It's Always Fair Weather (1955)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Directors:

Stanley Donen
Gene Kelly

Writers:

Betty Comden (story) and
Adolph Green (story)

Release Date:

2 September 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy | Musical

Plot:

Three soldiers meet 10 years after their last meeting in New York again, and find out, that they have litte in common now.

Plot Keywords:

Bar | Friendship | Gangster | Old War Buddies | Handout

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Gene Kelly	...	Ted Riley
Dan Dailey	...	Doug Hallerton
Cyd Charisse	...	Jackie Leighton
Dolores Gray	...	Madeline Bradville
Michael Kidd	...	Angie Valentine
David Burns	...	Tim
Jay C. Flippen	...	Charles Z. Culloran

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System) (35 mm optical prints) | 4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Sound System) (35 mm magnetic prints)

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:S

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

From the André Previn, Betty Comden and Adolph Green score, three numbers have been restored on the DVD from Warner Home Video: footage of a Gene Kelly-Cyd Charisse comic-hoofing duet, "Love Is Nothing but a Racket;" film of Michael Kidd entertaining his three movie kids with "Jack and the Space Giants;" and audio of Dolores Gray's "I Thought They Would Never Leave." Also included as a DVD extra is some previously unseen material from the famed garbage-pale dance, "The Binge," teaming Kelly, Kidd and Dan Dailey.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the opening montage of the three soldiers returning home in 1945 after the war, there is a shot of an ocean liner in New York harbor. The ship is the Italian liner Andrea Doria, which did not make its maiden voyage until 1953 (and which sank after a collision in 1956). Also, if the Doria is meant to be the ship the men are returning home on, it is facing the wrong way, headed out of the harbor instead of into it.

Quotes:

Doug Hallerton: There must be some more dignified way to sell Klenzrite... like you, taking a bath in it, stark naked in Macy's window.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Adventures of Superman: The Wedding of Superman (#4.8)" (1956)

Soundtrack:

Music Is Better Than Words

Interesting, despite its flaws

I was fortunate enough to see this film on the huge screen at the restored deco Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, MD (now part of the AFI), so I took full advantage of the Technicolor & Cinemascope (especially the 2-3 scenes where the camera pans back to show off the huge city set). The visual quality after almost 50 years is still pretty good, but the soundtrack was "wobbly." The film needs some restoration.

As others have said, the highlights of this film are the clever dance numbers, specifically:

the garbage can lid dance by the 3 soldiers (they also hop, crawl and dance around a stopped taxi, but nobody has mentioned that one),

the wonderful roller skating sequence by Kelly (since I'm tired to death of seeing the "Singing in the Rain" puddle dance, this is a refreshing change and an excellent sample of his skills!) He even parodies his "Rain" dance when he hops off & on the curb with his skates (folks, those are metal-wheeled skates - nowhere as smooth & speedy as the polyurethane ones of today) Somebody mentioned that the skating set features a big piece of the "Rain" set, but I don't agree - we're talking films set 30 years apart & I didn't see any similarities in the "Fair Weather" set

Dolores Gray's bizarre number "Thanks but no Thanks" where she rewards the tuxedoed men bearing jewels and affection (who literally vault, flip and tumble around her) with bullets, dynamite and finally a huge trap door where they all slide away

and Cyd Charisse's gym number "Baby You Knock Me Out"

(these last 2 numbers were featured on "That's Entertainment III")

It's interesting to see Michael Kidd, mostly known for his wonderful film choreography, dance onscreen. Wish there was more of it.

And Dan Dailey I hardly know, except for the film "There's No Business Like Show Business." He's the only actor of the 3 to let himself "age" in the ensuing 10 years, and it works. He does a very good job in the acting department too.

You can see why the film is not a lasting classic in league with "On the Town" and "Singing in the Rain" - it contains elements of bitterness & disillusionment between the 3 guys. They seem to get along best when they're either drunk or fighting bad guys. And the film - this is a sign of the times - glamorizes smoking (including by Dan Dailey's character, who says he won't drink or eat heavily b/c of his health, yet he "lights up" often), fixed boxing matches, gambling and drunken sprees.

Still, it makes an excellent "sequel" of sorts for "On the Town" and they should be paired together on TV or at film fests.

Also, Previn's tunes are not really memorable - they're OK.

The film also pokes fun at early TV - Delores Gray's show is a mix btw a variety show & something like "Queen for a Day" or "This is Your Life." Sponsors (in this case, laundry detergent)were a huge deal back then. Oddly, she's not paired with one of the guys as a romantic interest. Her diva act gets a bit tiresome however.

Cyd only gets 1 dance number, and there's no dance between her & Gene. Wish there were. They sparked a HUGE amount of chemistry in their dance number in "Rain."

Look out for familiar actors in small supporting roles, like Madge Blake (she was a radio gossip at the movie premiere in "Singin in the Rain" but most of you would know her as dotty Aunt Harriett in the Batman TV series), and the actor who plays the sports columnist at the gym is a character actor who has appeared in dozens of TV shows from the 1950s & 60s, besides movie appearances. And that's June Foray's uncredited voice in the animated Kleenzrite commercial - she did the voice of Rocky Squirrel, among many other voiceovers.

Still, I do recommend it, considering it is not shown very much, let alone in the letterbox format which is necessary for the integrity of the movie. Darn that pesky pan & scan! The ahead-of-its-time plot & the clever dance numbers make this film worth your while.