I just saw this again on TCM, in the only format it deserves to be viewed in: letterbox. While it is a Gene Kelly vehicle and the leads are three buddies from wartime, that's pretty much where the "On The Town" similarities end. It is a surprisingly sharp, cynical story in which the heroes' dreams are voiced, but not realized (at least not at first), due to life circumstances. The daring plot of three soldier buddies who part company at the end of the war, reunite 10 years later to settle a bet they've made with a barkeep, and then realize that they really don't have anything in common except a dislike for each other, probably broke amazing ground back in the 1950's when it dared to show what happens to friends who 'don't' live happily ever after. (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. Her cool demeanor is wonderfully thawed by the wise-guy boxers who worship her in the the gymnasium ditty, "Baby, You Knock Me Out." She goes from a diva to a siren in a tight green sweater and skirt in just 2 minutes. Have mercy!!

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. They agree to meet on October 11, 1955, which is in ten years, at the same bar. When that day comes, they all show up, and have absolutely nothing to say to one another. Riley is a playboy and gambler who won a prize fighter in a game, Hallerton is an ulcer-ridden advertising man on the verge of divorce, and Angie is the happily married owner of a diner in upstate New York. 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 choreography fares better, with a delightful roller skating sequence by Gene Kelly, and a fun sequence in a boxing gym by Cyd Charisse. 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. There's just something unhappy about it, which you don't find in the fabulous "Singin' in the Rain." But I suppose you can't ask lightning to strike twice.

Dan Dailey has the strongest role and is more than up to it, giving the film's best performance. And of the three, he's the only one who bothered to age ten years.

Disappointing, given the talent involved.

The 1950s were a fascinating decade in film for their schizophrenia if for nothing else. Exhibit A: the same year, 1955, produced both "Kiss Me Deadly" and this dull musical that has no reason for existence.

I'm not opposed to musicals by any means. The year before had produced "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and the same year produced "Oklahoma!", two of the most joyous movies I've ever seen. But there is just nothing going on in "It's Always Fair Weather" to keep a modern day viewer engaged. I suppose to audiences at the time, the theme of buddies who bonded during war but find that they have little in common off the battlefield inspired a certain melancholy nostalgia that gave this film some power. But without that there's not really even a reason to watch this. 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+