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Actors: Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd, Cyd Charisse
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about It's Always Fair Weather |
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At the end of World War II, Army buddies Ted Riley, Doug Hallerton, and Angie Valentine gather at their favorite New York bar. They talk about the friendship they made with each other during the war. The bartender, Tim, tells them that they were only friends because of the war and now that it's over, in a few months they won't even remember each other. The guys are sure their friendship will stand, and bet Tim that ten years from today, they'll meet in his bar to prove they're still friends. They each place a dollar in an envelope and give it to Tim to hold until then. Then they go back to talking about old times and the future. Ted plans to be a lawyer and Doug is going back to Europe to be an artist. While they're talking, Ted gets a Dear John letter from his girlfriend, saying she married someone else, but he doesn't tell the others.
The years pass, and the movie shows the how each man's life has turned out. Instead of going back to Europe, Doug works at an advertising agency, designing cartoons. He gets married, but his marriage isn't a happy one, and his wife wants a divorce. Ted becomes a shady fight promoter. Angie opens a hamburger joint and gets married and has many children. On the day they planned for their reunion they head back to Tim's bar. They meet with each other, but things are awkward. They can't remember why they liked each other, or any of the old jokes they used to tell. Still, they go to lunch at a fancy restaraunt. Each one wonders why they were ever friends with the others. They get into an argument and are about to part ways when Mr. Fielding, one of the executives from the New York branch of Doug's agency shows up, with program coordinator, Jackie Leighton. She works for a television show, Midnight With Madeline. Fielding invites all of them to see rehearsals of the show later. They agree, and Ted makes sure to get a ride with Jackie, because he's attracted to her. But, Jackie turns down his advances, because she's a career woman not interested in dating. He invites her to come see him at the boxing gym. Jackie goes to the studio, where Madeline is having a fit, because her surprise guest is a joke. Jackie suggests that the reunion of Doug, Ted, and Angie would be a good story for the show, only they have to trick the guys there, since she sensed that the real reunion was an uncomfortable one. She goes to the gym to make nice with Ted. She invites him to the show, but doesn't say that he's one of Madeline's guests. While they're at the gym, Ted finds out that his star boxer is planning to throw a fight for a racketeer, Culloran. He confesses to Jackie how ashamed he feels because of the way his life turned out, and how he had planned to do great things. At first, he doesn't plan to do anything about the rigged fight, but his talk with Jackie makes him reconsider, and he knocks out his fighter. He and Jackie go to her apartment, and she says she has something to tell him about the show, but he notices some men headed that way, about to beat him up for knocking out the boxer so he runs away and hides at a skating rink. Meanwhile, Doug gets drunk at a pre show party the executives have and he causes a scene and insults Mr. Fielding. Mr. Fielding tries to make light of things because of the upcoming show. Angie spends the day with Madeline.
On the air, Madeline introduces Doug, Ted, and Angie as her surprise guests. They aren't very cooperative. Doug says that appearing on the show is just another sad part of a sad life. Madeline describes Angie as a poor working man and tries to give him charity, but he refuses. Ted says that he's not the great man he once planned to be. They walk off the stage. Culloran comes into the studio and threatens Ted. Jackie is in the control booth and orders that a camera and a mike be put on Ted and Culloran. Ted notices and gets Culloran to confess that he's been rigging fights. Culloran finds out that he's on the air, and he punches Ted. They get into a fight, with Doug and Angie helping. The cameras record all of it. The police come to arrest Culloran. Ted, Angie, and Doug return to Tim's bar. They began to remember old times. Jackie comes there, and she and Ted kiss.
--Angela Tircuit, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of It's Always Fair Weather |
|---|
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1930's-1950's
Kind of sports story:
- boxing
Sports story?
Yes
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- blue collar
Age:
- 20's-30's
Hair color?
- brunette (Black)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- general circumstances
Setting
City?
Yes
City:
- New York
Misc setting
- bar
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
If lots of song/dance...
- lot of singing and dancing
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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