On the Town (1949)

Three sailors on a day of shore leave in New York City look for fun and romance before their twenty-four hours are up.

Directors:

Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly

Writers:

Adolph Green (screenplay), Betty Comden (screenplay),

Stars:

Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited 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 Schmeeler
George Meader	...	Professor

Storyline

Three sailors - Gabey, Chip and Ozzie - let loose on a 24-hour pass in New York and the Big Apple will never be the same! Gabey falls head over heels for "Miss Turnstiles of the Month" (he thinks she's a high society deb when she's really a 'cooch dancer at Coney Island); innocent Chip gets highjacked (literally) by a lady cab driver; and Ozzie becomes the object of interest of a gorgeous anthropologist who thinks he's the perfect example of a "prehistoric man". Wonderful music and terrific shots of New York at its best.

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Plot Keywords:

sailor | anthropologist | prehistoric man | miss turnstiles | turnstile | 

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Taglines:

They Paint The Town With Joy!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 December 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Heut' gehn wir bummeln

Filming Locations:

5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,111,250 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Loew's

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Before purchasing the film rights to the musical, M-G-M had assigned George Abbott, the director of the stage show, to direct the film version. However, Louis B. Mayer and other studio executives disliked the stage show when they saw it and regretted their involvement in the property. By November 1945, the studio had assigned Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen to direct the film, and contracted Betty Comden and Adolph Green to rewrite the book with much of Leonard Bernstein's original score discarded. The film features only four songs from the original musical, those composed by Leonard Bernstein, and six that were created especially for the screen.

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Goofs

Near the end of "Prehistoric Man" when the dancing moves in front of the dinosaur, Claire's mark can be seen on the floor.

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Quotes

Gabey: Gesundheit.
Lucy Schmeeler: That's the nicest thing anybody ever said to me!

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Connections

Referenced in Gilmore Girls: Run Away, Little Boy (2001)

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Soundtracks

"New York, New York"
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden
Sung and danced by Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin

User Reviews

Classic musical that set Kelly on the path of true stardom

Great score by Bernstein and awesome dancing (of course) by Kelly and company. Nice color and photography, engaging and amusing story lags only at the end. Sinatra is pleasingly pursued by Betty Garrett (much as in the previous "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"). Only 4 songs from the original musical by Bernstein, MGM pulls another "Roger Eden" (a man whose mission in life seemed to have been to ruin good stage musicals.... as witness his atrocity of "Funny Face").

Comden and Green's wonderful sparkling words are often missed, but this musical did fortunately bring their talents to the attention of MGM, Freed, Kelly and Donen. They scripted "Singing in the Rain" and I guess the rest is history, although Comden and Green should be better remembered for their outstanding broadway hits: "On the Town", "Wonderful Town", "Bells are Ringing" and so many more.