Movie Review # 411: Anchors Aweigh (1945)

Well everyone, today, we are going to dive into older territory this time around. The reason being is that we will be talking about a film that was released back in 1945. Part of the reason why is that a certain film, featuring two famous cartoon characters by the name of Tom & Jerry, is going to be released around the end of this month. So, in preparation for seeing that movie, I figured, “Why not watch, and review a few films in which those guys are the main characters, or they just make cameo appearances, you know? With that said, we are talking about the first of apparently three features length films, Anchors Aweigh.

Plot: Two Navy sailors by the name of Clarence Doolittle (Frank Sinatra), and Joe Brady (Gene Kelly) are out on a four-day leave from their base. During this time, the two friends encounter a young boy named Donald (Dean Stockwell), who wants to join the Navy. Also, Clarence asks Joe to teach him how to get girls. Will Donald be able to join the Navy? Also, can Clarence, and/or even Joe each get a girl before their leave is up?

Okay, despite this film having a few flaws, Anchors Aweigh is an overall really fun film. To begin, nearly all of the characters, including Joe Brady, Clarence Doolittle, Donald, Aunt Susie, and almost everyone else have some of the best personalities. For a movie that came out in the 1940s, that may yet be a really great accomplishment. Well, granted, this movie is over two hours. Still, even movies that are that long can be considered not that good. Thankfully, that is not the case with Anchors Aweigh. These characters are likable. Also, the songs that play around the last half to three quarters of the film can be very catchy, and possibly even memorable. The movie also proves as a great example of why life back around the 1940s, and/or even before, or shortly after, was better. I mean think about it! People seemed to have more morals, and integrity back then, and, overall, seemed to be nicer as a result. Yeah, compare that to today, and, look how much our morality has seemed to go out the window as of nowadays. Not to say that there aren’t still people out there who have morals, and integrity, but still. Anyway, I digress! The movie also stays true to the times that this film takes place. I mean with the style of the music, how people dressed, and things like those, you can tell this movie tried to capture what life was like back then. Oh, and of course there’s the choreography of this film, with all the fun dancing, and there surprisingly being some tap dancing involved in this film. If there are any of you out there who don’t know what tap dancing is, watch movies like this film that was made by MGM, or even 2006’s Happy Feet that was made by Warner Bros. Oh, and did I forget to mention the acting in this film? If I did, then the acting is also really good too. Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and even Kathryn Grayson, who plays Susan Abbott (aka aunt Susie), know how to put their respective personalities into each of these characters. There’s also Jose Iturbi, who plays himself as the head of MGM Studios. Additionally, Anchors Aweigh does an excellent job with showing how life, more often than not, can be full of twists, and turns. I’m not going to give away the areas where this film shows that. However, as you watch this film, hopefully you’ll probably understand why this film does an excellent job of portraying that.

However, like I said, there are some areas in which this movie could have likely improved. First of all, when it comes to the first maybe quarter of the film, the songs don’t seem to be as memorable around that time frame. There’s also the animation sequence that features Tom and Jerry making cameo appearances. Oh, it’s a good sequence, no doubt. However, it’s also safe to say that it could have maybe been given an extra few minutes just to see certain events unfold shortly after. Finally, there was a relationship that maybe could have most likely been given a little more room to grow.

And that’s my review for 1945’s Anchors Aweigh. While it may not be in the same league as other musicals like Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady, South Pacific, Fiddler On The Roof, or some of those musicals, people will still have a fun time with this film. Will people want to rewatch Anchors Aweigh as much as some of the other musicals that I mentioned? Well, maybe not as much, but it wouldn’t be surprising if people did decide to rewatch this film sooner rather than later. After all, there are things to like about it, like the majority of the songs, the good story, fun characters, and other good elements as well. If you haven’t seen this film, definitely give Anchors Aweigh a chance. At the end of the day, you won’t regret it.

Final Grade: B+