Movie Time: Anchors Aweigh

 It's... MOVIE TIME!!!

It's been awhile since I wrote a cinema post on a movie musical from 1940's.

Today's Movie Time does just that with a film that was released on this date (oh, this can't possibly be right!) 80 years ago.  

Released July 19, 1945,  Anchors Aweigh is a musical comedy film directed by George Sidney, starring Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, and Gene Kelly. 

You may be forgiven if you think I wrote about this movie before. 

From 1949, On the Town (also starring Sinatra & Kelly) would retread some of the ground of today's 1945 film.  

There are some differences.

• For Anchors Aweigh, we have two sailors on leave instead of three.
• The sailors are in Hollywood instead of New York City.
• And some other third thing.  

Our movie opens on board a Navy ship with a rousing big band performance conducted by José Iturbi.

We meet two sailors with the US Navy.

• Gunner's Mate Second Class Joe Brady (Gene Kelly)  
• Seaman First Class Clarence Doolittle (Frank Sinatra) 

They are about to go on a 4 day leave.  

Joe has his heart on spending time with sure thing Lola.

Clarence is a shy type of guy with no sure thing girl waiting for him.  

Before Joe can ditch Clarence to get with his sure thing, the two sailors get corralled by a police officer with helping a young boy named Donald who was founding wandering the streets looking to join the Navy.  

The two sailors take Donald home and wait for his Aunt Susie arrives. 

Aunt Susie (Kathryn Grayson) is hot.  

Clarence is smitten with her from the beginning. 

Susan tells the guys she's a singer trying to get work and really wants to perform with big band leader José Iturbi.

Joe is all "Hey we know that guy and we can get you an audition."

What unfolds next is a complicated mess as Joe and Clarence try to sneak into the MGM movie studios to see José Iturbi with no success even though they keep stringing Susan along that the gig is a good as her's. 

Clarence shifts his attention from Susan to another girl from back east nicknamed "Brooklyn" and Joe starts mooning over Susan as the chances of getting with sure thing Lola are fading fast.  

Susan is falling in love with Joe because.... 

Look, the female lead is Kathryn Grayson and Gene Kelly's the star of this thing and by golly, he's going to get the girl according to laws of movie musicals.  

Look, who cares? Joe finally gets Susan in front of José Iturbi who digs her sound and yay, she's gonna be a STAR! 

The movie ends with Iturbi conducting a choir singing "Anchors Aweigh" (Hey, dats de name o' de movie!) while Joe and Susan kiss and Clarence and the "Girl from Brooklyn" kiss and José Iturbi and his drummer kiss (no not really) and everybody's kissing everybody! 

Buy War Bonds! 

Anchors Aweigh is notable for Gene Kelly's dance sequence with Jerry the Mouse of Tom & Jerry fame. 

Anchors Aweigh made money when it was released but critics did not think much of this trifle and I can see why.  

There is a fine line between following a formula and being formulaic. I felt very little enthusiasm for this movie and it felt like to me that feeling was shared by the schmucks on screen. 

As we've discoverd over my time writing about movie musicals starring Gene Kelly, despite his skills as an entertainer, Kelly was a regular son of a bitch to work for with an obstinate insistence on doing things his way or not at all. It was a rare thing for anyone to make more than one movie with Kelly.

Frank Sinatra was an exception, making three movies with Gene Kelly: Anchors Aweigh, On The Town and Take Me Out To the Ballgame.

Anchors Aweigh is not all in all a bad movie if you don't mind the contrived plot and wooden characterizations.

The dance with Jerry the Mouse is kinda cute.  Take a look for yourself.