On the Town

The 1949 Technicolor musical On the Town features lyrics and music by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, with a screenplay by Leonard Bernstein and Roger Edens. Although many changes were made to the script and score from the original stage version, it is an adaptation of the 1944 Broadway stage musical of the same name (which was itself an adaptation of the Jerome Robbins ballet titled Fancy Free). For example, most of Bernstein's score was dropped in favor of new songs by Edens, who disliked Bernstein's music for being too complex and too operatic for film audiences. Bernstein decided to avoid the movie as a result.

Gene Kelly, who also choreographed the movie, and Stanley Donen made their directorial debuts. The movie stars Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Jules Munshin, and Vera-Ellen, and it was directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. As a result of Gene Kelly's insistence that some scenes be filmed in New York City, including at Columbus Circle, the American Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Rockefeller Center, it is notable for combining studio and location filming. It was produced by the Arthur Freed unit at MGM.

The movie became popular right away, winning the Oscar for Best Music-Scoring of a Musical Picture and receiving a Golden Globe nomination for Best Cinematography. The Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Musical was awarded to screenwriters Comden and Green.

Duration: 98 mins

Year: 1949

Director: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Cast: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Vera-Ellen, Florence Bates, Alice Pearce, George Meader