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Some movies are set in New York. Others are New York. On the Town belongs firmly in the second category.
The beloved 1949 MGM musical starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin is returning to the city's waterfront for one night only with a free outdoor screening at The Battery next Wednesday, July 8.
Presented by the Downtown Alliance, the Battery Conservancy and Perelman Performing Arts Center, the screening is part of the Big Screen at the Battery summer series—and the setting couldn't be more fitting. The movie opens with three sailors arriving in New York Harbor for a whirlwind 24-hour shore leave and now, more than 75 years later, you'll be watching it just steps from where their adventure begins.
If you've never seen it, On the Town follows three Navy buddies determined to cram an entire New York vacation into a single day. Along the way, they race across the city, fall in love, dance through iconic landmarks and sing their way into movie history with "New York, New York.”
But well before green screens became the norm, the film broke new ground by shooting on location across the city, including landmarks like Lower Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge and Rockefeller Center. The result is one a joyful time capsule of postwar New York—and one of the best cinematic love letters ever made to the city.
Gates for the screening open at 6 pm, giving guests time to spread out a blanket, grab dinner from on-site vendors (or bring takeout from a neighborhood restaurant) and settle in before the film begins at 7:30 pm. PAC NYC will add to the festivities with interactive entertainment, giveaways and a surprise live performance inspired by the film.
Admission is free, though organizers recommend reserving a spot in advance. If you're looking for a quintessential New York summer evening, watching one of the city's greatest movies under the stars is about as good as it gets.