On the Town (film)

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This article is about the 1949 film. For the musical, see On the Town (musical).
On the Town

DVD of 1949 film
Directed by Stanley Donen
Gene Kelly
Produced by Arthur Freed
Roger Edens
Written by Betty Comden
Adolph Green
Starring Gene Kelly
Frank Sinatra
Betty Garrett
Ann Miller
Jules Munshin
Vera-Ellen
Alice Pearce
Cinematography Harold Rosson
Editing by Ralph E. Winters
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s) December 8, 1949
Running time 98 min.
Country Flag of the United States United States
Language English
IMDb profile

On the Town is a 1949 movie musical with music by Leonard Bernstein and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. It is an adaptation of a Broadway stage musical produced in 1944.

The MGM film opened on December 8, 1949. Many changes in script and score were made from the original stage version; much of Bernstein's music was dropped in favor of new songs by the studio's Roger Edens. It starred Gene Kelly as Gabey (who also co-directed with Stanley Donen), Frank Sinatra as Chip and Jules Munshin as Ozzie, as well as Ann Miller (Claire Huddesen), Betty Garrett (Hildy Esterhazy), Vera-Ellen (Ivy Smith), and Alice Pearce (Lucy Shmeeler).

It is notable for its combination of studio and location filming, as a result of Gene Kelly's insistence that some scenes be shot in New York City itself. Parts of the filming were done at, for example, The American Museum of Natural History, The Brooklyn Bridge, and Rockefeller Center, a unique and groundbreaking undertaking for the American Musical up to this point

The movie was an instant success for MGM's "Freed Unit", which went on to produce many more popular musicals into the 1950s. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Cinematography (Color). Screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green won the Writers Guild of America award for Best Written American Musical.

In 2006 the film version ranked #19 on the American Film Institute's list of best musicals.

Contents

[edit] Plot summary

As three sailors—Gabey, Chip, and Ozzie—begin their shore leave, Gabey falls in love with the picture of "Miss Turnstiles", who is actually Ivy Smith. The sailors race around New York attempting to find her in the brief period they have ("New York, New York").

They are assisted by, and become romantically involved with, two women, and pair up: Ozzie with Claire, a society girl; Chip with Hildy Esterhazy, an amorous and aggressive taxi driver; and eventually, Gabey with Ivy, an aspiring actress. Hildy invites Chip to "Come Up to My Place". Claire claims that she's found her "Primitive Man" in Ozzie at the Museum of Natural History. Gabey takes Ivy on an imaginary date down "Mainstreet" in a studio in Carnegie Hall, and all the couples meet at the top of the Empire State Building to celebrate a night "On the Town".

But when Ivy must leave early to work as a cooch dancer, the friends tell a despondent Gabey, "You Can Count on Me", joined by Hildy's hilarious roommate, Lucy Schmeeler. They have a number of adventures reuniting with Ivy at Coney Island before their 24-hour leave ends and they must return to their ship to head off to sea. Although their future is uncertain, the boys and girls share one last kiss on the pier as a new crew of sailors heads out into the city for their leave ("New York, New York reprise").

[edit] Musical numbers

  • I Feel Like I'm Not Out of Bed Yet **
  • New York, New York **
  • Miss Turnstiles Ballet (instrumental) **
  • Prehistoric Man
  • Come Up to My Place **
  • When You Walk Down Mainstreet with Me
  • You're Awful
  • On the Town
  • Count on Me
  • A Day in New York (instrumental)
  • New York, New York (Reprise)

** in stage musical

[1]

[edit] Awards

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Hollywood Musicals Year By Year", Second Edition, 1990, Green, Stanley, Revised and Updated by Elaine Schmidt, Hal Leonard Corporation, ISBN 0634007653

[edit] External links

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v • d • e
Musicals and operas of Leonard Bernstein
v • d • e
Musicals by Betty Comden and Adolph Green