"That's the nicest thing anybody ever said to me!"
Three sailors, Gabey (Kelly), Chip (Sinatra), and Ozzie (Munshin) have 24 hour leave in New York City. They are excited and want to spend the day sightseeing and looking for dates. While on the subway, Gabey falls for a picture of Miss Turnstiles, Ivy Smith (Ellen), who he thinks is a local celebrity. They meet briefly, but before anything can happen, she is whisked away. Gabey vows to find her before the day is over.
They hire cab driver Hilde (Garrett) to drive them around the city. Hilde is smitten with the oblivious Chip, who is more interested in his guide book. Their search take the group to a museum. At the museum anthropologist Claire (Miller) is intrigued by Ozzie, who resembles the prehistoric man of her research. The friends split up to continue the search for Ivy, who Gabey finds at a dance studio. Unbeknown to Gabey, Ivy is a dancer trying to make ends meet. She agrees to be his date for the evening.
The friends, and dates, meet up for a night on the town. What could go wrong?
This film was rated well by AFI and according to IMDb.com it was nominated for some awards. Honestly, I don't understand it. Normally I love musicals, but I was not impressed here. It should work. Gene Kelly, Ann Miller, and Vera-Ellen are great dancers and known for their fantastic footwork. And Frank Sinatra is a singer... Apparently Betty Garrett was a star, but this was my first exposure to her, although I did know the name. Jules Munshin, never heard of and not entirely impressed. You'd think with a cast this good, you could have an awesome musical.
The story is choppy. The dances are great, with intricate and memorable choreography. Some of the songs work and some fall flat. The worst song is "Prehistoric Man," although Ann Miller does everything in her power to sell it, it is in really bad taste. The characters never develop, especially Ozzie who gets the least screen time. One acting highlight is Hilde's roommate, Lucy (Alice Pearce). She is annoying, but also the funniest character. She gets the best lines (she is quoted above), and is the only member of the original Broadway cast in the film. I'm sure the Broadway show was great, but the movie is not consistent enough to make a dent.
Check out the funny and irrelevant review by Tom and Lorenzo, in their Musical Monday category.
On the Town (1949) 98 minutes
Director: Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly
Starring: Gene Kelly as Gabey
Frank Sinatra as Chip
Betty Garrett as Hilde Esterhazy
Ann Miller as Claire Huddesen
Jules Munshin as Ozzie
Vera-Ellen as Ivy Smith
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