‘It’s Always Fair Weather’ Blu-Ray Review – Friendship Is Forever Is Bouncy Gene Kelly Outing

When Gene Kelly teams with Arthur Freed, Stanley Donen, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, the result is pure movie-musical alchemy: On the Town, Singin’ in the Rain and It’s Always Fair Weather.

Sparkling with wit and exuberant numbers, It’s Always Fair Weather centers on the three World War II buddies (Kelly, Dan Dailey and Michael Kidd) who vow to reunite for old time’s sake in 10 years. They do. And find their friendship has fizzled – until a day of tangling with romance, the fight game, the ad biz and a new medium called TV restores their bond. Highlights include the buddies’ high-spirited romp that uses trash-can lids as dancing shoes, elegant Cyd Charisse’s k.o. of a routine with broken-nosed pugilists, and Kelly’s joyful, astonishing tap dance on roller skates. Wow!

For thoughts on It’s Always Fair Weather, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: 

Video Quality

Warner Archive provided It’s Always Fair Weather with a regal 1080p master transfer in 2.55:1 when it was released in 2016 sourced from a new 2K scan of the Interpositive. This one was one of the films captured with the Eastmancolor process, a type of film that famously caused many issues during the restoration process due to the degradation of the elements. The team at Warner Archive and MPI put their hearts and souls into getting the film to its ideal state. Even with all this care, some imperfections could not be avoided given the state of the source. 

The label has cleared up most of the obvious imperfections with no standout instances of damage or dirt detected. The moments that fare the worst here are the optical transitions, but there is not much a label can do to tidy up these momentary shots without ruining the organic qualities. The frame is blessed with natural film grain that resolves capably. The transfer does have a somewhat softer quality, but there is still plenty of detail and clarity to embrace. The colors are one of the film’s greatest strengths, but once again the state of negative causes a bit of inconsistency from scene to scene. Highlights are in noble shape and black levels are largely deep outside of momentary elevated black levels. Compression artifacts, banding, and other such anomalies do not emerge as an issue in this transfer. Warner Archive has put in the work you hope for from every label. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a dynamic DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that brings this musical comedy to life with raw power and finesse. The musical numbers are the reason to fork over your money, and every tune emerges free of shortcomings. You will not experience any notable anomalies or age-related limitations. Dialogue and environmental noises play well with the score so everything has a steadfast presence in the mix. Exchanges come through crisp and clear with nothing stealing focus from what is important. The frenzied moments are handled well and give the track a bit of texture. There is no damage to the track such as hissing, dropouts, or popping. Warner Archive has done some admirable work with this one. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included for the feature film.

Special Features

• It’s Always Fair Weather – Going Out On A High Note: A nearly 17-minute archival featurette that takes a look at this musical released near the end of the Golden Age cycle of MGM musicals. This includes interviews with Stanley Donen’s biographer, Stephen M. Silverman, musical historian John Kendrick, Broadway directors Casey Nicholaw and Susan Stroman, and, in archival footage, writers Comden and Green, actors Michael Kidd and Cyd Charisse and composer André Previn.

• MGM Parade – Excerpt From Episode 1 with Cyd Charisse: A five-minute piece in which star Cyd Charisse promotes It’s Always Fair Weather.

• MGM Parade – Excerpt From Episode 2 with Gene Kelly: A five-minute piece in which stars Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse promote It’s Always Fair Weather.

• Deputy Droopy: A seven-minute classic Tex Avery cartoon featuring everyone’s favorite pup in the Old West. 

• Good Will To Men: A nearly nine-minute cartoon from Hanna-Barbera in which some singing mice learn an important lesson. 

• Outtakes: A collection of unused material is provided here. 

• • Jack and the Space Giants (5:43)

• • Love Is Nothing But A Racket (6:40)

• • The Binge (0:52)

• • I Thought They’d Never Leave Audio Outtake (2:31)

• Trailer (3:13)

Final Thoughts

It’s Always Fair Weather is quite a lighthearted and fun picture that has its heart in the right place when it comes to maintaining connections between friends. Gene Kelly is every bit as charismatic as you desire from the star, but Cyd Charisse gives him a run for his money as she lights up the screen. Other films have more flashy set pieces, but we appreciate the grounded nature of what this effort delivers. This may not reach the glorious heights of Singin’ In The Rain or On The Town, but this is a great delight. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray that sports a solid A/V presentation and lovely special features. Don’t miss this if you are a fan of the genre. Recommended 

It’s Always Fair Weather can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.