On the Town
Our family has started observing Musical Mondays in quarantine. We've even taken it so seriously that each of us created brackets to help guide which selection we'd choose every week, because our group struggles to make decisions. My brother and his girlfriend took the daunting task of creating a master list of suggestions and grouped them into pre 1980s classics, modern favorites and outside-of-the-box movie/musical selections. The options included Gypsy, Across the Universe, Mamma Mia, Kiss Me Kate, Guys and Dolls, Into the Woods and many, many, many more. The process took hours. We diligently completed our individual brackets. Struggling to determine whether or not the strong desire to revisit an old favorite (i.e. The Music Man) should outweigh the interest in watching something new (i.e. On the Town). After protests ensued, my brother settled the matter by giving us each two wild card selections, so we could tip the scales towards something that didn't make it far on the bracket but that we still wanted to watch. The votes were cast. The totals were tallied. And we made a list of the top five selections to prioritize in the coming weeks. First up, On the Town.
Starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin and Vera-Ellen (my mom and I gasped, when we saw this White Christmas star!), the 1949 movie musical tells the story of a group of soldiers who have 24 hours off the boat to spend in NYC. The first few minutes are filled with the toe-tapping New York, New York and you're hooked! Throughout the movie, the three sailors meet three lady friends who join them for their journey on the town. Before they meet the ladies, I worried the film was going to turn into one of those eye-rolling viewing experiences where the male characters are running around and objectifying women left and right. HOWEVER. The screenplay was co-written by Betty Comden and it SHOWS. As the six main characters go on a wild adventure (involving evading the police at points), it's often the female characters who are not-so-secretly running the show. They come up with a plan to outrun the cops. They bribe the waitstaff to get seats at a popular club. They are actively trying to get together with the sailors (and are not just damsels waiting to be pursued). It was a refreshing surprise for a 40s classic! Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra are the clear stars with their respective dancing and singing skills, combined with suave leading man energy mixed with a strong commitment to goofy bits. And the best numbers are when they lean into the goofy -- making On the Town and Count on Me my two favorites, after New York, New York of course. The film features music by Leonard Bernstein (among others), lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden and is directed yet again by the stellar team of Gene Kelly and Stanley Donlen (the same duo to bring us Singin' in the Rain a few years later). The movie also marks the first time a big studio filmed musical numbers in NYC, adding to the film's spark. New York City is one of my favorite places in the world. I still remember the magic of visiting for the first time when I was in 3rd grade. At a moment when NYC is hurting, it's especially cathartic to remember the excitement and magic of traveling around the city for the first time.
On the Town Deep Dive
(kind of... because there are not enough articles written about this movie):
'On the Town,' Yuletide Picture at Radio City, Is Musical to Please the Family -- aka the OG review from The New York Times
On screen: Frank Sinatra's film legacy -- a rundown of other Sinatra movies to explore
Glorious Feelings: Gene Kelly and the Evolution of the Movie Musical -- a look at Gene Kelly as the movie musical machine
Notes on On the Town from Turner Classic Movies -- including some fun facts from The Hollywood Reporter
