''On the Town'' is a 1949

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films running through a special ...

musical film with music by

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

and

Roger Edens Roger Edens (November 9, 1905 – July 13, 1970) was a Hollywood composer, arranger and associate producer, and is considered one of the major creative figures in Arthur Freed's musical film production unit at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during the "g ...

and book and

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer ...

Betty Comden Betty Comden (May 3, 1917 - November 23, 2006) was an American lyricist, playwright, and screenwriter who contributed to numerous Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century. Her writing partnership with Adolph Green spanned ...

and

Adolph Green Adolph Green (December 2, 1914 – October 23, 2002) was an American lyricist and playwright who, with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for some of the most beloved film musicals, particularly as part of Ar ...

. It is an adaptation of the Broadway stage musical of the same name produced in 1944 (which itself is an adaptation of the

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

ballet entitled '' Fancy Free'' which was also produced in 1944), although many changes in script and score were made from the original stage version; for instance, most of Bernstein's score was dropped in favor of new songs by Edens, who disliked the majority of Bernstein's music for being too complex and too operatic for film audiences. This caused Bernstein to boycott the film. The film was directed by Gene Kelly, who also choreographed, and

Stanley Donen Stanley Donen ( ; April 13, 1924 – February 21, 2019) was an American film director and choreographer whose most celebrated works are '' On the Town,'' (1949) and ''Singin' in the Rain'' (1952), both of which he co-directed with Gene Kel ...

in their

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

, and stars Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, and

Ann Miller Ann Miller (born Johnnie Lucille Collier; April 12, 1923 – January 22, 2004) was an American retired actress and former dancer. She is best remembered for her work in the Classical Hollywood cinema musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. Her earl ...

, and features Jules Munshin and Vera-Ellen. It was a product of the

Arthur Freed Arthur Freed (September 9, 1894 – April 12, 1973) was an American lyricist and Hollywood film producer. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture twice, in 1951 for '' An American in Paris'' and in 1958 for '' Gigi''. Both films were musicals. ...

unit at MGM, and 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 New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, including at

Columbus Circle Columbus Circle is a traffic circle and heavily trafficked intersection in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South ( West 59th Street), and Central Park West, at the ...

, the American Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Bridge, and

Rockefeller Center Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 commerce, commercial buildings covering between 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street and 51st Street (Manhattan), 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The 14 original Art Deco ...

. The film was an immediate success and won the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

for Best Music—Scoring of a Musical Picture, and was nominated for a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for Best Cinematography (Color). Screenwriters Comden and Green won the

Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility Th ...

for Best Written American Musical. In 2006, the film ranked No. 19 on the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

's list of Best Musicals. In 2018, the film was selected for preservation in the United States

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The librar ...

as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Plot

Three US Navy sailors – Gabey, Chip, and Ozzie – begin their shore leave, excited for their 24 hours in New York ("

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

"). While riding the

subway Subway, Subways, The Subway, or The Subways may refer to: Transportation * Subway, a term for underground rapid transit rail systems * Subway (underpass), a type of walkway that passes underneath an obstacle * Subway (George Bush Interconti ...

, Gabey falls in love with the picture of the monthly "Miss Turnstiles," whose name is Ivy Smith. By chance, she's in the next subway station and Gabey gets to pose in a promotional photo of her. After she catches the next train, Gabey vows to find her again. The sailors race around New York in a frenzied search, hoping to still have time to sightsee and take dates out to the clubs. Along the way they are assisted by, and become romantically involved with, two women and pair up: Ozzie with Claire, an anthropologist; and Chip with Hildy, an aggressively amorous taxi driver. Claire claims that she's found her passionate "Prehistoric Man" in Ozzie at the Museum of Anthropological History. While dancing, Ozzie accidentally knocks over a dinosaur skeleton and the group flees the museum. They decide to split up in search of Ivy, during which Hildy invites Chip to "Come Up to My Place." Finally locating Ivy in a dance class, Gabey takes her on an imaginary date down his home town "Main Street" in a studio in Symphonic Hall. He doesn't realize that she is from the same small town since she pretends to be a native New Yorker. Meanwhile, Chip sincerely falls for Hildy and tells her "You're Awful" – that is, awful nice to be with. During the evening, the three couples meet at the top of the

Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from " Empire State", the nickname of the ...

to celebrate a night "On the Town." The couples go to several clubs for a good time. Gabey is still convinced Ivy is a genuine celebrity, and so Hildy and Claire bribe a waiter to make a fuss in order to keep up the ruse. When an ashamed Ivy walks out on Gabey to get to her late night work as a cooch dancer, Gabey is despondent. Hildy has her annoying, but well-meaning roommate, Lucy Schmeeler fill in as Gabey's date, but he can't be consoled. The friends lift his spirits by singing "You Can Count on Me." Since Lucy has a bad cold, Gabey drops her off at her apartment and apologizes for having been a lack-luster date. The group eventually reunites with Ivy at

Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to th ...

. Despite her lies being revealed, Gabey doesn't care and is just happy to have found her. Unfortunately, the group has been pursued by police for the dinosaur incident. The three men are taken back to their ship and the women barely talk their way out of a night in jail. Moved by their speeches, the police escort them to the ship just as the sailors' 24-hour shore leave ends. Although their future is uncertain, each couple shares one last kiss on the pier as a new batch of sailors heads out into the city for their leave ("New York, New York" reprise).

Cast

* Gene Kelly as Gabey * Frank Sinatra as Chip * Betty Garrett as Brunhilde "Hildy" Esterhazy *

as Claire Huddesen * Jules Munshin as Ozzie * Vera-Ellen as Ivy Smith * Florence Bates as Madame Dilyovska *

Alice Pearce Alice Pearce (October 16, 1917 – March 3, 1966) was an American actress. She was brought to Hollywood by Gene Kelly to reprise her Broadway performance in the film version of '' On the Town'' (1949). Pearce played comedic supporting roles in ...

as Lucy Shmeeler * George Meader as Professor *

Hans Conried Hans Georg Conried Jr. (April 15, 1917 – January 5, 1982) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for providing the voices of George Darling and Captain Hook in Walt Disney's ''Peter Pan'' (1953), Snidely Whiplash in Jay Ward's '' D ...

as François (head waiter) (uncredited) *

Murray Alper Murray Alper (January 11, 1904 – November 16, 1984) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous television series, films, and Broadway productions. Biography Born in New York City in 1904, Alper worked on Broadway from 1927 to 1940 in a n ...

as Cab owner (uncredited) Cast notes * Carol Haney, Gene Kelly's assistant, performed with Kelly in the ''Day in New York'' ballet sequence, but was not credited. This was Haney's screen debut * Mickey Miller is the skill dancer replacing the Jules Munshin Ozzie character in the “Day in New York” ballet sequence, but was not credited. *

Bea Benaderet Beatrice Benaderet ( ; April 4, 1906 – October 13, 1968) was an American actress and comedienne. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, she began performing in Bay Area theatre and radio before embarking on a Hollywood career that s ...

has an uncredited cameo as a girl from Brooklyn on the subway, her film debut in a speaking role. * Bern Hoffman has an uncredited role as the shipyard worker who sings the opening song, and reprises it at the end. *

was the only original member of the Broadway cast to reprise her role.

Musical numbers

# "I Feel Like I'm Not Out of Bed Yet" – Shipyard worker (from

's score) # "

" – Gabey, Chip, and Ozzie (from Bernstein's score) # "Miss Turnstiles Ballet" (instrumental) – Ivy and ensemble (from Bernstein's score) # "Prehistoric Man" – Claire, Ozzie, Gabey, Chip, and Hildy # "Come Up to My Place" – Hildy and Chip (from Bernstein's score) # "Main Street" – Gabey and Ivy # "You're Awful" – Chip and Hildy # "On the Town" – Gabey, Ivy, Chip, Hildy, Ozzie, and Claire # "You Can Count on Me" – Gabey, Chip, Ozzie, Hildy, Claire, and Lucy # "A Day in New York" (instrumental) – Gabey, Ivy, and dream cast (from Bernstein's score) # "I Feel Like I'm Not Out of Bed Yet"/"New York, New York" (reprise) – Shipyard worker, three sailors, and chorus *Source:

Production

The film had a budget of $1.5 million, one of Metro's lowest for a

musical, with a planned filming schedule of just 46 days. The musical numbers staged on location in New York were the first time a major studio had accomplished this. The location shots in New York took nine days. Shooting in New York City was Kelly and Donen's idea, which studio head Louis B. Mayer refused to allow, pointing out the studio's excellent New York sets in its backlot. Kelly and Donen held their ground, and finally Mayer relented and allowed a limited number of days shooting in New York. The primary problem experienced by the production was dealing with crowds of Frank Sinatra's fans, so some shots were made with the camera located in a station wagon to reduce the public visibility of the shooting. The Breen Office of the

MPAA The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distribu ...

refused to allow the use of the word "helluva" in the song "New York, New York", and so it was changed to "wonderful".

Reception

Box office

According to MGM records the film earned $2,934,000 in the US and Canada and $1,494,000 overseas, resulting in a profit to the studio of $474,000. The film was also a critical success, receiving good reviews in various publications, including '' Variety'' and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''.

Awards and honors

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, Best Musical Score for

and

Lennie Hayton Leonard George Hayton (February 14, 1908 – April 24, 1971) was an American musician, composer, conductor and arranger. Hayton's trademark was a captain's hat, which he always wore at a rakish angle. Early life Hayton was born in New Yor ...

22nd Academy Awards The 22nd Academy Awards were held on March 23, 1950, at the RKO Pantages Theatre, honoring the films in 1949. This was the final year in which all five Best Picture nominees were in Black & White, and the first year in which every film nomi ...

(won) *

BAFTA Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...

, Best Film, 1951 (nominated) *

Golden Globes The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

, Best Cinematography – Color, 1950 (nominated) *

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers G ...

, Best Written American Musical, 1950 (won) American Film Institute
The film is recognized by

in these lists: * 2004: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs: ** "

" – #41 * 2006: AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals – #19

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:On The Town (Film) 1949 films 1949 musical films American musical films Films directed by Gene Kelly Films directed by Stanley Donen Films produced by Arthur Freed Films scored by Leonard Bernstein Films scored by Lennie Hayton Films set in the 1940s Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City Films that won the Best Original Score Academy Award Films with screenplays by Betty Comden and Adolph Green Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films based on musicals Films about the United States Navy United States National Film Registry films 1949 directorial debut films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films