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{{Short description|1955 film by Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2014}}
{{Infobox film {{Infobox film
| name = It's Always Fair Weather | name = It's Always Fair Weather
| image = It's Always Fair Weather (1955 film) poster (yellow background).jpg | image = It's Always Fair Weather (1955 film) poster (yellow background).jpg
| caption = Theatrical lobby card
| image_size =
| director = {{unbulleted list|]|]}}
| caption =
| director = {{ubl|]|]}}
| producer = ] | producer = ]
| writer = {{ubl|]|]}} | writer = {{unbulleted list|]|]}}
| starring = {{ubl|Gene Kelly|]|]|]|]|]}} | starring = {{unbulleted list|Gene Kelly|]|]|]|]|]}}
| music = ] | music = ]
| cinematography = ] | cinematography = Robert J. Bronner
| editing = ] | editing = ]
| distributor = ] | distributor = ]
| released = {{film date |1955|09|02|ref1=<ref>{{cite web |url=http://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/51540#3 |title=It's Always Fair Weather - Details |website=] |access-date=July 30, 2018}}</ref>}}
| released = September 1, 1955
| runtime = 102 minutes | runtime = 102 minutes
| country = United States | country = United States
| language = English | language = English
| budget = $2,771,000<ref name="Mannix">{{Citation | title = The Eddie Mannix Ledger | publisher = Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study | place = Los Angeles}}.</ref>
| gross = $2 million (US)<ref>'The Top Box-Office Hits of 1955', ''Variety Weekly'', January 25, 1956</ref>
| gross = $2,374,000<ref name="Mannix"/><ref>{{cite magazine|title=1955 Top Film Grossers|magazine=]|date=January 25, 1956|page=15|url=http://www.archive.org/stream/variety201-1956-01#page/n688/mode/1up|via=]}}</ref>
}} }}
'''''It's Always Fair Weather''''' is a 1955 ] musical satire scripted by ] and ], who also wrote the show's lyrics, with music by ] and starring ], ], ], ], and ]. '''''It's Always Fair Weather''''' is a 1955 American ] satire directed by ] and ]. The film was scripted by ] and ], who also wrote the show's lyrics, with music by ]. It stars Kelly, ], ], ], and dancer/choreographer ] in his first film acting role.


The film was co-directed by Kelly and ] and made in ] and ]. The film, co-directed by Kelly and Donen, was shot in ] and ]. Although well-received critically at the time, it was not a commercial success, and is one of the last major dance-oriented MGM musicals. In recent years, it has been recognized as a seminal film because of the inventiveness of its dance routines.

''It's Always Fair Weather'' is noted for its downbeat theme, unusual for a musical, which may have hurt it at the box office, and has been called a rare "cynical musical".<ref name="TCM article">{{cite web |url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/1568/It-s-Always-Fair-Weather/articles.html |title=It's Always Fair Weather |website=Turner Classic Movies |access-date=5 March 2014 |author=Feaster, Felicia}}</ref>


==Plot== ==Plot==
Three ex-]s, Ted Riley, Doug Hallerton and Angie Valentine have served in World War II together and become best friends. At the beginning of the film, set in October 1945, they meet at their favorite New York bar, Tim's Bar and Grill before their release from the service. When Riley receives a ] from his girlfriend telling him she has married another man, his friends comfort him and join him hitting every other bar in town. They dance drunkenly through the street together ("The Binge") before returning to Tim's. Barman Tim is dubious about their vows of eternal friendship{{--}}having heard similar claims made by many other discharged servicemen{{--}}and wagers them they will forget about each other. The trio protest that they will be different and promise to reunite exactly ten years later at the same spot, tearing a dollar bill in three parts and writing the date of October 11, 1955 on each piece.

In the years after the war, the three men take entirely different paths, as shown through the "10-Year Montage". Riley had wanted to become an idealistic lawyer, but instead has become a fight promoter and gambler, associating with shady underworld characters. Hallerton, who had planned to become a painter, has gone into a high-stress job in advertising, and his marriage is crumbling. Valentine, who had planned to become a gourmet chef, is now running a hamburger stand in ] that he calls "The Cordon Bleu." He has a wife and several children.

The three men keep their promise to meet at the bar ten years later, and quickly realize that they now have nothing in common and dislike each other. Hallerton and Riley view Valentine as a "hick", while Riley and Valentine think Hallerton is a "snob", and Hallerton and Valentine think Riley is a "punk". Sitting together in an expensive restaurant as Hallerton's guest, munching celery, they silently express their regrets in "I Shouldn't Have Come", sung to the tune of "]".


At the restaurant, they encounter some people from Hallerton's advertising agency, including Jackie Leighton, an attractive and brainy advertising executive. Jackie gets the idea of reuniting the three men later that evening on a TV show hosted by Madeline Bradville. She and Riley gradually become involved, though at first Jackie seems motivated by wanting to get Riley on her show. She joins Riley at ], where Jackie demonstrates a deep knowledge of boxing while cavorting with beefy boxers to the tune of "Baby You Knock Me Out".
Three ex-G.I.'s have served in ] together and become best friends. Upon returning home at the end of the war, they spend their last night together drinking in a favourite New York bar and exchanging their hopes and plans for the future. Before going their separate ways, they promise to reunite exactly ten years later at the same spot.


Riley gets into trouble with mobsters because he refuses to fix a fight. Evading the gangsters by dashing inside a roller skating ring, he skates out on the streets of Manhattan, where he realizes that Jackie's affection for him has built up his self-esteem, and he dances exuberantly on roller skates ("I Like Myself"). Hallerton, meanwhile, has misgivings about the corporate life ("Situation-Wise").
However, when the three men eventually meet up again, they soon realize that they have steadily grown apart in the intervening years and are now very different people. Ted is a down-on-his-luck boxing promoter. Doug is now a stuffed-shirt advertising man with an ulcer. Angie runs a small hamburger stand.


The three men are reluctantly coaxed into the TV reunion, while the gangsters track Riley inside the studio. The three ex-service buddies fight and defeat the gangsters{{--}}tricking the head mobster into confessing on live television. The brawl brings the trio back together and they escape from the studio when the police arrive. They manage to make their way to Tim's Bar and Grill again. They remember the occasion where they left the dollar bill 10 years before and use that to pay for their last drinks. At the end, they are friends again, but go their separate ways without making plans for another reunion ("The Time for Parting").
Each man is forced to face the fact that, to some extent, his present life falls short of how he had imagined it would turn out when a younger man. Circumstances reunite them when Ted falls for a beautiful woman, Jackie, who behind his back arranges for the three soldiers to appear together on a popular television program.


== Cast == == Cast ==
{{div col}}
{{Expand section|date=July 2010}}<!-- for guidelines see WP:FILMCAST -->
*] as Ted Riley *] as Ted Riley
*] as Doug Hallerton *] as Doug Hallerton
Line 39: Line 48:
*] as Tim *] as Tim
*] as Charles Z. Culloran *] as Charles Z. Culloran
{{div col end}}


Uncredited
==Production history==
{{div col}}
] and ] originally conceived this film as a sequel to '']''; to reunite ] with his ''On the Town '' co-stars ] and ]; it was to be produced as a Broadway show. At Kelly's insistence, however, they made it into an MGM musical. Kelly at this point in his life had been making films in Europe such as '']'', to take advantage of a tax law for resident Americans. But the films in Europe failed and the tax law was revoked, forcing Kelly to return to America.
*Steve Mitchell as Kid Mariacchi
*] as Rocky Heldon
*] as Mr. Fielding
*] as Mr. Trasker
*Alex Gerry as Mr. Stamper
*] as Mrs. Stamper
*] as Roy, television director
*] as Mr. Grigman
*] as Nashby
*Lou Lubin as Lefty
*] as Henchman
*] as Henchman
*] as Henchman
*] as the Emcee
*] as the voice of Molly Mop
{{div col end}}


==Production==
Kelly asked his old friend and collaborator, ], to co-direct with him. Donen, who had just scored a major success with '']'', did not want to go back to collaborating with Kelly, but he reluctantly agreed. MGM, under new production chief ], did not want to hire either Sinatra or Munshin; the former due to his difficult working reputation, the latter because he was not popular with audiences anymore. Ultimately, Kelly chose fellow dancers ], who was under contract to MGM, and ], who had more choreographic than acting experience (he choreographed the Broadway and film versions of '']'', as well as '']''). Kelly was also forced to shoot the movie in ], which he felt did not suit screen dancing. Many of the numbers in the film, such as "The Binge" and "Once Upon a Time" show Kelly's efforts to make use of Cinemascope. Comden and Green wrote the songs with ] providing the music as well as the accompanying score; it was his first major assignment on an MGM film.
], ] and ] dancing on trash can lids in the "Binge" number]]
Screenwriters ] and ] conceived ''It's Always Fair Weather'' as a sequel to '']'' (1949). It was intended to reunite ] with his ''On the Town '' co-stars ] and ]; it was to be produced as a Broadway show.{{sfn|Hirschhorn|1984|pp=204–205}} Comden stated, "While we were trying out to think of another idea for Gene, by chance we told him this story. Gene liked it."{{sfn|Fordin|1996|p=433}} Kelly instead persuaded them to re-envision their idea into a musical film.{{sfn|Hirschhorn|1984|pp=204–205}} Comden and Green outlined the story to ], who also asked ] to attend the pitch meeting. Freed and Edens approved their idea, and Comden and Green began writing their script.{{sfn|Fordin|1996|p=433}} Additionally, Comden and Green were permitted to write the lyrics. To compose the songs, Edens was not available he was preoccupied with '']'' (1954). Based on his work in '']'' (1956), Freed hired ] as the film composer.{{sfn|Fordin|1996|p=433}}

However, ], MGM's studio president, refused to hire either Sinatra or Munshin. By this point, Munshin's popularity had declined and he was relegated to comedic supporting roles.{{sfn|Silverman|1996|p=208}} Multiple reasons have been given for Sinatra's absence. Apparently, Schary did not want to hire Sinatra due to his difficult working reputation.{{sfn|Neibaur|Schneeberger|2022|p=42}} According to Kelly's biographer ], Sinatra declined to return to wearing a ] after he had recently won a ] for '']'' (1953). As a result, the three main leads were recharacterized as ] soldiers.{{sfn|Hirschhorn|1984|p=205}}

Ultimately, Kelly chose fellow dancers ], who was under contract to MGM, and ], who had more experience as a ] (he choreographed the Broadway and film versions of '']'', as well as '']'') than as an actor.{{sfn|Hirschhorn|1984|p=205}} ] and ] were cast in the central female roles.{{sfn|Fordin|1996|p=434}}

Kelly asked his frequent collaborator ] to co-direct with him. Donen, who had just scored a major success with '']'' (with Kidd as choreographer), initially declined to direct. He explained, "I didn't want to co-direct another picture with Kelly at that point. We didn't get on very well, and for that matter, Gene didn't get on really well with anybody."{{sfn|Fordin|1996|p=436}}{{sfn|Silverman|1996|p=206}} Due to his previous experience during '']'' (1954), Kelly was reluctant to shoot in ], which he did not find suitable for screen dancing.{{sfn|Hirschhorn|1984|p=209}} Regardless, one of Donen's ideas using the CinemaScope format was to use split screen into three parts to depict the separate careers of the main leads.{{sfn|Fordin|1996|p=434}} To accomplish this effect, the three cameras had to move at precisely the same speed, so the actors would not appear to be jumping across the frame.{{sfn|Hirschhorn|1984|p=210}}

] began on October 13, 1954 and wrapped on March 15, 1955.{{sfn|Fordin|1996|p=436}} Due to Dore Schary's attempts at austerity, ''It's Always Fair Weather'' was not as lavishly produced when compared to '']'' (1951) and '']'' (1952).{{sfn|Hirschhorn|1984|p=209}} Comden and Green sensed this as production numbers for prior MGM musicals had to be approved by Arthur Freed. However, as they wrote the script, production numbers instead had to have the final approval by Schary.{{sfn|Silverman|1996|p=206}} Green explained, "It was made when the era of musicals was over, at least at MGM."{{sfn|Silverman|1996|p=206}} Comden further added, "It ''was'' over. I don't think Gene was quite the star he was. He wasn't that popular anymore, and neither were musicals."{{sfn|Silverman|1996|p=206}}

Comden, Green, and Previn had written a song titled "Love is Nothing but a Racket" as a slow ballad duet between Kelly and Charisse. Kelly objected to the song, complaining to Previn that "nobody wants to sit still for a ballad."{{sfn|Fordin|1996|p=437}} At his insistence, Kelly recorded the song at a quadruple of the original tempo, but the number was cut from the film.{{sfn|Fordin|1996|p=437}} Another production number titled "Jack and the Space Giants" featured Kidd performing an elaborate ten-minute dance with a group of children. The number was recorded and filmed, but never previewed. Kelly explained "that number was cut; it didn't come across—it didn't work out. And I think it was cut rightfully so."{{sfn|Fordin|1996|p=437}}


==Reception== ==Reception==
===Box office===
According to MGM records, the film earned $1,380,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $994,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $1,675,000.<ref name="Mannix"/>

===Critical reaction===
] of '']'' wrote the film "takes on advertising agencies and tv commercials, and what emerges is a delightful musical satire that should help empty living rooms and fill up theatres".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Hollinger |first=Hy |title=Film Reviews: It's Always Fair Weather |magazine=Variety |date=August 24, 1955 |page=6 }}</ref> ] of ''The New York Times'' wrote it was a "bright film" that spoofed "the whiskers off TV".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/09/16/archives/screen-kidding-video.html |title=Screen: Kidding Video |date=September 16, 1955 |newspaper=The New York Times |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |access-date=12 December 2014}}</ref> Kate Cameron of the '']'' praised the film, writing, "Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who wrote the screenplay and composed the lyrics for the new Music Hall film, ''It's Always Fair Weather,'' have had some fun at the expense of TV. The picture is a lively, amusing lampoon on some types of video shows and of the sponsors and advertising agencies who back them."<ref>{{cite news |last=Cameron |first=Kate |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news/157251839/ |title=Music Hall Picture Lampoons Television |newspaper=New York Daily News |page=45 |date=September 16, 1955 |access-date=October 16, 2024 |via=]}} {{Open access}}</ref> Edwin Schallert of the '']'' felt that while "the premise of the story and screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green is an interesting one, the picture does not get off the ground quite as happily as the theme might promise."<ref>{{cite news |last=Schallert |first=Edwin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/157251020/ |title=Numbers Brighten 'Fair Weather' Idea |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |at=Part III, p. 11 |date=September 1, 1955 |access-date=October 16, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}</ref>

In December 1955, Crowther listed ''It's Always Fair Weather'' as one of the year's top ten films.<ref>{{cite news |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/12/25/archives/best-films-of-1955-critic-has-difficulty-sifting-top-screen.html |title=Best Films of 1955 |newspaper=The New York Times |page=X3 |date=December 25, 1955 |access-date=October 16, 2024 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> In her book '']'', critic ] called the film a "delayed hangover", and wrote that its "mixture of parody, cynicism and song and dance is perhaps a little sour". She did however praise Dailey's "Situationwise" number and wrote that "to a great extent this is Dailey's movie".<ref name=Kael5001>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w4LzeUZ03vQC&pg=PA49 |title=5001 Nights at the Movies |publisher=Macmillan |author=Kael, Pauline |author-link=Pauline Kael |orig-year=1982 |year=2011 |location=New York |page=49 |isbn=978-1-250-03357-4}}</ref>


In recent years, the film's reputation has grown among fans of musicals and of Gene Kelly, whose dance on roller skates to "I Like Myself" is seen as the last great dance solo of his career.<ref name=DiLeo2002>{{cite book |first=John |last=DiLeo |title=100 Great Film Performances You Should Remember, But Probably Don't |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z_Cbnzlr1ucC&pg=PA225 |year=2002 |publisher=Limelight Editions |isbn=978-0-87910-972-1 |page=225}}</ref> Scenes from the film were included in MGM's 1976 film '']'', in a segment hosted by Kelly and ]. On ], the film has an aggregate score of 91% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10.<ref>{{Cite web |title=It's Always Fair Weather |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/its_always_fair_weather |access-date=October 16, 2024 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref>
''It's Always Fair Weather'' received good reviews when it came out, ] calling it a "delightful musical satire",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://variety.com/1954/film/reviews/it-s-always-fair-weather-1200417899/|title=Variety Review|date=31 December 1954}}</ref> while the ] said it spoofed "the whiskers off TV".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C01EEDD1E31E73BBC4E52DFBF66838E649EDE|title=NY Times Review|date=16 September 1955}}</ref> It was also voted one of the year's 10 best films by the NY Film Critics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/1568/It-s-Always-Fair-Weather/misc-notes.html|title=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> However, the studio did not open it with the fanfare it had given previous musicals. Instead it was released as part of a drive-in double bill with '']'' and the studio did not make their money back. The film's bleakness may have had something to do with it; audiences at the time were not accustomed to unhappy musicals, but also, more Americans were staying at home with television than going to the movies at this time. André Previn claims the film's failure had to do with it being a musical: he feels that it would have been a good film had it not had any songs.


The film is recognized by ] in these lists:
The film was also nominated in 1956 for an Academy Award for the Best Musical Score for a Musical.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/28th-winners.html/|title=The 28th Academy Awards}}</ref>
* 2006: ] – Nominated<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/musicals_ballot.pdf |title= AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Nominees |access-date=2016-08-13}}</ref>


===Accolades===
In recent years though, the film has gained reputation in the minds of musical aficionados and Kelly fans, who point to his tap dance on roller skates, "I Like Myself," as the last great dance solo of his career.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}} Some{{Who|date=April 2009}} have even claimed it to be a precursor to ]'s musicals '']'' and '']'', in terms of its cynical views on the nature of relationships. Scenes from the film were included in MGM's '']'', hosted by Kelly and ]. The film itself has been shown on ].
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| rowspan="2"| ]
| ]
| ] and ]
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1956 |title=The 28th Academy Awards (1956) Nominees and Winners |access-date=August 20, 2011 |publisher=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706094007/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/28th-winners.html |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| ]
| ]
| {{nom}}
|-
| ]
| ]
| Betty Comden and Adolph Green
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551 |title=Awards Winners |publisher=] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205095022/http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551 |archive-date=December 5, 2012 |access-date=June 6, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|}


==Soundtrack== ==Soundtrack==
{{Infobox album <!-- See Misplaced Pages:WikiProject_Albums --> {{Infobox album
| Name = It's Always Fair Weather | name = It's Always Fair Weather
| Type = soundtrack | type = soundtrack
| Artist = ] | artist = ]
| Cover = It's Always Fair Weather (André Previn album) coverart.jpg | cover = It's Always Fair Weather (André Previn album) coverart.jpg
| Released = | alt =
| Length = 41:28 | released =
| Genre = ] | recorded =
| venue =
| Label = ] (1991), ]
| Producer = Dan Rivard | studio =
| genre =
| length = 41:28
| label = ] (1991), ]
| producer = Dan Rivard
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
}} }}


Fortunately, the original multitrack pre-recordings of the score survive to this day, having enabled ] to reissue the soundtrack in true stereo (Rhino Handmade RHM2-7766). The Original MGM soundtrack was released in 1991 by Sony Music. Soundtrack recordings have been issued by ] and in 1991 by Sony Music.


'''Track listing''': '''Track listing''':


''Lyrics by ] and ]; music score by ]. All pieces played by MGM Studio Orchestra conducted by André Previn. Between brackets the singers.'' Lyrics by ] and ]; music score by ]. All pieces played by MGM Studio Orchestra conducted by André Previn. Between brackets the singers.


# "Overture" 1:04 # "Overture" 1:04
# "March, March" (], ], ]) 1:21 # "March, March" (], ], ]) 1:21
# "The Binge" 5:07 # "The Binge" 5:07
# "The Time For Parting" (Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd) 2:01 # "The Time for Parting" (Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd) 2:01
# "10-Year Montage" 2:18 # "10-Year Montage" 2:18
# "The Blue Danube (Why Are We Here)" (Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd) 2:30 # "The Blue Danube (I Shouldn't Have Come)" (Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd) 2:30
# "Music Is Better Than Words" (]) 2:10 # "Music Is Better Than Words" (]) 2:10
# "Stillman's Gym" (Lou Lubin) 2:10 # "Stillman's Gym" (Lou Lubin) 2:10
# "Baby You Knock Me Out" (], Lou Lubin) 2:40 # "Baby You Knock Me Out" (] , Lou Lubin) 2:40
# "The Ad Men" (Dan Dailey, Paul Maxey) 0:48 # "The Ad Men" (Dan Dailey, Paul Maxey) 0:48
# "Once Upon A Time" (Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd) 3:33 # "Once Upon a Time" (Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd) 3:33
# "Situation-Wise" (Dan Dailey) 2:49 # "Situation-Wise" (Dan Dailey) 2:49
# "The Chase" 1:04 # "The Chase" 1:04
# "I Like Myself" (Gene Kelly) 4:10 # "I Like Myself" (Gene Kelly) 4:10
# "Klenzrite" (Dolores Gray) 1:34 # "Klenzrite" (Dolores Gray) 1:34
# "Thanks A Lot, But No, Thanks" (Dolores Gray) 3:47 # "Thanks a Lot, but No, Thanks" (Dolores Gray) 3:47
# "The Time For Parting (Finale)" (] and chorus) 1:46 # "The Time for Parting (Finale)" (] and chorus) 1:46


==Sources== ==See also==
*'']'' *]
*]
*Hugh Fordin: ''The World of Entertainment'', ISBN 978-0-380-00754-7


==References== ==References==

===Citations===
{{reflist}} {{reflist}}

===Works cited===
* {{cite book |last=Hirschhorn |first=Clive |title=Gene Kelly: A Biography |url=https://archive.org/details/genekellybiograp0000hirs/ |location=New York |publisher=] |year=1984 |isbn=0312318022 |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last=Fordin |first=Hugh |title=M-G-M's Greatest Musicals: The Arthur Freed Unit |year=1996 |orig-year=1975 |publisher=Da Capo Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-306-80730-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/mgmsgreatestmusi0000ford/ |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last1=Neibaur |first1=James L. |last2=Schneeberger |first2=Gary |title=Frank Sinatra on the Big Screen: The Singer as Actor and Filmmaker |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-1-476-64458-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2sxxEAAAQBAJ |year=2022}}
* {{cite book |last=Silverman |first=Stephen M. |author-link=Stephen M. Silverman |title=Dancing On the Ceiling: Stanley Donen and His Movies |publisher=Alfred P. Knopf |year=1996 |isbn=0-679-41412-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/dancingonceiling0000silv/ |url-access=registration}}


==External links== ==External links==
*{{IMDb title|0048216}} *{{IMDb title|0048216}}
*{{Rotten Tomatoes|its_always_fair_weather}}
*{{amg title|25539}}
*{{TCMDb title|1568}}
*{{AFI film|51540}}


{{Gene Kelly}} {{Gene Kelly}}
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{{Comden and Green}} {{Comden and Green}}


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Latest revision as of 00:06, 22 December 2024

1955 film by Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
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It's Always Fair Weather
Theatrical lobby card
Directed by
Written by
Produced byArthur Freed
Starring
CinematographyRobert J. Bronner
Edited byAdrienne Fazan
Music byAndré Previn
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • September 2, 1955 (1955-09-02)
Running time102 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2,771,000
Box office$2,374,000

It's Always Fair Weather is a 1955 American musical satire directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. The film was scripted by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who also wrote the show's lyrics, with music by André Previn. It stars Kelly, Dan Dailey, Cyd Charisse, Dolores Gray, and dancer/choreographer Michael Kidd in his first film acting role.

The film, co-directed by Kelly and Donen, was shot in CinemaScope and Eastmancolor. Although well-received critically at the time, it was not a commercial success, and is one of the last major dance-oriented MGM musicals. In recent years, it has been recognized as a seminal film because of the inventiveness of its dance routines.

It's Always Fair Weather is noted for its downbeat theme, unusual for a musical, which may have hurt it at the box office, and has been called a rare "cynical musical".

Plot

Three ex-G.I.s, Ted Riley, Doug Hallerton and Angie Valentine have served in World War II together and become best friends. At the beginning of the film, set in October 1945, they meet at their favorite New York bar, Tim's Bar and Grill before their release from the service. When Riley receives a Dear John letter from his girlfriend telling him she has married another man, his friends comfort him and join him hitting every other bar in town. They dance drunkenly through the street together ("The Binge") before returning to Tim's. Barman Tim is dubious about their vows of eternal friendship—having heard similar claims made by many other discharged servicemen—and wagers them they will forget about each other. The trio protest that they will be different and promise to reunite exactly ten years later at the same spot, tearing a dollar bill in three parts and writing the date of October 11, 1955 on each piece.

In the years after the war, the three men take entirely different paths, as shown through the "10-Year Montage". Riley had wanted to become an idealistic lawyer, but instead has become a fight promoter and gambler, associating with shady underworld characters. Hallerton, who had planned to become a painter, has gone into a high-stress job in advertising, and his marriage is crumbling. Valentine, who had planned to become a gourmet chef, is now running a hamburger stand in Schenectady, New York that he calls "The Cordon Bleu." He has a wife and several children.

The three men keep their promise to meet at the bar ten years later, and quickly realize that they now have nothing in common and dislike each other. Hallerton and Riley view Valentine as a "hick", while Riley and Valentine think Hallerton is a "snob", and Hallerton and Valentine think Riley is a "punk". Sitting together in an expensive restaurant as Hallerton's guest, munching celery, they silently express their regrets in "I Shouldn't Have Come", sung to the tune of "The Blue Danube".

At the restaurant, they encounter some people from Hallerton's advertising agency, including Jackie Leighton, an attractive and brainy advertising executive. Jackie gets the idea of reuniting the three men later that evening on a TV show hosted by Madeline Bradville. She and Riley gradually become involved, though at first Jackie seems motivated by wanting to get Riley on her show. She joins Riley at Stillman's gym, where Jackie demonstrates a deep knowledge of boxing while cavorting with beefy boxers to the tune of "Baby You Knock Me Out".

Riley gets into trouble with mobsters because he refuses to fix a fight. Evading the gangsters by dashing inside a roller skating ring, he skates out on the streets of Manhattan, where he realizes that Jackie's affection for him has built up his self-esteem, and he dances exuberantly on roller skates ("I Like Myself"). Hallerton, meanwhile, has misgivings about the corporate life ("Situation-Wise").

The three men are reluctantly coaxed into the TV reunion, while the gangsters track Riley inside the studio. The three ex-service buddies fight and defeat the gangsters—tricking the head mobster into confessing on live television. The brawl brings the trio back together and they escape from the studio when the police arrive. They manage to make their way to Tim's Bar and Grill again. They remember the occasion where they left the dollar bill 10 years before and use that to pay for their last drinks. At the end, they are friends again, but go their separate ways without making plans for another reunion ("The Time for Parting").

Cast

Uncredited

Production

Michael Kidd, Gene Kelly and Dan Dailey dancing on trash can lids in the "Binge" number

Screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green conceived It's Always Fair Weather as a sequel to On the Town (1949). It was intended to reunite Gene Kelly with his On the Town co-stars Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin; it was to be produced as a Broadway show. Comden stated, "While we were trying out to think of another idea for Gene, by chance we told him this story. Gene liked it." Kelly instead persuaded them to re-envision their idea into a musical film. Comden and Green outlined the story to Arthur Freed, who also asked Roger Edens to attend the pitch meeting. Freed and Edens approved their idea, and Comden and Green began writing their script. Additionally, Comden and Green were permitted to write the lyrics. To compose the songs, Edens was not available he was preoccupied with Deep in My Heart (1954). Based on his work in Invitation to the Dance (1956), Freed hired André Previn as the film composer.

However, Dore Schary, MGM's studio president, refused to hire either Sinatra or Munshin. By this point, Munshin's popularity had declined and he was relegated to comedic supporting roles. Multiple reasons have been given for Sinatra's absence. Apparently, Schary did not want to hire Sinatra due to his difficult working reputation. According to Kelly's biographer Clive Hirschhorn, Sinatra declined to return to wearing a sailor suit after he had recently won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for From Here to Eternity (1953). As a result, the three main leads were recharacterized as G.I. soldiers.

Ultimately, Kelly chose fellow dancers Dan Dailey, who was under contract to MGM, and Michael Kidd, who had more experience as a choreographer (he choreographed the Broadway and film versions of Guys and Dolls, as well as The Band Wagon) than as an actor. Dolores Gray and Cyd Charisse were cast in the central female roles.

Kelly asked his frequent collaborator Stanley Donen to co-direct with him. Donen, who had just scored a major success with Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (with Kidd as choreographer), initially declined to direct. He explained, "I didn't want to co-direct another picture with Kelly at that point. We didn't get on very well, and for that matter, Gene didn't get on really well with anybody." Due to his previous experience during Brigadoon (1954), Kelly was reluctant to shoot in CinemaScope, which he did not find suitable for screen dancing. Regardless, one of Donen's ideas using the CinemaScope format was to use split screen into three parts to depict the separate careers of the main leads. To accomplish this effect, the three cameras had to move at precisely the same speed, so the actors would not appear to be jumping across the frame.

Principal photography began on October 13, 1954 and wrapped on March 15, 1955. Due to Dore Schary's attempts at austerity, It's Always Fair Weather was not as lavishly produced when compared to An American in Paris (1951) and Singin' in the Rain (1952). Comden and Green sensed this as production numbers for prior MGM musicals had to be approved by Arthur Freed. However, as they wrote the script, production numbers instead had to have the final approval by Schary. Green explained, "It was made when the era of musicals was over, at least at MGM." Comden further added, "It was over. I don't think Gene was quite the star he was. He wasn't that popular anymore, and neither were musicals."

Comden, Green, and Previn had written a song titled "Love is Nothing but a Racket" as a slow ballad duet between Kelly and Charisse. Kelly objected to the song, complaining to Previn that "nobody wants to sit still for a ballad." At his insistence, Kelly recorded the song at a quadruple of the original tempo, but the number was cut from the film. Another production number titled "Jack and the Space Giants" featured Kidd performing an elaborate ten-minute dance with a group of children. The number was recorded and filmed, but never previewed. Kelly explained "that number was cut; it didn't come across—it didn't work out. And I think it was cut rightfully so."

Reception

Box office

According to MGM records, the film earned $1,380,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $994,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $1,675,000.

Critical reaction

Hy Hollinger of Variety wrote the film "takes on advertising agencies and tv commercials, and what emerges is a delightful musical satire that should help empty living rooms and fill up theatres". Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote it was a "bright film" that spoofed "the whiskers off TV". Kate Cameron of the New York Daily News praised the film, writing, "Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who wrote the screenplay and composed the lyrics for the new Music Hall film, It's Always Fair Weather, have had some fun at the expense of TV. The picture is a lively, amusing lampoon on some types of video shows and of the sponsors and advertising agencies who back them." Edwin Schallert of the Los Angeles Times felt that while "the premise of the story and screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green is an interesting one, the picture does not get off the ground quite as happily as the theme might promise."

In December 1955, Crowther listed It's Always Fair Weather as one of the year's top ten films. In her book 5001 Nights at the Movies, critic Pauline Kael called the film a "delayed hangover", and wrote that its "mixture of parody, cynicism and song and dance is perhaps a little sour". She did however praise Dailey's "Situationwise" number and wrote that "to a great extent this is Dailey's movie".

In recent years, the film's reputation has grown among fans of musicals and of Gene Kelly, whose dance on roller skates to "I Like Myself" is seen as the last great dance solo of his career. Scenes from the film were included in MGM's 1976 film That's Entertainment, Part II, in a segment hosted by Kelly and Fred Astaire. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an aggregate score of 91% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10.

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

Accolades

Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Academy Awards Best Story and Screenplay Betty Comden and Adolph Green Nominated
Best Scoring of a Musical Picture André Previn Nominated
Writers Guild of America Awards Best Written American Musical Betty Comden and Adolph Green Nominated

Soundtrack

It's Always Fair Weather
Soundtrack album by André Previn
Length41:28
LabelSony Music (1991), Rhino Handmade
ProducerDan Rivard

Soundtrack recordings have been issued by Rhino Records and in 1991 by Sony Music.

Track listing:

Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green; music score by André Previn. All pieces played by MGM Studio Orchestra conducted by André Previn. Between brackets the singers.

  1. "Overture" 1:04
  2. "March, March" (Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd) 1:21
  3. "The Binge" 5:07
  4. "The Time for Parting" (Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd) 2:01
  5. "10-Year Montage" 2:18
  6. "The Blue Danube (I Shouldn't Have Come)" (Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd) 2:30
  7. "Music Is Better Than Words" (Dolores Gray) 2:10
  8. "Stillman's Gym" (Lou Lubin) 2:10
  9. "Baby You Knock Me Out" (Carol Richards , Lou Lubin) 2:40
  10. "The Ad Men" (Dan Dailey, Paul Maxey) 0:48
  11. "Once Upon a Time" (Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd) 3:33
  12. "Situation-Wise" (Dan Dailey) 2:49
  13. "The Chase" 1:04
  14. "I Like Myself" (Gene Kelly) 4:10
  15. "Klenzrite" (Dolores Gray) 1:34
  16. "Thanks a Lot, but No, Thanks" (Dolores Gray) 3:47
  17. "The Time for Parting (Finale)" (David Burns and chorus) 1:46

See also

References

Citations

  1. "It's Always Fair Weather - Details". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  2. ^ The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  3. "1955 Top Film Grossers". Variety. January 25, 1956. p. 15 – via Internet Archive.
  4. Feaster, Felicia. "It's Always Fair Weather". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  5. ^ Hirschhorn 1984, pp. 204–205.
  6. ^ Fordin 1996, p. 433.
  7. Silverman 1996, p. 208.
  8. Neibaur & Schneeberger 2022, p. 42.
  9. ^ Hirschhorn 1984, p. 205.
  10. ^ Fordin 1996, p. 434.
  11. ^ Fordin 1996, p. 436.
  12. ^ Silverman 1996, p. 206.
  13. ^ Hirschhorn 1984, p. 209.
  14. Hirschhorn 1984, p. 210.
  15. ^ Fordin 1996, p. 437.
  16. Hollinger, Hy (August 24, 1955). "Film Reviews: It's Always Fair Weather". Variety. p. 6.
  17. Crowther, Bosley (September 16, 1955). "Screen: Kidding Video". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  18. Cameron, Kate (September 16, 1955). "Music Hall Picture Lampoons Television". New York Daily News. p. 45. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  19. Schallert, Edwin (September 1, 1955). "Numbers Brighten 'Fair Weather' Idea". Los Angeles Times. Part III, p. 11. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  20. Crowther, Bosley (December 25, 1955). "Best Films of 1955". The New York Times. p. X3. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  21. Kael, Pauline (2011) . 5001 Nights at the Movies. New York: Macmillan. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-250-03357-4.
  22. DiLeo, John (2002). 100 Great Film Performances You Should Remember, But Probably Don't. Limelight Editions. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-87910-972-1.
  23. "It's Always Fair Weather". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  24. "AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-13.
  25. "The 28th Academy Awards (1956) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  26. "Awards Winners". Writers Guild of America Awards. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2010.

Works cited

External links

Gene Kelly
Films directed by Gene Kelly
Soundtrack albums
Films directed by Stanley Donen
Arthur Freed productions
As producer
Uncredited
as producer
Non-musicals
Works by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Musicals
Films written
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