It's Always Fair Weather

Plot synopsis:
Three ex-G.I.s, Ted Riley (Kelly), Doug Hallerton (Dailey) and Angie Valentine (Kidd) have served in World War II together and become best friends. At the beginning of the film, set in October 1945, they dance through the street celebrating their upcoming release from the service ("The Binge") and meet at their favorite New York bar. They vow eternal friendship, and before going their separate ways, promise to reunite exactly ten years later at the same spot.
In the years after the war, the three men have taken entirely different paths ("10-Year Montage"). Riley, who had wanted to become an idealistic lawyer, 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", and has a wife and 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 (Charisse), an attractive and brainy advertising person. Jackie gets the idea of reuniting the three men later that evening on a TV show hosted by Madeline Bradville (Gray). 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 ("Baby You Knock Me Out").
Riley gets into trouble with gangsters because he refuses to fix a fight. As he seeks to evade gangsters from 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, with the gangsters tracking Riley to the studio. They jointly fight and defeat the gangsters, which brings them back together. At the end they are friends again, but go their separate ways without making plans for another reunion ("The Time for Parting").

Tags: romantic, satire

Review:
The movie also teams Dan Daily and Michael Kyd with Kelly, a Grade A, winning combination for the few, but excellent numbers, they perform.However, this movie should be seen for one and one reason only: Gene Kelly's dance on roller skates to one of the most beautiful tunes ever written by Comden and Green.
the wonderful roller skating sequence by Kelly (since I'm tired to death of seeing the "Singing in the Rain" puddle dance, this is a refreshing change and an excellent sample of his skills!)  He even parodies his "Rain" dance when he hops off & on the curb with his skates (folks, those are metal-wheeled skates - nowhere as smooth & speedy as the polyurethane ones of today)  Somebody mentioned that the skating set features a big piece of the "Rain" set, but I don't agree - we're talking films set 30 years apart & I didn't see any similarities in the "Fair Weather" setDolores Gray's bizarre number "Thanks but no Thanks" where she rewards the tuxedoed men bearing jewels and affection (who literally vault, flip and tumble around her) with bullets, dynamite and finally a huge trap door where they all slide awayand Cyd Charisse's gym number "Baby You Knock Me Out"(these last 2 numbers were featured on "That's Entertainment III")It's interesting to see Michael Kidd, mostly known for his wonderful film choreography, dance onscreen.
And the film - this is a sign of the times - glamorizes smoking (including by Dan Dailey's character, who says he won't drink or eat heavily b/c of his health, yet he "lights up" often), fixed boxing matches, gambling and drunken sprees.Still, it makes an excellent "sequel" of sorts for "On the Town" and they should be paired together on TV or at film fests.Also, Previn's tunes are not really memorable - they're OK.The film also pokes fun at early TV - Delores Gray's show is a mix btw a variety show & something like "Queen for a Day" or "This is Your Life." Sponsors (in this case, laundry detergent)were a huge deal back then.
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.
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..
The folks that brought you Singing In The Rain, Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Cyd Charisse, and Arthur Freed combined their considerable talents to give us one of the last of the great MGM screen musicals in It's Always Fair Weather.
In fact there are relatives of mine I barely keep up with because of the little we have in common.Thus did army pals Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, and Michael Kidd find themselves after ten years earlier in David Burns's bar swearing that they would meet there ten years later and still be best pals in 1945 after V-J Day.Well it's now 1955 and Gene Kelly is a native New Yorker.
The best numbers are by Gene Kelly dancing on rollerskates proclaiming his new found love for Charisse down the city streets just like in Singing In The Rain.
Gene Kelly is entertaining as always, but I was really surprised by Dan Dailey's talent as the ad executive that comes to a startling self-realization at an inopportune time and does quite a performance dancing and singing about his plight.This film was a product of the famed Arthur Freed unit, which made many lavish musicals in their time.
Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, and Michael Kidd are army buddies in "It's Always Fair Weather," a 1955 musical film directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly.
The film also stars Cyd Charisse and Delores Gray.At the end of World War II, Ted Riley (Kelly), Doug Hallerton (Dailey), and Angie Valentine (Kidd) return to the states and make a bet with a bartender that they will be friends for life.
Thanks to a talk show host (Delores Gray) who refuses to do her show as planned, and the show's beautiful consultant (Charisse), the three are destined to be reunited again - on network television.This is a nice movie with some great dancing and singing, but given the cast, directors, writers and composer, one expects a little more than "nice" and "pleasant." The music by Andre Previn is uninspired.
The glamorous Delores Gray sings the heck out of her numbers, but her acting, unlike in "Designing Woman," is way over the top, more of a stage performance.Despite the spoofing of advertising and early television shows and the singing and dancing, the film has a strange edginess; when it's dark, it's almost too dark, and the light moments aren't light enough.
It's just not possible to despise a TV personality (Dolores Gray) who can trump every femme-fatale number ever filmed with the uproarious, much-loved "Thanks a Lot, but No Thanks.""Fair Weather" has it's fans, but half a dozen incongruities like this (and that elaborate plot!!!) leave you puzzled.
(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.
Sure, Cyd Charisse and Gene Kelly are tops, but Dan Dailey and Michael Kidd do just fine themselves at keeping up in the dance scenes.
The movie's only crime in the song and dance department is the lack of a dance number between Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse, despite one actually being filmed.The movie's other notable aspect is being one of the earliest movies to satires television and its vacuousness.
This may seem hypocritical of Hollywood but unlike other Hollywood musicals, Its Always Fair Weather actually has a dark and not very uplifting story of three war buddies who are reunited ten years later to find out they can't stand each other.
(Maybe I've got too strong a memory of her as the slinky siren in "Singin' in the Rain"?) Finally I've never liked the dance number on roller skates, however difficult it might be: Kelly is supposed to be crowing about the girl, but instead he's singing a valentine to HIMSELF.
The most rewarding musicals have a dark, not a sunny soul.It's Always Fair Weather has a brilliant mid-fifties screenplay: the effect of World War II lays its hand on it; television is an added character to be lampooned as the film studios tried to maintain supremacy over the upstart TV medium (you can see where My Favorite Year got its ending); roles for the principles that were all worldly and complex.The dance numbers are top-drawer in this underrated gem; unfortunately the songs aren't memorable.
Gene Kelly as "Ted Riley" is such an old-fashioned male chauvinist that in today's world women would cringe at some of this lines and actions in this movie.The dancing is very good, beginning with Kelly, Dan Dailey ("Doug Hallerton") and Michael Kidd ("Angie Valentine") giving us a great opening dance, capped off by the three of them hoofing with garbage can lids on their feet.
Dolores Gray, as "Madeline," provides a very entertaining number near the end with some great sets accompanying the song and dances.Finally, the story the last 20 minutes or so redeems much of the earlier (see below) darker stuff, and you makes you feel good when the film ends.
In fact, after a lunch at a swank restaurant uncovers the differences that the years have brought, they split up in an unfriendly fashion and play out their scenes separately until the climactic reunion, a surprise cooked up by a cheesy television show created by one of the boys (Dan Daily) at the behest of Gene Kelly's love interest, the never hotter Cyd Charise.
Film fans may argue that "Singin' in the Rain" is the greatest movie musical of all time, and that it's title song scene is Gene Kelly's best dance on film, but in my opinion, this film and its roller-skate-tap routine tops them all.
It MUST be seen in its full-width version.Among the talent here is, of course, Gene Kelly who shines in his "I Like Myself", goosebump-inducing roller-skate number, Cyd Charisse is punchy in "Baby, You Knock Me Out", and this is perhaps her most perfect role on film.
Two other numbers that are standouts are the "Binge" early on in the film, when the trio puts trash can lids on their feet and tap dance, and the "Once Upon a Time" scene where the screen splits in three so the three men can soliloquize at the same time.This is truly one of the great musicals ever put on film, for its sheer originality.
Unfortunately, no Kelly/Charisse duet dance in this, their best film, but they do each get outstanding solos (as does Dailey) and the movie is loaded with musical wit and charm.
It features some of the finest, most expressive dancing ever caught on film, including a a drunken roust-a-bout with his sailor buddies (garbage can lids on their feet), and a breathtaking, rollerskating expression-of-new-love sequence that, I think, far surpasses even the heralded "Singin' in the Rain."  Besides the dance, the film is also quick and witty when it focuses on Kelly's big-hearted sharkie character, Cyd Charisse as his mental match, and the wonderful send-up of infant television and its dependance on corporate sponsorship.
If you want Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse, go watch "Singin' in the Rain" or "The Band Wagon" instead.Unbelievably, "It's Always Fair Weather" brought Betty Comden and Adolph Green an Oscar nomination for their wisp of a screenplay, and Andre Previn received a nomination for his musical scoring.Grade: D+.
Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly direct with an assured touch and avoid being too overblown or heavy, while the clever and sardonic satirical wit, in its poking fun at television, advertising and sports, contrasts well with the darker and more cynical edge 'It's Always Fair Weather' has.Kidd aside, the cast are great, Kelly is charismatic, Dan Daily shines in his scene-stealing drunk dance, Cyd Charisse dazzles with her dancing (and legs) and Delores Gray is a sheer delight with the best singing voice out of everybody.What really captivates here, as aforementioned, are the dance sequences and the dancing.
The number with the bin lids is also incredibly clever, while "Baby You Knock Me Out" and "Thanks a Lot But No Thanks" showcase Charisse and Gray's talents to show-stopping effect.In conclusion, a good if uneven film worth seeing for the spectacular dance scenes.
Following service in World War II, three army buddies - Gene Kelly (as Ted Riley), Dan Dailey (as Doug Hallerton), and Michael Kidd (as Angie Valentine) - booze it up in New York City.
After you watch this movie a few times for its marvelous dance numbers, it might be amusing to watch it again just to observe the extraordinary steps that were taken to conceal the fact that Cyd Charisse was 2 or 3 inches taller than Gene Kelly.
As well as the amazing dancing-on-skates number, I remember the song using the melody of The Blue Danube Waltz, with the words "Could these be the guys I had thought I could never live without?" It's probably Gene Kelly's most bitter role in a musical.
Noteworthy for a couple of stunningly choreographed numbers--namely, "Baby, You Knock Me Out!" with CYD CHARISSE and the boxers at Stillman's Gym going through some fantastic acrobatics, and DOLORES GRAY singing "Thanks A Lot, But No Thanks" to a bevy of loose-limbed chorus boys who gyrate to the tune with some acrobatic flip-flops--well, in those moments IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER really sizzles and comes to life.But unfortunately, the script by Comden and Greene is only fitfully witty and is not on par with some of their other MGM greats and the other numbers are not quite catchy enough to create much more than a passing remark and likely to be quickly forgotten.Even more detrimental is the fact that while GENE KELLY gets a fair share of nice musical turns (his cool roller-skating routine is really polished), DAN DAILEY (a great singer/dancer talent) is given the worst material imaginable and much less screen time to shine.
Gray's routine is even more imaginatively staged for maximum effect.While not quite up to the standards of other Stanley Donen-directed musicals, IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER is worth watching for the splendid performances (even CYD CHARISSE warms up in that boxing scene).
They thought otherwise and he teamed instead with Dan Dailey and Michael Kidd (more likely to be found behind the camera as choreographer).Female support comes from big-voiced Doleres Gray, who has quite the best number in the film (Thanks a Lot, But No Thanks'); and an under-par Cyd Charisse, who perhaps suffers from having to act when she really couldn't.
The plot is a little muddled and looks re-jigged to accommodate the strengths of its principals  so Dailey gets a drunk scene and Kelly gets to dance in his roller skates (a cute number, I Like Myself', which is really a second-grade now I love the girl' bit following the famed scene in Singin' in the Rain').
Not a well known MGM Musical, Always Fair Weather came through the somewhat traumatic diatribes between the creative minds of Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen to be a wonderful bit of watching.
As for Weather - If you haven't seen the DVD version make sure you do, not only are all dance moves in Cinemascope preserved you also get to see two deleted musical numbers - Let's just say It's great to see new scenes when you've thought you saw all there was to see from MGM.
So, they make a bet with Tim to return exactly 10 years later (October 11, 1955 at 12 noon), tearing a dollar bill into three pieces to remind each of their pledge, before going their separate ways.Cyd Charisse (who surprisingly doesn't dance with Kelly in this one), Dolores Gray, and Jay Flippen round out the cast.Ten years later, each of the war buddies actually does return, though Tim doesn't really recognize them as each of the old friends have undergone more than a physical change: educated Ted, who'd been the "most likely to succeed" with plans to become a lawyer or more, heartbroken that his sweetheart got married while he was serving his country, lived the high life partying & bar hopping with different women every night, gambled and lived day-to-day such that he's got no savings and his current gig, managing an up-and-coming boxer (Steve Mitchell, uncredited), needs to pan out for him; artist Doug, who'd hoped to become a famous painter one day, finds himself in a failing, childless marriage after selling out, settling for drawing caricatures for an advertising agency's campaigns; and blue collar Angie, the happiest of the three, who's running a roadside diner called the Cordon Bleu with his wife, with whom he has several young children.Needless to say, the reunion isn't a very happy one as the three discover they not only have nothing in common anymore but really don't like each other, or what they've become, either.
She could also sing, as demonstrated several times.Despite a number of unusual dance numbers, including the 'trash can lid' dance by the drunken trio, Kelly's impressive roller skating street dance, Dailey's drunken unpredictable 'lampshade' act, and Cyd's"Baby You Knock me Out" song and dance , I can understand why this film lacked the audience appeal of "On the Town".It's not just the obvious fact that the 3 buddies at the beginning of the film realize they have become irrelevant strangers to each other for most of the rest of the film.
In 'It's Always Fair Weather', Gene Kelly, Michael Kidd & Dan Dailey play three GI's returning home after WWII.
IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER, the little musical that could, makes its point resoundingly with comical numbers of song and dance.
Doug, Angie, and Ted sing their praises to friendship with no intention of keeping in touch in the intervening years, but vow to the doubtful bartender Tim that even ten years from now they will be as good a friends as they are now.This is a great film; not so much for its technical virtues, though the dance numbers are exhilarating; especially the garbage can number and the number Gene Kelly performs on roller skates, but because of its unabashed optimism about life.
The dances with Michael Kidd and Dan Dailey and Kelly are well done, as is the gym dance number between Cyd Charisse and the pugs at Stillman's.
White some other reviewers seem to give this film a hard time, I found a new musical favorite, in this tale of three war buddies (Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, and Michael Kidd), who vow to meet 10 years to the day, to prove to the bartender of their favorite hangout, that they won't forget each other and will remain friends.