A Fine Bromance - Part III (Last one!)

At long, long last - the final installment!

Recently I took up salsa dancing.  It’s a lot of fun, but also a lot to remember, especially for someone like me who is far from being graceful on her feet.  After a particularly long night of dancing, on a new pair of high heels too, I complained to my friend that I felt a lot more sympathy towards Debbie Reynolds.  Having a dance teacher like Gene Kelly, who literally made you dance till your feet bled, couldn’t have been easy.  Now my feet weren’t bleeding, but I couldn’t help thinking of the comparison – simply put, some films are a part of our lives because they are timeless.  Some movies age better than others, but there are a few rare gems that still maintain their initial charm and beauty that transcends the ages.  Now the first two Sinatra-Kelly films don’t quite make this level (although Gene’s dance with Jerry the mouse is a timeless cinema treasure), but I think their third and final film, On the Town, easily earns the title of “true classic.”

On the Town (1949)– Gabey and Chip

It truly is the dancing that makes On the Town a stand-out.  The film starts with three sailors on a 24-hour leave in New York City.  Gabey (Gene Kelly) spots a poster of the monthly Miss Turnstiles and decides that she’s the girl he’s after.  He meets her for a moment by chance in the subway, but loses her and recruits his two buddies Chip (Frank Sinatra) and Ozzie (Jules Munshin) to help him find her.  They’re aided by Hilde, a lady cab driver (Betty Garrett) and Claire, a woman studying anthropology to avoid chasing men (Ann Miller).  But Hilde is clearly more interested in Chip than in finding Miss Turnstiles, just as Claire is far more interested in Ozzie than her studies.  The group splits up to look for the mystery woman, Ivy Smith (Vera-Ellen).  Gabey finds her, and thinks that as Miss Turnstiles, she must be very important.  She’s really just a nobody, working hard to study dancing and music, but she lets him think she’s a somebody.  She agrees to go out with him that night, and all six friends reunite at the top of the Empire State Building (where else?) for the classic title song and dance number.  The three couples start painting the town, but Gabey’s good spirits sink when Ivy must leave him at midnight (she has to go to work as a cooch dancer in Coney Island and doesn’t want him to know).  The others try to cheer him up, even getting Hilde’s obnoxiously-voiced roommate Lucy (Alice Pearce) to stand in as a replacement date.  With a stroke of luck, they run into Ivy’s dance teacher, who tells them the truth about her and where she is working.  The gang race to Coney Island, determined to reunite Gabey and Ivy before his 24 hour pass expires.  A lot of reckless driving and cross-dressing later, they find Ivy, who breaks down and tells Gabey the truth – that’s she’s not the celebrity he’s made her out to be, but just a girl from the same small hometown as him.  But before a final kiss is allowed, the boys are dragged away by the shore patrol for all the fuss they’ve made.  So it’s up to an impassioned speech from Hilde and the good folks of Brooklyn to reunite the guys and the gals for a goodbye kiss.

As I said before, dancing is the highlight of the film.  Sinatra’s learned a lot since his first appearance with Kelly, and the trio of sailors makes some great music together.  Their opening number is still considered a classic in its own right – “New York, New York, It’s a Wonderful Town” is catchy enough, but it also follows the guys through some of the best sites in the city.  I mean, they even get a carriage ride around Central Park.  Funny story: apparently the song was originally worded “New York, New York, it’s a helluva town,” but code regulations (and probably someone who wanted to draw in a younger audience) had it changed to Wonderful.  One of the strengths of the film comes from the talents of the women too.  Ann Miller is an amazing dancer, and delivers with her solo routine in “Modern Man”.  Vera-Ellen is also a knock-out because she’s such a great match for Kelly.  Their duet and dance routine in “Main Street” is endearing and earned the song an Oscar nomination.  But perhaps the most mesmerizing dance is during Gabey’s dream sequence.  In the dream he’s dancing with Ivy on a set of parallel ballet bars.  Everything is dark with just a white hot, tightly closed spotlight on them.  The light hits the backdrop to the right, which is a deep, sensuous pick.  And because of the lighting and the amazing dance, you barely watch the two dancers – you watch instead their shadows, which blend and move into one another.  If you ever thought dancing in musicals didn’t code for sex, this may very well change your mind.  The whole sequence is hypnotizing and very dream-like.  In fact, in years later, Gene Kelly’s daughter said that at a time in Hollywood when it was considered in good taste to go to psychoanalysts and such, her father never did – he dealt with his own psyche through dance.  And it shows. 

The dancing emphasizes the relationships between the characters, and that is truly what carries the film.  It’s a straightforward plot, so the characters especially have to be engaging enough to hold your interest.  While Ivy and Gabey are central to the story, and Ozzie and Claire add to the comic relief, I think the third couple, Chip and Hilde, are my absolute favorite (and one of my all time favorite film couples).  Hilde, as a character, is a lot stronger than most women in musicals – she’s not only witty and charming, but independent and not afraid of declaring (and going after!) exactly what she wants.  She’s Barbara Stanwyck in tap shoes.  She and Chip have some great songs together, like “Come Up to My Place” (ahem, that’s Hilde doing the inviting!) and one of the best in the film, “You’re Awful”.      

Not only do the romantic relationships develop and give the film depth, but we also see a great relationship between the guys, particularly Chip and Gabey.  Perhaps the most touching scene is when Gabey leaves the group, distraught that Ivy left him.  He’s outside coming out of a daydream when Chip comes to get him. 

            Chip: I know you’re taking it hard, Gabe.

            Gabe: I know you know.  That’s why I love you.

There’s something very poignant about that simple exchange.  It not only speaks to their characters (enhancing the male-buddy theme), but to some extent their off screen friendship, which would continue the rest of their lives.  Why did they make such a good team?  Because they were so alike in personality and both geniuses in their respective musical fields, I think they had a mutual respect for one another as well as a fierce dedication to the work.  They were supposed to team up again in 1955 for It’s Always Fair Weather, a film about three soldiers who reunite 10 years after coming home only to find that they no longer have anything in common.  It would have been a great follow up for the Gabey-Ozzie-Chip set, but it wasn’t meant to be.  Instead, Sinatra and Kelly would reunite on the small screen, appearing in numerous television specials and shows.  In 1977, on one such program, Kelly was toasting Sinatra and closed by talking about a song they had done called “Nice and Easy,” to which Frank had sung while Gene had danced.  “As I try to sum up our relationship over the years,” Kelly said that night to Frank, “that seems to say it.  Nice and Easy.  And for that, this battered old Irish hoofer says thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

It’s hard not to love the Kelly-Sinatra films if only to watch them work together.  On the Town represents not only their greatest collaboration, but a true classic in the world of musicals.  It’s aged the best of their three films and should be a required film on everyone’s list.  I mentioned earlier how timelessness sets apart the great films and allows audiences of any generation to love them.  A few years ago, I watched the film Sleepy Hollow with some of my friends.  At the end, Johnny Depp is walking down a street in turn-of-the-century New York City.  He says to his companion, “You'll soon find your bearings, young Masbeth. The Bronx is up, the Battery is down, and home is this way.”  I’m not sure if it was the phrasing or the delivery, but something made me want to stand up and cheer.  I was half expecting him to say “it’s a helluva town,” but even though he didn’t, I know that Gene and Frank would have approved.     

A Fine Bromance - Part I

I first fell in love with The Voice when I was thirteen.  I was lying on the floor of my grandmother's living room, propped up on my elbows with my feet lazily kicking in the air as I flipped through her collection of cassette tapes, records and CDs.  I put on something that looked good and soon the sound of Frank Sinatra's voice filled the room.

Watch the trailer on TCM.com

It wasn’t long afterward that a string of new loves came along – first the Rat Pack, then Dean Martin, then all those old movies.  I can’t quite remember when I first saw Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly together, or which movie it was, but I remember thinking those guys really had a great relationship.  They were quite a force to be reckoned with, as both men were at the top of their game in singing and dancing, respectively.  I learned much later that the two had made a total of three films together from 1945 to 1949, but had remained friends for the rest of their lives, appearing on television specials and staying in touch.  It gives me a bit of hope to read about their lasting friendship, and makes the films themselves even more enjoyable.  As I had already watched two of the three films for my post on Betty Garrett, I decided to watch the third (and earliest) one this weekend to round out this trio.

I know the term “bromance” only originated in the 1990s, but I feel like it can be dully applied to the Sinatra-Kelly friendship.  Frank and Dean Martin were certainly closer and more deserving of the term, but the affection between Frank and Gene comes through in their characters.  So perhaps it would be more apt to say the bromance was between Gabey and Chip or Eddie and Denny or the earliest (and sweetest) between Joe and Clarence.

Joe and Clarence – Anchors Aweigh (1945)

MGM had signed both Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra by 1944, and decided to put the two forces together for a big, colorful musical along with another great star, opera-trained Kathryn Grayson.  Frank had, up to this point, only made a handful of movies, all of which were short, B-list productions (side note: Higher and Higher from 1943 is one of my guilty pleasure movies and one you should definitely check out – not only is Frank adorable, but he stars alongside Jack Haley, Mel Tormé and Victor Borge).  The film was Anchors Aweigh, a musical that followed a lot of wartime pictures in tone – innocent, upbeat, fun and a good distraction.  But unlike some of those wartime films (I’m thinking of Thousands Cheer from 1943), this one is of a far better caliber.

The story is pretty simple – two sailors get a four day leave in Los Angeles.  Joe Brady (Gene Kelly) is notorious for being a “sea-wolf”, the kind of guy with a list of girls in every port.  He’s trying to get to a hot date with someone named Lola, but he’s trailed by his shipmate, shy, awkward Clarence Doolittle (Frank Sinatra).  He agrees to get Clarence a date with a girl just to get rid of him, but the two are sidetracked when the police ask them for help with a little boy who has snuck out of his house and run away to join the Navy.  They take the boy home and meet his aunt Susan (Kathryn Grayson) and instantly Clarence falls for her.  There are a lot of problems that the pair of sailors has to overcome to get the two together, most notably a blatant lie that they can get her an audition with famed band leader José Iturbi (she’s been trying desperately to become a professional singer).  To make things even more complicated, Iturbi seems impossible to find, and Joe finds himself falling for Susan.  Does it all work out?  It’s an MGM musical from 1945 – you better believe it has a happy ending, complete with a big brass band!  Gene Kelly years later summed up Anchors Aweigh like this: “It was about two sailors trying to win the war by singing, dancing and getting José Iturbi to play the piano.  But it must have worked – we won!”       

As I mentioned, Frank had never made such an in-depth movie before.  He said in an interview that pictures he had done prior to Anchors Aweigh had taken six weeks of filming total.  This one took six weeks just for one dance routine.  Now Frank had never danced before, so to be dancing for the first time with a master like Gene Kelly was a daunting challenge.  But Sinatra trained for it and his hard work shows, particularly in the film’s most memorable dance routine with the two sailors jumping on the beds at the boarding house.  It took Sinatra so long to do that routine because he kept missing the beat on the jumping, and then had to land in time with Kelly and go immediately into a new step.  It’s a difficult dance, but sure looks great on screen!  And you can tell the two guys enjoyed it too (not to mention they also look so relieved in that final close-up!).  What impressed me was that the two men remained friends after all that; Gene Kelly had a bit of a reputation as a demanding teacher with a bit of a temper – you’d dance till your feet bled until you got it right.  But Frank was just as stubborn and had a temper too, so I think maybe they just made a good match right out of the gate because they were so similar. 

There are so many things I love about Anchors Aweigh – the music, for one thing, is wonderful.  The orchestra directed by Iturbi is sensational, plus we get Kathryn Grayson’s beautiful voice.  She’s a wonderful star on her own, and to pair her with these other two legends just makes it more enjoyable.  Her numbers showcase her operatic voice (she was a coloratura soprano, according to her biography on imdb.com).  We also have Sinatra, who during his downtime was still wooing all those bobby-soxers at sold-out concerts.  His Technicolor debut introduced everyone to those legendary blue eyes and attached scores of viewers.  He doesn’t have many songs in this film, but those he has are beautiful.  “I Fall in Love Too Easily” is one of the saddest, most bittersweet songs ever, and “What Makes the Sunset?”, an equally poetic song.  Then there’s Gene.  Gene Kelly has some great dances in this film, aside from those with Sinatra.  His Mexican hat dance is hilarious, and his “dream sequence” with Kathryn Grayson reminds me a lot of his later film, The Three Musketeers (a film which he’d wanted to do for a long time, probably even as this one was being shot).  But the most well known is his dance with Jerry the mouse (of Tom & Jerry fame).  Gene had been consulting with animators to try and do a number like this, but Disney refused to discuss it, so they couldn’t use Mickey Mouse.  I bet Disney regretted their decision after seeing how well Gene’s performance went!  As lovely as it is, what I always go back to in Anchors Aweigh is that dance scene at the boarding house.  The heart of the film is the relationship between Clarence and Joe.  Clarence starts out as a bit of a nuisance for Joe, but through this unforgettable four day leave, they become best friends.  It provides a solid foundation for the film and opens the door to future movies. 

To be continued….

Black Hand (1950)

Intro.

Can you name any films Gene Kelly made where there was no singing, dancing or music of any kind?  It's a bit hard, isn't it?  But Gene Kelly was a phenomenal actor in straight dramas too - I loved him in the film version of Inherit the Wind.  So when I saw Black Hand on the TCM lineup, I decided to watch.  All I knew was that it dealt with crime in New York City during the early 1900s.

Overview
Gene Kelly leads the film as Johnny Colombo, a boy who returns to Italy with his mother when his father is killed by the Black Hand in New York City.  Eight years later he returns as a grown man with a vow to avenge his father's death.  He soon reunites with some old friends like Isabella Gomboli (Teresa Celli) and meets an honest cop named Naish (Louis Lorelli).  Together Johnny tries to build a resistance to the Black Hand, but is sorely outmatched.  Finally a great idea comes to Johnny and Naish when a notorious mafia leader in New York is on trial (and winning because he intimidated all the witnesses).  The trial ends only because he is extradited to Italy, where he is wanted by the police.  Naish travels to Naples in order to check outstanding Italian warrants against men he knows to be mafiosos in New York.  He sends the photos and incriminating paperwork back to Johnny, only to have it used as ransom for the life of Isabella's little brother.  The film takes a few more twists as Johnny has to face off with the men who killed his father.

Highlights

IMDb has this film listed as a Thriller, Crime film and Film Noir.  Black Hand delivers on all three.  Gene Kelly is wonderful in his role, and now I am interested in catching a few more of his dramas.  He steps into the film noir like a natural, easily helping the film move through some of the more complicated plot points.  He becomes the heart of the story, as does his relationship with Isabella.  The only problem I had with this film was the opening when Gene Kelly is returning from Italy.  He cannot carry an Italian accent, though he tries.  I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I was laughing when his first lines were in flowing Italian that was thick with the accent of an Irishman from Pittsburgh.  I would have loved to have heard what Gene's friend Frank Sinatra thought of this film, but I digress.  Once Johnny gets back into New York, the accent slips away and he seems more comfortable.

I think what struck me the most in this film was the fine line between stereotype and an actual look at racism against Italians.  I think one of the most striking parts of the film comes during the trial of the mafia leader who has scared away all but one witness.  That lone witness is terrified on the stand and refuses to testify.  Naish comes up to him and gives this speech: "Carlo, did you ever go uptown, out of the district, and try to rent a room somewhere.  You couldn't get it.  They got it in their heads we're not as good as other people.  All they ever hear of us in the newspapers is murder.  All they ever see of us is in the slums or in gangs of pick-shovel men digging the subway.  They think it's because we're not good enough for anything else.  Those newspapermen out there - what are they gonna write about in tomorrow's papers?  'Scared witness refuses to testify'?  Would you like that?  Or maybe 'Brave Italian defies Black Hand warning'?  That would be better, huh? Are we an inferior race like they say, Carlo?"  To which Carlo responds by looking at the lawyer: "Ask me again."  What a great scene and a terrific speech!     

I could go on about the nuances of the film and the history of Italian immigrants, but this post would be far too long.  I did appreciate the line Isabella had in the beginning when she suggests to Johnny that he form a league for protection like they did in New Orleans.  New Orleans had been in 1891 the scene of a mass lynching of 11 Italian Americans.  (Read more about it here).  Meanwhile, groups like the Order of the Sons of Italy were founded to help Italian immigrants find jobs, get settled, learn English and become citizens.  So it made me proud to see Johnny fight the Black Hand in an honest way.  That I think is what defines this film.              

Review and Recommendation
There are some articles online suggesting that this film inspired The Godfather Part II, and after seeing Black Hand, I have to agree it must have been a strong influence.  While not as powerful or well-done a film as The Godfather Part II, this film has its merits.  It's an intriguing thriller and a good solid noir.  If you can make it past Gene Kelly speaking Italian, I have a feeling you'll enjoy it.  


P.S. Also, funniest line in the film?  The bartender, after hearing Kelly sing, says "A man with a voice like that comes here to drink, not to sing."

Thousands Cheer (1943)

Intro.

I was attracted to Thousands Cheer because of all the stars it bragged about in its write-up: Gene Kelly, Kathryn Grayson, Jose Iturbi, Mary Astor, John Boles, Mickey Rooney, Lucille Ball, Judy Garland, Red Skelton and more.  Although I was disappointed in the overall film, I have to say that seeing so many Hollywood faces was still very entertaining.

Overview

Basically, Thousands Cheer is a lot like Anchors Aweigh on the surface except it's in the Army and without Frank Sinatra (big mistake!).  Gene Kelly plays a GI who gets involved with the Colonel's daughter (Kathryn Grayson), who is staying at her father's house on post and organizing the entertainment for the troops.  While at first they don't hit it off, Gene is pretty persistent and gets Kathryn to go with him to meet his family, a group of daredevil trapeze artists in the circus.  As their relationship develops, Kathryn is also trying to get her long separated parents back together as well as plan a huge star-studded show for the men at the post before they deploy for World War II.  Despite a few bumps and set backs, everything comes together and both troops and we the viewers are treated to a USO-style show with singing, dancing, and comedy skits.  And of course our leading couple end with a tearful goodbye at a train station in traditional feel-good Hollywood fashion.

Highlights

There are some true musical gems in this film.  Kathryn Grayson has some breath-taking songs in this film, including "Daybreak" and "Three Letters in the Mail Box."  Gene Kelly also performs his famous (not to mention adorable) dance with a mop to "Let Me Call You Sweetheart."  Jose Iturbi is also wonderful as both actor and pianist.  When they begin the big show emceed by Mickey Rooney, there are some great numbers there as well, including a doctor skit with Frank Morgan and Lucille Ball, a soda fountain skit with Red Skelton, and my favorite, a number by Judy Garland called "The Joint Is Really Jumpin' in Carnegie Hall."

Sadly, I did lose interest in the film as the pacing and storyline kind of lose momentum after a promising beginning.  I think afterward it was more of a showcase of talent like the later productions of "That's Entertainment".  However, placing it in a historical context, I can see now that this was part of Hollywood's war effort - a USO show for the silver screen.  Watching it, I could imagine audiences of the time thinking of Gene Kelly as a swell guy going off to war and Kathryn Grayson as the woman so many soldiers would like to have waiting for them back home.  It's a bit dated, but nevertheless an interesting look at wartime Hollywood.

Review

As I said, Thousands Cheer is an example of World War II Hollywood's war effort.  It entertains audiences with some great performances by a wide array of talents, including some very big names in the industry.  What it lacks in story it makes up for in heart, so if you want something fun and not too serious, it may be worth a try.

The Three Musketeers (1948)

Intro.
In one of my earlier posts, I had written about the 1921 version of The Three Musketeers, which had starred Douglas Fairbanks.  I had commented about Gene Kelly seeing that version and wanting to someday play d'Artagnan.  I finally got the chance to see the 1948 remake with Gene Kelly, and I have to say you can definitely see Fairbanks's influence.

Overview
The plot of the first hour of this film follows the original pretty closely (see the prior post).  However, where the first film ended with the safe return of the jewels, this one extended the storyline to include the whole of the original novel.  D'Artagnan returns to find each of his fellow musketeers where he had left them en route to London, and once reunited they have to find a way to earn some money.  D'Artagnan runs into the Lady de Winter and that's where things get interesting.  He pretends to be her lover in order to get her ring, and he discovers that on her shoulder is the brand of a convict.  We then learn that she is the wife of Athos and has been using men and leading them to their deaths.  She heads to London, where the Musketeers have warned the Duke of Buckingham.  He jails her and has Constance (the innocent seamstress and D'Artagnan's wife) act as jailer.  Lady de Winter feigns a serious illness and when Constance tries to help her, she kills Constance and a guard and flees back to France to seek out D'Artagnan and kill him too.  D'Artagnan, however, is in London and finds Constance.  He vows revenge, so with the help of his friends they find Lady de Winter and execute her in a very troubling, disturbing ending.  At the end D'Artagnan gets what he's always wanted - a commission with the King's Musketeers.

Highlights
One of the things Gene Kelly does so well in this film is his sword fighting.  Already an athlete and light on his feet as a dancer, he effortlessly goes from sword fight to sword fight in an almost comical manner.  It does get a bit ridiculous when he fights the captain of Richelieu's guards, but his seemingly boundless energy keeps the film going.  You do have to remember that d'Artagnan is only supposed to be 21, so it makes sense that he's a bit of a ham.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the other actors and actresses in this film.  I didn't realize it until I started watching, but this film also stars Angela Lansbury, Vincent Price (as a fantastic Richelieu!!), Lana Turner, Frank Morgan and June Allyson.  It also stars Van Heflin as Athos - he's an actor I hadn't seen much of previously, but I really enjoyed him in this role.  He adds a certain vulnerability to his character which sets him apart from the other Musketeers.

Comparison
It puzzled me that this film ran 2 hours and the 1921 version ran 2 hours but the stories were so different.  This version told in 1 hour what the 1921 version had done in 2 hours.  It made the story much harder to follow, and if I hadn't seen the 1921 version, I wouldn't have understood any of what was happening.  I missed the subtlety and development of character that was in the 1921 version.  We hardly get to see or understand Angela Lansbury as the Queen, and Vincent Price as Richelieu doesn't get nearly enough screen time.  I did enjoy seeing the entire story, though.  And I can understand why the storyline of Lady de Winter may have been a concern.  It is handled well in the remake and certainly toned down from the way the book was written.       

Review
All in all, an entertaining film.  I wouldn't recommend it as highly as other period films, mainly because the plot is hard to follow without previously knowing the story.  Gene Kelly's stunts and sword fighting are great, but his acting is too over-the-top.  I actually preferred the 1921 version, so if you like the book, start there.  I hope to see one of the newer remakes as well; who knows, maybe I'll have a series.  Meanwhile, if you're in the mood to watch some Gene Kelly, I'd recommend An American in Paris, Singin' in the Rain, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, It's Always Fair Weather (tap dancing on roller skates!!) and Inherit the Wind. 

To read more, check out IMDb.  There's also a brief write-up about the book here.