{"id":30219,"date":"2013-03-21T12:34:36","date_gmt":"2013-03-21T19:34:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=30219"},"modified":"2021-01-20T01:23:04","modified_gmt":"2021-01-20T08:23:04","slug":"on-the-town-1949","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=30219","title":{"rendered":"On the Town (1949)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;You know, somewhere in the world there&#8217;s a right girl for every boy.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Poster-191x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"191\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-30230\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Poster-191x300.jpg 191w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Poster-81x128.jpg 81w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 191px) 100vw, 191px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nThree sailors on leave for the day in New York City become romantically involved with a trio of girls: Ozzie (Jules Munshin) encounters a sexy scientist (Ann Miller) in a museum; Chip (Frank Sinatra) is aggressively pursued by a cab driver (Betty Garrett); and Gabey (Gene Kelly) falls for the girl of his dreams (Vera-Allen) when he spots her on a poster as &#8220;Miss Turnstiles&#8221;, not realizing she actually hails from a small town.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ann Miller Films<\/li>\n<li>Frank Sinatra Films<\/li>\n<li>Gene Kelly Films<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken Identities<\/li>\n<li>Musicals<\/li>\n<li>New York City<\/li>\n<li>Romantic Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Sailors<\/li>\n<li>Stanley Donen Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary accurately notes that this &#8220;irresistible, cheer-you-up Betty-Comden-Adolph Green musical&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen&#8221; &#8212; features &#8220;lively&#8221; songs and &#8220;exuberant&#8221; dancing. He points out that Kelly&#8217;s character &#8220;is extremely likable&#8221; (note how sweet he is to his &#8220;ugly blind date&#8221; [Alice Pearce]), and notes how nice it is &#8220;to see how well the three female characters get along&#8221;, despite having just met each other hours earlier. Of the female leads, Garrett is especially memorable &#8212; and &#8220;really appealing&#8221; &#8212; in a hilariously aggressive turn as a &#8220;spunky cabbie&#8221; who immediately knows what she wants from Sinatra&#8217;s &#8220;initially shy&#8221; character. As for Vera-Allen, while Peary argues that she &#8220;makes a good dancing partner for Kelly because she also has an athletic style&#8221;, he complains that she lacks the &#8220;&#8216;star power&#8217; of some of his other partners&#8221;; I agree that she&#8217;s well-cast but not all that charismatic in the role. <\/p>\n<p>Peary complains that the wonderful &#8220;Bernstein-Edens score could use a couple of more standards to go with &#8216;New York, New York'&#8221;, but I heartily disagree; there are enough clever, memorable songs strewn throughout this one (&#8220;Come Up To My Place&#8221;, &#8220;You&#8217;re Awful&#8221;, and &#8220;Count On Me&#8221;, to name just a few) to satisfy most musical lovers, and the accompanying choreography is consistently enjoyable. Meanwhile, the film&#8217;s fabled location shooting &#8212; particularly during the opening sequence &#8212; is deservedly noteworthy; one wishes for even more. Although the storyline is incredibly simple and straightforward &#8212; the biggest conflict revolves around Miss Turnstiles&#8217; hidden identity, which we know won&#8217;t be a problem for amiable Kelly &#8212; this allows us to simply sit back and enjoy the show, which remains enormously entertaining up until the tiresome final chase sequence (but who&#8217;s quibbling).  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fine location shooting in the charming opening musical sequence, &#8220;New York, New York&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-New-York-New-York.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-New-York-New-York.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"384\" height=\"288\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30228\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-New-York-New-York.png 384w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-New-York-New-York-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-New-York-New-York-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Many enjoyable musical numbers and dance sequences<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Youre-Awful.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Youre-Awful.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"384\" height=\"288\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Youre-Awful.png 384w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Youre-Awful-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Youre-Awful-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Prehistoric-Man.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Prehistoric-Man.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"384\" height=\"288\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30222\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Prehistoric-Man.png 384w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Prehistoric-Man-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Prehistoric-Man-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Miss-Turnstiles.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Miss-Turnstiles.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"384\" height=\"288\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30227\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Miss-Turnstiles.png 384w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Miss-Turnstiles-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Miss-Turnstiles-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Betty Garrett as Hilde<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Garrett.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Garrett.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"384\" height=\"288\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Garrett.png 384w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Garrett-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Garrett-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Alice Pearce as Lucy Schmeeler<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Pearce.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Pearce.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"384\" height=\"288\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Pearce.png 384w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Pearce-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/On-the-Town-Pearce-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A memorable score by Leonard Bernstein and Roger Edens (with fun lyrics by screenwriters Adolph Green and Betty Comden)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a genuine musical classic. Nominated by Peary as one of the Best Films of the Year in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0041716\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1949\/12\/09\/archives\/on-the-town-yuletide-picture-at-radio-city-is-musical-to-please-the.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=4597&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/355\/on-the-town#articles-reviews?articleId=31511\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/london\/film\/on-the-town\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;You know, somewhere in the world there&#8217;s a right girl for every boy.&#8221; Synopsis: Three sailors on leave for the day in New York City become romantically involved with a trio of girls: Ozzie (Jules Munshin) encounters a sexy scientist (Ann Miller) in a museum; Chip (Frank Sinatra) is aggressively pursued by a cab driver (Betty Garrett); and Gabey (Gene Kelly) falls for the girl of his dreams (Vera-Allen) when he spots her on a poster as &#8220;Miss Turnstiles&#8221;, not&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=30219\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30219"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64634,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30219\/revisions\/64634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}