If you've read any of my reviews of musicals and Disney movies, you'll know that I watch them for the purpose of heckling them like Mike, Servo and Crow do the crummy movies sent them by Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank on "Mystery Science Theater 3000". I had no shortage of riffs for "On the Town" (most of them unrepeatable here).However, there was a more specific reason why I watched this movie. One was that there was an episode of "The Simpsons" on which Bart and Milhouse overdose on an entirely syrup-based Squishee and proceed to sing a paean to Springfield. I later learned that their song was a spoof of this movie's ode to New York.When I started the movie, I didn't know that there was another thing about it that was going to catch my eye. Co-starring was Alice Pearce, best known as the first Gladys Kravitz on "Bewitched" (she died of ovarian cancer during the second season). Having seen that she was a cast member, I shouted "Abner!" or "Stop spying on the Stephenses!" every time that her character appeared.Yes, it's hard for me to take these happy-go-lucky movies seriously. My favorite movies from Hollywood's golden age are the horror flicks, gangster flicks, comedies, and Looney Tunes cartoons. Since you probably find this to be one of the most perverted, insane reviews that you've ever read, all that I can say is, we've all got our opinions.

I really wanted to like "On the Town" (1949), I really did. It starred Frank Sinatra, one of the musical idols my whole family looks up to, and Gene Kelly, the main lead of "Singin' in the Rain" (1952), together. It's written by the screenwriters who would later write "Singin' in the Rain" and "The Band Wagon" (1953), two of my favorite musicals of all time. It's got some catchy songs, nice costumes, exceptional dance sequences, and it had all this good stuff going for it. But the story is so painfully awkward, thin, and unintentionally semi-cruel that it utterly ruined the experience for me. In New York City, three sailors (played by Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin) begin their shore leave and set out to explore the town. While on a subway, one of them (Kelly) sees an ad for an aspiring actress named Ivy Smith (Vera-Ellen) and decides that he simply must meet her. As they race around the city to find Ivy, they're assisted by two women (Betty Garrett, Ann Miller) whom the other two sailors become romantically involved with. If this plot doesn't sound good to you on paper, then guess what? The story is even worse on film. Don't get me wrong, I don't doubt that there are real-life sailors out there who'd like to meet female celebrities. All I'm saying is that it's simply impractical for a sailor to go to this much trouble for such a woman, especially if it's only for one day. Even putting aside the implausibility, the pure coincidences, and the complete lack of realism that a plot of this sort is certain to have, I still felt it was an awkward story all the way through. The main relationship between Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen is equivalent to long fingernails on a giant blackboard in terms of its stiffness. It doesn't help that most of the love story is focused more on when they'll see each other again as opposed to them actually sharing a connection with one another. Furthermore, what was the point to having the third sailor (Munshin) around and what contributions did he make to the plot advancement? Not only is this character completely mediocre, but his girlfriend technically contributes more to the plot than he does. What's up with that?! Okay, I should refrain from talking about the story and instead talk about the good aspects of this film. The songs, though they mostly repeat the same rhythm over and over again, are beguiling, namely "You're Awful" sung by Frank Sinatra and "On the Town" performed by the six main leads. I particularly admire how the song "You're Awful" progresses throughout. I like how Sinatra starts out with what sounds like an insult towards his love interest and then it becomes a compliment towards her (You're awful – awful nice to be with). Given that this is a musical that obviously depends on its music more than anything else, good tunes are the least that this film can provide audiences and it does exactly that. The dance numbers aren't bad either, namely the "A Day in New York" dance sequence between Kelly and Vera-Ellen. The way they dominate the area they have to dance in is simply fun to watch. It's not like they're just simply dancing on flat ground either, they have to dance in places where they either have to watch their step or hoist up/climb down a big stair. So that scene pays off pretty well. If "On the Town" had a narrative that was at least tolerable to sit through, maybe it would have had a better chance of working. I give this musical credit for trying to tell a story other than your simple backstage musical plot and whatnot. But based on how much of a mixed bag this film is, it's clear that stories in musicals are still, in the grand scheme of things, a work-in-progress.

Three sailors (Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin) arrive in New York and have a day of shore leave. Oddly, they spend the beginning of the movie running wildly about town seeing all the popular sites. Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't think THAT would be the agenda for most sailors! Later, in an odd twist, they meet up with three girls--and mostly (especially in the case of Betty Garrett) they do the pursuing! And what do these frisky sailors want to do now that they've got dates--yes, hang out in night clubs! "On the Town" is a highly regarded musical. Because of this, I feel a bit odd because I was not particularly impressed by it. The film started very well with the "New York, New York" sequence and maintained its momentum for some time, but after a while it started to drag and the quality of the musical numbers seemed to flag as well. To me, the low-light was Gene Kelly's LONG dance routine--it just seemed interminably long. The over film wasn't terrible...it just wasn't very good later in the film. Uneven but worth seeing.By the way, nearly every MGM film from the golden era includes several shorts (including a cartoon) to make it feel like an afternoon at the movies in the old days. Well, oddly, "On the Town" did NOT include this--for shame Turner Entertainment, we want these shorts!!

Gene Kelly, Vera-Ellen, and Ann Miller again showed that they were super dancers, Frank Sinatra exhibited his unequaled singing ability,and Jules Munshin showed that he was a nut. The storyline was simple: three sailors were on a twenty-four-hour pass in New York, (though most of the movie was filmed in Los Angeles), and each made the best of it by finding a female companion and touring the city. While Betty Comden and Adolph Green let the public know via this classic that they were adept at writing screenplays, the movie lacked good acting, though the music was entertaining. I personally liked the songs "New York, New York", "On the Town", and, my favorite, the dance number "A Day In New York". To reiterate, the acting was bland, the story was passable, but the music was great; in fact, the music made it worth the while.