Daily BirthdaysOn the Town (1949)
Facts
 
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| Directed by | Gene Kelly |
| Cast | Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Vera-Ellen, Jules Munshin, Ann Miller, Florence Bates, Don Brodie, Vera Ellen, Betty Garrett, Judy Holliday, Alice Pearce and Robert Williams |
| Theatrical Release | December 30, 1949 |
| DVD Release | May 2, 2000 |
| Running Time | 98 minutes |
| MPAA Rating | NR (Not Rated) |
| UPC Code | 012569509221 |
| Buy this item | $17.99 at Amazon.com As of Jul 19 11:45 EDT (details) 1 DVD, Warner Home Video, Usually ships in 24 hours, Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC Languages: English (Original Language - Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed) Or 20 new from $8.95, 14 used from $6.95 |
About On the Town
New York, New York--it's a helluva town; the Bronx is up and the Battery's down; the people ride in a hole in the ground.... Well, you get the idea. Those lyrics (by Betty Comden and Adolph Green), set to Leonard Bernstein's music, have made On the Town a permanent part of the psychological landscape of New York City. The story (inspired by Jerome Robbins's ballet Fancy Free) is pretty slight: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin play sailors with 24 hours' leave to take their bite out of the Big Apple. When they meet, and then lose, this month's Miss Turnstiles (Vera-Ellen), they scour the town in search of her, bumping into a lady anthropologist (Ann Miller) along the way. Shot mostly in the studio, but with location exteriors all over town, from Coney Island to the Statue of Liberty to Central Park, this 1949 gem was the first of three great musicals codirected by Kelly and Stanley Donen, followed by Singin' in the Rain (1952) and the underrated It's Always Fair Weather (1955). --Jim Emerson Amazon.com essential video
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Average user review:
(65 reviews) |  | WHV DVD release of 13 May 2008 |  |
(FIVE stars for the movie itself!) June 28, 2008
 | | Top notch musical from co-directors Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen a pity Warner couldn't chip in some extras... | |
Based on the popular 1944 Broadway musical co-written by Leonard Bernstein and directed by Jerome Robbins, "On the Town" was notable for a number of firsts. It was the first musical shot on location in New York City. It was the first collaboration between director Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly. It was Donen first film. It also marked the first films of Carol Haney and Bea Benaderet. Although it was lost in the wake of later Kelly-Donen films including "Singing in the Rain", "On the Town" perfectly captures the magic of the play and cast.
Many of the original songs were replaced by new material as producer Arthur Freed felt that they were a bit too sophisticated for the average American filmgoer. The result is that we have a mixed score with material by Roger Edens and Bernstein (with lyrics co-written by Adolph Green and Betty Comden). Although the new material isn't as strong as the Bernstein material, the film overcomes these hurtles by incorporating strong choreography.
The re-release of this film accompanies a new boxed set of Kelly-Sinatra musicals although all the titles for that box set are available individually.
"On the Town" looks terrific with nice robust colors that capture the look of the early three strip Technicolor process. Although a bit grainy at times, the film looks quite good. Sure, the studio could have cleaned up the look of the film a bit more but films that have that digital sheen often lose much of their character in the process. I'm not sure if this has been reissued because a new high definition master has been prepared or not but it looks extremely good in its new presentation.
The mono soundtrack sounds great with a nice dynamic range and no noticeable drop outs. There was some minor clipping but on the whole the sound is terrific.
No new special features in this reissue with only the original theatrical trailer included. It's a pity because there are BBC interviews with Kelly and recent TCM interviews with other cast members discussing the making of the film. If they were well integrated with production/promotional stills, new observations by film historians and footage from the film we could have a fine featurette. We could also find out bits of trivia about the shooting of the film for example co-star Jules Munshin's fear of heights. That necessitated that he perform at least one musical number with a rope tied around him (the other end was tied to co-director Stanley Donen who was off screen) and it would also explain his almost obsessive need in one particular dance sequence to touch and run his hands across the various props.
A marvelous musical with Kelly, Sinatra and the rest of the cast in top form, "On the Town" has lost none of its charm, wit or entertainment value. The vintage footage of New York City during the late 40's will also be delightful to viewers. It's a pity this wasn't spiffed up for release.
May 19, 2008
 | | Another botched musical! | |
Let me say first that film version of "On the Town" is lively and entertaining, but no more so than many musicals of the 1940s, including "Anchors Aweigh," the very enjoyable 1945 movie starring Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly as two sailors on leave in Hollywood.
The musical score of that film (by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne) is excellent. Sinatra's rendition of "I Fall in Love Too Easily" still leaves me with chills. But I'll leave it to others to argue over which is the better film.
There are at least two ways to review "On the Town" or any other film of a Broadway musical: Take it for what it is, or express regrets over what it could have been. I fall into the latter camp.
"On the Town" opened on Broadway in 1944 and ran for more than 460 performances - a healthy run for shows of the time. It was an "integrated" show, in which the book, songs and dances are tightly bound to advance the plot. Choreograper Jerome Robbins created innovative dances full of energy. The forerunner of "On the Town was the highly successful Leonard Bernstein-Robbins ballet "Fancy Free." The creation of the musical play was inspired by Robbins.
In 1960 Columbia Records released "The First Full-Length Recording" of the show, which included members of the original cast:
(Nancy Walker as Hildy the taxi driver, Betty Comden as Claire DeLoone (Claire Huddeson in the film) the anthropologist, Adolph Green (Ozzie) and Cris Alexander (Chip) as two of the sailors. John Battles as the other sailor (Gabey) is not heard on the album (John Reardon performs in his place. This is the REAL "On the Town."
But producer Arthur Freed felt that the songs in the play were too sophisticated for film audiences, so most of the numbers in the play were dropped and second-rate composer Roger Edens filled out the score (I have to assume that Comden and Green were dragooned into writing the substandard lyrics that accompanied Edens' music). All of this confirms the saw that no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American people.
(Producers weren't entirely at fault. The Production Code Administration's censors were always on the lookout for anything that might violate its strict, moralistic code.)
Even the two of the three songs that were retained in the movie, "New York New York" and "Come Up to My Place," were reduced to shadows of the original versions. Leonard Bernsteins's jazzy score was castrated by orchestrator Conrad Salinger and clever lyrics were dropped or altered. These factors changed the atmosphere and mood of the film.
Among the songs that were omitted: "Lucky to Be Me," which has become a standard, sung by Gabey as he awaits his date; "I Can Cook Too," Hildy's witty mating song for Chip; "Carried Away," another funny number sung by Claire and Ozzie in the museum, in which they express a mutual weakness (the song was replaced by the silly "Primitive Man" number, which was only salvaged by Ann Miller's dancing; "Some Other Time," a poignant song, with a marvelous vocal arrangement, that acknowledges that the 24-hour leave is almost over (there are about two dozen versions of this song currently in print); "Ya Got Me," a propulsive, bouncy song with a Latin beat that the gang sings to Gabey to cheer him up (this was replaced in the film by an inferior, corny C&W song.
For many successful musicals, MGM turned to established outside composers and lyricists. "Meet Me in St. Louis," "The Harvey Girls" and "It Happened in Brooklyn" are just three examples of this practice.
Roger Edens is simply not in their league.
So, I suggest that anyone who reads this review acquire or hear the 1960 Columbia album, or even the 1992 studio version that includes even more music.
Your high opinion of the film may change significantly.
October 8, 2007
 | | Classic you should own | |
| | | WORTH GOLD JUST FOR ANN'S PRIMITIVE MAN ROUTINE! | |
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