It's Always Fair Weather

Just an aside,really:

You notice how sparsely Gene Kelly's finest numbers are shot? Long takes,little in the way of cinematic flair? Well,ponder this for a moment-he will often do something truly spectacular at the end of a take,leading one to wonder just how many times the poor chap put himself through the preceding minutes before getting it right...

A case in point is the justly famed (among those in the know) "Rollerskate Number":In order to demonstrate that the skates are,indeed,authentic,Kelly will swap-flawlessly-from "tap" to "glide" at the end of each take.

Incredible.

Compare and contrast,by the way,with protege Donald O'Connor's emulation in "I Love Melvin"-we never see thetwo movements co-existing within the same shot.

Gene Kelly made me want to dance when I was 11,and not feel like a poof for doing so.

It's Always Fair Weather has a somewhat ironic title, because it's not like most every other M-G-M musical in that things don't always turn out perfectly. I believe that its darker-than-average humour (for that time at least) contributed to its being ahead of its time. For instance, the plot has to do with a friendship not being the same after ten years, a boxing match being fixed, a jaded woman (Charisse), a corporation sell-out (Dailey), and a "small-time operator" (Kelly). The numbers, though, are typically excellent, particularly the dance in the beginning where the trio is drunk, Cyd's Baby You Knock Me Out, and Kelly's famous I Like Myself, in which he tap dances on rollerskates! Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen's choreography is nothing short of dazzling. And yes, Gene's smile could still melt stone. Cyd Charisse is great and beautiful as always, too bad she had only one number. So go see It's Always Fair Weather, just don't expect anything real fluffy.

45 years ago I was only 15. I was in love with films, especially cowboys and musketers. Robin Hood with Errol Flyn was the top! And one evening (or it was afternoon?) I was hit by three things: Gene Kelly was dancing on rollerskates! Cyd Charisse has beautiful and very long legs (and she knows how to move them!)!And music was much better than gunfighters and D'Artagnan movies! Lets talk about the story: War is over and our gang drink a lot and start dancing , singing and be drunk as ever.They promises to be friend all life long and to coming back in the same places ten years later. They also put some money in a ceeling lamp for the future drinks. Time goes by.... Somebody was lucky, for others too bad. Our "friends" meeting each other to discover to hate themselves! But...It's always fair weather!They put apart egotism and nevrosis, memories grow in them and they start smile again! Friendship and Music, Songs and Laughings, Smiles and...Cyd...Wonderfool! After 45 years, It's Always Fair Weather is a beautiful film (and I will pay pure gold to see it on DVD!). Bravo Kelly, Dailey, Charisse and bravo Stanley Donen, brilliant choreographer and director not always acclaimed by public or critics.

I just saw this again on TCM, in the only format it deserves to be viewed in: letterbox. While it is a Gene Kelly vehicle and the leads are three buddies from wartime, that's pretty much where the "On The Town" similarities end. It is a surprisingly sharp, cynical story in which the heroes' dreams are voiced, but not realized (at least not at first), due to life circumstances. The daring plot of three soldier buddies who part company at the end of the war, reunite 10 years later to settle a bet they've made with a barkeep, and then realize that they really don't have anything in common except a dislike for each other, probably broke amazing ground back in the 1950's when it dared to show what happens to friends who 'don't' live happily ever after. (After all, musicals are usually free of such cynicism and vulgarity.) Betty Comden and the late Adolph Green- responsible for so many great film scores as well as the scripts of "Auntie Mame," "Bells Are Ringing," and "What A Way To Go-" contribute very witty songs here, including the three-way, split-screen dance "Once Upon A Time-" which shows the three buddies reflecting on their wartime friendship and whether or not they'll ever get it back; Dolores Gray's wicked "Thanks A Lot, But No Thanks;" and the requisite Gene Kelly solo (on roller skates), "I Like Myself." The big revelation, however, is Cyd Charisse- fine as ever, but in a rare, 'real' acting role which calls upon a bit of cynicism and smug defensiveness. Her cool demeanor is wonderfully thawed by the wise-guy boxers who worship her in the the gymnasium ditty, "Baby, You Knock Me Out." She goes from a diva to a siren in a tight green sweater and skirt in just 2 minutes. Have mercy!!

A perfect antidote or bookend to ON THE TOWN this excellent, mature and solid cinemascope musical is an absolute knockout. Made by MGM to placate Kelly for refusing to loan him to Samuel Goldwyn for GUYS AND DOLLS this film is probably one of the few 50s MGM efforts that plays well to audiences in 2004........but only of one sees it in cinemascope. Inventive use of the widescreen allows superb choreography to become ironic and witty......and the bewildering idiocy of TV stations to only show the center of the screen is an insult to any audience seeking to enjoy this clever and thoughtful musical. A small profit on first release and a drive in future saw this pic drop from view early in its life. the dance numbers are uniformly (no pun) astonishing and sometimes hilarious (especially Dolores Gray) BUT... I yi yi...Cyd Charisse in Baby You Knock Me Out lives up to its title. Trivia alert: one of the old boxers at Stillman's Gym is Gus Mecurio, father of STRICTLY BALLROOM lead dancer and actor Paul Mecurio. Kelly on skates is as good as Kelly singin in the rain...it's the same number but on wheels!.....this is a great film and a perfect musical. Imagine Kelly's rage at MGM after refusing him the Guys and Dolls loan out and they they distribute that film for Goldwyn anyway! No wonder WEATHER is such a suitably dark film of the disillusionment met head on in the American mid 50s. A full revival is much deserved.