On the Town

On the Town (1949)

Directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly

Story by Jerome Robbins

Screenplay by Adolph Green and Betty Comden

Based on their musical

Stars: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Vera-Ellen, and Florence Bates

My intent was to make a double feature with this and Anchors Aweigh. When I didn't like Anchors that much, I scrapped those plans right away. I made the right decision. This psuedo-sequel doesn't fare any better.

Three sailors; Gabey (Kelly), Chip (Sinatra) and Ozzie (Munshin) are on shore leave for only 24 hours. They try to make the best out of the time they have in NYC.

Are you trying to tell me that they were able to go to all of those places in one day? Highly doubtful. The sailors were able to fall in love with three women before they leave. Okay.

The story line is boring. I did not care about what was happening. Some of the dance breaks were cool to see, but it wasn't enough to enjoy the movie.

Rating: 5/10
 

Anchors Aweigh

Anchors Aweigh (1945)

Directed by George Sidney

Animated sequences directed by Joseph Barbera and William Hanna

Story by Natalie Marcin

Screenplay by Isobel Lennart 

Stars: Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Kathryn Grayson, Dean Stockwell, Pamela Britton, and José Iturbi

I have been on a Gene Kelly kick as of late. I wanted to see the movie that got him his first and only Oscar nomination. Being the first of three pairing with himself and Frank Sinatra, I thought I would have like this more.

Joseph Brady (Kelly) and Clarence Doolittle (Sinatra) are on shore leave from the Navy when Brady saved Doolittle's life during a mission. They are awarded The Silver Star. During their time in Hollywood, they are saddled with Donald Martin (Stockwell), a precocious little kid that wants to join the Navy. They wait at Donald's house when the pair meet Susan (Grayson), Donald's aunt who dream it is to audition for the famous composer José Iturbi. 

A major pet peeve of mine in movies is a whiny brat of a kid. I cannot stand it. I'm not saying that it was Stockwell's fault, but oh boy. I wanted to turn the film off right then.

I wanted to be swept up in the fantasy of the movie, but the pacing was too slow for me. The movie is two and half hours long. It was a slog to get through this. 

There were two dancing breaks sequences here that could have been cut out and it would not have affected the story. The central plot of the movie is simple. It seemed that a whole bunch of fluff was packed in there for no reasons.

Did Kelly earn his Oscar nomination? Yes. He was good in the movie. Did the movie deserve the five Oscar nominations it did? Not really.

Rating: 6/10