You might imagine this 1955 film about three Army buddies, — who reunite in Manhattan a decade after the end of World War II and discover that they no longer have anything in common – as a gritty drama directed by the likes of William Wyler or Fred Zinnemann. But since it’s directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, it’s an MGM musical, one that even finds an excuse to have Kelly (who also stars as one of the veterans) tap dancing in roller skates.
In fact, the movie was supposed to be a sequel to On the Town, reuniting the three sailors, as well as the creative team (Donen, Kelly, and screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green), but when new MGM production chief Dore Schary balked at casting Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin, the filmmakers reworked the concept. (Dan Dailey and choreographer Michael Kidd were cast as Kelly’s comrades-in-arms, while Cyd Charisse and Dolores Gray came aboard as dance/romantic partners.) The result is fascinating for an MGM musical, combining the levity of the usual Comden/Green patter, a handful of show-stopping numbers, and an atypically bleak plot. It’s no wonder the film flopped at the time, but today, its mixture of snappy dialogue, satirical songs, and bitterly disillusioned characters seems a precursor to musicals of Stephen Sondheim.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sv1TfwVJYo]