Is It Worth the Watch?

It was a night for another made-it-this-far-without-seeing-it-before movie, the 1949 film version of the Broadway hit On the Town, directed by Gene Kelly (who also choreographed and played one of the leads) and Stanley Donen. While just fine, even quite good as shiny, effervescent, mindless entertainment, it eviscerates the original Broadway source, cutting 4/5th of Leonard Bernstein’s brilliant score, and adding new songs by Roger Edens which do almost nothing to forward the plot or define the characters.

The story of three sailors on a twenty-four hour shore leave in New York City is basically the same as it was on stage, but the characters have lost their distinctive detail and sharp wit.

Like many MGM musicals, the photography is stunningly beautiful, the dancing extraordinary, the acting stylistically overplayed, and the whole thing is certainly diverting and entertaining. It is fun to see Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra in a buddy movie (their third together), and Ann Miller always delivers spectacular musical performances.

Is It Worth The Watch? If you don’t know the stage version, you’ll find this film wildly entertaining. It just could’ve been so much more.

1949

98 minutes

Starring – Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Ann Miller, Betty Garrett, Jules Munshin, Vera-Ellen, Alice Pearce

Director – Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen

Screenplay – Betty Comden, Adolph Green

Musical Score – Leonard Bernstein, Roger Edans, Betty Comden (lyrics), Adolph Green (lyrics)

Source – 1944 Broadway musical On the Town by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, based on an idea by Jerome Robins