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 | Hollywood | Storytelling | Pacific Ocean | Piano

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

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:

This was the first film project for Pamela Britton.

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:

[at Donald's school]
Donald Martin: [to Joe] Tell us how you got your medal.
Joseph Brady: Alright, I'll tell you how I got my medal. Now close your eyes... and try to think of the most beautiful place you've ever with greenest grass and the singingest birds and the shiningest sun.
[Cut to Donald's thoughts]
Joseph Brady: Can you see it?
Kids: Yeah!
Joseph Brady: Good! Now imagine me walking along, happy as a lark. Can you see me?
Kids: Yeah!
Joseph Brady: Good! Of course, back then in the navy we wore white suits with blue stripes and little white hat with a little red ball on top. Oh, I was so happy I ran and leaped and played, just for the fun of it! My, it felt good! Oh, it was such a wonderful, wonderful day! When all of a sudden I stepped into a big hole and fell, right to the bottom of it! I seemed to be in a long tunnel. 'Way ahead I could see light, so I started towards. At the end I found myself in a strange land! It looked...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#22.96)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Chiapanecas (While There's Music There's Romance) (The Celebrated Mexican 'Clap Hands' Song)

the dancing debut of Jerry Mouse

Famous for the scene where Gene Kelly dances a duet with Jerry Mouse, this zippy musical is also the one where Kathryn Grayson trills 'Jealousy', and Frank Sinatra sings in the arena of a thousand pianos ('I Fall in Love Too Easily'). Grayson is a young mother who wants more than anything else to be in the movies. Her little boy (Dean Stockwell, who would turn up much later in TV's Quantum Leap) wants to join the US forces, and so he meets sailors Kelly and Sinatra heading out for a bit of leave. There are some echoes of 'On the Town' in this movie, but not enough to spoil the mix.