Riff and his best friend Tony, (Richard Beymer) founded the Jets together. Lately, Tony's been drifting away from the Jets. He's taken a job at Doc's candy store and persudes reluctant Tony to come to the dance. Perhaps there he'll discover someone special (Something's Coming).

For Maria (Natalie Wood), the dance is also very important. It has been one month since her brother, Bernardo, brought her to America, but "do I ever even touch excitement?" she asks Bernardo's girl, Anita (Rite Moreno).

The dance begin fairly well, but when Bernardo arrives with Anita, Maria and Chino (Jose De Vega), the boy Maria is to marry, the dance becomes a competition between the Jets and Sharks.

During the unspoken but furious rivalry of steps ("Dance at the Gym"), Tony arrives. From opposite sides of the gym he and Maria see each other for the first, magic time.
Later, Tony walks through the streets, lost in a dream, thinking only of the girl he has just met ("Maria").

At the dance, as planned, Bernardo has been challenged to a rumble. As Bernardo and the other Shanks bid goodnight to their girls, a sardonic argument ensues, the girls pretending to stree the virutes of life in the new country, while the boys poke fun at their teasing compments ("American"). When they are gone, Maria hears a voice from outside her window. It's Tony.

She gones out onto the fire escape and he climbs up to join her. For the monment, they forget their problems ("Tonight"). They will meet again tomorrow evening at the Bridal Shop where Maria works.

At Doc's candy store, where a war council is to take place, Riff and his Jets are visited by Officer Krupke (Bill Bramley), the cop on the beat, who warns the boys not to cause trouble. When he leaves, the Jets lampoon him ("Gee, Officer Krupke!").

Marie is in a gay mood at the Bridal Shop ("I Feel Pretty") when Tony comes to meet her next day. He tells her that he has changed the rumble to a mere fist fight for her, but she makes him promise to stop the fight altogether. Before Tony goes to the rumble, he and Maria pretend for a moment that the Bridal clothes in the shop are for them ("One Hand, One Heart").

The rumble is about to begin ("Quintet"). The place is a dead-end under the highway. Tony attempts to reconcile the two factions, but Bernardo insults him, Riff leaps forward and belts Bernardo.

In the fight that follows ("The Rumble") the forbidden knives appear, and Riff is killed by Bernardo. Tony now scoops up Riff's blade, stabs Bernardo, and the rumbles ends with the scream of the police siren.

Tony flees to Maria on the roof top. She has already heard that he killed her brother, but she cannot hate him. "It's not us! It's everything around us" she cries, and Tony tries to reassure her. Together, they envision a place where they can be free from prejudices.

The Jets, now commanded by Ice (Tucker Smith - "Cool"), are determined to protect Tony - particularly from Chino, who is searching for him with a gun.

The sorrowing Anita accuses Maria ("A Boy Like That"), but Maria's love for Tony ("I Have a Love") wins over even Anita, who agrees to find Tony at Doc's Candy store, where he's hiding, to tell him that Maria will join him.

At the candy store, Anita is mauled by the Jets before she can even see Tony. In a rage, she delivers another message! "Tell him Chino found out about them and - shot her!" She's dead!" Doc relays this to Tony who walks numby into the streets calling. "Come and get me too, Chino."

Suddenly he stops as he sees a dim figure across the darkness of the playground. Maria! As he starts toward her, unbelieving, another figure steps out on the shadows. Chino points his gun and fires. Tony stumbles and Maria, who has been running to him, catches him ("Some where"). He dies in her arms.

Behind them the two gangs form and begin to close on each other. Rising from Tony's dead body, Maria quickly takes the gun from Chino. "You all killed him," she accuses. "And my brother and Riff, too."

At last she lifts her tear-streaked face proudly and turns to follow Tony's body as it is born off by Jets and Sharks. The rivals appears, for the moment at least, to have found undersanding in tragedy.

SECTIONS

* ACTION FIGURES * ANIMATION ART * ANTIQUES * ANTIQUITIES * ARCHITECTURAL & GARDEN * ART * ASIAN * BEANIE BABIES * BOOKS *
* CAMERAS * CANDLES * CARNIVAL GLASS * CAROUSELS * CARPET & RUGS * CHINA * CLOCKS * COINS * COLLECTOR PLATES * COMICS *
* CURRENCY * DECORATIVE * DISNEYANA * DOLLS * ETHNOGRAPHICE * FIGURINES * FLATWARE * FOLK ART * FURNITURE * GAMES * GLASS *
* HOBBY CRAFTS * * INSULATORS * * JAPANESE * JEWELRY * MAGAZINES * MAPS * MARITIME * METAL WARE * MINIATURES *
* MODEL AIRPLANES * MODEL CARS * MODEL RAILROADS * MUSIC * ORNAMENTS * PRECIOUS MOMENTS * PORCELAIN * POST CARDS *
* POTTERY * QUILTS * RECORDS * SCIENCE & MEDICINE * SILVER * * SOFT DRINKS * SPORTS * STAMPS * TAPES * TEXTILES * TEDDY BEARS *
* TOYS * WOOD CARVINGS * WANTED *

Visit some of J & J DOLLS sites.
Choose one that interests you, and then Go There!

BARBIE & Francie, Ken, Skipper
COLLECTOR BOOKS
MONTHLY SPECIALS
SPECIALS
OTHER GREAT THINGS
BOOK STORE
MUSIC RACK

OUR AUCTIONS ON

OUR STORE ON

If YOU or someone you know is a Vietnam Veteran - check out this site
Vietnam Vets Welcome Home.Org

Updated March 8, 2006 at 00:01 by YOUR KEY TO COLLECTIBLES^© 1996 - 2006 using MAX's HTML Beauty++ME, Copyright 1998 - 2006