• It’s Always Fair Weather

2/23/24 (Fri)

The 1955 film is a follow-up of sorts to On the Town, co-directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly. The earlier show featured three sailors going off to war, whereas this opens with three soldiers returning to their lives after the war’s end. Comden and Green had conceived this, as with the earlier show, as a Broadway musical, but were convinced to write it directly for the screen instead.

That the story takes itself too seriously might be a function of the direction, as more comical reactions could have lightened the atmosphere considerably. Donen and Kelly first worked together in 1940 as actors in Pal Joey, which also failed at first due to its unpleasant elements (critics called it a “foul well”) before succeeding handsomely in a revival in 1952 under a different director. Too bad this film couldn’t do the same.

One big problem is André Previn’s bland music. “The Time for Parting” wants to be “Some Other Time” (the title directly recalls a line in that song) but is a pale shadow, and “I Like Myself” fails in the “Singin’ in the Rain” spot (though the lyric gets points for its sly reference to Gene Kelly’s own personality). Other than a fantastic “Thanks a Lot, but No, Thanks”, the music depends entirely on Comden and Green’s witty lyrics for what effectiveness it has. It would have been a completely different film if scored by Bernstein or Jule Styne; even the scandalously retooled film score for On the Town offers passable substitutes for the vastly superior Bernstein numbers that they replaced.

In contrast, the choreography is spectacular and then some: “The Binge”, with the three guys in a deliriously joyous dance sporting trash can lids on their feet (stolen by Matthew Bourne many years later for his My Fair Lady); Cyd Charisse, blowing away a gymful of boxers (and us) with “Baby, You Knock Me Out” (reminiscent of Jane Russell’s gym number in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes two years earlier); Dan Dailey’s dynamic drunken “Situation-Wise” (which lyric-wise anticipates The Apartment); Kelly’s phenomenal roller-skating performance in “I Like Myself”, which I wouldn’t have believed possible if not for the long shots; and Dolores Grey’s exuberant “Thanks a Lot…”, where she turns down offers of untold riches by shooting, dynamiting and literally dumping (with a trap door) her suitors. There was also ingenious use of the widescreen for the clever “I Shouldn’t Have Come”, sung in the minds of the three men to the melody of “Blue Danube”, and “Once Upon a Time”, as the men variously dance and sing in adjoining panels (e.g., “I had two friends…I thought that friendship never ends”). The lyrics for both the latter numbers in particular would have lent themselves to a more parodying, less heavy presentation, but there’s no questioning the inventive staging and choreography. The stunning musical sequences alone make this film eminently worth watching.

The only one of the men who doesn’t get his moment in the sun is Michael Kidd, who had evidently choreographed a 10-minute SF dance version of “Jack and the Beanstalk” (seriously) for himself that proved overly cumbersome. As a result, he is the character who is least fleshed out, though he does great work in the dances with his two partners. (The elimination of that scene, which was actually filmed, reportedly caused a severe rift between Kidd, who had Donen on his side, and Kelly, who ultimately prevailed. Kelly and Donen, who had teamed up for some of the greatest musicals in movie history, never worked together again.)

The film wants to be a biting satire of television fakery, but that feels old now. On the other hand, the idea of the three men reuniting and having to come to grips with their own lost dreams has tremendous potential. The concept unfortunately can’t overcome the severity of the tone; even the ending, where the men ultimately resolve their differences (tellingly, after protecting each other in a fight against the mob), fades out disappointingly as they part ways once more, with the implication that the cycle will begin again. A more positive spin would have been welcome.

The three men are all fine within the morose limits that they’ve been given. Cyd Charisse is also impressive, turning in a solid acting performance for the first time ever as the aggressive television producer. Dolores Grey is perfect as the smarmy television show hostess, while David Burns (later of Forum and Hello, Dolly!) does good work as the bartender. Character actor Frank Nelson, familiar from I Love Lucy among other shows, has a small role as show announcer.

The film is frustrating for what might have been. Still, its ambitions were admirable, and it did produce those awesome dance sequences, for which we can be extremely thankful.