The Decks Are Filled with Music in "Anchors Aweigh"

Title: Anchors Aweigh Director: George Sidney Starring: Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, Gene Kelly Studio: MGM Genre(s): Musical Rated: Not Rated

“Anchors Aweigh” remains a joyous watch because it has a love and admiration for the US Naby that can still be felt to this day. While modern audiences view the military as the riskiest government career you could sign up for (and has received controversy for targeting kids in low-income cities whose career options are not as promising as others), back in the early days after World War II the USA was feeling especially grateful to the soldiers who fought the good fight. Having come home heroes to the world, it was easy for Hollywood to romanticize their lives in entertainment.

With no wars to fight and peace seeming like it would last forever, it was easy to sell audiences a musical in which Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra play two Navy boys who sail the seven seas and get paid for it. Music and songs fill the deck and there is still plenty of time for paid leave to seek out romantic interests. Of the two, Joe (Gene Kelly) is in better shape as he has a girl waiting for him to get off the boat. His friend Brooklyn (Frank Sinatra) wants a girl as well but finds himself a little shy (truly showing the fantasy of the script if you think Sinatra and his baby blue eyes would have trouble getting a date).

It does the trick on setting up a mini-adventure when the police pull them over to help with a young boy who wants to join the Navy. He has no parents and lives with his aunt, so he wants to move up in the world sooner rather than later. Of course, turns out Aunt Susan (Susan Abbott), is a beautiful aspiring actress, and it sets the stage for one of those love triangles that only existed in the classic Hollywood era (are there any other periods where two men could fall in love with the same girl and remain friends by the end of the film?).

While this is a story that matches many movies of the era, “Anchors Aweigh” remains a delight thanks to Kelly and Sinatra’s winning chemistry, an iconic sequence where Joe does a dance in an animated world with Jerry the Mouse, and some old showtunes that, while not iconic, remain catchy to this day. Even a supporting role by the real-life José Iturbi doesn’t date the film despite most audience members likely having no idea who he was. What “Anchors Aweigh” lacks in depth and gravitas it makes up for with charm and sincerity, making it difficult to watch without a smile on your face.