Hit the Deck

Another of MGM's sailors-on-leave musicals, a small-time 'On the Town' designed to utilize their formidable roster of singing and dancing talent. Tony Martin, Vic Damone and Russ Tamblyn are the sailors on leave in San Francisco. The girls they meet are Jane Powell, Ann Miller and Debbie Reynolds. With the Shore Patrol headed by comic Alan King, you can be sure everything's played for laughs before matters get straightened out.

The grand finale aboard ship is a show-stopping number and for this the letterbox format is used to take full advantage of the choreography and music staged by Hermes Pan. In the tradition of 'On the Town' and 'Anchors Aweigh' (but with much more modest results), this is a happy go lucky musical that aims to please but falls just a bit short of its mark. No fault of the performers--they're all fine. It's the weak script based on a 1927 Broadway smash, updated for so-so results.

Jane Powell and Vic Damone are in fine voice, and Russ Tamblyn and Ann Miller provide plenty of top-notch dancing. If you're in the mood for the shore leave kind of musical, this will do nicely.