Thoughts From The Music(al) Man (2019) on… On The Town (1949)

And we’re back from the sea for another musical romp with Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Jules Munshin as they go On The Town with Betty Garrett, Ann Miller and Vera-Ellen.

On leave for just one day, sailors Gabey (Gene Kelly), Chip (Frank Sinatra) and Ozzie (Jules Munshin) explore New York City. While on the subway, Gabey sees a subway worker putting up a poster of Ivy Smith (Vera-Ellen), the new Miss Turnstiles. He decides to find her, and his buddies try to help. Along the way, they are helped by cab driver Brunhilde Esterhazy (Betty Garrett), who takes a shine to Chip, and Claire Huddesen (Ann Miller), who likes Ozzie. Gabey does find Ivy, and they all go out as a group (at least until Ivy sneaks away to get to her job). Gabey tries to find her again, all the while the group has to evade the police, due to the dinosaur skeleton that Ozzie had accidentally knocked over at a museum that they visited, as well as the cab that Brunhilde was driving beyond her shift.

This is the third and final movie that Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly made together (well, unless you want to count them both being hosts of the first That’s Entertainment documentary). And of the three, it was the only one that Gene Kelly actually got paired up with a dancer, as Kathryn Grayson was mainly a singer and Esther Williams a swimmer. This movie is based on a Broadway show with music by Leonard Bernstein, although only a handful of songs were retained, with new music provided by associate producer Roger Edens. Of course, this movie is remembered as much for the behind-the-scenes team of Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen (who had worked together as choreographers for some of Gene’s movies and co-wrote the story for Take Me Out To The Ball Game) being upgraded to co-directors, a team that also co-directed the classics Singin’ In The Rain and It’s Always Fair Weather.

I enjoyed this one. I do have to admit, it took me several viewings over a number of years, but my opinion has improved. While it does veer back into the “sailors-on-leave” territory that Frank and Gene did with Anchors Aweigh, it maintains some of the improvements made for Take Me Out To The Ball Game (TMOTTBG), including the shorter runtime and Jules Munshin as the third buddy. I will say I don’t like the music quite as much as TMOTTBG, but it is a huge improvement from Anchors Aweigh. And, to a lesser degree, I almost wish they had given Jules Munshin a little more screentime, as he is the only one of the sailors that we don’t see on his own when they all separate. But, again, that’s just a minor complaint. For me, this is an increasingly fun film to watch, and one I would heartily recommend.

This movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD individually and on Blu-ray as part of the five film Frank Sinatra Collection from Warner Home Video.

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An Old-Fashioned Christmas Movie On The Farm (2018) with… White Christmas (1954)

Well, it’s only a few more days until Christmas, so let’s get into the classic 1954 movie White Christmas, starring Bing Crosby as Bob Wallace, Danny Kaye as Phil Davis, Rosemary Clooney as Betty Haynes and Vera-Ellen as Judy Haynes.

Coming Up Shorts! with… Moving Aweigh(1944)

(available on Blu-ray and DVD as part of Popeye The Sailor: The 1940s Volume 1 from Warner Archive Collection)

Disclaimer: On the disc case, it is noted that the set is intended for the adult collector, which is because these shorts were made at a time when a lot of racist and sexist stereotypes were prevalent. All I’m trying to say is, parents, be careful about just sticking these on for your kids.

(Length: 6 minutes, 22 seconds)

Popeye and his pal Shorty try to help Olive move. This one gives us some variety, with the focus mainly on Popeye and Shorty (plus a cop that they quickly get on the bad side of). The gags are fun, especially the ways they try to load up the moving van. This one is a definite relief after going through the “Popeye Vs. Bluto” episodes, and that makes it fun to watch every now and then!

And Now For The Main Feature…

I think most may know the plot for this movie, but for the un-initiated, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis are a pair of Army buddies who go into show business together after the second World War.  Eventually, they become producers (mostly at Phil’s prodding, since he had saved Bob’s life during the war).  After receiving a letter from “a pal in the army,” they go to see his sisters’ act.  Bob shows interest in one of the sisters, Betty, and Phil notices, deciding to try to promote the romance.  They follow the sisters to their new job in Pine Tree, Vermont, where they are to work at an inn run by a former general that Bob and Phil served under during the war.  They decide to put on a show to help bring in business to the failing inn.

Of course, this is a well-known movie, so I’ll just get into why I like the movie.  I think everybody that knows me know I REALLY like the song “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing!”  I enjoy watching Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen dancing together, in what is, I think, the dance routine that is the most fun to watch in the movie!  Of course, as a dancer myself, it is always a fun reminder of just how much fun dancing has always been for me, and all the wonderful gals I have had a chance to dance with!

I know I have seen a number of people that consider this movie to be a remake of the 1942 classic Holiday Inn.  Personally, I don’t quite get it.  The main arguments seem to be because the set for the inn in White Christmas is similar to the one in Holiday Inn, and that White Christmas borrows at least two songs from Holiday Inn: “White Christmas” and “Abraham.”  I don’t really think either point qualifies this one as a remake, since similar sets have been known to be used before in different movies that weren’t remakes (and I’m not sure how many times the same set has ever actually been used in any remakes), and as to multiple songs being borrowed, that doesn’t really apply either, I think, as White Christmas also “borrows” at least “Blue Skies” and “White Christmas” from the movie Blue Skies (and it seems like I might have read somewhere that maybe “Mandy” was also used as background music in that movie as well), and that movie isn’t even remotely close.

Whether it is a remake or not, though, this is one of those movies that you can’t go wrong with!  I know it’s one of my favorite Christmas movies, and usually one of the last movies I enjoy watching right before Christmas day!  So, I would definitely recommend this one to anybody interested!  The movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Paramount Pictures.

And so, I want to wish you all a merry Christmas (and to those who don’t celebrate it, I wish you happy holidays), and I wish you peace on earth, and goodwill to ALL!

Film Length: 2 hours

My Rating: 10/10

*ranked #7 in Top 11 Movies Watched in 2018

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Road To Bali (1952)Bing CrosbyAnything Goes (1956)

Rosemary Clooney – Deep In My Heart (1954)

On The Town (1949) – Vera-Ellen

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