Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Before they became members of The Rat Pack, Frank Sinatra and Peter Lawford were both M-G-M contract players taking any picture offered them. So it was that one of their early teamings was in the studio's black-and-white musical entry, It Happened in Brooklyn. The other stars are Kathryn Grayson and the ever scene-stealing Jimmy Durante. The thin plots concern show biz aspirants in a romantic triangle helping an aspiring piano prodigy one age-17-shy of the requirement for a scholarship. That's pretty much it in a nutshell but despite that the acting performances, which includes another player from my favorite movie It's a Wonderful Life-Gloria Grahame-who plays an army nurse from Frankie's New York State hometown, are passably witty especially Durante who's hilarious whenever he starts talking in a falsetto. Among the nice original songs written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne was one called "Time After Time" which was nicely song by Sinatra and Grayson in separate segments. Grayson also has a beautiful fantasy sequence from the opera "Lakme" and Lawford warbles an entertaining swing number in front of a bunch of teenagers. Sinatra and Grayson also share an Italian opera number. The highlight, however, was Durante and Sinatra's duet on "The Song's Gotta Come From the Heart" with The Voice during his Schnozzola impression at the end. While the movie seemed a little longish at 103 minutes, I quite enjoyed It Happened in Brooklyn and the way things ended up. P.S. The "Time After Time" song here is definitely not the same as the one later sung by Cyndi Lauper in the '80s!

During the forties it seemed that MGM in particular had something of an obsession about offering classical and popular music in one package so that Jose Iturbi was almost as at home on the lot as Arthur Freed. This is yet another example and re-teams Sinatra and Kathryn Grayson who had already blended their respective genres in Anchors Aweigh some three years earlier. Adding Durante to the mix does no harm at all in fact the only jarring note is Peter Lawford who could neither sing, dance or act but didn't let that stop him from masquerading as competent at all three. The plot is as light as Isobel Lennart could get away with and still sound half credible and is merely a hook on which to hang some tasty Jule Styne-Sammy Cahn numbers including the Kern-like ballad Time After Time. Apart from Step Lively, made at RKO, this is arguably Sinatra's best musical from the forties - and YES I KNOW On The Town was released in the same decade. Sue me.

Jazzy singer Frank Sinatra (as Danny Webson Miller) returns to Brooklyn, after serving during World War II. Mr. Sinatra moves in with his old high school janitor Jimmy Durante (as Nick Lombardi). Sinatra suffers not from "shell shock", but from "stage fright", as he tries to make it in the music business. He falls in love with operatic soprano Kathryn Grayson (as Anne Fielding). A "love triangle" is formed when visiting pal Peter Lawford (as Jamie Shellgrove) also falls for Ms. Grayson.Not much of a movie, really. Sinatra is the highlight; he sings the timeless classic "Time After Time", and other songs written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne. Sinatra and Mr. Durante are a likable team, performing "The Song's Gotta Come from the Heart" and "I Believe", the latter with young Bobby Long (as Johnny O'Brien). Young pianist Billy Roy (as Leo Kardos) performs well. Sexy Gloria Grahame has an early walk around appearance. Sinatra's accompanying Columbia single was, deservedly, an instant double-sided hit: "I Believe" (#5) / "Time After Time" (#16). **** It Happened in Brooklyn (3/13/47) Richard Whorf ~ Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, Kathryn Grayson, Peter Lawford

CHICAGO ??? "Can't remember any songs ?" Hello, brain-damage victims !!! It's not called "It Happened In Chicago" and one of the great Jule Styne's best songs, "Time After Time", recorded by everyone, is right up there on screen and wasn't even nominated for an Oscar. Technicolor ? There are enough M-G-M Technicolor blockbusters. This is a small, cozy, neighborhood movie that is FULL of wonderful songs, even with the opera numbers thrown in. This movie has that lost art called "charm" by the barrelful. The stars appear to be real people, and as a life-long Brooklynite, it's bathed in old-time Brooklyn nostalgia. Highly recommended to all but brain-damage victims !!!