A cheery musical starring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra as a couple of sailors on shore leave looking for a good time, Anchors Aweigh primarily attracted by attention for the short scene in the middle in which Kelly dances with an animated Jerry Mouse (of Tom and Jerry fame). As it happens, that section is only a 5 minute fantasy sequence within a much longer tale of romance and male friendship.
brilliant...
Kelly and Sinatra are infectious as Joe and Clarence, permanently sailor-suit clad, as they sing and dance their way around Hollywood, meeting a young boy who wants to sign up (there are numerous billboards urging purchase of war bonds, so the film seems partly a propaganda piece) and subsequently his aunt Susie (Kathryn Grayson). Although Joe tries to set up shy Clarence with Susie, he slowly falls for her himself, while Clarence finds it much easier to talk to a fellow-Brooklyn born waitress. It's immediately obvious where each relationship is going and there are no great surprises in store, but the leads are charming and the musical is lively enough most of the time to sustain interest. I have to say though that few of the songs stick in the memory, and although the dance with Jerry is technically flawless, melding live action and animation, it slows the film down and does nothing to further the plot, a fault with several of the numbers. There is a good dose of humour in the dialogue if not the songs, although 'If You Knew Susie' is a bawdy delight, and the peek backstage at the MGM studios, along with real life composer José Iturbi (who leads a breath-taking multi-piano rendition of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 at the Hollywood Bowl, a tune better known from various cartoon shorts) paints an idyllic picture of the 1940s movie industry.
but...
At 2 hours 15 minutes, Anchors Aweigh could do with an edit, and there are a handful of slow numbers that could have been easily chopped out with no detriment or effect to the ongoing story.
briefly...
Exceptional only for the early animation/live action sequence - from MGM rather than Disney - Anchors Aweigh is a fun, frothy piece slice of Hollywood gloss from a simpler age.
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