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
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