It Happened in Brooklyn

FRANK SINATRA's voice was in a warm and mellow tone when he did IT HAPPENED IN BROOKLYN and this little musical uses him musically in a nice way. He gets to warble an invigorating ditty as a serviceman joyous to be back in Brooklyn, so he belts out "Brooklyn Bridge" with baritone finesse. It almost sounds like a number out of ON THE TOWN. But it's his mellow rendering of "Time After Time" that brings back memories of how he crooned his way to stardom and became a teen idol in the early '40s.

Frank is a kind of shy guy here, but gets to loosen up after awhile thanks to the friendship of JIMMY DURANTE as a fellow Brooklynite, a janitor who lets Frank share his apartment until he can find a job. KATHRYN GRAYSON is the pretty girl Sinatra takes up with, both of them with singing aspirations. He even does a "Don Giovanni" duet with Grayson and it's not bad at all. Grayson does a nice solo spot on "The Bell Song" from Lakme and handles her acting chores in a pleasant enough manner. Likewise, even PETER LAWFORD gets to belt out a number for a bunch of record fans in a music store, loosening up to a little ditty called "Whose Baby Are You?" with a swing beat.

Durante and Sinatra have fun on a number called "The Song's Gotta Come from the Heart" and Sinatra is at his best crooning a ballad called "It's the Same Old Dream."

True, it's all rather formula as far as the storyline goes, but it's done in such an unpretentious way that it manages to charm most of the time. GLORIA GRAHAME has a small role at the beginning as a nurse from Brooklyn who doubts whether Sinatra hails from that borough.

I can't say much for the direction of Richard Thorpe. It moves at a snail's pace through its running time of one hour and forty-five minutes.

Musicals, especially from MGM and the "classic era", were a large part of my childhood and an even larger part of my lifelong fondness for them. Even if the stories for a lot of them weren't so great, the performances, chemistry, production values, music and choreography more than compensated.

'It Happened in Brooklyn' may not be one of the all-time greats, but the talent it promised was immense and that talent was more than lived up to. More could have been done with the ending. It could have done with being much more rounded off and less unsatisfyingly abrupt.

Another flaw is that 'It Happened in Brooklyn' (am not sure whether this is going to be a popular opinion) also did very little to cure my general indifference to Peter Lawford, not even giving him a swing number, who again brings little charm and personality and his trademark stuffy, pompous character is annoying. The role also displayed his limited acting, awkward dancing and his inability to sing a note in tune.

However, the production values are very pleasing to look at and beautifully shot, the lack of Technicolor didn't bother me at all. The music is wonderful and beautifully and entertainingly choreographed, the highlights being the timeless and ageless "Time After Time" and the show-stopping and enormously enjoyable "The Song's Gotta Come from the Heart" between Frank Sinatra and Jimmy Durante. In terms of the operatic excerpts, "La Ci Darem La Mano" from Mozart's 'Don Giovanni' also comes off well, with Sinatra sounding remarkably lovely in operatic music and "The Bell Song" from Delibes' 'Lakme' is enchantingly sung by Kathryn Grayson and for a long aria doesn't stop the film dead.

While at times fluffy, the script is also very witty and so much fun and endearing that it is very difficult to fall for its charm. For a "classic era" MGM musical too, the story is actually pretty good, somewhat silly but it is more eventful, better paced and easier to remember than most. The direction does nothing to undermine the visuals or the impact of the songs.

The performances, with the exception of Lawford, are very good indeed. Sinatra is immensely likable in the lead, and Durante is a hoot, managing to still be hilarious even when slightly subdued. Grayson is spunky and charming, with the voice of a nightingale. Gloria Grahame also shows up and does a lovely job in a role that is somewhat underused.

On the whole, brings so much joy as long as not too much is demanded. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Most MGM musicals of the late 1940s were lavish, Technicolored extravaganzas, which is why this modest, low-keyed, filmed in glorious black-and-white effort has always been overlooked. A pity, because it's one of the most endearing, enduring musicals of all time. Firstly, it has a plot--a bittersweet Isobel Lennart screenplay about an ex-soldier (Frank Sinatra) returning from WWII to his beloved Brooklyn, and realizing it is not the same as he remembered it. Secondly, that dream cast working together in perfect dramatic and vocal harmony--Sinatra (never more likeable and sweet-natured); Kathryn Grayson (whose charming down-to-earth sincerity truly makes the screen glow); Peter Lawford (has anyone ever given this actor the credit for the class and gentlemanly warmth he brought to every film he was in?), and, of course, the immortal Jimmy Durante (bolstering all of his co-stars with his brilliant comedic and dramatic talents). And thirdly, an immortal Jule Styne score to die for. "Time After Time" ranks as one of the most poignant, melodic ballads ever composed. Many artistic greats have recorded it, but no one has ever interpreted it with the wistful perfection of Grayson and Sinatra. Add Sinatra's "The Brooklyn Bridge" and "It's the Same Old Dream". Lawford's delightful jive turn "Whose Baby Are You?" And the rousing Sinatra/Durante showstopper "The Song's Gotta Come from the Heart" (excerpted in "That's Entertainment II"). "It Happened in Brooklyn" is a wistful, rueful, enchanting musical the likes of which MGM (nor any other studio) ever made nor even attempted. A buried treasure occasionally unearthed by TCM! See it, tape it, and savor one of the most loving and lovely movie-musicals ever made!

Very enjoyable musical romp. Wonderful songs and adaptations.

The stars bring us much to smile about. JIMMY DURANTE steals every scene he's in - even when SINATRA is with him. A great tribute to the magnetic personality of the great and good-hearted "snoz".

Young BOBBY LONG charms us with spectacular dancing and fresh voice in "I BELIEVE". Too bad we never saw him again. Show business is sure a tough business.

In the world of colorful musicals, the quiet charm of this one never leaves you feeling cheated just because it's in B&W.

"It Happened In Brooklyn" is so good-natured and cloying you can't help but like it. It's about a soldier (Sinatra) just discharged from the army after WW II to find a girl friend and a life. He disembarkation point is England, and after making friends with Peter Lawford, off he goes, returning to Brooklyn. From here the plot is so contrived it is hard to recount due to the lack of believability, and the story can barely drag its carcass from one song to the next, so shameless are the screenwriters.

But the songs. They are exquisite, written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne, and the main reason for my rating. Sinatra is in fine voice, and Jimmy Durante has been irreplaceable on America's stellar list of entertainers. "Time After Time', "It's the Same Old Dream" are two of Frank's better numbers, but the piece de resistance is Sinatra and Durante doing, " It's Gotta Come From The Heart". Priceless. There are a couple of opera numbers for Kathryn Grayson, so there is something for everyone in this picture.

It is a flag-waver and a preposterous tall tale, but it all works. All you have to do is wait for the musical numbers. And they are worth waiting for.