Anchors Aweigh (1945)

Director:

George Sidney

Writers:

Natalie Marcin (story)
Isobel Lennart (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 August 1945 (Brazil)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

On waves of song . . . laughter and romance ! Two love-lost sailors on a four-day leave of fun and frivolity !

Plot:

Two sailors, one naive, the other experienced in the ways of the world, on liberty in Los Angeles, is the setting for this movie musical.

Plot Keywords:

Sailor | Animated Sequence | Orphan | 1940s | San Diego California

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 nominations

Cast

Frank Sinatra	...	Clarence Doolittle
Kathryn Grayson	...	Susan Abbott
Gene Kelly	...	Joseph Brady
José Iturbi	...	Himself
Dean Stockwell	...	Donald Martin - Child runaway
Pamela Britton	...	Waitress from Brooklyn
Rags Ragland	...	Cop in charge of runaway Donald (as 'Rags' Ragland)
Billy Gilbert	...	Cafe Manager
Henry O'Neill	...	Adm. Hammond - pinning on medals
Carlos Ramírez	...	Carlos
Edgar Kennedy	...	Chief of police station
Grady Sutton	...	Bertram Kraler - Susan's beau
Leon Ames	...	Admiral's aide reads citation for medals
Sharon McManus	...	Little Mexican Girl
James Flavin	...	Radio Cop
James Burke	...	Cop at MGM front gate
Henry Armetta	...	Hamburger Man
Chester Clute	...	Iturbi's scheduling manager
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mimi Aguglia	...	Old Lady (uncredited)
Paulita Arvizu	...	Cashier in Cafe (uncredited)
Bobby Barber	...	Salad cook on Olvera Street (uncredited)
Harry Barris	...	Sailor asks Joe "get autographs" (uncredited)
Joseph E. Bernard	...	Old Doorman (uncredited)
Sara Berner	...	Jerry Mouse (voice) (uncredited)
Steve Brodie	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Alex Callam	...	Commander (uncredited)
John Cannon	...	Sailor (uncredited)
James Carlisle	...	Test Director (uncredited)
Wally Cassell	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Charles Coleman	...	Iturbi's butler (uncredited)
Douglas Cowan	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Henry H. Daniels Jr.	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Frank Darien	...	Janitor at Hollywood Bowl (uncredited)
Romere Darling	...	Waitress (uncredited)
Joe Dominguez	...	Man in Cafe (uncredited)
Lester Dorr	...	Assistant Director (uncredited)
Ralph Dunn	...	Hollywood Bowl cop (uncredited)
Virginia Engels	...	Woman with Cop (uncredited)
Sam Finn	...	Sailor (uncredited)
William Forrest	...	Movie Director (uncredited)
Don Garner	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Jane Green	...	U.S.O. Mother (uncredited)
Eddie Hall	...	Sailor talking about Lola (uncredited)
Phil Hanna	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Lottie Harrison	...	Telephone Operator (uncredited)
Jack Harvey	...	Admiral (uncredited)
Joe Haworth	...	Marine (uncredited)
Ben Heideman	...	Mexican Cook (uncredited)
Robert Homans	...	Old Cop (uncredited)
Gloria Hope	...	Receptionist (uncredited)
John James	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Milton Kibbee	...	Bartender serving double scotch (uncredited)
Nolan Leary	...	Milkman (uncredited)
Ruth Lee	...	Kindergarten Teacher (uncredited)
Orley Lindgren	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Jack Luden	...	Assistant Director (uncredited)
Peggy Maley	...	Lana Turner impersonator (uncredited)
Gloria Marlen	...	Woman (uncredited)
Frank Marlowe	...	Shore Patrol Officer (uncredited)
Lock Martin	...	Giant (uncredited)
Esther Michelson	...	Hamburger Woman (uncredited)
Frank Mitchell	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Forbes Murray	...	Passerby (uncredited)
Billy Nelson	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Bea Nigro	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Cop (uncredited)
Garry Owen	...	2d soldier at USO (uncredited)
Netta Packer	...	U.S.O. Mother (uncredited)
Milton Parsons	...	Man with Beard (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Cop (uncredited)
William 'Bill' Phillips	...	1st Sailor on pay phone (uncredited)
Tom Quinn	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Allen Ray	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Paul Regan	...	Marine (uncredited)
Renie Riano	...	Studio Waitress (uncredited)
Sondra Rodgers	...	Jean - Iturbi's secretary (uncredited)
Naomi Scher	...	Waitress (uncredited)
Jerry Shane	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Ray Teal	...	Assistant Movie Director (uncredited)
Tom Trout	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Elinor Troy	...	Tall Woman (uncredited)
Arthur Walsh	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Claire Whitney	...	U.S.O. Mother (uncredited)
Marjorie Wood	...	U.S.O. Mother (uncredited)

Directed by
George Sidney

Writing credits
Natalie Marcin		(story)
Isobel Lennart		(screenplay)

Produced by
Joe Pasternak	....	producer

Original Music by
Calvin Jackson		(uncredited)
George Stoll		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Charles P. Boyle		(director of photography) (as Charles Boyle)
Robert H. Planck		(director of photography) (as Robert Planck)

Film Editing by
Adrienne Fazan

Art Direction by
Randall Duell
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup designer

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
George Rhein	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Richard Pefferle	....	associate set decorator

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Camera and Electrical Department
Sam Leavitt	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kay Dean	....	associate costume supervisor
Irene	....	costume supervisor

Music Department
Earl K. Brent	....	vocal arrangements: Kathryn Grayson (as Earl Brent)
George Stoll	....	musical director (as Georgie Stoll)
Robert Franklyn	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Robert Franklyn	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Calvin Jackson	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Joseph Nussbaum	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Henri Jaffa	....	associate technicolor color director
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor color director
Gene Kelly	....	creator: dance sequences
Jack Donohue	....	dance director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1945) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1945) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1955) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Warner Home Video (1992) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• MPI Home Video (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1947) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• MGM Cartoon Studio  'Tom & Jerry' cartoon

Runtime:

143 min | USA:140 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Bowl - 2301 N. Highland Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

For the most famous sequence in the film, Mickey Mouse was originally meant to be the dance partner of Gene Kelly. However, when Walt Disney refused to have his most famous character appear in an MGM film. Kelly turned to MGM's own animation studio and used Jerry Mouse of Tom and Jerry fame.

Goofs:

Continuity: While Joe Brady is sitting at the bar as the bartender keeps feeding him glasses of whiskey, he drinks the first and second glasses while talking to Clarence. The barkeep slides him a third glass, then a fourth. However, he never drinks the third glass. It simply disappears.

Quotes:

Susan Abbott: From the heart of a lonely poet, came a song for the girl he adored. 'Tho she tried very hard not to show it, she was terribly, terribly bored.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Toonheads: The Lost Cartoons (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I Fall In Love Too Easily

This Movie Is Full Of Life

Overall this is a delightful, light-hearted, romantic, musical comedy. I suppose a small case could be made for the movie being to long. But I'm not sure what you would cut out. The singing that Kelly and Sinatra do? No. The fabulous dancing that Kelly does? No. The time the movie takes to develop the story line and develop the relationships of the characters? No (that seems to be a common complaint many times that more recent movies don't develop the characters).

Some comment that Iturbi didn't bring much to the movie but this gives us a chance to see and hear a great talent from the 1040s. So what if he wasn't an actor? He was an important part of the movie as the basic plot was to get Grayson an audition with him.

Originally Katherine Grayson wanted to be an opera star. Louis B. Mayer brought her to MGM for a screen test that included an aria. During her audition in the movie there is a shot of the MGM brass nodding and smiling. You can just imagine it was like that when she had made her real screen test years before.

This movie is so full of life it is hard to hit all of the highlights. Great use was made of color and lighting throughout the movie. You can see why Frank Sinatra became the star he did. A nice counter-point in the movie is how Sinatra (a ladies man even then) played the role of wanting to just find a date while on leave. You'll feel good after seeing this movie. 7/10