New York, New York.

A Quick Summary:
In It Happened in Brooklyn, Frank Sinatra plays Danny Miller, a soldier coming home to Brooklyn after serving abroad for four years. On his last night in England, Danny meets Jamie Shelgrave (Peter Lawford), the "square" grandson of an English duke; Danny promises to make-over Jamie, should he ever visit Brooklyn. Upon returning to his beloved borough, Danny rekindles his friendship with high school janitor Nick Lombardi (Jimmy Durante) and woos music teacher Anne Fielding (Kathryn Grayson). Suddenly, Jamie arrives in Brooklyn, and it is up to Danny to teach his twerpy friend how to be cool, a true Brooklyn guy. While doing so, Danny and Jamie strike up a musical partnership. When all is said and done, Jamie and Anne end up together--Danny sees that he never truly loved Anne the way that Jamie loves her, and everyone lives happily ever after.

Some Thoughts:

--"Brooklyn"has very specific connotations in this film. The nurse character in the opening scene (who Danny finally realizes is truly the girl for him) is a Brooklyn girl, and she sharply criticizes Danny for not living up to her idea of Brooklyn. "I know what guys from Brooklyn are like, and they're not like you." "A Brooklyn guy is a friendly guy. When I see you out makin' a friend, then I'll believe you're from Brooklyn." Danny becomes frustrated with her and tries to prove that he lives up to the "Brooklyn standard" of being friendly, poised, confident, and self-assured. It is only when he takes on this persona and pretends to be outgoing and gregarious that Danny encounters Jamie and catches the attention of Jamie's grandfather. The duke immediately recognizes Danny's faux personality as fitting his conception of Brooklynites. Even though the friendship is originally based on a slightly-untrue self presentation on Danny's part, Jamie's company in the US helps Danny to develop the "Brooklyn guy" personality. Danny becomes helpful, friendly, and confident while he is charged with saving Jamie from perpetual dorkiness.

--Jamie and Danny constantly diminish Anne. They speak to her and about her as though she is a child or is somehow less important, less intelligent than themselves. "Annie, be a nice, quiet little girl, won't you?" When she protests this statement, Danny replies patronizingly, "Ok, what have you got to say?" In describing her figure, Jamie notes, "She doesn't wear nail polish. Her hands are like a little girl's. And that perfume she wears is like a little girl too, so soapy and clean." Even though both men vie for Anne romantically, neither of them see her as an equal.

--Frank Sinatra is able to play to his Italian identity much more so in It Happened in Brooklyn than in Anchors Aweigh. The Nick Lombardi character is an Italian janitor and serves as an ethnic comedian. Throughout the film, Jimmy Durante serves as a foil to Peter Lawford--the Italian clown to the English sophisticate. Durante also gives Sinatra permission to express his Italian-ness without seeming overly ethnic. When Nick and Danny first meet and recognize each other, Nick greets Danny in Italian ("Come stai?"). Because Nick has expressed the ethnic identity first, Danny has permission to respond in Italian ("Molto bene!") without seeming foreign or out-of-place. The two men enjoy an Italian meal of pasta, red sauce, garlic toast, and wine. Later in the film, Danny, Jamie, and Anne dine at an Italian restaurant. During the meal, a duet from Don Giovanni plays, so Danny and Anne sing along in Italian. Because of the ethnic interactions that Danny had earlier in the film with Nick, it is perfectly acceptable for him to sing in Italian, even though he is in the company of his friend and girlfriend.