Gene Kelly - Dancer and Choreographer
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Gene Kelly, the greatest dancer and choreographer
This lens has information on Gene Kelly, the greatest dancer and choreographer of all time. I love Gene Kelly movies and I'm probably the only fan of his who has seen Xanadu more than three times just to watch him dance. I've watched his best movies too many times to count.
Some of Gene Kelly's Best Films
Gene Kelly's first movie musical was "For Me and My Gal" in 1942. It was the first of three films he made with Judy Garland. He also made several films in the 1940s with Frank Sinatra.
In the 1950s, Kelly began appearing in films with other dancers. Two of his female dancing partners were Leslie Caron and Cyd Charisse. One of his greatest dancing partners was probably Donald O'Connor in "Singin' in the Rain."
For Me and My Gal (1942)
For Me and My Gal (Snap Case)
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In 1942, Gene Kelly was paired with Judy Garland in his first movie, "For Me and My Gal." The screenplay was co-written by Richard Sherman, later known for his work on "Mary Poppins" and other Disney films. The plot was loosely based on the life experiences of vaudevillians Harry Palmer and Jo Hayden, the characters played in the film by Gene Kelly and Judy Garland.
Busby Berkeley directed the film and it was produced by Arthur Freed, who produced another Gene Kelly film, "Singin' in the Rain," 10 years later. "For Me and My Gal" was nominated for one Academy Award for Best Music or Scoring of a Musical Picture. The film has a very long score, with several popular hits included in the list. Some of the best songs from "For Me and My Gal" are the title song, "Oh, You Beautiful Doll," "Till We Meet Again," and "Ballin' the Jack" (made popular by Danny Kaye). Like most movie musicals of the 1940s, many of the songs in the film were from earlier Broadway musicals and film musicals.
[Information from Wikipedia]
Learn more about "For Me and My Gal" at IMDB
Release Date: 04/06/2004
Anchors Aweigh (1945)
Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra dancing and singing
Anchors Aweigh (Snap Case)
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"Anchors Aweigh," released in 1945, was the first film to pair Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra. They played two sailors on leave in Hollywood who meet a young singer. Several of the songs in "Anchors Aweigh," including "The Charm of You," were written by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn.
The movie is probably best remembered for Gene Kelly's amazing dancing with an animated character, Jerry Mouse. This sequence was created and choreographed by Kelly.
Kelly was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in "Anchors Aweigh."
Information from Wikipedia and IMDB.
Learn more about "Anchors Aweigh" at IMDB
Release Date: 05/02/2000
On the Town (1949)
more singing and dancing from Gene and Frank
On the Town
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The 1949 film, "On the Town," once again paired Gene Kelly with Frank Sinatra. Kelly, Sinatra and Jules Munshin play three sailors on leave for one day in New York City in 1944. Each sailor meets a woman and falls in love, Kelly with Vera-Ellen, Sinatra with Betty Garrett, and Munshin with Ann Miller.
"On the Town" was based on the 1944 Broadway play with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The score, however, was changed for the film and some of Bernstein's songs were replaced with songs by Roger Edens.
The film version of "On the Town" was co-directed by Kelly and Stanley Donen.
Learn more about "On the Town" and view video clips from Turner Classic Movies.
Release Date: 05/13/2008
An American in Paris (1951)
beautiful dancing from Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron
An American in Paris
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"An American in Paris" was the only film Gene Kelly appeared in that won an Academy Award for Best Picture. It was directed by Vincente Minnelli and Kelly was the choreographer. The film shows the wide range of Kelly's dancing and choreographic abilities. [read more...]
Release Date: 06/06/2000
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
incredible dancing from Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor
Singin' in the Rain
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In 1952, Gene Kelly performed his most memorable screen dance number. Everyone who has ever seen "Singin' in the Rain" cannot forget Kelly's magnificent dancing and splashing in a full rain shower as he sang the title song. He was also choreographer for the film, once again displaying his range of talent, providing comic as well as serious dance numbers. [read more...]
Release Date: 06/06/2000
Brigadoon (1954)
magical dancing from Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse
Brigadoon
Amazon Price: $6.89 (as of 06/01/2012)
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In 1954, Gene Kelly danced with Cyd Charisse in "Brigadoon." He also was choreographer for the film. My favorite dance scene is when Kelly sings and dances to "It's Almost Like Being in Love." [read more...]
Release Date: 03/15/2005
Gene Kelly's Early Start as a Dancer
Gene Kelly began dancing at an early age
Gene Kelly's first exposure to dancing was at the age of 8 when his mother enrolled him in dance classes. However, he rebelled and didn't return to dance lessons until the age of 15.
Kelly was not only a gifted dancer, but also excelled academically and entered college at a younger than average age. In 1929, due to economic circumstances, he had to leave college and, with his brother, he began performing dance routines in night clubs. A year later, when his family started a dance school, Gene became a dance instructor at the school. It took ten more years before Gene Kelly made his mark on Broadway. [read more...]
Vote for Your Favorite Gene Kelly Movie
For Me and My Gal (Keepcase)
Gene Kelly makes his film debut in this WWI musica more...0 points
Anchors Aweigh (Keepcase)
Anchors Aweigh - The legendary talents of Gene Kel more...0 points
An American in Paris (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/16/20080 points
Singin' in the Rain (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Set in the 1920s silent movie star don lockwood fa more...0 points
More Information on Gene Kelly
- Gene Kelly on IMDB
Information on Gene Kelly from the Internet Movie Database (IMDB)
- Gene Kelly on IBDB
Information on Gene Kelly from the Internet Broadway Database (IBDB)
- Gene Kelly on Turner Classic Movies
Information and videos on Gene Kelly from Turner Classic Movies (TCM)
- Gene Kelly - An American Life
Information on the PBS documentary on Gene Kelly
Books about Gene Kelly from Amazon
Gene Kelly's Films on DVD at Amazon
Find More Items on Gene Kelly at Amazon
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Reader Comments
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Apr 11, 2012 @ 9:11 pm | delete
- I love Gene Kelly. Fantastic lens.
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gunsock
Feb 2, 2011 @ 6:33 am | delete
- Nice lens. I love MGM musicals and the fantastic talents that made them. Thank you.
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crushwb
Jan 25, 2010 @ 12:07 am | delete
- and she had to dance backwards in heels too !!! 5 stars !
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Clairejr
Jan 16, 2009 @ 5:26 am | delete
- Thank you. I'll be adding more to it in the coming weeks.
I added my 15 minutes of fame to your Claim to Fame lens. That was a good idea for a lens. - Claire
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poddys
Jan 15, 2009 @ 7:07 pm | delete
- Very nice lens, you did a fantastic job of putting this together. 5***** and favorited.
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by Clairejr
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My name is Claire and I love movie musicals, especially those from the 1950s-1980. I grew up in NYC and my parents introduced...
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Dancin' in the Rain
Singin' in the Rain (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Amazon Price: $33.84 (as of 05/31/2012)
Watch Gene Kelly dancing and "Singin' in the Rain" in the classic 1952 film that costarred Donald O'Connor (another superb dancer) and Debbie Reynolds (her film debut).
