On the Town

Three sailors on a 24-hour pass - Gabey, Chip, and Ozzie - decide to soak up the sights and sounds of New York. Each one finds romance within those 24 hours: Gabey with aspiring dancer Ivy Smith, Chip with lady cabbie Hildy Esterhazy, and Ozzie with paleontology student Claire Huddesten. That's all, right? Wellll....Ivy passes herself off as a celebrity, but she's actually a kootch dancer in Coney Island. Claire and the boys inadvertently topple a dinosaur replica at the Museum of Anthropological History. And Hildy breaks any number of speeding laws attempting to get the lovers together and straighten out all misunderstandings. Adapted from the Broadway musical, this is one of the freshest, most exhilarating musicals turned out by the old MGM regime. (Hal Erickson)