On the Town (BD) [Blu-ray]

ON THE TOWN [1949] [Blu-ray] M-G-M’s Big Color By Technicolor Musical! The Freshest, Most Invigorating and Innovative Screen Musical of Its Decade!New York, New York, it's a wonderful town, especially when sailors Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin have a 24-hour shore leave to see the sights . . . and when those sights include Ann Miller, Betty Garrett and Vera-Ellen.Co-directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, based on the Broadway hit and set to an Academy Award® winning adaptation score, ‘On the Town’ changed the landscape of movie musicals, opening filmmakers' eyes to what could be done on location. And when brilliant location and studio production numbers are blended, it could be as here and ebullient, up-and-at-'em perfection. The Bronx is up and the Battery's down, but no one can be down after going ‘On the Town.’FILM FACT: The film was an instant success and 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 Adolph Green and Betty Comden won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Musical. Judy Holliday was uncredited as the voice of Daisy Simkins. 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.Cast: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Vera-Ellen, Florence Bates, Alice Pearce, George Meader, Bette Arlen, Dorinda Clifton, Jeanne Coyne, Gloria Marlen, Hans Conried, Peter Chong, Bern Hoffman (Shipyard Singer uncredited) and James A. FitzPatrick (Trailer Narrator uncredited)Directors: Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen and Jack Gertsman [Assistant Director]Producers: Arthur Freed and Roger EdensScreenplay: Adolph Green, Betty Comden and Jerome Robbins (idea)Composers: Leonard Bernstein, Roger Edens, Adolph Green, Betty Comden and Conrad Salinger (uncredited)Cinematography: Harold RossonVideo Resolution: 1080p [Technicolor]Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1Audio: English: 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, French: 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono, Spanish [Castilian]: 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono and Spanish [Latin]: 1.0 Dolby Digital MonoSubtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish [Castilian] and Spanish [Latin]Running Time: 98 minutesRegion: Region A/1Number of discs: 1Studio: Warner Home VideoAndrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘On the Town’ may not be the greatest Hollywood musical ever produced; compared to the likes of Singin' in the Rain,’ ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ The Band Wagon’ and several others would all garner consideration with ‘Singin' in the Rain’ probably receiving the most attention. But ‘On the Town’ is so unconventional for its time, is separate from the rest for several very special reasons, Most significantly, the film was partially shot outdoors; it instigated the use of increased on-location shooting for films of that genre. ‘On the Town’ is one of the few features in which the talents of two filmmakers are so happily blended; Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, the co-directors, later went on to make ‘Singin' in the Rain’ and ‘It's Always Fair Weather.’‘On the Town’ [1949] is undoubtedly one of the key works in the development of the Hollywood musical. Up to that time, musicals were entirely studio-bound, with rare exceptions such as the Brooklyn Bridge sequence in It Happened in Brooklyn (1947). Directors Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen wanted to use extensive locations, but the studio allowed only one week of shooting in New York. It proceeded at breathless pace, often using hidden cameras to avoid crowd problems. Another innovative feature, also part of the Broadway stage production, is their use of modern dance to advance the plot in sequences such as "Miss Turnstiles" and "A Day in New York." Gene Kelly's interest in using modern dance would develop further in the climactic ballet of ‘An American in Paris’ [1951] and ‘Invitation to the Dance’ [1956].Gabey, Chip and Ozzie have exactly 24 hours' shore leave in New York and are determined to see all the sights and find some romance along the way. Chip is pursued by Brunhilde "Hildy" Esterhazy, an aggressive taxi-driver. Ozzie hits it off with Claire, an anthropologist, while visiting the Museum of Natural History. Gabey, on the other hand, has his hopes pinned on a seemingly impossible dream: "Miss Turnstiles," whose poster he sees on the subway. However, this is New York and a lot can happen in one day. Frank Sinatra, in one of his first starring roles, gets his chance to croon, Gene Kelly to dance, and Jules Munshin to pull in the yuks, while the rest of the cast, particularly Vera-Ellen and Ann Miller, shine brightly in their own set pieces, with ballet and tap dancing showstoppers, respectively.Characterisations are established not only by dialogue and performance but in terms of song and dance: "Prehistoric Man," set in the Museum of Natural History and tap-danced by anthropology student Ann Miller displays her character's aggressiveness in pursuing Jules Munshin; in "Come Up to My Place," shy Frank Sinatra finally succumbs to the charms of taxi driver Betty Garrett. These two women are certainly no standard, passive heroines, and are unusually liberated for their day by the manner in which they relate to, and compete with, men.The two aforementioned dance numbers, along with the songs "New York, New York" and "Come Up to My Place," were the only musical numbers retained for Leonard Bernstein's original score. Betty Comden and Adolph Green, were hired by M-G-M to write new lyrics. Roger Edens composed six new songs, receiving an Academy Award® along with Musical Director Lennie Hayton in the process.‘On the Town’ is an energetic, effervescent combination of reality and fantasy, especially compared to ‘West Side Story’ and ‘Funny Girl’ and so many other subsequent musicals owe their very existence to the creativity and vision of Gene Kelly and company. If modern audiences are able to keep an open mind to the prevalent views of the times the film had been made in, there is more than enough in ‘On the Town’ to recommend for lovers of musicals, particularly those who enjoy the dancing of Gene Kelly and co., and the singing of Frank Sinatra. It's charming, humorous, effervescent, and a perfect postcard to all that exemplifies the infinite paths and possibilities of New York City at its 'Big Apple' finest.Blu-ray Video Quality – ‘On the Town’ was shot in three-strip Technicolor by Harold Rossen, and Warner Home Video’s 1080p encoded image on this Blu-ray was clearly not beneficiary of the patented "Ultra Resolution" process recently featured on Warner Home Video release of ‘The Band Wagon.’Blu-ray Audio Quality – The 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Mono is in fine shape and, within the limitations of the era, does justice to the musical numbers and vocal performances, which were studio-recorded. The dynamic range is limited, but the highs aren't harsh and the lows aren't bad. Both dialogue and lyrics are clearly rendered. ‘On the Town’ has always sounded a bit like this and I am not entirely certain as per the reasons why. But, Warner Home Video has done the utmost to preserve and remaster where possible. You will surely not be disappointed with the results. I know I wasn’t. Finally, what a shame Warner Home Video have provided and audio commentary and isolated score too.Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:Vintage Feature: John Nesbitt’s Passing Parade: Mr. Whitney Had a Notion [1949 M-G-M B/W Short] [1949] [1080i] [4:3] [10:46] This Passing Parade entry tells of a little-known story in American history. Eli Whitney, famous for inventing the cotton gin, was given a US government contract to produce a large number of rifles over a two-year period. In order to fulfil the contract, he developed the concept of mass production. Instead of one person crafting a whole rifle, several persons make individual parts that are assembled later. Cast (in credits order) Lloyd Bridges, Erville Alderson, Howard Negley, Harry Hayden, Mitchell Lewis and John Nesbitt. Screenplay and Narrated by John Nesbitt.Vintage Cartoon: Doggone Tired [1949 M-G-M Cartoon] [1949] [480i] [4:3] [7:36] First great variation on the topic of the noise, rather obsessional in Tex Avery's work. An energetic dog needs a night's rest if he's going to be ready for rabbit hunting at dawn. A crafty rabbit overhears a hunter tell his dog that he'll have to get plenty of sleep if he wants to catch the rabbit in the morning. In the interests of self-preservation, the rabbit devotes his entire night to keeping the dog awake in a variety of creative ways.Trailer: On the Town with James A. FitxPatrick – The Voice of the Globe [1949] [480i] [4:3] [3:00] This a Special Theatrical Trailer for the M-G-M ‘On the Town.’ One unfortunate thing with this particular trailer, especially for its time, is the wording at the end of the trailer, where is states, “Twice as gay as ‘Anchors Aweigh.’ American documentary film director. After completing training in the dramatic arts, he worked for a while as a journalist. In 1925 he entered films and specialized throughout his career in travel documentaries. Besides directing, he also wrote, produced, and narrated many of his films. M-G-M distributed a series of his travel films under the umbrella titles "Fitzpatrick Traveltalks" and "The Voice of the Globe," as did Paramount as "VistaVision Visits." The hallmarks of James A. Fitzpatrick's films were Technicolor photography and stolidity.Finally, some people consider ‘On the Town’ to be more Gene Kelly's film than Frank Sinatra's, and it's true that Gabey is considered the lead role on Broadway. Still, the show remains a brilliant quintessential ensemble piece, that has been an all-time favourite Hollywood Musical film of mine, and especially with the strong performances by all six actors and actresses playing the sailors and their whirlwind romantic partners. As directors, Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen found the right chemistry, which is why the film worked so well despite a watered-down script. Since Warner Home Video is unlikely to re-master the Blu-ray, this is the best we will ever probably get, but despite this, I am so happy to have it in my Warner Home Video Collection, as it is far superior to anything that was previously released on the inferior NTSC DVD format. Highly Recommended!Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film FanLe Cinema ParadisoWARE, United Kingdom

Classic Americana.

"On the Town" tells the story of three sailors - Gabey, Ozzie and Chip - on 24-hour leave in wartime New York City. Gabey falls in love with a subway poster of Ivy Smith, "Miss Turnstiles" for the month of June. Gabey, aided by Ozzie, Chip and two of their gals, goes on a hunt for Ivy. After several adventures and a disappointing blind date with Hildy's roommate, Lucy Schmeeler, Gaby finds Ivy.Let me say first that film version of "On the Town" is lively and entertaining, but no more so than many musicals of the 1940s, including "Anchors Aweigh," the very enjoyable 1945 movie starring Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly as two sailors on leave in Hollywood.The musical score of that film (by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne) is excellent. Sinatra's rendition of "I Fall in Love Too Easily" still leaves me with chills. But I'll leave it to others to argue over which is the better film.There are at least two ways to review "On the Town" or any other film of a Broadway musical: Take it for what it is, or express regrets over what it could have been. I fall into the latter camp."On the Town" opened on Broadway in 1944 and ran for more than 460 performances - a healthy run for shows of the time. It was an "integrated" show, in which the book, songs and dances are tightly bound to advance the plot. Choreograper Jerome Robbins created innovative dances full of energy. The forerunner of "On the Town was the highly successful Leonard Bernstein-Robbins ballet "Fancy Free." The creation of the musical play was inspired by Robbins.In 1960 Columbia Records released "The First Full-Length Recording" of the show, which included members of the original cast:(Nancy Walker as Hildy the taxi driver, Betty Comden as Claire DeLoone (Claire Huddeson in the film) the anthropologist, Adolph Green (Ozzie) and Cris Alexander (Chip) as two of the sailors. John Battles as the other sailor (Gabey) is not heard on the album (John Reardon performs in his place. This is the REAL "On the Town."But producer Arthur Freed felt that the songs in the play were too sophisticated for film audiences, so most of the numbers in the play were dropped and second-rate composer Roger Edens filled out the score (I have to assume that Comden and Green were dragooned into writing the substandard lyrics that accompanied Edens' music). All of this confirms the saw that no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American people.(Producers weren't entirely at fault. The Production Code Administration's censors were always on the lookout for anything that might violate its strict, moralistic code.)Even the two of the three songs that were retained in the movie, "New York New York" and "Come Up to My Place," were reduced to shadows of the original versions. Leonard Bernsteins's jazzy score was castrated by orchestrator Conrad Salinger and clever lyrics were dropped or altered. These factors changed the atmosphere and mood of the film.Among the songs that were omitted: "Lucky to Be Me," which has become a standard, sung by Gabey as he awaits his date; "I Can Cook Too," Hildy's witty mating song for Chip; "Carried Away," another funny number sung by Claire and Ozzie in the museum, in which they express a mutual weakness (the song was replaced by the silly "Primitive Man" number, which was only salvaged by Ann Miller's dancing; "Some Other Time," a poignant song, with a marvelous vocal arrangement, that acknowledges that the 24-hour leave is almost over (there are about two dozen versions of this song currently in print); "Ya Got Me," a propulsive, bouncy song with a Latin beat that the gang sings to Gabey to cheer him up (this was replaced in the film by an inferior, corny C&W song.For many successful musicals, MGM turned to established outside composers and lyricists. "Meet Me in St. Louis," "The Harvey Girls" and "It Happened in Brooklyn" are just three examples of this practice.Roger Edens is simply not in their league.So, I suggest that anyone who reads this review acquire or hear the 1960 Columbia album, or even the 1992 studio version that includes even more music.Your high opinion of the film may change significantly.

I've seen this movie many times on television, and now own it on DVD. Three sailors, played by Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin, who are on 24-hour leave in New York, and want to see all the sights before they have to be back on the ship the next morning. Gaby, Kelly's character, falls in love with Ivy Smith, Miss Turnstiles (played by Vera-Ellen), or more accurately, her picture. Along the way, the sailors meet up with Hildy Esterhazy, a flirtatious cab driver (Betty Garrett, who played Archie Bunker's neighbor Irene Lorenzo in ALL IN THE FAMILY, and landlady Edna Babish in LAVERNE & SHIRLEY), and tap-dancing anthropologist Claire Huddesen (the great Ann Miller). The three sailors eventually find Ivy, and all three of them fall in love (Gaby with Ivy, Chip (Sinatra) with Hildy, and Ozzie (Munshin) with Claire. There are fun and misadventures along the way, but the movie ends happily, with the girls sharing one last kiss with the sailors before they have to go back on board.The songs, including "New York, New York, A Wonderful Town" (it was "A Hell Of A Town" on Broadway, but you couldn't say the "H word" in a 1949 movie) and the title track, are magnificent. The dances, particularly Kelly's "Main Street" fantasy tap duet with Vera-Ellen, and Annie Miller's solo to "Prehistoric Man," are wonderful as well. Although they perform together in the ensemble numbers, the producers missed a chance to put two of the best female tappers - Miller and Vera-Ellen - together for a tap duet. I believe that this was their only film appearance together.This film is an entertaining classic, and is definitely worth owning.

On the Town - the movieThis is a story of three sailors (Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munchin) and their escapades while on shore leave for 24 hours in New York - a much worked Hollywood theme! It was originally a Broadway hit with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, itself a reworking of a Jerome Robbins ballet called Fancy Free. Gene Kelly directed and choreographed the film with Stanley Donen. Some of the Bernstein tunes were dropped in the film to be replaced by others composed by Roger Edens, Conrad Salinger and Lennie Hayton. But the rousing opening number, `New York, New York, It's a wonderful town' was retained as were some of the ballet sequences. In fact, the whole film was very balletic, which reflects its origins. The girls after whom the sailors chased were Vera-Ellen (`Miss Turnstiles'), Ann Miller (an anthropologist, would you believe), and Betty Garrett (as a lady cab driver). Though the storyline is somewhat overworked, the film as a whole is thoroughly entertaining for most of its 98 minutes. It was released in 1949 and is in Technicolor.

I remember seeing this film as a child. The impression it made on me then still dominates today. My DVD is an import from South Korea. The quality is first-class and the sub-titles may be erased by using the menu on the remote. A good film is timeless and this mesmerising musical has all the ingredients to make it eminently watchable. The cast is superb. The only weak links are Jules Munshin whose attempts at comedy are somewhat dated by today's standards and Betty Garrett whose impersonation of a taxi-driver is an insult to all yellow-cab drivers in the Big Apple. But watch the dancing of Gene Kelly, Vera-Ellen and Ann Miller and listen to 'Old Blue-eyes' singing. Whether sailors on leave in New York would be as congenial and well-behaved as this trio is questionable. As for the plot, forget it. 'Singin' in the Rain' and 'Showboat' are the only MGM musicals with a decent plot. The rest, such as 'Du Barry was a Lady' and 'Take me out to the Ball-Game' are merely vehicles for talented dancers and singers. But that is why we watch musicals. We like the music and the dancing. We want something that appeals to our senses, not to our brains.

A great film, one of MGM's best-ever musicals, but a disappointment as a Blu-ray production. It just doesn't look like Blu-ray at all. In fact, I compared it with my old pre-BR copy, and I could see no difference.. However, maybe I should make allowances for the fact that I played this latest version on a 6-foot screen -- on an average-size one the less than high definition might not detract what is basically a hugely enjoyable film. As for the sound, that is fine, although on my copy of the disc there was a ten- second black-out of both sound and vision at the beginning of the 'You Can Count on Me' number. This is not the first poor Blu-ray disc I've had of another great MGM musical. Another was 'The Band Wagon' although in that case it wasn't quite as disappointing. I imagine that Amazon, as sellers of the 'On the Town' disc will probably dislike this disappointed review of it, but I can't help advising prospective purchasers that they might just as well stick with the old pre-BR version.

Leonard Berstein and an all star cast and it is sooooo dissappointing.

Old fashioned feel good movie.Not that keen on picture quality,looks like someone has pressed a button and came out faded and tripled the film grain.Its still watchable but i would have spent more knowing in advance.Cheap is what you get here,cheap it was.subtitles can be switched off.