222. On the Town (1949)

Running Time: 98 minutes
Directed By: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Written By: Adolph Green & Betty Comden, from their play
Main Cast: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin, Ann Miller, Betty Garrett
Click here to view the trailer

SINGIN' SAILORS

Who doesn't love to watch Gene Kelly dance and hear Frank Sinatra sing? I know I do! However, this film fell short of my expectations and I'd much rather watch Gene Kelly splash through the rain than see him donning a sailor suit and singing songs about the Big Apple.

Gabey (Kelly), Chip (Sinatra) and Ozzie (Munshin) are three sailors who have been granted a 24-hour leave and plan to spend it scouring New York City, taking in the sights and picking up dates. Gabey sets his eyes on a local girl named Ivy Smith (Garrett), whose face he spots on a poster in the subway, as she is the current Ms. Turnstiles for the month of June. Gabey has been shot by cupid's arrow and plans to search the city until he tracks her down. Along the way, Gabey's buddies meet gals of their own, with Chip being chased by a female cab driver named Hildy and Ozzie being seduced by anthropologist Claire (Miller). These five split up to track down Ms. Turnstiles so that they can triple date the night away in NYC and eventually Gabey finds her and the two make a date to meet atop the Empire State Building. However, Ivy feels she must admit to Gabey that she really isn't the hotshot that the posters made her out to be and really, she's just an everyday girl, who happens to hail from the same small town that Gabey does. When she can't admit her true identity to Gabey, she runs away and the chase to find her resumes.

Before I rip this film apart, let me just say that "On the Town" IS a whole lot of fun - there's no doubting that. If you don't smile at least a handful of times while watching this, then obviously you're incapable of being entertained. I was able to have fun with this movie, allow myself to be entertained and come out thoroughly enjoying it, but still having to admit that it was just a little too perky for my tastes. I've seen dozens of better musicals than this, musicals with better music and a better story. There were really only a few songs that I found myself really enjoying, such as: "Prehistoric Man", "You're Awful" and "Count On Me", while the rest just weren't catchy enough, especially the title song, "New York, New York". The story itself wasn't that great either, but I can say the the choreography was quite good, especially the "Miss Turnstiles Ballet" scene and the "A Day in New York" piece. The film also gave me a chance to gander at a new find, as I found Ann Miller to be very enjoyable, very talented and very good looking.

RATING: 5.5/10  Am I short changing you guys with these short reviews? I just don't want to ramble, that's all. Anyway, I've seen a lot of memorable musicals on my quest through THE BOOK, but "On the Town" isn't one of them. Aside from Ann Miller and a few numbers, this film was quite forgettable...fun while it lasted, but forgettable.


MOVIES WATCHED: 430
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 571

April 22, 2012  9:36pm