Frank Sinatra was the man who could get any girl . . . . . . . except Kathryn Grayson. Once again the doe-eyed opera singer with high notes only dogs can hear chooses Sinatra's costar over him. And this time Sinatra's character is actually more confident and manly then Peter Lawford's character. AND he sings with Grayson. Apparently she is just not the girl for Sinatra. This film is similar to Anchors Aweigh not only with the romantic plot. Sinatra once more plays a military man from Brooklyn who doesn't possess the toughness and grit associated with the area. He withdraws inside himself while away from his beloved neighborhood, and only expresses real devotion for Brooklyn itself.
Sinatra is the leading man in this movie, however, where in Anchors Aweigh he was the sidekick. Lawford's character idolizes Sinatra, and it's only with Sinatra's permission that Lawford finally confesses his love for Grayson. Kelly's character in Anchors Aweigh felt sorry when he took Sinatra's girl, but he took her before talking to Sinatra. Sinatra also plays the paternal role in It Happened in Brooklyn, assuring the young boys that they'll grow to be strong, and can continue to study music.
The comparisons between It Happend in Brooklyn and Sinatra's recording image are numerous. An entire song is devoted to the importance of singing from the heart, Sinatra''s continuous mantra. His character plays and sings for the bobby-soxers in the recording studio, inciting their squeals just as in real life. I see his operatic duet with Grayson as a sign that says, "I can sing the technically difficult music too."
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