatra was allowed to play a shy kid instead of a heavy, Ann Miller was allowed to play light comedy instead of just tap-dance, and Betty Garrett was allowed to BE in the movie before her husband crossed the red-baiters of the Fifties (back then, the idea usually was to blacklist first and ask questions later). Gene Kelly seems to be at his relaxed and versatile best, and Vera-Ellen is a simply wonderful dancer.

The second reason this flick is so good is that it pioneered techniques that were new to movies at the time, particularly a mixture of location and studio shooting (try to figure out when the cast is on top of the REAL Empire State Building and when it's the MGM lot); musical numbers that advanced the plot instead of just providing entertainment (clearly, Hollywood had been looking at Broadway, in particular Rodgers and Hammer-stein's "South Pacific"); and the dream-ballet complete with symbolic decor and an ever-frustrated Gene Kelly symbolically looking for and losing love. (This particular device shows up in "An American in Paris," "Oklahoma," and in backstage form in many other flicks, not necessarily musicals.)

There are people who don't like this movie. It's a little too street-wise or proleterian, call it what you will. But their numbers are in decline, possibly because the Manhattan this movie celebrates has ceased to exist and in the long view has become almost as synthetic and charming as a backstage movie lot. If you think you can handle real-life locations, go with this one; you won't be disappointed.

New York, New York, a wonderful town- With Gene, Jules, Frank, and three cute girls around!

In this brilliant collaboration of direction by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, three lovable sailors are on 24-hour leave in the Big Apple. The on-location cinematography and Oscar-winning score provide the backdrop for the rousing, joyous musical. En route to find Gabey's (Kelly) dream girl, Miss Turnstiles of the month, Ivy Smith (Vera-Ellen), he and Ozzie (Jules Munshin) and Chip (Frank Sinatra) encounter a ready-for-love cab driver, Brunhilde ("Hildy") Esterhazy (Betty Garrett), and Claire Huddeson, a tap-dancing anthropologist (Ann Miller). The joyous night on the town spurns many an unexpected surprise for the sailors and their girls: the felling of a prehistoric dinosaur, a glitzy waltz through some of New York's exclusive nightclubs, and the boys dancing in gypsy attire. Other delights to be savored are: Kelly, Munshin, and Sinatra's rendition of "New York, New York, It's A Wonderful Town", Kelly's imaginative dance sequence with Vera-Ellen, and the belting brilliance from the sixsome of the title song make "On the Town" one of MGM's most irrepresibly fun and unforgettable musicals of the '40's. Have a ball tonight and go "on the town"!

One of the most familiar images of an MGM musical would be Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin dressed as sailors singing the catchy words "New York New York's A wonderful town; The Bronx is up and the Battery's down; the people ride in a hole in the ground; New York New York: It's a wonderful town." While the song by Leonard Bernstein is from a Broadway musical called ON THE TOWN, it is MGM's adaptation (Broadway lovers may refer to it a usurpation) that makes the song immortal today.

ON THE TOWN tells the story of three sailors: the lovable, somewhat cocky, but sincere Gabey (Gene Kelly), his clueless friend Chip (played by Frank Sinatra), and the bumbling Ozzie (Jules Munshin) who are on leave in New York City for a day. The three take a taxi where the driver Hilde (Betty Garrett) falls madly in love with Chip. She wants to ditch the other two sailors to be with her new found love, but the Chip will not abandon his two friends. Ozzie finds love when visiting the museum of natural history when he meets the intellectual Claire (Ann Miller). Gabey has yet to find the love of his life, a woman he knows only as "Miss Turnstiles" from a subway poster. He believes she is a famous New York celebrity, but discovers she is a hometown girl. There are also antics that would seem silly to a moviegoer today. The taxi company believes the taxi has been stolen. A skeleton of a dinosaur is damaged at the museum. A police chase ensues. Still, MGM, a studio that turned making unbelievable worlds into reality into an art form, does the same with this film.

There are many reasons this film is considered a classic. While most of the musical numbers from the original Broadway score were believed to be too sophisticated for movie musical audiences and replaced with what some consider inferior music (MGM's Saul Chaplin once said looking back he could hardly believe that Bernstein's music was replaced), somehow the score does work. The dancing numbers are great. Much of the film (a radical idea at the time) was shot on location which makes the city almost a character in the film. Vera-Ellen fans love this film because it showcases her talent. BEWITCHED fans will also enjoy the performance of Alice Pearce as Lucy Shmeeler, Hilde's unlucky in love and chronic cold suffering roommate and back-up romantic partner for Gabey.

This DVD is a just the film and its special features include just a trailer of the movie. It's a fun movie to watch and brings a viewer back to a time when the world was changing and a sense of optimism was real.

Here's an idea: Get a group of exceptionally talented performers together, sketch in an outline of a story based on a successful Broadway show, then supply the score, songs and setting in which they can individually and collectively showcase their respective gifts, turn them loose and see what happens, see if it works. Of course, by the time this film was made in 1949, MGM knew it would work, as it had for them many times previously; there was no guess work involved. The result this time around was "On The Town," a lively musical which marked the directorial debut of co-directors Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with Kelly starring and also doing the choreography. The plot is simple: Three sailors get twenty-four-hour shore leave in New York and set off to make the most of it. Chip (Frank Sinatra) wants to see the sights; Ozzie (Jules Munshin) wants to play; and Gabey (Kelly) immediately falls into an obsession over a girl he sees on a subway poster, "Miss Turnstiles" of the month, Ivy Smith (Vera-Ellen), and vows to find her. Along the way they run into a quirky cab driver, Brunhilde (Betty Garrett), and a young woman, Claire (Ann Miller), doing some research at a museum. But what this movie is really all about is entertainment, and it delivers it by the songful.

Kelly and Donen bring it all to life through the words and music of Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Leonard Bernstein, and the score, which earned an Oscar for Roger Edens and Lennie Hayton. it kicks off with Sinatra, Munshin and Kelly doing "New York, New York," in which they enlighten you to the fact that "The Bronx is up and the Battery's down, and people ride in a hole in the ground--" a dynamite opening that sets the stage for all that comes after. And it's pure entertainment that just sweeps you away with it while you hum along with the six stars of the show as they do what they do best, and it's a delight from beginning to end.

Without a doubt, Kelly emerges as the star among the stars, and his solo numbers and the ones he performs with Vera-Ellen are especially engaging; but this is one of those musicals in which one memorable number follows another, with each of the principals getting their own moment in the spotlight. Vera-Ellen has a great number early on in the film, in which Miss Turnstiles is introduced; Ann Miller taps her way through a rousing routine in the museum (in which she is joined by Sinatra, Munshin, Kelly and Garrett) that really gives her a chance to show her stuff; and Sinatra and Garrett engage in a memorable bit in song, as she attempts to get him to "Come Up To My Place." Through it all, Sinatra exudes a certain boyish charm while Garrett and Munshin provide the comic relief. All of which makes for a fun and thoroughly entertaining movie experience.

The supporting cast includes Alice Pearce (Lucy), Sid Melton (Spud), Hans Conried (Francois) and Florence Bates (Madame Dilyovska). Some movies are made simply to transport you to another place for a couple of hours, put a smile on your face, a song on your lips and just make you feel good; and "On The Town" is certainly one of them. This is pure, uplifting and satisfying Entertainment, beautifully crafted and delivered and guaranteed to make your day a little brighter. The fact is, they just don't make `em like this anymore, and it's a shame. Because this is what the magic of the movies is all about.

On The Town is a great movie. Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin star as three sailors on 24 leave in the Big Apple. This movie was so much fun to watch. The big dance numbers are hilariously entertaining.

THE GIRLS:

Ann Miller has a big dance number in a museum that really showcases her talent as a dancer. Betty Garrett is hilarious as a cab driver who develops an immediate crush on Frank Sinatra. She was my favorite character in the film. Vera-Ellen was good but she was mainly used as a plot device so she didn't get as much screen time as the other two.

THE BOYS:

Frank Sinatra's character is more interested in seeing the New York sights than romancing the pretty cabbie, but everything changes when he sings, "You're Awful" to her. I wish someone would sing that to me. Jules Munshin is hilarious. I've never heard of him before and that's a real shame because he's great in this movie. Gene Kelly (a.k.a. the reason I saw this movie) is great. His character is sweeter that the one he played in "Anchors Aweigh." All I want to know is, can we clone him?

If you're thinking about improving your previous DVD edition of this great movie (WHV release of 2 May 2000), still available on Amazon, don't bother. It's identical, just repackaged...
(FIVE stars for the movie itself!)

This a very good movie about three sailors Gabey Gene Kelly), Chip (Frank Sinatra), and Ozzie (Jules Munshin). These sailors plan on going sightseeing and picking up dates at the same time. Chip picks up a very, shall we say forward taxi driver Hildy Esterhazie (Betty Garret), and Ozzie picks up the lovely anthropologist Claire Hudson (Ann Miller). While Gabey chases passionately after what he thinks is a real New York Celebrity,
Miss Turnstiles (Vera Ellen). Alice Pearce makes a funny appearence and you can't help laughing when she says: "Oh, it's just a little sniffle." Kelly and Vera - Elllen do a very toned - down tap number'Main Street.' While Miller makes a jaw dropping performance of 'A Prehistoric Man.' Overall, it's a fun movie and I recommend it highly.

"On the Town" tells the story of three sailors - Gabey, Ozzie and Chip - on 24-hour leave in wartime New York City. Gabey falls in love with a subway poster of Ivy Smith, "Miss Turnstiles" for the month of June. Gabey, aided by Ozzie, Chip and two of their gals, goes on a hunt for Ivy. After several adventures and a disappointing blind date with Hildy's roommate, Lucy Schmeeler, Gaby finds Ivy.

Let me say first that film version of "On the Town" is lively and entertaining, but no more so than many musicals of the 1940s, including "Anchors Aweigh," the very enjoyable 1945 movie starring Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly as two sailors on leave in Hollywood.

The musical score of that film (by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne) is excellent. Sinatra's rendition of "I Fall in Love Too Easily" still leaves me with chills. But I'll leave it to others to argue over which is the better film.

There are at least two ways to review "On the Town" or any other film of a Broadway musical: Take it for what it is, or express regrets over what it could have been. I fall into the latter camp.

"On the Town" opened on Broadway in 1944 and ran for more than 460 performances - a healthy run for shows of the time. It was an "integrated" show, in which the book, songs and dances are tightly bound to advance the plot. Choreograper Jerome Robbins created innovative dances full of energy. The forerunner of "On the Town was the highly successful Leonard Bernstein-Robbins ballet "Fancy Free." The creation of the musical play was inspired by Robbins.

In 1960 Columbia Records released "The First Full-Length Recording" of the show, which included members of the original cast:
(Nancy Walker as Hildy the taxi driver, Betty Comden as Claire DeLoone (Claire Huddeson in the film) the anthropologist, Adolph Green (Ozzie) and Cris Alexander (Chip) as two of the sailors. John Battles as the other sailor (Gabey) is not heard on the album (John Reardon performs in his place. This is the REAL "On the Town."

But producer Arthur Freed felt that the songs in the play were too sophisticated for film audiences, so most of the numbers in the play were dropped and second-rate composer Roger Edens filled out the score (I have to assume that Comden and Green were dragooned into writing the substandard lyrics that accompanied Edens' music). All of this confirms the saw that no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American people.

(Producers weren't entirely at fault. The Production Code Administration's censors were always on the lookout for anything that might violate its strict, moralistic code.)

Even the two of the three songs that were retained in the movie, "New York New York" and "Come Up to My Place," were reduced to shadows of the original versions. Leonard Bernsteins's jazzy score was castrated by orchestrator Conrad Salinger and clever lyrics were dropped or altered. These factors changed the atmosphere and mood of the film.

Among the songs that were omitted: "Lucky to Be Me," which has become a standard, sung by Gabey as he awaits his date; "I Can Cook Too," Hildy's witty mating song for Chip; "Carried Away," another funny number sung by Claire and Ozzie in the museum, in which they express a mutual weakness (the song was replaced by the silly "Primitive Man" number, which was only salvaged by Ann Miller's dancing; "Some Other Time," a poignant song, with a marvelous vocal arrangement, that acknowledges that the 24-hour leave is almost over (there are about two dozen versions of this song currently in print); "Ya Got Me," a propulsive, bouncy song with a Latin beat that the gang sings to Gabey to cheer him up (this was replaced in the film by an inferior, corny C&W song.

For many successful musicals, MGM turned to established outside composers and lyricists. "Meet Me in St. Louis," "The Harvey Girls" and "It Happened in Brooklyn" are just three examples of this practice.
Roger Edens is simply not in their league.

So, I suggest that anyone who reads this review acquire or hear the 1960 Columbia album, or even the 1992 studio version that includes even more music.

Your high opinion of the film may change significantly.

Even though this is not the musical in which Gene Kelly dances with Jerry the mouse, the 1949 film ON THE TOWN still has much that is cartoonish about it--and that's not a bad thing. It is cheerfully outlandish, in the way all the best animated cartoons of the era were. It's one unlikely or downright absurd event after the other, and like a good Bugs Bunny short, the audience knows that suspension of disbelief goes without saying. We delight in the absurdity.

The story of three sailors on 24-hour leave and the NYC gals they pick up during their various misadventures should logically be fast-paced, which the film certainly is, or even a little frenzied, which it is not. Despite the crawling time-line, which should theoretically make the viewer feel as though time's a-wastin', the action almost seems suspended in time, rather than weighted down by it. It's the old romantic notion of one day lasting forever. And in such a magical setting, who needs to sleep? And there can't possibly be truly serious consequences for a lady cab driver failing to turn in her car for the next shift or for that matter for destroying a dinosaur at the Museum of Natural History.

All that absurdity opens up a world of anarchic fun--just as in the best cartoons--and even the most staid of audiences can briefly escape into this loony world of antics with no consequences and true love found at the drop of a sailor's cap.

And it's all done to a great Comden-Green and Bernstein score (much taken from the Broadway play of the same name on which it is based) and handled with aplomb by its talented cast. The casting is near perfect, with Kelly and Frank Sinatra heading an able cast of singers, dancers and comic actors. Ann Miller and Vera-Ellen shine in their dance numbers, and Betty Garrett and Alice Pearce are remarkable for their comic--as well as their musical--timing. Probably the only disputable casting would be that of Sinatra as a somewhat nerdy, control freak. But it's nice to see him out of the "ring a ding ding" mode for once.

ON THE TOWN's great entertainment--and like so much of the entertainment of the era expresses a joy and optimism that now seems (sadly) naive to us today.

A previous reviewer noted, in fact, that the film was emblematic of the post-WW II optimism that dominated American culture in the late 40s and early 50s. That's for sure. This is a world in which sailors can get in a bit of trouble (on leave) but are not about to get blown up (on duty). And it's also a world, in which invoking military honor and sacrifice can get excuse a bit of nautical mischief.

Probably the sole bit of sobering realism is the fact that when the gobs and the gals say goodbye at the dock the next morn, they don't promise to stay in touch. Not even Gene and Vera, who have declared true love.

The audience members can draw their own conclusions. But with all this free floating optimism how can they conclude anything other than a romatic reunion--for all three couples?

We can suspend our disbelief on that point too.

This was the first Gene Kelly movie I ever saw - and did I become hooked! All this movie is is fun fun fun - three sailors have a day's leave in New York City, and have all sorts of adventures while meeting three charming and independent women. It also stars Vera-Ellen, Frank Sinatra, Ann Miller, Betty Garrett, and Frank Munshin. END