On the Town

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Three sailors on a 24-hour pass -- Gabey (Gene Kelly), Chip (Frank Sinatra), and Ozzie (Jules Munshin) -- decide to soak up the sights and sounds of New York. Each one finds romance within those 24 hours: Gabey with aspiring dancer Ivy Smith (Vera-Ellen), Chip with lady cabbie Hildy Esterhazy (Betty Garrett), and Ozzie with paleontology student Claire Huddesten (Ann Miller). That's all, right? Wellll....Ivy passes herself off as a celebrity, but she's actually a kootch dancer in Coney Island. Claire and the boys inadvertently topple a dinosaur replica at the Museum of Anthropological History. And Hildy breaks any number of speeding laws attempting to get the lovers together and straighten out all misunderstandings. Adapted from the Broadway musical by Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Leonard Bernstein, On the Town is one of the freshest, most exhilarating musicals turned out by the old MGM regime. The stars' verve and camaraderie are contagious, and the songs are staged by legendary musical director Stanley Donen and Kelly himself with wit and innovation. Highlights include the opening "New York, New York" number, shot on location and flat-cutting from one image to another at a dizzying pace, and Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen's ""Miss Turnstyles Ballet."" ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Screen: Color
• Features:
  • cc
  • Theatrical trailer

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Musical Score - 1949 (Roger Edens, Lennie Hayton)

• British Academy of Film and Television Arts

•     Nominated Best Film - Any Source - 1950 (Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Gene Kelly - Gabey
       Frank Sinatra - Chip
       Betty Garrett - Brunhilde Esterhazy
       Ann Miller - Claire Huddesen
       Jules Munshin - Ozzie
       Vera - Ellen - Ivy Smith
       Florence Bates - Mme. Dilyovska
       Alice Pearce - Lucy Shmeeler
       George Meader - Professor
       Alex Romero

• Director:

  Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly

• Producer:

  Arthur Freed

• Screenwriter:

  Betty Comden

• Play Author:

  Betty Comden

• Screenwriter:

  Adolph Green

• Play Author:

  Adolph Green, Jerome Robbins

• Cinematographer:

  Harold Hal Rosson

• Composer (Music Score):

  Leonard Bernstein, Saul Chaplin, Roger Edens

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Roger Edens

• Songwriter:

  Roger Edens

• Composer (Music Score):

  Lennie Hayton

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Lennie Hayton

• Composer (Music Score):

  Conrad Salinger

• Editor:

  Ralph Winters

• Art Director:

  Cedric Gibbons, Jack Martin Smith

• Set Designer:

  Jack D. Moore, Edwin B. Willis

• Costume Designer:

  Helen Rose

• Makeup:

  Jack Dawn, Sydney Guilaroff

• Special Effects:

  Warren Newcombe

• Choreography:

  Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly

REVIEW:

• On the Town was one of MGM's brightest films of the post-WWII era, symbolizing the optimistic view of the future that was widely held in the U.S. in 1949. Three sailors (Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, and Jules Munshin) have a 24-hour pass in which to see New York City. Fortunately, they also have a fine song score to take along with them, and some unusually fine choreography. As should be expected from an MGM production from this era, the tech credits are superb and the overall production design memorable. This is one of the best films produced by MGM's Arthur Freed unit, and it would probably be remembered as the single best musical of its era if it were not for Singin' in the Rain (1952). ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi