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IMDbPro

On the Town

  • 1949
  • Passed
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
18K
YOUR RATING
Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Jules Munshin, and Vera-Ellen in On the Town (1949)
Watch On the Town Official Trailer
Play trailer2:58
1 Video
31 Photos
ComedyMusicalRomance

Three sailors wreak havoc as they search for love during a whirlwind 24-hour leave in New York City.Three sailors wreak havoc as they search for love during a whirlwind 24-hour leave in New York City.Three sailors wreak havoc as they search for love during a whirlwind 24-hour leave in New York City.

  • Directors
    • Stanley Donen
    • Gene Kelly
  • Writers
    • Adolph Green
    • Betty Comden
    • Jerome Robbins
  • Stars
    • Gene Kelly
    • Frank Sinatra
    • Betty Garrett
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    18K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Stanley Donen
      • Gene Kelly
    • Writers
      • Adolph Green
      • Betty Comden
      • Jerome Robbins
    • Stars
      • Gene Kelly
      • Frank Sinatra
      • Betty Garrett
    • 129User reviews
    • 59Critic reviews
    • 71Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 3 wins & 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    On the Town Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:58
    Watch On the Town Official Trailer

    Photos31

    Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin in On the Town (1949)
    Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, and Jules Munshin in On the Town (1949)
    Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Jules Munshin, and Vera-Ellen in On the Town (1949)
    On the Town (1949)
    Gene Kelly and Alice Pearce in On the Town (1949)
    Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Jules Munshin, and Vera-Ellen in On the Town (1949)
    Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen in On the Town (1949)
    Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin in On the Town (1949)
    Gene Kelly, William 'Bill' Phillips, and Dick Wessel in On the Town (1949)
    Jules Munshin in On the Town (1949)
    Gene Kelly in On the Town (1949)
    Ann Miller in On the Town (1949)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Gene Kelly
    Gene Kelly
    • Gabey
    Frank Sinatra
    Frank Sinatra
    • Chip
    Betty Garrett
    Betty Garrett
    • Brunhilde Esterhazy
    Ann Miller
    Ann Miller
    • Claire Huddesen
    Jules Munshin
    Jules Munshin
    • Ozzie
    Vera-Ellen
    Vera-Ellen
    • Ivy Smith
    Florence Bates
    Florence Bates
    • Mme. Dilyovska
    Alice Pearce
    Alice Pearce
    • Lucy Shmeeler
    George Meader
    • Professor
    Murray Alper
    Murray Alper
    • Cab Company Owner
    • (uncredited)
    Bette Arlen
    • Dancer in 'Day in New York' Ballet
    • (uncredited)
    Anne Beck
    • Nightclub Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Bea Benaderet
    Bea Benaderet
    • Brooklyn Girl on Subway
    • (uncredited)
    Gladys Blake
    Gladys Blake
    • Brooklyn Girl on Subway
    • (uncredited)
    Eugene Borden
    • Waiter
    • (uncredited)
    Leonard Bremen
    Leonard Bremen
    • Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    Don Brodie
    Don Brodie
    • Photo Layout Man
    • (uncredited)
    Ralph Brooks
    • Nightclub Patron
    • (uncredited)
    • Directors
      • Stanley Donen
      • Gene Kelly
    • Writers
      • Adolph Green
      • Betty Comden
      • Jerome Robbins
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      A total of five days was spent filming in New York City. The two major problems faced by the crew were 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 musical number "New York, New York", which takes place in the sunken plaza at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in front of the statue of Prometheus, the heads of hundreds of curious spectators can be seen at the top of the frame of the last shot, staring at the three stars over the wall behind the statue.
    • Goofs
      When the boys are looking for clues on the poster in order to find Miss Turnstiles, they find her likes and dislikes. However, none of that is actually mentioned on the poster they have or any that the viewer sees.
    • Quotes

      Gabey: You know, somewhere in the world there's a right girl for every boy. I guess I found the one for me before I even met you. I tried, but I can't forget her. But don't you worry. You'll find your guy. You're a nice girl Lucy.

      [He kisses her on the cheek]

      Gabey: Good night.

      Lucy Schmeeler: Oh you bad boy! Now I won't wash my cheek for a year.

    • Crazy credits
      Before the actual credits the film opens with an embossed card on a silver dish, reading: "A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Silver Anniversary Picture." Most of the studio's 1949 releases opened with this.
    • Connections
      Edited into American Masters: Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer (2002)
    • Soundtracks
      I Feel Like I'm Not Out Of Bed Yet
      (uncredited)

      Music by Leonard Bernstein

      Lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden

      Performed by Bern Hoffman

    User reviews129

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    "The Bronx Is Up and the Battery's Down--"
    Here's an idea: Get a group of exceptionally talented performers together, sketch in an outline of a story based on a successful Broadway show, then supply the score, songs and setting in which they can individually and collectively showcase their respective gifts, turn them loose and see what happens, see if it works. Of course, by the time this film was made in 1949, MGM knew it would work, as it had for them many times previously; there was no guess work involved. The result this time around was `On The Town,' a lively musical which marked the directorial debut of co-directors Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with Kelly starring and also doing the choreography. The plot is simple: Three sailors get twenty-four-hour shore leave in New York and set off to make the most of it. Chip (Frank Sinatra) wants to see the sights; Ozzie (Jules Munshin) wants to play; and Gabey (Kelly) immediately falls into an obsession over a girl he sees on a subway poster, `Miss Turnstiles' of the month, Ivy Smith (Vera-Ellen), and vows to find her. Along the way they run into a quirky cab driver, Brunhilde (Betty Garrett), and a young woman, Claire (Ann Miller), doing some research at a museum. But what this movie is really all about is entertainment, and it delivers it by the songful.

    Kelly and Donen bring it all to life through the words and music of Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Leonard Bernstein, and the score, which earned an Oscar for Roger Edens and Lennie Hayton. it kicks off with Sinatra, Munshin and Kelly doing `New York, New York,' in which they enlighten you to the fact that `The Bronx is up and the Battery's down, and people ride in a hole in the ground--' a dynamite opening that sets the stage for all that comes after. And it's pure entertainment that just sweeps you away with it while you hum along with the six stars of the show as they do what they do best, and it's a delight from beginning to end.

    Without a doubt, Kelly emerges as the star among the stars, and his solo numbers and the ones he performs with Vera-Ellen are especially engaging; but this is one of those musicals in which one memorable number follows another, with each of the principals getting their own moment in the spotlight. Vera-Ellen has a great number early on in the film, in which Miss Turnstiles is introduced; Ann Miller taps her way through a rousing routine in the museum (in which she is joined by Sinatra, Munshin, Kelly and Garrett) that really gives her a chance to show her stuff; and Sinatra and Garrett engage in a memorable bit in song, as she attempts to get him to `Come Up To My Place.' Through it all, Sinatra exudes a certain boyish charm while Garrett and Munshin provide the comic relief. All of which makes for a fun and thoroughly entertaining movie experience.

    The supporting cast includes Alice Pearce (Lucy), Sid Melton (Spud), Hans Conried (Francois) and Florence Bates (Madame Dilyovska). Some movies are made simply to transport you to another place for a couple of hours, put a smile on your face, a song on your lips and just make you feel good; and `On The Town' is certainly one of them. This is pure, uplifting and satisfying Entertainment, beautifully crafted and delivered and guaranteed to make your day a little brighter. The fact is, they just don't make ‘em like this anymore, and it's a shame. Because this is what the magic of the movies is all about. I rate this one 9/10.
    helpful•47
    3
    • jhclues
    • Dec 5, 2001

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 30, 1949 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Das ist New York
    • Filming locations
      • Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA(opening and closing scenes)
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $2,111,250 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 38 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Jules Munshin, and Vera-Ellen in On the Town (1949)
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