Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

MonsterPerfect Good idea lost in the noise

HottWwjdIam There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

CoolKatGretch Having watched this recently on TCM and not being familiar with the film beforehand, I was drawn in by the quick pace and competent acting, not to mention the pretty leading gals Reynolds and Miller.. quite satisfying eye candy. But then.. came the "fun-house" musical number towards the end and that just blew me away: I mean 'psychedelic' before the word existed, perhaps surreal in contemporaneous nomenclature. That segment stood out as the perhaps the very best part, it was a thrill to watch the choreographed-to-the-second, wild and unpredictable ride of a dance routine! That film was a lot of fun to watch on a lonely night home. So reviewer whoever-you-are that hates every movie unless it has something blowing up every twelve seconds, perhaps stick to writing up Popeye cartoons where the plots and characters aren't too complex for your limited imagination. I recommend movie this as essential viewing for every musical fan.. it won't disappoint.

MartinHafer Movie slows down whenever they do a stage production number --modern dance plewasant but very forgettable songs jealous brother bizarre spook house numbe4By 1955, the long run of MGM musicals had nearly run their course...and "Hit the Deck" was its last gasp. Unfortunately, changing tastes and this mediocre film combined kill off musicals at MGM.The plot of "Hit the Deck" is pretty simple. The Admiral (Walter Pidgeon) has a daughter (Jane Powell) who wants to make it big on stage...but the man promising to help her is a lecher. When her brother (Russ Tamblyn) finds out, he decks the guy and the brother spends most of the rest of the story avoiding the Shore Patrol. After all, this could hurt his chances to get into the Naval Academy and won't reflect well on the Admiral. Along for the ride are a variety of navy men and their girlfriends.While many of the songs in the film are pleasant, none are memorable. Combine that with a plot that is too simple and not altogether exciting as well as some big stage productions with very modern dance, the movie never really kept my attention. Fair...but nothing more.

Stephen R. Taylor While not a huge fan of old-time musicals, I have sure come to appreciate the classics, including many from Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and of course Fred Astaire. "Top Hat," "On The Town," "Anchors Aweigh" and "Singin' In The Rain" are some of my favorites. I watched this on TCM because it featured the great Ann Miller and Debbie Reynolds, and I had never seen Jane Powell before. These three fine ladies' talents were wasted on a film with very weak writing and pedestrian direction. Vic Damone's acting was terrible, and Russ Tamblyn was going through an awkward stage, but did provide some fine acrobatic dancing. But Tony Martin, who I'd never seen before, was unbelievably, embarrassingly bad in every possible way. Who remembers this guy today? His singing was melodramatically pseudo-operatic, he wasn't good-looking, and appears to have had no acting talent whatsoever. What was he doing in front of a movie camera? I honestly believe it's possible that Martin, in this film, KILLED the MGM movie musical. I probably shouldn't say this is the worst musical ever made---didn't Monogram pictures make one once? Or maybe Edward D. Wood Jr. directed one?

helpless_dancer Three sailors can't stay out of trouble. Be it with the girls, mom, or conniving dandies. Plenty of action is provided through song and dance routines where everyone gives fine performances. While this was not a great musical, it was still a nice little story with some good funny spots supplied by J. Carroll Naish and Alan King.