“New York, New York. It’s a helluva town!”

At least it would be if the censors didn’t change the Broadway lyric of “New York, New York” in “On the Town” for the 1949 movie starring Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Jules Munshin…oh, yeah, and Ann Miller, Vera-Ellen and Betty Garrett. Instead, most anybody who’s ever seen a promo reel of musicals knows the line as “wonderful.”

Welcome to another edition of Retro Movie Moments. This time around we have another musical from the vault that I had never previously seen and always wanted to. I guess the summer weather brings out the song-and-dance man in me.

Originally a Broadway stage hit between 1944 and ‘46, Hollywood turned “On the Town” into a vehicle for its stars, the wonders of Technicolor and a strange new concept called “shooting on location.” And it’s great to see New York in color at the pinnacle of its iconic heyday.

The casting is incredible, as you have Frank Sinatra near the peak of the first wave of his career’s success and Gene Kelly well on his way to the top. Jules Munshin was a very successful Broadway actor, too, but he never quite caught on in Tinseltown. Remarkably, Betty Garrett got top billing among the female leads, but the film really vaulted dancers Ann Miller and Vera-Ellen into the limelight.

The plot is thin, but a perfect showcase for what MGM wanted the film to do. Three sailors have 24 hours leave to see all of New York and fall in love. Thus begins a singing and dancing marathon in the stunningly bright and beautiful world of Technicolor.

“On the Town” also was Gene Kelly’s first turn as a director. He shared directing duties with Stanley Donnen, but clearly had free reign over the choreography. The two would pair up again for an even bigger smash in 1952: “Singin’ in the Rain.”

Speaking of sharing the spotlight, this was the third and final pairing of Sinatra and Kelly…at least during this time period. The two also starred in another Navy-themed hit called “Anchors Aweigh” (1945) and the lesser known “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (1949).

The legendary Leonard Bernstein wrote the music for the stage version, but Hollywood cut much of it, claiming it was too complicated for moviegoers, despite a very successful 2-year run on Broadway. Clearly, what would the eventual composer of “West Side Story” (1961) and leader of the New York Philharmonic know about music that people would enjoy? Instead, songwriters Roger Edens and Lennie Hayton would round out the score and pick up the film’s only Academy Award come Oscar Night.

Surprisingly, despite many songs, Sinatra only gets one ballad. It was a new one to me that I found charmingly clever. “You’re awful, awful nice to be with…” I’d take that over garbage like “Three Coins in a Fountain” any day. Nevertheless, “You’re Awful” didn’t quite make it into the overplayed canon of Sinatra’s myriad hits. (For the record, I really like most of Frank’s hits such as “Witchcraft,” “Come Fly with Me” and “The Summer Wind,” but I might ask for a pistol and shoot the next sound system I hear that plays “Three Coins in a Fountain.” It wasn’t good the first 3 bajillion times I heard it; it’s not going to grow on me at this point.)

The American Film Institute ranks “On the Town” as 19th on their list of Top-25 musicals, which seems a little high. It’s packed with energy and fun, but only the opening “New York, New York” number really sticks with you. Take a musical like “Meet Me in St. Louis,” “The Wizard of Oz” or even “Grease” and most of the numbers stick with you. Then again, the AFI lists Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” (1991) and “Moulin Rouge” (2001) on that list, too. Gag me. It’s not that those movies are bad, I just wouldn’t put them in the same room as the Top-25 musicals of all time.

Regardless, mix some highballs and martinis, put on the dog and check out “On the Town” for some light-hearted fun with America’s top talent in 1949.