Rating: 
Summary: ON THE TOWN is On The Money!!
Review: I saw a clip of ON THE TOWN on THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT (MGM's tribute film of its muscials circa 1970's) and never saw the actual movie until it came out on video back in the 80's. A musical probably overshadowed by SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, HIGH SOCIETY or AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, but this MGM Musical is just as good. The basic premise of 3 sailors on 24 hour shore leave in New York City and finding romance makes for great fun. It's as simple as that!! Boasting actual location shots in New York City, great songs, dance numbers, and of course...Gene Kelly and pre Eva Gardner and Rat-Pack Frank Sinatra, this is a must see musical from MGM's hey-day. Great supporting cast by Betty Garrett(who went on to TV sitcoms ALL IN THE FAMILY and LAVERN & SHIRLEY),Ann Miller, Jules Munshin, and the very forgotten, beautiful and talented Vera Ellen. The song New York, New York - - Its a Wonderful Town! used in the opening sequence in the New York City Location shots should have won an OSCAR. They just don't make 'em like this anymore!!
Rating: 
Summary: Kelly & Co. Deliver
Review: Here's an idea: Get a group of exceptionally talented performers together, sketch in an outline of a story based on a successful Broadway show, then supply the score, songs and setting in which they can individually and collectively showcase their respective gifts, turn them loose and see what happens, see if it works. Of course, by the time this film was made in 1949, MGM knew it would work, as it had for them many times previously; there was no guess work involved. The result this time around was "On The Town," a lively musical which marked the directorial debut of co-directors Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with Kelly starring and also doing the choreography. The plot is simple: Three sailors get twenty-four-hour shore leave in New York and set off to make the most of it. Chip (Frank Sinatra) wants to see the sights; Ozzie (Jules Munshin) wants to play; and Gabey (Kelly) immediately falls into an obsession over a girl he sees on a subway poster, "Miss Turnstiles" of the month, Ivy Smith (Vera-Ellen), and vows to find her. Along the way they run into a quirky cab driver, Brunhilde (Betty Garrett), and a young woman, Claire (Ann Miller), doing some research at a museum. But what this movie is really all about is entertainment, and it delivers it by the songful. Kelly and Donen bring it all to life through the words and music of Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Leonard Bernstein, and the score, which earned an Oscar for Roger Edens and Lennie Hayton. it kicks off with Sinatra, Munshin and Kelly doing "New York, New York," in which they enlighten you to the fact that "The Bronx is up and the Battery's down, and people ride in a hole in the ground--" a dynamite opening that sets the stage for all that comes after. And it's pure entertainment that just sweeps you away with it while you hum along with the six stars of the show as they do what they do best, and it's a delight from beginning to end. Without a doubt, Kelly emerges as the star among the stars, and his solo numbers and the ones he performs with Vera-Ellen are especially engaging; but this is one of those musicals in which one memorable number follows another, with each of the principals getting their own moment in the spotlight. Vera-Ellen has a great number early on in the film, in which Miss Turnstiles is introduced; Ann Miller taps her way through a rousing routine in the museum (in which she is joined by Sinatra, Munshin, Kelly and Garrett) that really gives her a chance to show her stuff; and Sinatra and Garrett engage in a memorable bit in song, as she attempts to get him to "Come Up To My Place." Through it all, Sinatra exudes a certain boyish charm while Garrett and Munshin provide the comic relief. All of which makes for a fun and thoroughly entertaining movie experience. The supporting cast includes Alice Pearce (Lucy), Sid Melton (Spud), Hans Conried (Francois) and Florence Bates (Madame Dilyovska). Some movies are made simply to transport you to another place for a couple of hours, put a smile on your face, a song on your lips and just make you feel good; and "On The Town" is certainly one of them. This is pure, uplifting and satisfying Entertainment, beautifully crafted and delivered and guaranteed to make your day a little brighter. The fact is, they just don't make 'em like this anymore, and it's a shame. Because this is what the magic of the movies is all about.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Romp Through NYC!
Review: My daughters and I just LOVE this movie! They are 6 and 7, and aspiring dancers -- they were fascinated by Ann Miller's footwork in Prehistoric Man and by EVERYTHING Gene Kelly does. The story is hokey, but nice, and the film moves along at a good pace for most ages. It seems very innocent in current times, but it's great to see some young sailors having a great time in beautiful New York -- back in 1949!
Rating:
Summary: Good, clean fun!
Review: While not the best by Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, or Frank Sinatra, it is a lighthearted way to pass a rainy afternoon. The story is light (three sailors have 24 hours to see the sights and find a girl), but the music is generally catchy and memorable. Not much in the way of extras for the DVD, but it is a fine print.
Rating: 
Summary: Not all there
Review: My kids thought it was a riot, but any fan of the original musical can't help but being shocked and disappointed that so many of the original Bernstein numbers were cut or substituted with pallid Hollywood fare. Great cast, good fun, but it could have been soooo much better.
Rating:
Summary: dazzling, exiting
Review: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin, Vera-Ellen, Betty Garrett and Ann Miller all dance and sing up a storm in ON THE TOWN, a perrenial MGM classic and one of the finest musicals ever written. The adventures of three sailors on 24-hour shoreleave is still exiting, dazzling and hilarious, as they search for adventure and romance. The songs include "New York", "Come Up To My Place" , "Prehistoric Man", "On The Town" and "You Can Count On Me". Kelly and Vera-Ellen dance the ballet numbers "Day In New York" and "Miss Turnstiles", while the comedic talents of Garrett, Munshin and Alice Pearce are given time to shine. From the Bronx to Battery Park, ON THE TOWN is a joyful romp that is considered a masterpiece.
Rating: 
Summary: Why does Everyone like this Movie So Much?
Review: I was pleased to find this film at a local store; I'd seen the "New York, New York It's a Wonderful Town" scene a dozen times. Now I know why: it's the only really good song and dance number in the whole movie. I love Hollywood musicals and have always been a huge Gene Kelly fan. "On The Town" is incredibly insipid when compared to other Kelly movies and a miserable waste of Ann Miller's wonderful talent. Go buy "Singing in the Rain" and "Kiss Me Kate" to find out what these two people can really do; save your money here.
Rating:
Summary: Ok, I know it's cheese, BUT. . .
Review: I'll skip the diatribe about why musicals are great, blah blah blah because if you're reading this, then you must have some interest already. As far as On the Town goes, it IS great. One of the famous Kelly/Sinatra pairing (also see Anchors Aweigh and Take Me Out to the Ballgame), this is definitely the most exuberant. It's the first large MGM musical to be partially filmed on location, and the scenes from NYC back in the day make you wish you had a time machine to go back yourself. The songs are musical goodness at it's finest -- from hilarious romps like "Come Up To My Place," "Prehistoric Man," and "You Can Count on Me" to the obligatory fantasy dance number. Sure it's predictable, sure it's dated, there's no high-tech effects, and smooching's all you get on the romance front, but it's still a gem. Sure Frank Sinatra is the predictable shy young thing (as always), Gene Kelly is the predictable wolf (as always), and the fabulous Ann Miller, whose legs go up to the moon, is man-crazy (as always), but there's a car chase! On the Town features great dancing and good times, songs that you'll be humming on your way to work tomorrow, and the feel-good flavor that MGM musicals are renowned for.
Rating:
Summary: Come up to my place....
Review: And watch "On the Town" on DVD. Okay, we all know the movie is fab but the new DVD makes it a whole new experience. This transfer is so sharp and crisp, and the colour so rich, that the film looks like it came out in 1999 not 1949. Plus there is a timeless story and great music- all combining to make a swell DVD experience. That's all there is folks so goodnight to you, I hope you like my little On the Town review...
Rating:
Summary: A NIGHT AT HOME ON THE TOWN!
Review: New York, New York, a wonderful town- With Gene, Jules, Frank, and three cute girls around! In this brilliant collaboration of direction by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, three lovable sailors are on 24-hour leave in the Big Apple. The on-location cinematography and Oscar-winning score provide the backdrop for the rousing, joyous musical. En route to find Gabey's (Kelly) dream girl, Miss Turnstiles of the month, Ivy Smith (Vera-Ellen), he and Ozzie (Jules Munshin) and Chip (Frank Sinatra) encounter a ready-for-love cab driver, Brunhilde ("Hildy") Esterhazy (Betty Garrett), and Claire Huddeson, a tap-dancing anthropologist (Ann Miller). The joyous night on the town spurns many an unexpected surprise for the sailors and their girls: the felling of a prehistoric dinosaur, a glitzy waltz through some of New York's exclusive nightclubs, and the boys dancing in gypsy attire. Other delights to be savored are: Kelly, Munshin, and Sinatra's rendition of "New York, New York, It's A Wonderful Town", Kelly's imaginative dance sequence with Vera-Ellen, and the belting brilliance from the sixsome of the title song make "On the Town" one of MGM's most irrepresibly fun and unforgettable musicals of the '40's. Have a ball tonight and go "on the town"!
|
