Wednesday, July 6, 2011

FROM STAGE TO SCREEN … ON THE TOWN

 

On the Town (1944)

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Music by Leonard Bernstein;

lyrics & book by Betty Comden & Adolph Green, from idea by Jerome Robbins.

SONGS: "New York, New York," "Come Up to My Place," "Carried Away," "Lonely Town," "I Can Cook, Too"' (lyric with Bernstein), "Lucky to Be Me," "Ya Got Me," "Some Other Time.

NEW YORK: Dec.28, 1944

ADELPHI THEATRE; 463 performances.

LONDON; May 30, 1963

PRINCE OF WALES THEATRE; 53 performances.

During World War lI, On the Town celebrated the wonders of big-city life.

Its plot was slight: three sailors, Gabey, Chip, and Ozzie, on 24-hour shore leave in New York,

meet three girls, Ivy, Claire, and Hildy, and discover such landmarks as the subway, the Museum of Natural History, Central Park, Times Square, assorted nightclubs, and Coney Island.

Once their leave is up, the boys go back to their ship-and another trio of bounding sailors go on the town.

What conflict there was had to do with Gabey's mistaking Ivy, a struggling ballet dancer, for a celebrity because she was chosen "Miss Turnstiles" in a subway competition.

The musical stemmed from the Robbins-Bernstein ballet Fancy Free, about three sailors trying to pick up girls, which Smith and Feigay wanted to expand as a musical comedy for their first producing venture. All six involved with the show were making their Broadway debuts.

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MGM, 1949, Color, 98 minutes

Produced by: Arthur Freed
Associate Producer: Roger Edens
Directed by: Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen
Screen Play by: Adolph Green and Betty Comden
Musical Director: Lennie Hayton
Orchestrations: Conrad Salinger
Additional Songs: Music by Roger Edens, Lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden
Choreography: Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen
Set Decorations: Edwin B. Willis
Costumes by: Helen Rose
Color by Technicolor

Cast:
Gene Kelly (Gabey),
Frank Sinatra (Chip),
Betty Garrett (Brunhilde Esterhazy),
Ann Miller (Claire Huddesen),
Jules Munshin (Ozzie),
Vera-Ellen (Ivy Smith)

ON THE TOWN 001

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ON THE TOWN 005

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SOUNDTRACK

ON_THE_TOWN_SOUNDTRACK

1 On The Town Overture
2 New York, New York
3 Miss Turnstiles Ballet
4 Prehistoric Man
5 Come Up To My Place
6 When You Walk Down Main Street With Me
7 You're Awful
8 On The Town
9 You Can't Count On That
10 A Day In New York Ballet
11 On The Town Finale

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