It's Always Fair Weather

''It's Always Fair Weather'' is a 1955 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. The film was scripted by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who also wrote the show's lyrics, with music by André Previn. It stars Kelly, Dan Dailey, Cyd Charisse, Dolores Gray, and dancer/choreographer Michael Kidd in his first film acting role.

The film, co-directed by Kelly and Donen, was shot in CinemaScope and Eastmancolor. Although well-received critically at the time, it was not a commercial success, and is one of the last major dance-oriented MGM musicals. In recent years, it has been recognized as a seminal film because of the inventiveness of its dance routines.

''It's Always Fair Weather'' is noted for its downbeat theme, unusual for a musical, which may have hurt it at the box office, and has been called a rare "cynical musical".

Plot

Three ex- G.I.s, Ted Riley, Doug Hallerton, and Angie Valentine, have served in World War II together and become best friends. In October 1945, they meet at their favorite New York City bar, Tim's Bar & Grill, before their release from the service. When Ted receives a Dear John letter from his girlfriend telling him she has married another man, his friends comfort him and join him hitting every other bar in town. They dance drunkenly through the street together ("The Binge") before returning to Tim's. Barman Tim is dubious about their vows of eternal friendshiphaving heard similar claims made by many other discharged servicemenand wagers them they will forget about each other. The trio protest that they will be different and promise to reunite exactly ten years later at the same spot, tearing a dollar bill in three parts and writing the date of October 11, 1955, on each piece.

In the years after the war, the three men take entirely different paths ("10-Year Montage"). Ted had wanted to become an idealistic lawyer, but instead has become a fight promoter and gambler, associating with shady underworld characters. Doug, who had planned to become a painter in Europe, has gone into a high-stress job in advertising in Chicago, and his marriage is crumbling. Angie, who had aspired to become a gourmet chef, is now running a hamburger stand in Schenectady, New York, that he calls "The Cordon Bleu". He has a wife and several children.

The three men keep their promise to meet at the bar ten years later. Following the initial excitement, they quickly realize that they now have nothing in common and dislike each other. Doug and Ted view Angie as a "hick", while Ted and Angie think Doug is a "snob", and Doug and Angie consider Ted a "punk". Sitting together in an expensive restaurant as Doug's guest, munching celery, they silently express their regrets in "I Shouldn't Have Come", sung to the tune of " The Blue Danube".

At the restaurant, they encounter some people from Doug's advertising agency, including Jackie Leighton, an attractive and brainy advertising executive. Jackie comes up with the idea of reuniting the three men later that evening on a TV show hosted by Madeline Bradville. She and Ted gradually become involved, though at first Jackie seems motivated by wanting to get Ted on her show. She joins Ted at Stillman's Gym, where Jackie demonstrates a deep knowledge of boxing while cavorting with beefy boxers to the tune of "Baby You Knock Me Out".

Ted gets into trouble with mobsters because he refuses to fix a fight. Evading the gangsters by dashing inside a roller skating ring, he skates out on the streets of Manhattan, where he realizes that Jackie's affection for him has built up his self-esteem, and he dances exuberantly on roller skates ("I Like Myself"). Doug, meanwhile, has misgivings about the corporate life ("Situation-Wise").

The three men are reluctantly coaxed into the TV reunion, while the gangsters track Ted inside the studio. The three ex-service buddies fight and defeat the gangsterstricking the head mobster into confessing on live television. The brawl brings the trio back together and they escape from the studio when the police arrive. They make their way to Tim's Bar & Grill again, where Doug calls his wife and reconciles with her. They remember the occasion where they left the dollar bill ten years before and use that to pay for their last drinks. After Jackie walks in and kisses Ted, the three friends go their separate ways without making plans for another reunion ("The Time for Parting").

Cast

*Gene Kelly as Ted Riley
* Dan Dailey as Doug Hallerton
* Cyd Charisse as Jackie Leighton
*Dolores Gray as Madeline Bradville
* Michael Kidd as Angie Valentine
* David Burns as Tim
* Jay C. Flippen as Charles Z. Culloran

Uncredited:

*Steve Mitchell as Kid Mariacchi
*Hal March as Rocky Heldon
* Paul Maxey as Mr. Fielding
* Peter Leeds as Mr. Trasker
*Alex Gerry as Mr. Stamper
* Madge Blake as Mrs. Stamper
* Wilson Wood as Roy, television director
* Richard Simmons as Mr. Grigman
* Herb Vigran as Nashby
*Lou Lubin as Lefty
* Saul Gorss as Henchman
* Terry Wilson as Henchman
*John Indrisano as Henchman
* Frank Nelson as the Emcee
* June Foray as the voice of Molly Mop

Production

Screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green conceived ''It's Always Fair Weather'' as a sequel to '' On the Town'' (1949). It was intended to reunite Gene Kelly with his ''On the Town '' co-stars Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin; it was to be produced as a Broadway show. Comden stated, "While we were trying out to think of another idea for Gene, by chance we told him this story. Gene liked it." Kelly instead persuaded them to re-envision their idea into a musical film. Comden and Green outlined the story to Arthur Freed, who also asked Roger Edens to attend the pitch meeting. Freed and Edens approved their idea, and Comden and Green began writing their script. Additionally, Comden and Green were permitted to write the lyrics. To compose the songs, Edens was not available he was preoccupied with '' Deep in My Heart'' (1954). Based on his work in '' Invitation to the Dance'' (1956), Freed hired André Previn as the film composer.

However, Dore Schary, MGM's studio president, refused to hire either Sinatra or Munshin. By this point, Munshin's popularity had declined and he was relegated to comedic supporting roles. Multiple reasons have been given for Sinatra's absence. Apparently, Schary did not want to hire Sinatra due to his difficult working reputation. According to Kelly's biographer Clive Hirschhorn, Sinatra declined to return to wearing a sailor suit after he had recently won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for '' From Here to Eternity'' (1953). As a result, the three main leads were recharacterized as G.I. soldiers.

Ultimately, Kelly chose fellow dancers Dan Dailey, who was under contract to MGM, and Michael Kidd, who had more experience as a choreographer (he choreographed the Broadway and film versions of '' Guys and Dolls'', as well as '' The Band Wagon'') than as an actor. Dolores Gray and Cyd Charisse were cast in the central female roles.

Kelly asked his frequent collaborator Stanley Donen to co-direct with him. Donen, who had just scored a major success with '' Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' (with Kidd as choreographer), initially declined to direct. He explained, "I didn't want to co-direct another picture with Kelly at that point. We didn't get on very well, and for that matter, Gene didn't get on really well with anybody." Due to his previous experience during '' Brigadoon'' (1954), Kelly was reluctant to shoot in CinemaScope, which he did not find suitable for screen dancing. Regardless, one of Donen's ideas using the CinemaScope format was to use split screen into three parts to depict the separate careers of the main leads. To accomplish this effect, the three cameras had to move at precisely the same speed, so the actors would not appear to be jumping across the frame.

Principal photography began on October 13, 1954 and wrapped on March 15, 1955. Due to Dore Schary's attempts at austerity, ''It's Always Fair Weather'' was not as lavishly produced when compared to ''An American in Paris'' (1951) and '' Singin' in the Rain'' (1952). Comden and Green sensed this as production numbers for prior MGM musicals had to be approved by Arthur Freed. However, as they wrote the script, production numbers instead had to have the final approval by Schary. Green explained, "It was made when the era of musicals was over, at least at MGM." Comden further added, "It ''was'' over. I don't think Gene was quite the star he was. He wasn't that popular anymore, and neither were musicals."

Comden, Green, and Previn had written a song titled "Love is Nothing but a Racket" as a slow ballad duet between Kelly and Charisse. Kelly objected to the song, complaining to Previn that "nobody wants to sit still for a ballad." At his insistence, Kelly recorded the song at a quadruple of the original tempo, but the number was cut from the film. Another production number titled "Jack and the Space Giants" featured Kidd performing an elaborate ten-minute dance with a group of children. The number was recorded and filmed, but never previewed. Kelly explained "that number was cut; it didn't come across—it didn't work out. And I think it was cut rightfully so."

Reception

Box office

According to MGM records, the film earned $1,380,000 in the United States and Canada and $994,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $1,675,000.

Critical response

Hy Hollinger of '' Variety'' wrote the film "takes on advertising agencies and tv commercials, and what emerges is a delightful musical satire that should help empty living rooms and fill up theatres". Bosley Crowther of ''The New York Times'' wrote it was a "bright film" that spoofed "the whiskers off TV". Kate Cameron of the ''New York Daily News'' praised the film, writing, "Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who wrote the screenplay and composed the lyrics for the new Music Hall film, ''It's Always Fair Weather,'' have had some fun at the expense of TV. The picture is a lively, amusing lampoon on some types of video shows and of the sponsors and advertising agencies who back them." Edwin Schallert of the ''Los Angeles Times'' felt that while "the premise of the story and screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green is an interesting one, the picture does not get off the ground quite as happily as the theme might promise."

In December 1955, Crowther listed ''It's Always Fair Weather'' as one of the year's top ten films. In her book '' 5001 Nights at the Movies'', critic Pauline Kael called the film a "delayed hangover", and wrote that its "mixture of parody, cynicism and song and dance is perhaps a little sour". She did however praise Dailey's "Situationwise" number and wrote that "to a great extent this is Dailey's movie".

In recent years, the film's reputation has grown among fans of musicals and of Gene Kelly, whose dance on roller skates to "I Like Myself" is seen as the last great dance solo of his career. Scenes from the film were included in MGM's 1976 film ''That's Entertainment, Part II'', in a segment hosted by Kelly and Fred Astaire.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 91% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10.

Accolades

Soundtrack

Soundtrack recordings have been issued by Rhino Records and in 1991 by Sony Music.

Track listing:

Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green; music score by André Previn. All pieces played by MGM Studio Orchestra conducted by André Previn. Between brackets the singers.

# "Overture" 1:04
# "March, March" (Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd) 1:21
# "The Binge" 5:07
# "The Time for Parting" (Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd) 2:01
# "10-Year Montage" 2:18
# "The Blue Danube (I Shouldn't Have Come)" (Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd) 2:30
# "Music Is Better Than Words" (Dolores Gray) 2:10
# "Stillman's Gym" (Lou Lubin) 2:10
# "Baby You Knock Me Out" ( Carol Richards inging for Cyd Charisse Lou Lubin) 2:40
# "The Ad Men" (Dan Dailey, Paul Maxey) 0:48
# "Once Upon a Time" (Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd) 3:33
# "Situation-Wise" (Dan Dailey) 2:49
# "The Chase" 1:04
# "I Like Myself" (Gene Kelly) 4:10
# "Klenzrite" (Dolores Gray) 1:34
# "Thanks a Lot, but No, Thanks" (Dolores Gray) 3:47
# "The Time for Parting (Finale)" ( David Burns and chorus) 1:46

See also

* List of American films of 1955
*List of boxing films

References

Bibliography

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External links

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{{Comden and Green

1955 films
1955 musical comedy films
1955 romantic comedy films
1950s American films
1950s English-language films
1950s romantic musical films
1950s satirical films
American boxing films
American musical comedy films
American romantic comedy films
American romantic musical films
American satirical films
André Previn albums
CinemaScope films
English-language musical comedy films
English-language romantic comedy films
English-language romantic musical films
Films about advertising
Films about friendship
Films about television
Films about veterans
Films directed by Gene Kelly
Films directed by Stanley Donen
Films produced by Arthur Freed
Films scored by André Previn
Films set in 1945
Films set in 1955
Films set in New York City
Films with screenplays by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
On the Town