anchor aweigh be the product of the classic mgm musical production unit and and on the whole the film be every enjoyable good music by jule styne and others and excellent dancing by gene kelly ( and even a passable job by frank sinatra ) and and a funny well paced script . the only major element i would criticize would be the casting of kathryn grayson and whose presence in a film always mean the audience will be subject to endless pseudo operatic warbling from the petite miss . kelly play a naval serviceman name joseph brady and a man with a mythic reputation around the ship a a lover but whose valentino charm be constantly be subdue by the presence of his less cocksure friend with the improbable middle american name of clarence ( sinatra ) . upon receive 3 day of shore leave for save clarence life and joe reluctantly agree to help clarence find a girl base on the dubious premise that he owe him something for save his life . they be draft by a policeman ( rags ragland ) and who need them to help coax a precocious young boy ( dean stockwell ) who want to join the navy into return home to aunt susan ( grayson ) . at first it be clarence who be interested in woo aunt susan but eventually kelly character emerges a the more likely candidate . there be several standout musical scene but nothing to come close to kelly more famous work in film like singin in the rain and american in paris . the close we get be a gimmicky sequence with kelly character in a fantasy sequence dance with jerry and the mouse from tom and jerry ( although he seem to be closer in size to a dog or cat here than to a mouse ) . it a startling sequence for it time but doesn not have enough complexity or emotion to really stand the test of time . i actually enjoy the part of the sequence that take place prior to the animation and where kelly be use semi balletic move to emphasize the transition into the fantasy world and where we see him dance down a tunnel that look like something right out of alice in wonderland . eventually the character find their way to susan favorite bar and a somewhat sanitized mexican restaurant or bar in tijuana . there the patron happily allow ms. grayson to chirp her aria with abandon and and the management become very excite at the opportunity that clarence and joe have extend for her to sing with their friend jose iturbi ( play himself with a light humorous touch ) . of course they have never meet their friend iturbi and they spend much of the film length try to reach him ( in an amusing scene sinatra character meet iturbi but mistake him for a piano tuner and urge him to abandon tune piano and try a professional career ) and sneak into the studio and the hollywood bowl and where iturbi be rehearse a surreal symphony comprise of dozen of young piano player you haven not see anything like this outside of 1000 finger of dr. t. iturbi himself be a kind of a god figure in the story he represent the opportunity for salvation from the drudgery of unfulfilling work and the possibility for fame and artistic achievement for the heroine . everyone be 100 % sure that as soon a mr. iturbi so much a hears ms. grayson and her operatic career will be a reality . the 3 primary character be desperate to reach him and they think of him a some kind of remote and distant mythological figure a lot of the film charm and humor come from the contrast of this perception to the very down to earth real mannerism of the maestro . and speaking of iturbi contribution to the film and he also provide a very stimulating musical moment with his orchestral interpretation of donkey serenade . when all be say and do and this be a film that nobody who enjoy musical will want to miss . the majority of the music be write for this film and a nice contrast to recycle soundtrack for other kelly opuses like rain and american . kelly be still at his early peak and adventurous and boisterous in both his dance and his interpretation of the character . sinatra voice be never in good form and he rarely have good song to sing . stockwell be a charming addition to the clan and and grayson character be endear when she isn not posture on stage . iturbi add that well ground but sophisticated tone that perfectly match the atmosphere and style of the classic era mgm musical . this be one of the good one .