Two sailors (Gene Kelly as 'sea wolf' and Frank Sinatra as 'Brooklyn') get a 4 day leave to find some women in Hollywood, and discover gorgeous Kathryn Grayson(as Aunt Susie) in an unusual introduction. First, Sinatra and later Kelly try to romance her, with some success. Meanwhile, they get mixed up with Kathryn's small nephew(Donald), who is determined to join the navy right away. Later, they try, but fail, in obtaining a singing audition for Kathryn with famous pianist and orchestra conductor Jose Iturbi.Kelly usually includes some humor in his characterizations, and he sure brings a good dose to this film, along with occasional inputs from Sinatra. Kelly and Sinatra do one dance together early in the film. Reportedly, it took 6 weeks of practice and many takes for Sinatra to measure up to Kelly's standards. This was the first of many films in which Kelly was allowed to be the chief overall choreographer, not just of his performances. This film includes a solo ballet by Kelly, in which, in a dream-like state, he takes on the role of a dashing Zoro-like gymnast, then a dancing matador, to impress Kathryn. A solo ballet would become a standard feature of most of his future musicals, expressing his fear of losing a new love or his happiness in finding a new love or both.Kelly had great rapport with kids, which is shown in his relationship with Kathryn's nephew, and with a Latino street girl he frolics with. Another example or two is seen in the later "American in Paris". Kelly also took the lead in pioneering the the interaction of actors and animal animations. Here, he teaches MGM's Jerry the mouse, king of the regional animals. to dance and sing, and convinces him to revoke his decree forbidding such within his animal kingdom. Sinatra sings several well spaced ballads ,along with several duets with Kelly. Kathryn contributed the occasional solo in her distinctive operatic voice, which many people find irritating. Jose Iturbi periodically was the central figure an a piano number or as an orchestral conductor. This film partly served as a promo for the navy, which was still battling the Japanese navy. The film began and ended with a rendition of "Anchors Away"Sinatra would be reteamed with Kelly for 2 more buddy films: "Take Me Out to the Ballgame", and "On the Town". In the latter film, they again were a couple of sailors on leave, along with a third buddy, looking for women and sightseeing in NYC. It too is an especially fun musical comedy and was also shot in color. Sinatra would star in 2 more films with Kathryn: the B&W "It Happened in Brooklyn" and the Technicolor "The Kissing Bandit". The latter was the least favorite film role in the careers of both, although I don't find it as bad as many others do. The former has a plot much like that in the present film, with Sinatra's character again going for Kathryn, then again realizing that she outclassed him, again settling for a Brooklyn waitress. In that film, Kelly's roles in the present film were split among several performers, each personifying one of his attributes: dancing, singing, comedy, or charm with the ladies.The only major criticism I have of the present film is that Sinatra's characterization as being naïve with women, among other things, is clearly overdone, although it adds to the comedy.

I noticed one of the reviews stated that Kathryn Grayson was the mother of Dean Stockwell. In fact, she was his Aunt, in the movie. It has been interesting watching Dean Stockwell's career, and his various roles, as he grew up. It is always fun watching Jose' Iturbi, and seeing him, at the piano. His sister, Ampara, seems to be in quite a few of his movies, as well. I have a CD of old radio shows, which feature stars, such as Frank Sinatra. On one of his shows, Gene Kelly made an appearance and they presented several spots, from the movie Anchors Aweigh. It was funny listening to them, trying to recreate one of the dance sequences, from the movie.

Anchors Aweigh is a Technicolour MGM musical focusing on Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra as two sailors on shore leave in Hollywood.Kelly did the choreography on two dream sequences show dances which are the highlight of the film. The cameo from Tom and Jerry and the dance with with Jerry The Mouse is what makes this film well known. The other is the Paso Doble/Tango as Kelly playing a bandit which was impressive.The storyline of Sinatra being the young, naive sailor who falls for Aunt Susie and later the waitress from Brooklyn and Kelly as the more experienced one who has a girl waiting for him before being diverted to look after a young Dean Stockwell, a kid who plans to run off to the navy is a more humdrum affair.Sinatra never convinces as an innocent and looks too old (He was almost 30 years old.) Stockwell, who almost seventy years after this movie was made is still acting is a charm as the kid. There is good chemistry between Kelly and Sinatra and Kelly and Kelly and Grayson.The film is overlong and some of the songs just come across as a filler. A good try but not a classic MGM musical.

There are some great bits in the film but this is not a good film. They have taken some of the best talent on the MGM lot at its zenith and produced a long, meandering, hugely inconsistent film with no pacing and no plot. The worst offense is....no charm. It is all a huge waste of fabulous production values and many talented contributors. I think a significant part of the lack of charm is the way MGM handled Mr. Sinatra. Frank was not the kind of white bread handsome hunk who gets the girl in an MGM picture. So they have him end up with a more comic or ethnic type better suited to "his kind." They did it in this picture and in several others. Considering Mr. Sinatra's well documented appeal to women, the joke, in the long run, was on Mr. Mayer and his minions.