I was in the U.S. Navy. I sort of dreamed about it in my childhood.
The first inclination I ever had about joining the Navy was when I was
young and happened to watch On the Town on television with my dad. You
wouldn't think such a light weight movie could have such an influence on
anyone, but the guys in this movie have such a great time that I wanted
to be a part of it. Gene, Frank, and Jules play stereotypes. Gene is the romantic leader. Frank is the virgin. Jules is the party boy. I met all three of these stereotypes in the navy, plus a whole lot more, but that's another story.
New York is one of the greatest cities to explore. Patrick wrote about how the guys supposedly do tons of stuff in a mere three hours. Believe me, it can't be done. We tried. Frank wants to see it all while the other two just want to get laid. Again, I am reminded of a navy story but it's not appropriate.
Anyway, they each get a girl and do a lot of sight seeing. When my family and I saw Rockefeller Center last year I pictured Gene, Frank and Jules dancing there. In that scene, you can see a bunch of onlookers staring at the stars as they are performing. Couldn't MGM keep the gawkers away when filming?
The movie is filmed partially on location. The location shots are some of the best scenes. It's just too bad that the whole movie wasn't filmed that way. It is so painfully obvious when they are on a soundstage that you wonder why they even bothered decorating the set.
The movie is fast paced and loaded with, what would now be considered quaint, sexual innuendo. Miller sings a song about a cave man who wore a bear skin. She thens gives Munson a sexy look and says 'I really like bare skin.' Of course there is Garrett's randy cab driver who spends a great deal of time begging Sinatra to do her. 'Come up to my place.' she repeats too many times to count.
The funniest character in the movie gets introduced when Sinatra finally makes it to her place. Garrett's room mate, Lucy Schmeeler, is a hideous beast with a cold. They shoo her out so they can be alone. Later she becomes Gene's blind date when Miss Turnstyles is a no show.
One interesting thing to note about this movie is that Betty Garrett and Alice Pearce would both be remembered for supporting roles on famous television shows. Garrett was 'Laverne and Shirley's' land lady. Pearce was Samantha's nosey neighbor on 'Bewitched'.
This musical is better than most, but it has some weak spots. The romance between Gene and Vera is all corn. The location shoot should have encompassed the entire movie. Still, the character's pursuit of fun is infectious, and hey, it changed my life.