Hit the Deck (1955) User Reviews

Why care if its been done before? It's still great!

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 1 February 2013]

Sing Hallelujah and Get Happy! Entertainment is on its way! The composers who wrote "Tea For Two" and "I Want to Be Happy" for "No No Nanette" also wrote a musical about the Navy in port long before Bernstein & Comden & Green got together for "On the Town". There weren't Jerome Robbins ballets or Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra in uniform, no world war, just sailor on leave coming to see their girls. "Shore Leave", the original play this was based upon, was also made as the Astaire/Rogers musical "Swing Time" with songs by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields. 25 years later, the Broadway version of the original musical was back on the screen (a 1930 film version has apparently vanished from the face of the earth) and filled with MGM's best musical contract players.

Tony Martin, Vic Damone and Russ Tamblyn are the sailors; Ann Miller, Jane Powell and Debbie Reynolds are their girls. Miller tap dances (barefoot this time!) to "The Lady From the Bayou", indignant to the fact she hasn't heard from Martin in ions; Powell is hoping for an audition from producer Gene Raymond who has only one thing on his mind, and Reynolds is the plucky youngest of the trio who is just out for romance. She finds it inside a carnival haunted house in a dance with Tamblyn in one of the most underrated sequences from an MGM musical. Why it was not even briefly included in any of the "That's Entertainment!" films is beyond comprehension. Powell sings the beautiful "Sometimes I'm Happy" as only she could with her delightful soprano. Then, there's the very Italian Kay Armen along to sing the crowd-pleasing standard "Ciribiribin" and takes center stage in "Hallelujah!" at the finale.

There are so many wonderful moments in this "let's just have fun" musical comedy that there's really nothing to complain about. It's not "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers", but it's certainly no "Kissing Bandit" either. Such veterans as Walter Pidgeon (as Powell's father), Jane Darwell and Alan King pop up as well to make this an entertaining treat that is sure to delight you!

Don't Give Up That Ship

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 3 February 2006]

The play Shore Leave was given another and final musical adaption in 1955 serving as a great showcase for some mighty talented stars at MGM. Vincent Youmans and Irving Caesar wrote the original musical Hit the Deck for Broadway in the twenties and an film adaption was done in 1930 starring Jack Oakie. Then Irving Berlin did his own version for the screen in Follow the Fleet for Fred and Ginger.

Come 1955 and we have still another script retaining some of the Youmans-Caesar songs and adding several Youmans numbers from other shows. The songs are well integrated into the story since it involves some sailors on shore leave in San Francisco involved with some musical performers.

The sailors are Tony Martin, Vic Damone, and Russ Tamblyn. Martin and Damone are two of the best voices around and Tamblyn is a good dancer. They pair off with Ann Miller, Jane Powell, and Debbie Reynolds.

Martin is having trouble with Miller, they have a Nathan Detroit/Adelaide relationship long distance and she's tired of it. In the mean time Powell who is Tamblyn's sister is involved with a Broadway wolf played with relish by Gene Raymond. Both are the offspring of Admiral Walter Pidgeon.

Anyway our sailors rescue damsel in distress Powell and spend most of the film hiding from the Shore Patrol. One of the two Shore Patrolmen is played by Alan King who was appearing with Martin in his nightclub act and Martin got the part for him in Hit the Deck.

Powell and Damone had already been a screen team in Rich, Young and Pretty and also had appeared in Deep in My Heart together in a musical number. They do a two nice duets with a couple of noted Youmans songs I Know that You Know and Sometimes I'm Happy. Martin's big solo number is the famous More Than You Know trying to win Miller back. And our Ann dances to Keeping Myself for You, Bayou, and the Hallelujah finale number.

Up till Showboat, musicals in fact had thin plots for stories and were just an excuse for singing and dancing. Hit the Deck is a throwback to those days. But a nicely done throwback.

Of course Ann Miller is just fine, but why oh why didn't MGM cast Cyd Charisse opposite her husband? Missed another opportunity.

Look for Richard Anderson who has a small role as the aide to Walter Pidgeon. In a very understated way he's the one who brings about a satisfactory conclusion to one and all.

Swab jockeys woo dames, get in dutch with the Shore Patrol

[helpless_dancer · 7/10 · 19 June 2001]

Three sailors can't stay out of trouble. Be it with the girls, mom, or conniving dandies. Plenty of action is provided through song and dance routines where everyone gives fine performances. While this was not a great musical, it was still a nice little story with some good funny spots supplied by J. Carroll Naish and Alan King.

Shares a similar premise with On the Town...

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 17 May 2023]

... from six years earlier: three sailors on leave in the big city, except in Hit the Deck, the metropolis is San Francisco. The sailors are played by Russ Tamblyn, Tony Martin, and Vic Damone. They cross paths with Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, and Ann Miller. There are some fun musical numbers, notably Keeping Myself for You, and Lady From the Bayou, fabulously performed by Ann Miller dancing up a storm against rich color backgrounds and sets. Another uplifting tune was Hallelujah!

I found the film's energy peaked whenever Ann was on screen. (Ann also appeared in On the Town.) Jane Powell's part was terribly underwritten. Jane had more chemistry with Gene Raymond, the older married man she was seeing, then with Vic Damone, who ends up winning her heart. Walter Pidgeon is also on hand, playing an Admiral and father to Jane and Russ. Hit the Deck is a second tier MGM musical, which, considering the many masterpieces the studio turned out, is still very good.

Ignore the Nay-Sayer Reviews...

[CoolKatGretch · 7/10 · 27 May 2018]

Having watched this recently on TCM and not being familiar with the film beforehand, I was drawn in by the quick pace and competent acting, not to mention the pretty leading gals Reynolds and Miller.. quite satisfying eye candy. But then.. came the "fun-house" musical number towards the end and that just blew me away: I mean 'psychedelic' before the word existed, perhaps surreal in contemporaneous nomenclature. That segment stood out as the perhaps the very best part, it was a thrill to watch the choreographed-to-the-second, wild and unpredictable ride of a dance routine! That film was a lot of fun to watch on a lonely night home. So reviewer whoever-you-are that hates every movie unless it has something blowing up every twelve seconds, perhaps stick to writing up Popeye cartoons where the plots and characters aren't too complex for your limited imagination. I recommend movie this as essential viewing for every musical fan.. it won't disappoint.

Doesn't completely float, doesn't sink either

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 16 October 2016]

'Hit the Deck' is not one of the classic film musicals (made during somewhat of a twilight period for MGM musicals), but there are far worse film musicals around before and since. To me, 'Hit the Deck' is problematic but underrated, and it's sad that it wasn't more of a hit (it's not anywhere close to being bad enough to deserve making a loss).

It does have its problems that stop it from completely floating. While nobody really goes to see a musical for the story, more often than not being the least exceptional thing about even the classics, the story is barely existent and unevenly paced. Coming to life in the production numbers (which are full to the brim with liveliness), as well as the comedy of J. Carrol Naish and Alan King, but drags when bogged down by the often too talky scenes and in the scenes with Russ Tamblyn, Vic Damone and Tony Martin.

Of this trio of men, only Tamblyn (also the best dancer of the three) acquits himself well in the acting stakes, being lively and likable. Damone sings wondrously, then again when did he ever not, and has some charm but was never the most exciting of actors, being somewhat bland. Worse is Martin, who is very stiff and wooden throughout and generates very little warmth which does hurt the chemistry between him and Ann Miller (making one question what on earth she saw in him). Admittedly though Damone and Martin fare better as singers than Tamblyn, who actually was dubbed and while Rex Dennis does a good job the dubbing was just too obvious, the voice sounding too deep and muscular to come out of Tamblyn.

The ladies however fare much better. Ann Miller steals the show in the knockout that is the exuberantly choreographed and visually dazzling "Lady from the Bayou". Choreographically, a very close second best would be the inventive number in the fun house between Tamblyn and Debbie Reynolds, who beguiles vocally, radiates personality-wise and will make even the most cynical of people go weak at the knees at the sight of her in that blue dress. Jane Powell is cute as a button as always and sets hearts aflutter whenever she sings. Kay Armen kills it in "Ciribiribin" and "Hallelujah", while Walter Pidgeon effortlessly commands the screen whenever he appears and Naish and King are comic delights.

Visually, 'Hit the Deck' is shot in truly ravishing CinemaScope, looking especially fetching in "Lady from the Bayou" and "Hallelujah". The songs are very tuneful and while not unforgettable (generally the exuberant choreography of "Lady from the Bayou" and the fun house duet make more of an impression) they are not unmemorable or unhummable. "Sometimes I'm Happy", "I Know that You Know", and "Hallelujah" come off best, though "Why oh Why" entertains too.

On the whole, uneven and doesn't completely float but has enough great things that stop it from sinking or being a ship-wreck. 7/10 Bethany Cox

MGM's last gasp of a musical before the genre was out...

[Doylenf · 23 May 2001]

Another of MGM's sailors-on-leave musicals, a small-time 'On the Town' designed to utilize their formidable roster of singing and dancing talent. Tony Martin, Vic Damone and Russ Tamblyn are the sailors on leave in San Francisco. The girls they meet are Jane Powell, Ann Miller and Debbie Reynolds. With the Shore Patrol headed by comic Alan King, you can be sure everything's played for laughs before matters get straightened out.

The grand finale aboard ship is a show-stopping number and for this the letterbox format is used to take full advantage of the choreography and music staged by Hermes Pan. In the tradition of 'On the Town' and 'Anchors Aweigh' (but with much more modest results), this is a happy go lucky musical that aims to please but falls just a bit short of its mark. No fault of the performers--they're all fine. It's the weak script based on a 1927 Broadway smash, updated for so-so results.

Jane Powell and Vic Damone are in fine voice, and Russ Tamblyn and Ann Miller provide plenty of top-notch dancing. If you're in the mood for the shore leave kind of musical, this will do nicely.

Strong Female Leads

[atlasmb · 7/10 · 10 August 2020]

Though this film has plenty of talent in the lead roles, it has an unimpressive story and the songs are not inspiring as a whole. However, the film grew on me as it progressed. By its end, I found myself actually enjoying it.

The female leads are very strong. Consider Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds and Ann Miller. But the three leading men do not generate as much on-screen magic, leaving the production imbalanced and the love stories uninspiring.

"On the Town" (1949)---in contrast---is a much stronger film, that possesses energy throughout.

Very underrated!

[inframan · 8/10 · 30 March 2004]

This may have been made in the dying days of MGM musicals. No Sinatra. No Kelly. But it has some spectacular classic songs by Vincent Youmans. Plus 2 of the finest voices of all time singing together:

Tony Martin & Vic Damone. AND superior musical arrangements & Russ Tamblyn dancing.

Never mind the negative reviews elsewhere. They do not make them like this any more. For sure. So enjoy it! Great musical!!

rambling musical

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 14 August 2022]

Danny Xavier Smith (Russ Tamblyn), Rico Ferrari (Vic Damone), and William F. Clark (Tony Martin) are Navy buddies going from one bad assignment to another. The three sailors get a two day shore leave in San Francisco. Bill checks up on his fiancée Ginger (Ann Miller) who is angry with waiting six years stuck in engagement. Rico visits his widowed mother who has a new boyfriend. Danny meets up with his father (Walter Pidgeon) who is an admiral from a long line of admirals. His older sister Susie (Jane Powell) is dating a playboy. He falls for theater dancer Carol Pace (Debbie Reynolds) and joins her rehearsal without even an invitation.

Jane Powell dances with a toy penguin. Debbie Reynolds dances adorably. Ann Miller dances up a storm. I do recognize Russ Tamblyn. With so many characters, the movie tends to jump around and give each story short-shrift aside from the musical numbers. It's a lot of characters to keep track. It has its fun but it's too rambling. It's a very 50's musical and feels a bit old fashion.

Hey, don't ignore Kay Armen! The swan MGM big musical film for the many talents: Just about perfect fun!

[weezeralfalfa · 10/10 · 9 August 2014]

So, who's Kay Armen? Her minor character is essentially her only film role: a bloody shame! She was a well-respected singer, composer, and actress. With her Mediterranean looks(of Armenian ancestry), she was cast as Vic Damone's mother. She participated in the occasional comedy of flower shop owner Mr. Peroni(Chico Marx-imitating J. Carrol Naish) as her skittish suitor. But, she also led 2 group sings : the informal group of most of the stars in her house, singing "Ciribiribin", and part of the grand finale, featuring a reprise of "Hallelujah". Thus, we really have a superabundance of charismatic singing talent, both male and female, along with sufficient dancing talent.

The screenplay is ultimately based upon the '20s play of the same name. Nearly all the songs are taken from the original play or other Youmans compositions from that era. However, the plot construction clearly owes much to the '49 MGM hit "On the Town", which also involved 3 sailors on leave, hooking up with 3 girls. Threesomes of stars of one or both sexes had become a popular format for MGM musicals in the '50s, after the success of "On the Town".

Debbie and Jane were rather similar cute perky young musical and acting talents, in this, their third pairing. However, Debbie was more known for her song and dance, largely thanks to Gene Kelly, while Jane typically specialized in dreamy romantic ballads, often without dancing. Here, we see this prejudicial division of their featured musical roles, with Debbie being the female lead in 2 song and dance stage productions, both including a bunch of sailors. In "A Kiss or Two", Russ Tamblyn makes it more than just a routine stage song and dance by incongruously sneaking into the ongoing production rehearsal, attempting to take over the lead male role, and stealing a kiss or two from the flabbergasted Debbie. In "Join the Navy" + "Loo Loo", singing and dancing with a company of sailors, she is sometimes tossed around like Eleanor Powell in one of her navy musical numbers. She also has a comical adventure with Russ in "The Devil's Funhouse".

Jane has an informal romantic number: "I Know That You Know" with Vic Damone, after an eventful audition song("Sometimes I'm Happy") and subsequent public tussle with Vic(unrealistic, but fun). Previously, she sang "Lucky Bird", alone in her bedroom, in anticipation of her audition.

The third female star is Anne Miller: also a versatile singer, dancer, comedian and actress: nearly always given a hard luck vamp image. She gets 3 dances. The first, with some other female dancers, isn't unusually interesting, although Tony Martin gets to sing some. In the next, she emerges as the tigress "The Lady From the Bayou", with a group of supporting male dancers: rather reminiscent of her vampish dance in "Lovely To Look At". She soon sends her shoes flying, and dances barefoot, thus foregoing her trademark tap dancing, which we see plenty of in front of a company of sailors, in the grand finale.

Unfortunately, the 3 lead sailors weren't as versatile in their relevant talents. Veteran Tony Martin had a great singing voice, as did Vic Damone, but they were not stage dancers nor notable actors. Sleepy-eyed Tony does a decent acting job here, in contrast to his early films. Vic also does OK as an actor. Russ Tamblyn had achieved wide exposure the previous year as a dancer and actor in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", and would later have an important role in the musical "West Side Story". However, singing was considered his weak talent.

Regal old Walter Pigeon makes an excellent admiral, and victim of his son's(Russ) and daughter's (Jane) misadventures relating to the middle-aged Wendell(Gene Raymond): director of the play "Hit the Deck". He is auditioning Jane for a lead role, in his apartment and, unfortunately, is caught by the trio of lead men responding to Jane's flirtatious overtures, during and after her song. They start a brawl with Wendell, wrecking his apartment, despite Jane's attempt to break it up. However, later, she blackens his still unblackened one eye after he wants to file charges against the 3 sailors, one of whom(Russ) is her brother, and another (Vic) her newest boyfriend, in the aftermath of the brawl. Eventually, Wendell gives in. Alan King and Henry Slate, as shore patrolmen for the navy, add a bit of humor in their search for the guilty servicemen....Meanwhile, Tony's and Anne's characters are having their problems, as Anne keeps demanding that marriage-shy Tony act on their 6 year engagement or disappear. Meanwhile, Tony pretends to be interested in Vic's single mom, to hopefully hurry a marriage proposal by the hesitant Mr. Peroni(It works). Then, he finally proposes to Ginger(Anne) in an eventful , musical, scene, that includes a parrot, a hidden picture of his imaginary competition, and "More Than You Know".

The film begins with the sailors doing some oddball duties: first in the arctic, then in a tropical swamp, before getting leave in San Francisco. Includes the caper of a rubber birthday cake with flammable rum inside.

Note: Walter Pigeon played Jane's father in her first and this, her last, MGM musical.

Sorry, I just don't have any significant criticisms. "Oklahoma" and this in the same year. Wow!

MGM's Musical Parade's Gone By

[dglink · 6/10 · 29 March 2017]

If three sailors on shore leave in New York made "On the Town" a hit, then three sailors ashore in San Francisco should make "Hit the Deck" an equal success. Not quite, but not for lack of effort. MGM cast three top female musical stars, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell, and Ann Miller; hired choreographer Hermes Pan to stage the dance numbers; added veteran support from Walter Pidgeon, Jane Darwell, and Gene Raymond; used George Foley to crisply photograph the lavish sets and production numbers; and included some tuneful songs like "Hallelujah" and "Join the Navy." So, why is "Hit the Deck" only intermittently entertaining and a prime example of a film that is less than the sum of its parts?

Principally, "Hit the Deck" was torpedoed by a silly script; the boy-girl situations are childish, fluffy, and ridiculous even for a light-weight musical. Rather than hire a Vincente Minnelli, MGM employed director Roy Rowland, who was a novice at musicals and whose prior work was a string of largely forgotten movies. The male casting did not help either. While Russ Tamblyn is a terrific dancer and has a bright boyish presence, he alone cannot carry a movie. His two male co-stars, Tony Martin and Vic Damone have great voices, but their bland good looks and colorless screen personalities cannot compare with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra. Even Jane Powell and Debbie Reynolds are not at their best, which leaves Ann Miller to carry the show, and she gives it her all. Miller is at her tap-dancing best, and her performance as the eager-to-wed Ginger is quite good. When Miller is on screen, the film takes off, even when the musical numbers are less than sterling.

But even the best musical sequences often seem forced and tacked on, rather than connecting with the story, although Debbie Reynolds and Russ Tamblyn have an amusing, if irrelevant routine in a fun house. The rousing finale, which features legions of sailors in their dress whites, serves only as an all-singing all-dancing curtain call for the cast. Lacking the touch of producer Arthur Freed or director Stanley Donen or star Gene Kelly, "Hit the Deck" is an MGM musical from the years after the Golden Age had passed. While the film is harmless and fitfully entertaining, only Ann Miller at her best makes "Hit the Deck" worth seeking out.

A Total Waste of Talent

[jromanbaker · 4/10 · 28 June 2021]

If this was the last gasp of the big old fashioned MGM musicals, then it was a sad dying. The songs are mediocre, the choreography mediocre and the sets stale. The cast comprising Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds and the excellent Ann Miller really, really do their best and for this I give this cardboard film a 4. As for the men I could hardly believe any of the women could be interested in them, and Roy Rowland (a fairly good director ready to take on any genre) was clearly not at ease with the musical. 1955 was the year of ' Blackboard Jungle ' and its revolutionary call to the young with the Bill Haley song ' Rock Around the Clock, ' and for a lot of the young there was no turning back the clock to creaky songs from decades past. And ' Hit the Deck ' even if it had been good would have seemed old hat. I am surmising that Russ Tamblyn in the cast probably realised this, and along with the rest just fulfilled a contract with the studio. In any event the death rattle sounded louder than the old songs, and the ' Hallelujah ' conclusion sounded ironic to my ears. This kind of musical was certainly on its way to its final resting ground. That many here have praised its grave is fine by me, but I am not that sentimental.

splat, in cinema scope

[ptb-8 · 17 March 2005]

HIT THE DECK is a 1955 cinema scope mop up of MGM stars and talent whose contracts would have been soon to expire. A bit like a aircraft carrier version of DEEP IN MY HEART it hangs together a roster of singing and dancing talent but this time with ultimately fairly just-OK songs and energetic dance numbers. Still, even at its most bland it is still unable to be made in Hollywood today. The women are the most interesting talent on offer and whoever said Tony Martin had an audience apart from Mummas in delicatessens was truly misled. He is the most annoying part of this B grade musical with A grade MGM production values. Like he did with the Marx Bros films in the 30s. Kelly was making ITS ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER another 'sailors on leave' 1955 cinema scope MGM musical at the same time and that film with its Comden Green script and songs is light years ahead in sophistication and quality. Still HIT THE DECK has a two of very entertaining 'big' dance numbers, in particular the "finale" and the "Bayou" sizzler with its very erotic and blatant imagery and choreography. It is so out of place in this 'suburban' film as it is sooo good. The color is also very good for Eastman since MGM saw the error of their ways and stopped using horrible Ansco color which visually marred several big films in 53 and 54. This must have been as safe a bet in which MGM could expect to play out as many stars as possible in yet one more sailor musical. Russ Tamblyn and Debbie Reynolds are always cute in this era though.

unfulfilled promise for star cast and high technology production

[Dunham16 · 6/10 · 16 October 2013]

One of the most expensive musical comedy films of the 1950's, its high technology cinemascope friendly presentation and its star cast, with Walter Pidgeon, J. Carrol Naish, Richard Anderson and Alan Hale supporting an unusual set of Principals - Jane Powell, Ann Miller,Debbie Reynolds, Tony Martin, Vic Damone and Russ Tamblyn, it seems to have generated surprisingly little recent buzz. The Hubert Osborne play, later a musical comedy play by Herbert Fields, then a Hollywood film whose plot seems surprisingly similar to "Follow the Fleet" and "On The Town", offer particular strong and memorable episodes though not a strong and memorable film. Perhaps its time period, the 1950's Hollywood musical whose unwelcome attempts to meld dance style set pieces with crooning style set pieces pleased neither the generic dance audience nor the generic crooner audience, is to blame.

Decent but not memorable

[michellek10 · 6/10 · 27 January 2017]

It's not hard to imagine why this picture bombed in 1955: the "sailors on leave" theme must have seemed incredibly tired 10 years after the end of WWII, especially since the premise is similar to several earlier and better films. On the plus side, if you have a good quality television, the film looks terrific, with vibrant, sharp color. There are plenty of songs and dance sequences to keep us from dwelling on the lackluster plot. There is also an unfortunate lack of comic relief. The female leads do a credible job, though they are not matched with male stars of equal stature (with the possible exception of Vic Damone.) Walter Pigeon doesn't show up until late until late in the picture, so I don't count him. Not a great musical, but not terrible either.

An underrated MGM musical with a great cast

[RogerMooreTheBestBond · 9/10 · 12 May 2009]

This is a really fun musical with all likable character. Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds & Ann Miller play the girls and Tony Martin, Vic Damone & Russ Tamblyn play the guys. The great Walter Pidgeon plays the father of Jane and Russ. Tony tries to win back his old gal Ann. Russ romances Debbie and Jane is stuck with a womanizer until she meets up with Vic. I liked all three pairings in the film, they fit perfectly. Ann & Russ show their talents as great dancers. Jane, Tony & Vic show off their wonderful voices and Debbie does both well. Ann and Debbie have some number to show off their great pair of legs. I just love the blue dress Debbie wears at the end. Her legs are gorgeous. I think they gave Debbie the best three musical numbers. I felt Jane was underused a little bit. Jane does a cute number with a penguin and does a couple of nice duets. I would have liked to see Jane's legs showcased. She also has a great body. I don't know why some people pick on this film. The cast is just wonderful and there are some nice songs and the devil's fun house dance number with Debbie and Russ is a highlight. It's not my favorite musical, but it is one of the better ones.

Gaudy, dated, and tiresome.

[lnoft97 · 2/10 · 28 May 2014]

which doesn't mean 'gaudy and dated' can't be fun! But there's the tiresome part: this thing misfires, badly. There is a lot of talent involved, some big names from the 50's, Ann Miller doing one of her eye popping tap numbers, a few vaguely familiar songs, an interesting dance number set in a carnival haunted house. Nevertheless, it just doesn't gel. It's one of those musicals with a hundred military men marching in rhythm, three sailors on the town, and the Ultra Perky Debbie Reynolds as the focal point. There she is, all energetic, peppy, and pony- tailed, singing and dancing her heart out. The kind of numbers with the adorable Girl getting tossed to and fro by a bunch of Boy Dancers - as seen on the old Carol Burnett Show! Frankly, these people were a bit too old for the plot line. I found it was (too) corny, dated, and derivative of other similar musicals. In fact, more tiresome and annoying than enchanting and memorable!

Hit The Deck and Let's Have Fun

[joseph952001 · 10/10 · 12 April 2006]

When this movie first came out, we had just been exposed to Cinamascope, Cinerama, VistaVision, SuperScope, and Todd-A-O. People where in their living rooms watching television and movies were not making any money, so they had to think of a way to get everyone from in front of the television and back into the theaters, and the WideScreens, 3-D, and Stereophonic Sound did the trick! But, here's the problem, years later, with watching films like "Hit The Deck": We were all fans of actress' like Jane Powell and Debbie Reynolds because most of us watched them grow up from children to adult players in films. Tony Martin was a very popular singer. Russ Tamblyn had the look of a Mormon making movies because Russ Tamblyn was/is an Mormon. Ann Miller took over as the Queen of the Taps when Elinor Powell retired, and Kay Armand was a very popular singer at the time. So, we enjoyed these performers and loved seeing them on that immense screen with the 3 channel stereophonic sound which was the Miracle of that Century, and, once again, if you have never experienced these movies like "Hit The Deck" on the large screen with its 3 channel stereophonic sound, then I can see why others in the later generations to come would not appreciate them. Especially when you have song writers like Vincent Youmans, who wrote the score for Hit the Deck, and other composers like Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and George Gershwin. Thank God, we can still enjoy these composers music today because it's been saved, and if you grew up in this age of the wonderful M.G.M. musicals, yes, even you, would admit that todays music, as the kids say, "Sucks"! This movie is just good old fashioned entertainment. Who needs a story line to get in the way of all this great music and dance numbers! Of course, sometimes things were predictable, such as when Tony Martin is singing "More Than You Know" to Ann Miller, and the look on her face is the same look she had when Fred Astair sang "It Only Happnens When I Dance With You" in the movie "Easter Parade", but who cared? So, we knew the formula: Give meets Boy, Girl and Boy Fight: Gir and Boy Get Back Together; Boy and Girl Find Out That All Along They Were in Love and Didn't Know It, and then the Extravagant Musical Finale with everyone in the audience feeling good that they saw the movie! The finale to this film with the whole cast singing "Halleluah" and Ann Miller tapping her feet off; the general energy you get from the last scene, made you want to dance out of the theater and on to the streets. Hell! Who needed anti-depressants in those days? Our anti-depressants were the energy that these wonderful musicals gave us! It's just a shame that they don't make musicals like this anymore! But, of course, I can see why! Who are you going to put in a song and dance movie musical? Leonardo Di Caprio?

Among the last

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 11 April 2018]

Movie slows down whenever they do a stage production number --modern dance plewasant but very forgettable songs jealous brother bizarre spook house numbe4

By 1955, the long run of MGM musicals had nearly run their course...and "Hit the Deck" was its last gasp. Unfortunately, changing tastes and this mediocre film combined kill off musicals at MGM.

The plot of "Hit the Deck" is pretty simple. The Admiral (Walter Pidgeon) has a daughter (Jane Powell) who wants to make it big on stage...but the man promising to help her is a lecher. When her brother (Russ Tamblyn) finds out, he decks the guy and the brother spends most of the rest of the story avoiding the Shore Patrol. After all, this could hurt his chances to get into the Naval Academy and won't reflect well on the Admiral. Along for the ride are a variety of navy men and their girlfriends.

While many of the songs in the film are pleasant, none are memorable. Combine that with a plot that is too simple and not altogether exciting as well as some big stage productions with very modern dance, the movie never really kept my attention. Fair...but nothing more.

Great Classic Musical

[whpratt1 · 10/10 · 5 April 2007]

Enjoy viewing Classic Musical films that were made in the 50's and this film was full of great talented actors, singers and dancers. Jane Powell, (Susan Smith) was at the top of her career along with a great performance by Debbie Reynolds, (Carol Pace) who put her heart and soul into her role as a girl whose father was Walter Pidgeon,(Rear Adm. Daniel Xavier Smith. Vic Damone, (Rico Ferrari) sang some great songs along with Tony Martin,(Chief Boatswain's Mate William F. Clark). J. Carrol Naish, (Mr. Peroni) played the role of a florist who wanted to marry Rico Ferrari mother and his acting kept me laughing at his great performance. If you looked close, you will see the great comedian Alan King perform as a Shore Patrol Petty officer. I almost forgot that Ann Miller, (Ginger) showed her great talent as a fantastic dancer. Enjoy

Powell and Reynolds deserved so much better

[Nate-48 · 4/10 · 6 August 2020]

These awful scripts just started permeating Hollywood in the 50's - far-fetched, non-sensical and not even funny or entertaining.

Hard to believe they could waste the once in a generation type of talents of the great Jane Powell and Debbie Reynolds but they did that here.

Stupid

[ronfernandezsf · 3/10 · 5 March 2021]

Quite a stupid movie with a few good musical numbers which saves the day. The plot is asinine as is the performances of the three male leads. The gals fair a tad better, especially Ann Miller who has the best lines. Continuity and realism are non existent. How does all the main action happen in the matter of a few hours? At a dress rehearsal for a show opening, the leading man isn't there!!!! At one point Debbie Reynolds leaves the apartment with just her dress. Next scene she has a covering on her dress. None of the gals carry purses, yet they seem to get around in taxis without paying!!! What???? Other improbabilities exist that just don't make sense. Like how did the Ann Miller character know where to find the Tony Martin character??? She just pops into the apartment of someone she doesn't even know. When Jane Powell barges into the the Hotel room the door is unlocked?? She doesn't close it upon entering, but a minute later the three shore patrol men arrive by knocking on the door. It was OPEN JUST A SECOND AGO. A lot of people working on this film weren't doing their job. And that stupid fun house routine was idiotic. How did Russ and Debbie just wonder in without paying??? See it for nostalgia, Ann Miller and some nice songs and dances.

A cutie.

[gkeith_1 · 10/10 · 24 January 2014]

Some observations. Dancers I love. Ann Miller. Russ Tamblyn. Debbie Reynolds. Jane Powell. Singers I love. Tony Martin. Vic Damone. Naish a hoot as always. Damone's mother very nice and good singer. Raymond long in the tooth.

Shades of On the Town. Annie again. Amusement park again. Three sailors again. Three women again. Sailor looking at picture of woman again. No female taxi driver here?

Great to see Russ Tamblyn soon after Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and before Tom Thumb. Good to see Debbie Reynolds after Singin' in the Rain. Same for Jane Powell some years after Royal Wedding with Fred Astaire. Annie of course had earlier been in Kiss Me Kate. Walter Pidgeon was not with his classic co-star Greer Garson. Martin signing reminding me of Till the Clouds Roll By.

Military critique: after Korean War. Way after WW II. Sailors are trained to get trained to defend their country and possibly get killed aboard ship or in the waters in some foreign land, but here they are happy and non-stop singing and dancing on stage, and chasing the dames ashore. They are worried about being grabbed by the shore patrol. War and military movies about WW II kept on for decades after that war ended in 1945 -- even up to and during after the Vietnam War. Army soldiers are not the only military personnel killed in wars, however. I see more singing, dancing sailors in the musicals, however, such as Anchors Aweigh, On the Town, Hit the Deck, etc. one singing, dancing Army guy movie was the one in which Army veterans are dancing with trash can lids.

10/10

Pretty Awful...

[drednm2004 · 5/10 · 2 April 2004]

.,, except for the underrated Ann Miller who breathes a little life into this leaden musical. Miller's "bayou woman" number is fun, but Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Walter Pidgeon, Vic Damone, and the god-awful Tony Martin and Russ Tamblyn just lie there like dead fish. The Fun House number with Reynolds and Tamblyn is a pale copy of the one in A Damsel in Distress, which featured Fred Astaire, Gracie Allen, and George Burns. Powell is at her sugary worst; Damone looks embarrassed throughout. Even dependable Gene Raymond, Jane Darwell, and J. Carrol Naish don't add much zip. Lousy production numbers abound, and the set decoration looks like a yard sale. Stinker!