It's Always Fair Weather

When Dore Schary took over the reins at MGM in 1951, he began to systematically change the studio's focus. The musicals and heartwarming family pictures that so beguiled his predecessor, Louis B. Mayer, didn't interest the serious-minded Schary, who sought to mount more realistic and socially conscious dramas under the Metro flag. Schary was wise enough not to shun musicals altogether—after all, they were MGM's bread-and-butter for years—but he did severely curtail their production in favor of such "message" films as 'The Red Badge of Courage,' 'Bad Day at Black Rock,' and 'The Blackboard Jungle.'

Few, if any, musicals were weighty enough to satisfy Schary, but he must have been pleased with 'It's Always Fair Weather.' Substantive, cynical, and even slightly depressing, this Betty Comden-Adolph Green original enjoys many fine moments, but can't come close to recapturing the magic of the team's most famous efforts — 'On the Town,' 'Singin' in the Rain,' and 'The Band Wagon.' Exuberance and joy define those films, but such moments come at a premium in 'It's Always Fair Weather,' thanks to its darker, more sarcastic tone. And get this: Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse star in the movie, but astoundingly never dance together on screen! Kelly tears it up with cohorts Dan Dailey and Michael Kidd, but doesn't even give Charisse a half-hearted twirl. That's not only inconceivable, it's unforgivable.

Time and television are the villains of the piece, and they seek to sabotage the relationship of three Army buddies who served together in World War II. After the jubilation of VE Day, the tight-knit trio agrees to meet again a decade later in the same neighborhood dive they frequented before the war. Ten years can be an eternity, and when Ted Riley (Kelly), Doug Hallerton (Dailey), and Angie Valentine (Kidd) reunite, they find they no longer have anything in common...and can't even bear to be around each other. Savvy TV exec Jackie Leighton (Charisse) gets wind of their situation and decides to exploit it on the weekly show of temperamental diva Madeline Bradville (Dolores Gray), an Oprah Winfrey-Kathie Lee Gifford hybrid whose 'Midnight With Madeline' specializes in weepy, inspirational reality TV (in between self-indulgent musical numbers). Patching up the friendship of three estranged servicemen is right up the show's alley, yet in television's best underhanded, cold-hearted tradition, it's all engineered as a surprise. To properly pull it off, a beleaguered Jackie must go to extreme lengths to keep the guys together and oblivious until air time. Of course, the deception becomes doubly dicey when she finds herself falling in love with Ted.

The reality TV angle fits snugly into today's culture, keeping 'It's Always Fair Weather' fresh and topical, but it can't salvage the movie's plodding story. Comden and Green are masters of satire, and they're at their best incisively skewering the plastic personalities and manipulative content that pervaded 1950s television, but they have trouble maintaining narrative flow. Although Dailey and Kidd are energetic and engaging, we don't develop an affinity with their characters, and the tepid romance between Kelly and Charisse seems mechanical. None of their sexual fireworks from 'Singin' in the Rain' or passionate longing from 'Brigadoon' find their way into this film, which strangely leaves us emotionally bereft.

Of course, the atmosphere perks up during the musical numbers, but hardly any of the catchy tunes relate to the plot. Three, however, are bona fide showstoppers, so we forgive them for bringing the sputtering story to a halt. 'The Binge Dance' begins as a bit of inebriated fun, but soon evolves into a rigorous display of athletic terpsichore that reaches its peak when Kelly, Dailey, and Kidd dance with metal trash can lids attached to their feet. 'I Like Myself,' the film's signature number, is an exhilarating showcase for Kelly, who croons the lilting André Previn melody on roller skates while gliding, tapping, spinning, and leaping along the sidewalks of New York. That tour de force is followed in short order by the dazzlingly inventive 'Thanks a Lot, but No Thanks,' in which an alluring Gray efficiently jettisons a band of dancing suitors with gunfire, dynamite, and trap doors. Blessed with a rich, powerful set of pipes, Gray (in an auspicious film debut) makes a big impression, but appeared in only three more pictures before abandoning Hollywood for the nightclub and Broadway stage.

The public's increasing indifference toward original film musicals undoubtedly hastened Gray's departure, and 'It's Always Fair Weather,' despite a valiant effort, did nothing to reverse the genre's downward trend. Still, from such an illustrious cast and crew, one expects more than the film delivers. 'It's Always Fair Weather' is often pleasant and occasionally inspired, but remains too stilted and self-conscious to be thoroughly captivating. And while I appreciate the effort and intentions of those involved, my feelings regarding the movie echo the lyrics sung by Gray: Thanks a lot, but no thanks.

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

'It's Always Fair Weather' arrives on Blu-ray packaged in a standard case. Video codec is 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 and audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Once the disc is inserted into the player, the static menu with music immediately pops up; no previews or promos precede it.