On the Town
They Paint The Town With Joy!
1949 | 98m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Betty Comden, Adolph Green |
| Staring: |
| Three sailors wreak havoc as they search for love during a whirlwind 24-hour leave in New York City. | |
| Release Date: | Dec 08, 1949 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly |
| Writer: | Betty Comden, Adolph Green |
| Genres: | Comedy, Romance, Music |
| Keywords | new york city, musical, u.s. navy, coney island, sailor, new york subway, anthropologist, empire state building, turnstile, shore leave |
| Production Companies | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $4,428,000
Budget: $2,133,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 01, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Gene Kelly | Gabey |
| Frank Sinatra | Chip |
| Betty Garrett | Brunhilde Esterhazy |
| Ann Miller | Claire Huddesen |
| Jules Munshin | Ozzie |
| Vera-Ellen | Ivy Smith |
| Florence Bates | Madame Dilyovska |
| Alice Pearce | Lucy Schmeeler |
| George Meader | Professor |
| Murray Alper | Cab Company Owner (uncredited) |
| Bette Arlen | "Day in New York" Ballet Dancer (uncredited) |
| Anne Beck | Nightclub Patron (uncredited) |
| Bea Benaderet | Brooklyn Girl on Subway (uncredited) |
| Gladys Blake | Brooklyn Girl on Subway (uncredited) |
| Eugene Borden | Waiter (uncredited) |
| Leonard Bremen | Spectator (uncredited) |
| Don Brodie | Photo Layout Man (uncredited) |
| Ralph Brooks | Nightclub Patron (uncredited) |
| Claire Carleton | Nightclub Patron (uncredited) |
| Peter Chong | Bartender (uncredited) |
| Dorinda Clifton | "Day in New York" Ballet Dancer (uncredited) |
| Hans Conried | Francois (uncredited) |
| Jeanne Coyne | "Day in New York" Ballet Dancer (uncredited) |
| Lester Dorr | Subway Passenger (uncredited) |
| Tom Dugan | Officer Tracy (uncredited) |
| Helen Eby-Rock | Little Girl's Mother (uncredited) |
| Luigi Faccuito | "Day in New York" Ballet Dancer (uncredited) |
| Clair Freeman | Dancer (uncredited) |
| Alex Goudovitch | Miss Turnstiles Dancer (uncredited) |
| Frank Hagney | Policeman (uncredited) |
| Robert Haines | Nightclub Patron (uncredited) |
| Carol Haney | "Day in New York" Ballet Dancer (uncredited) |
| Timmy Hawkins | Boy in Subway (uncredited) |
| Bern Hoffman | Shipyard Singer (uncredited) |
| Judy Holliday | Daisy (voice) (uncredited) |
| Curtis Loys Jackson Jr. | Boy in Subway (uncredited) |
| Richard Kean | Poet Type (uncredited) |
| Milton Kibbee | Sign Poster (uncredited) |
| Jack G. Lee | Speed Cop (uncredited) |
| Hank Mann | Max the Photographer (uncredited) |
| Gloria Marlen | "Day in New York" Ballet Dancer (uncredited) |
| John Marlin | Waiter (uncredited) |
| Bert May | Miss Turnstiles Dancer (uncredited) |
| Helen McAllister | Kooch Girl (uncredited) |
| Sid Melton | Spud (uncredited) |
| Diane Nance | Little Girl (uncredited) |
| Kerry O'Day | Nightclub Patron (uncredited) |
| Norman Ollestad | Boy in Subway (uncredited) |
| William Phillips | Sailor Simkins (uncredited) |
| Paul Power | Nightclub Patron (uncredited) |
| Edwin Rochelle | Waiter (uncredited) |
| Alex Romero | "Day in New York" Ballet Dancer (uncredited) |
| Reiko Sato | Dancer (uncredited) |
| Frank J. Scannell | Officer Mulrooney (uncredited) |
| Lee Scott | "Day in New York" Ballet Dancer (uncredited) |
| Jack Shea | Tough Marine in Subway (uncredited) |
| Robert Smith | Spectator (uncredited) |
| Robert R. Stephenson | Man in Subway Station (uncredited) |
| Dorothy Tuttle | Dancer (uncredited) |
| Tyra Vaughn | "Day in New York" Ballet Dancer (uncredited) |
| Dick Wessel | Sailor Kovarsky (uncredited) |
| Robert B. Williams | Police Sergeant (Car 44) (uncredited) |
| Bud Wolfe | Speed Cop (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Betty Comden | Lyricist, Musical, Screenplay |
| Roger Edens | Original Music Composer |
| Saul Chaplin | Music Arranger |
| Jack D. Moore | Assistant Set Decoration |
| Jack Martin Smith | Art Direction |
| Conrad Salinger | Orchestrator |
| Jack Gertsman | Assistant Director |
| Lennie Hayton | Original Music Composer, Music Director |
| Henri Jaffa | Other |
| Warren Newcombe | Special Effects |
| Stanley Donen | Director |
| Gene Kelly | Director |
| Harold Rosson | Director of Photography |
| Ralph E. Winters | Editor |
| Cedric Gibbons | Art Direction |
| Edwin B. Willis | Set Decoration |
| Jack Dawn | Makeup Artist |
| Sydney Guilaroff | Hairstylist |
| Helen Rose | Costume Design |
| Douglas Shearer | Sound Director, Recording Supervision |
| Adolph Green | Lyricist, Musical, Screenplay |
| Jerome Robbins | Idea |
| Leonard Bernstein | Music, Songs |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Arthur Freed | Producer |
| Roger Edens | Associate Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 15 | 26 | 11 |
| 2024 | 5 | 18 | 25 | 12 |
| 2024 | 6 | 15 | 24 | 7 |
| 2024 | 7 | 19 | 35 | 11 |
| 2024 | 8 | 13 | 20 | 8 |
| 2024 | 9 | 11 | 17 | 8 |
| 2024 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 6 |
| 2024 | 11 | 13 | 37 | 7 |
| 2024 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 6 |
| 2025 | 1 | 10 | 15 | 8 |
| 2025 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 787 | 856 |
Wonderful town gets a wonderful movie. As would be tradition, the story at the core of On the Town isn't anything to sing from the roof tops, but it plays out as one of MGM's most memorable slices of froth. Propelled by talented stars and singers, it's a musical of comedic delights. Adapted f ... rom the successful stage production, charges of being dated and that not all the songs are great, is correct. The dated thing is not always a viable debating tool, but certain stereotype and sexist elements here will ring a little hollow with some folk. Yet if you can just run with it and accept the era of film making it comes from, then this is mostly a joyous and uplifting picture. So roll with the boys and girls, with the wonderful dances and the wonderful singing, for New York New York, A Wonderful Town. 8/10
That old expression about things not being broken not needing fixing springs to mind with this. Messrs. Sinatra, Kelly (who co-directed) and Munshin don their naval uniforms for a 24 hour pass in the Big Apple. Once there, they fall for a pretty diverse trio of dames - Betty Garrett, Ann Miller and ... Vera-Allen and with the fabulous musical talents of Green/Comden and Bernstein at the helm, we have the perfect ingredients for a day no-one will ever forget. The plot is pretty straightforward, but the musical numbers notably "New York, New York", "On the Town" and "I Can Cook Too" alongside some perfectly choreographed dance sequences give this adaptation of the 1944 Broadway musical more than a splash of style and class. The whole thing is well paced, the characters (though hardly what you might call "developed") are fun and engaging - especially the really almost "cute" Frank Sinatra - as they (and we) enjoy their whirlwind romantic tour. On the downside, the story could do with being just a smidge more substantial and there are maybe just a little too many sound stage performances that do sterilise the charm just a little, but I'm splitting hairs - it's well worth a watch if you like the broadway musical at it's best.