Movie of the Week XIV

Hit the Deck (1955)

This is a really fun, light musical comedy with Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, and Ann Miller starring opposite Vic Damone, Russ Tamblyn (Gideon in Seven Brides), and Tony Martin. There were a lot of sailor movies and a lot of three-couples movies, too. This one is both a Navy and tri-love film. Like On The Town (1949).

I like the actors in this one. Jane Powell is super and she gets to play a mostly grown up woman instead of a teenager in this movie. She is sophisticated and trying to be independent, which is a nice change from some of her other movies. Debbie Reynolds seems so young in this, even though it is three years after Singin' in the Rain! But she was only twenty when Singin' was released, which makes her a very old 23 or so in Hit the Deck. She is spunky and fun, as usual. Here is Jane Powell, Tony Martin, Debbie Reynolds, and Walter Pidgeon, who plays Jane's father, an admiral in the Navy.

Ann Miller is not as famous as the other two actresses today, but she was the fastest tapper in the world at one point and was in loads of musicals. She often plays a supporting role as an actress or dancer who either tempts the leading man away from the leading woman, or is involved with the leading man's sidekick. She is an amazing dancer and is great in Easter Parade (1948) and Kiss Me, Kate (1953). You might call her brassy. She is always loud and feisty. Here she is in Easter Parade singing about "shaking your blues away."

Here the ladies are--Ann Miller, Debbie Reynolds, and Jane Powell. They are singing "Why, oh why, and wherefore, does no one seem to care for me?" They are sad. The three men are not living up to their expectations.

And who are the men? Tony Martin has a silky smooth voice and manners to match. He was married to Cyd Charisse for a long time--60 years, until her death--which is neat. I used to get him confused with Dean Martin. But they are different people. I like Tony Martin in an Esther Williams' movie, Easy to Love (1953). He plays a slick singer trying to get Esther away from the hyper-American-boy Van Johnson. Russ Tamblyn is the acrobat/dancer from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), West Side Story (1961) and many other films and TV shows. He is adorable. Russ and Debbie Reynolds are a super-cute wholesome couple.

His singing is dubbed in the movie, though. It isn't fair since he is with two singers (Tony Martin and Vic Damone), and his talent was dancing. Vic Damone has a great voice and he appeared in some other 1950s musicals, my favorite being Kismet (1955), in which he sings "Stranger in Paradise." I used to listen to that song on repeat driving to and from school. Sorry, Abigail.

So...the story. There are three sailors. They are always getting into trouble. Harmless trouble, but trouble nonetheless. But hurray--they finally have shore leave! They head home but somehow they can't get away from each other. Russ Tamblyn's sister, Jane Powell, meets Vic Damone and there are sparks. Russ is sweet on Debbie Reynolds, and Tony Martin has been engaged to Ann Miller for years. She is tired of waiting for him and is determined to end their relationship.

The love stories are complicated when the three sailors burst in on Jane Powell's "audition" for a musical. She is singing for the show's star in his hotel room; he is a real creep and intends to seduce her.

The sailors punch him and drag Jane out of there. She is furious since she liked the star and didn't particularly mind being seduced.

The star certainly minded getting a black eye, and he send the dreaded Shore Patrol after the three sailors. The rest of the film is spent evading the Shore Patrol and falling deeper in love, all the while finding lots of time to sing and dance. Yay for musicals.

A particularly unusual and irrelevant scene finds Russ and Debbie in a fun/haunted house in a carnival. This allows the movie to show off Russ' acrobatic skills and Debbie's athletic dancing against a backdrop of crazy witches, devils, mirrors, trampolines, smoke, etc. Here they are running from a scary witch woman and sliding down a trick staircase.

Here is Russ doing a flip onto a trampoline in the "devil" section of the fun house.It is an entertaining scene, but even I am left wondering "What?" and "Why?"

Then Debbie Reynolds gets dressed in a tutu with a starched white collar to sing about joining the navy and coming to Loo-loo's coffee bar. Again, what? At least this scene is part of the musical she is performing in, not a random trip to the carnival.
The movie has a fantastic finale to the song "Hallelujah!" It is one of those numbers that has completely given up on "realism" (if one can use that term for a musical), or trying to convince the audience that what they are watching could really be happening. Often musicals will put their more extravagant or "impossible" songs and dances in the context of a musical within the musical. Those movies, backstage musicals, follow actors and actresses as they put on a show, thus giving the film an excuse to show performances. Although most of Hit the Deck goes for a version of realism, the end of the movie doesn't even try. The cast is put on a battleship, the women are in matching but different gold lame dresses, and everyone performs a huge song and dance for no one except the movie audience. They sing straight to the camera, and dance right at us. I love it.

Here come the three sailors. Suddenly, the entire Navy knows how to dance.

Excellent salute, and nice dresses, girls.

Most of the cast just sings together and does some marching, but Ann Miller gets to tap away against a background of sailors. She also gets the best dress--a halter with a pleated skirt and fabulous sparkly turquoise petticoat. Plus gold tap shoes and an embellished cap. Jane Powell's dress is a slim fitting one shoulder number, and Debbie Reynolds' dress has a funny little collar and bow tie. I don't know why all her outfits in this movie have collars. It is weird.

Go Ann, go!

No one works a skirt like Ann Miller. It is incredible.

This movie isn't one that "makes you think," but it is enjoyable and colorful and exciting with a great cast and catchy songs. And a happy ending! Everyone together, grinning in their dress whites and gold lame. Hallelujah, indeed.