- On the Town, New York, New York, it’s a wonderful town – especially when sailors Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin have a 24-hour shore leave to see the sights – and when those sights include Ann Miller, Betty Garrett and Vera-Ellen. Co-Directed by Kelly and Stanley Donen, based on the Broadway hit and set to an Academy Award winning adaptation score, On the Town changed the landscape of
On the Town, New York, New York, it’s a wonderful town – especially when sailors Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin have a 24-hour shore leave to see the sights – and when those sights include Ann Miller, Betty Garrett and Vera-Ellen. Co-Directed by Kelly and Stanley Donen, based on the Broadway hit and set to an Academy Award winning adaptation score, On the Town changed the landscape of movie musicals, opening filmmakers’ eyes to what could be done on location. And when brilliant location and studio production numbers are blended, it could be – as here- ebullient, up-and-at-’em perfection. The Bronx is up and the Battery’s down, but no one can be down after going On the Town.New York, New York–it’s a helluva town; the Bronx is up and the Battery’s down; the people ride in a hole in the ground…. Well, you get the idea. Those lyrics (by Betty Comden and Adolph Green), set to Leonard Bernstein’s music, have made On the Town a permanent part of the psychological landscape of New York City. The story (inspired by Jerome Robbins’s ballet Fancy Free) is pretty slight: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin play sailors with 24 hours’ leave to take their bite out of the Big Apple. When they meet, and then lose, this month’s Miss Turnstiles (Vera-Ellen), they scour the town in search of her, bumping into a lady anthropologist (Ann Miller) along the way. Shot mostly in the studio, but with location exteriors all over town, from Coney Island to the Statue of Liberty to Central Park, this 1949 gem was the first of three great musicals codirected by Kelly and Stanley Donen, followed by Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and the underrated It’s Always Fair Weather (1955). –Jim Emerson
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May 2, 2010
#1
Although Kelly, Donen, and Comden/Green would go on to movie greatness together (“Singing in the Rain”, 1952) this one comes up short. The problem is simple: MGM didn’t respect the original material enough (the Bernstein/Comden/Green Broadway musical of the same name)– most of the fine Bernstein songs were jettisoned in favor of distinctly second-rate stuff (“Main Street”, “You’re Awful”, etc.), as well as dumping all the great dance numbers save two (“A Day in New York”, “Miss Turnstiles”). The other problem is that after Gabey, Ivy, and their friends finally get together atop the Empire State Building, the movie really goes downhill; the whole denouement at Coney Island is silly and takes much too long. There are some good performances, esp. from the women (Betty Garrett and Ann Miller really give the movie oomph and a sense of fun, and Alice Pearce’s “I got the gargle!” bit is classic). Sinatra and Kelly are fine as always, but you have to be a big Jules Munshin fan to weather his supershticky performances, both here and in “Take me Out to the Ball Game” (also with Sinatra, Kelly, and Garrett).
I know this movie is a big fan favorite; I just hope that people who think On the Town is a fine musical take the time to check out the really superior products of MGM’s famous Freed unit: “Singing in the Rain”, “Gigi”, “Meet me in St. Louis”. When the Freed unit clicked on all cylinders, as they did in those three movies, nobody made better movies of ANY kind.
May 2, 2010
#2
On The Town is notable for a lot of reasons, but in this case, enthusiasm cannot overcome the general sham of this low-class production. Why did they toss most of the BETTER songs aside from the original Broadway production and have MGM hacks enter banal new ones? Get the Original Broadway Cast CD to hear what you’re REALLY missing…
May 2, 2010
#3
I was pleased to find this film at a local store; I’d seen the “New York, New York It’s a Wonderful Town” scene a dozen times. Now I know why: it’s the only really good song and dance number in the whole movie. I love Hollywood musicals and have always been a huge Gene Kelly fan. “On The Town” is incredibly insipid when compared to other Kelly movies and a miserable waste of Ann Miller’s wonderful talent. Go buy “Singing in the Rain” and “Kiss Me Kate” to find out what these two people can really do; save your money here.
May 2, 2010
#4
This is an excellent classic movie. Danny Kaye at his best. A must see movie.
May 2, 2010
#5
This is a fun little movie which I find compelling whenever Gene Kelly and Vera Ellen are on the screen. Otherwise it is somewhat corny to be honest. However, I bought this from Amazon and it turned out to be defective with digital breakup which stalled my player. I returned it then purchased it from our local Tower Video store only to find something similar. When returning it, the manager and I noticed indentations in the stock itself, perhaps indicative of a bad printing which, if this is the case, it would be nice to see Warner Brothers do something about it. If this was an anomaly I would like to know about it as there is something simple and nice, evocative of a past era which I would enjoy having in my collection.