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 2 wins & 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 Shmeeler
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.

---

Plot Keywords:

shore leave | central park | empire state building | hippodrome | rockefeller center | 

---

Taglines:

Championship Musical of Them All!

---

Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

---

Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

In her screen debut, Alice Pearce repeated her 1944 Broadway stage role as Lucy Shmeeler (the roommate with the unfortunate sneezing problem). Alice Pearce is also fondly remembered as the first actress to portray nosy neighbor Gladys Kravitz on TV's Bewitched (1964). Pearce was the only member of the original Broadway cast to appear in the film.

---

Goofs

When the boys dance on a bench atop the Empire State Building, the blinds on the other side of the wall wobble as the move, revealing the wall is really a set.

---

Quotes

Chip: Hilde you're the prettiest cab driver in the whole wide world

---

Crazy Credits

Before the actual credits the film opens with an embossed card on a silver dish, reading: "A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Silver Anniversary Picture." Most of the studio's 1949 releases opened with this.

---

Connections

Referenced in Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? (1983)

---

Soundtracks

Count on Me
(uncredited)
Music by Roger Edens
Lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden
Sung by Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Jules Munshin, Ann Miller, Alice Pearce, and Gene Kelly

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 December 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

On the Town

Filming Locations:

Third Avenue El, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,111,250 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1