It’s 6 am and three sailors have shore relieve for just one
day. Landed in the “wonderful town” of New York, the boys are out to paint the
town red, see the sights, and pick up some girls. Getting off to a great start,
the boys’ day soon escalates into one that they’ll never forget as they
sabotage a museum, get chased all over town by the cops, and pick up some girls
that turn out to be the girls of their dreams.
It’s Gene Kelly and Frank
Sinatra as sailors out to get laid: what’s
not to love?! At its premise On the
Town is a very simple story based on sex, it’s really quite cheeky when you
think about seeing as this movie falls into the “Great Musicals of the Golden
Age” category alongside Singin’ In the Rain and An American in Paris. But it’s the
story’s simplicity and complete openness to comic, romantic, musical, and even
political interpretation that makes it so loveable. I LOVE THIS MOVIE!
It’s 6
am and three sailors have shore relieve for just one day. Landed in the
“wonderful town” of New York, the boys are out to paint the town red, see the
sights, and pick up some girls. Getting off to a great start, the boys’ day
soon escalates into one that they’ll never forget as they sabotage a museum,
get chased all over town by the cops, and pick up some girls that turn out to
be the girls of their dreams.
So yes, the basic story is just about three sailor’s looking for a “good” time. There are
so many sexual connotations and entendres in this movie it’s downright
impossible to oversee that point. But at the same time directors Gene Kelly and
Stanley Donen are also making a statement about the working class everyman who,
encumbered by a strict working routine, tries to cram as much fun and
experience into such a short time as he can.
The film is a musical comedy in
three acts and it’s particularly impressive how On the Town manages to cram so much into the space of an hour and a
half: it’s quite reflective of its three heroes isn’t it? Throughout the movie,
audiences are kept in their seats by a mixture of whimsical and high-powered
dance routines including a beautiful ballet segment, comedic romances, romantic
romances, jazzy and catchy songs, drama, and even some action with the
high-powered car chase towards the end. The balance of the genres is excellent
and leaves the movie with not much else wanting.
The characters of the heroes
and their contrasting heroines bring a fair amount of the comedy, along with
the sexual entendres of course. Gene Kelly is the “romantic one” with his
amorous face and swooning gestures. He falls for a small-town girl, believing
her to be a celebrity, and it’s their romance that brings about the film’s
drama. Frank Sinatra is the “cultural one” whose idea of a good time is to see
the sights of New York. He ends up with a stubborn and cynically witty cab
driver: a perfect counter balance. Jules Munshin is the “simple one” with his
one-track mind and charmingly stupid face. To counter his character, he falls
for a beautiful and smart anthropologist who digs him because he’s a “prehistoric
man”. The contrasts in the leading men and women of this film are wonderful and
make for great entertainment.
Starring Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Vera-Ellen.
Florence Bates, Alice Pearce, George Meader, and Judy Holliday, On the Town is a wonderful film packed
with brilliant dance sequences, catchy songs, comedy, romance, drama, and
action. I absolutely loved it and am proud to have it in my collection.
New York New York it's a wonderful town!
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