On the Town (1949)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Directors:

Stanley Donen
Gene Kelly

Writers:

Adolph Green (screenplay) and
Betty Comden (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 December 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Come On, Everybody, Let's Go On the Town!

Plot:

Three sailors on a day of shore leave in New York City look for fun and romance before their twenty-four hours are up.

Plot Keywords:

Sailor | Miss Turnstiles | Turnstile | Anthropologist | Prehistoric Man

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Gene Kelly	...	Gabey
Frank Sinatra	...	Chip
Betty Garrett	...	Brunhilde Esterhazy
Ann Miller	...	Claire Huddesen
Jules Munshin	...	Ozzie
Vera-Ellen	...	Ivy Smith
Florence Bates	...	Mme. Dilyovska
Alice Pearce	...	Lucy Shmeeler
George Meader	...	Professor

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #13929) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U

Filming Locations:

5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

"On the Town" originally debuted on Broadway on December 28, 1944 at the Adelphi Theatre running 462 performances with a cast that included Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Nancy Walker.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Near the end of "Prehistoric Man" when the dancing moves in front of the dinosaur, Claire's mark can be seen on the floor.

Quotes:

Ivy Smith: Getting involved is so... so... involving.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of Molly Shannon (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

Prehistoric Man

New York New York! It's a wonderful town!

Another Comden-Green triumph! Although it may not be as good as "Singin' In The Rain", it's truly a masterpiece that no home should be with out!

Jules Munshin is energetic in the role of Ozzie! Gene Kelly plays the part of the lovesick Gabey absolutely perfect! And although I am a die hard Kelly fan, I must say that the best male performance given in this film was from Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Mr. Frank Sinatra! In the role of Chip, he brings a certain innocence as well as that sailor spunk and vitality! And the three of them crooning songs such as "New York, New York", "Let's Go To My Place" and "On The Town" is absolutely wonderful (especially Kelly and Sinatra)!

Ann Miller is fantastic as the leggy anthropologist, Claire! She brings a lot of zest to her role! (It's hilarious to hear her refer to Ozzie as "Specimen"!) Vera-Ellen also is WONDERFUL in the role of Ivy, or "Miss Turnstiles"! She is a highly underrated actress... and her dancing is truly DIVINE! However, another highly underated actress is Betty Garrett, who portrays the female cabbie, Hildie! She makes the role zippy and sassy... and she and Chip singing "Let's Go To My Place" is an absolute knee-slapper that will have you laughing and singing with it every time! Alice Pearce is also rather funny as Hildie's roomate, Lucy Shmeeler.

I recommend this movie to anyone who is a fan of musicals, especially the older ones, such as "An American In Paris", "Singin' In The Rain" and "Take Me Out To The Ballgame." This carefree frolic of a film will leave you laughing and singing for days!