On the Town (1949) | |
| Director(s) | Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly |
| Producer(s) | Roger Edens (associate), Arthur Freed |
| Top Genres | Comedy, Musical, Romance |
| Top Topics | |
Featured Cast:
On the Town Overview:
On the Town (1949) was a Comedy - Musical Film directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly and produced by Arthur Freed and Roger Edens.
SYNOPSIS
Bernstein's (with Comden and Green) great musical comedy gets the full Technicolor treatment with fine singing and dancing. Three sailors (Kelly, Munshin, and Sinatra) with 24 hours of shore leave seek excitement and romance in New York City, an excitement conjured especially in the famous "New York, New York" number. They team with Garrett, Miller, and Vera-Ellen, and they are off gallivanting around N.Y.C. Doubly directed by Kelly and Donen (their first directorial pairing), this fast-moving musical is not only contagious fun, but also a splendid look at New York City ("a helluva town") in the 1940s.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
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Academy Awards 1949 --- Ceremony Number 22 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Music - Scoring | Roger Edens, Lennie Hayton | Won |
BlogHub Articles:
Review: On The Town (1949): MGM’s New York Musical
By 4 Star Film Fan on Jun 8, 2020 From 4 Star FilmsThere is an immediate understanding that goes with the opening image of a construction worker arriving at the docks, still sleepy, as the world wakes up with him. And he does something that while still theatrical has roots in a very human urge, to bring in the new day with song. If we look at the MG... Read full article
Musical Monday: On the Town (1949)
on Feb 3, 2020 From Comet Over HollywoodIt?s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals. In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 500. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals. This week?s musical: On the Town (1949) ? Musical... Read full article
"On the Town," In Celebration of Leonard Bernstein's Centenary
By The Lady Eve on Aug 25, 2018 From Lady Eve's Reel LifeToday marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of composer/conductor/pianist Leonard Bernstein. In celebration, movie houses around the country are showcasing films scored by the legendary maestro. My local theater, the Smith Rafael Film Center (aka/the Rafael) put together a three-film tribute to ... Read full article
1001 Classic Movies: On the Town
By Amanda Garrett on Aug 5, 2017 From Old Hollywood FilmsOn the Town (1949) is one of the 1001 classic movies you should see. The musical stars Frank Sinatra (left), Jules Munshin, and Gene Kelly as three sailors who are on shore leave in New York City. Each week, I'm going to recommend a classic movie you should see (for the reasons behind the 1001 se... Read full article
On the Town
By Amanda Garrett on Dec 12, 2015 From Old Hollywood FilmsToday, I'm celebrating Frank Sinatra's 100th birthday with a look at one of his best MGM musicals, On the Town (1949). Here's Ol' Blue Eyes on the Brooklyn Bridge with costars Jules Munshin (center), and Gene Kelly (right). This article is part of the Sinatra Centennial Blogathon hosted by Movie... Read full article
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Quotes from
Claire Huddesen: Now just a minute! I want you to know that my interest in you is purely scientific. I'm just a cold-blooded scientist. And I'm writing an anthropological study for this musuem. It's called : "The Modern Man... And What It Is"
Officer Tracy, Car 44: [to his patrol car partner, after hearing about the dinosaur collapsing] Collapse? That's terrible. She's my favorite singing star, that Dinah Shore!
[the other officer rolls his eyes]
Claire Huddesen: You oughta feel proud that three sailors from the United States Navy got off the ship for one day, and what did they do? Were they thirsty for hard liquor? No. They were thirsty for culture. Were they running after girls? No. They came running to the museum to see your dinosaur. For months out at sea they were dreaming about your dinosaur.
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Facts about
The movie was based on the stage musical of the Jerome Robbins ballet entitled Fancy Free, which opened at the Ballet Theatre in New York in the spring of 1944. In addition to writing the book for the stage version of On the Town and writing the screenplay for the film, Betty Comden and Adolph Green appeared in the stage version in the roles of "Claire" and "Ozzie."
A total of 5 days was spent filming in New York City. The 2 major problems faced by the crew was the weather (it rained for most of the shoot) and the popularity of Frank Sinatra. Gene Kelly explained that the movie was filmed at the height of Sinatra mania and Frank would be instantly recognized by people on the streets. To avoid crowds the cast insisted on taxis instead of limousines for transportation and that the camera be hidden inside a station wagon. During the finale of the "New York, New York" musical number, which takes place in the sunken plaza at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in front of the statue of Prometheus, you can see at the top of the frame of the last shot, the heads of hundreds of curious spectators staring at the three stars over the wall behind the statue.
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