Gene Kelly Course at National Media Museum
UK fans, the National Media Museum is offering a seven-week course on Gene Kelly beginning in May. Click the image below for more… Google+
Read MoreA Centennial Tribute to Gene Kelly (in Los Angeles)
For those in the L.A. area, A Centennial Tribute to Gene Kelly Thursday, May 17, 7:30 p.m. Samuel Goldwyn Theater 8949 Wilshire Boulevard Beverly Hills, CA 90211 Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Ticketed seating is...
Read MoreJean Dujardin: The Next Gene Kelly?
Generally, comparisons of current celebrities to Gene manage to irk me in some way or another. Statements such as “He’s our generation’s Gene Kelly” only put a bad taste in my mouth. The ability to dance and smile does not make one equal to the presence Gene had. The talent is one thing (many others carry on that legacy), but the charismatic presence is another. While The Artist’s Jean Dujardin does not possess the same dancing abilities as Gene, he manages to capture that same...
Read MoreGet Thyself to Glasgow, STAT!
First, BFI Southbank offered a musical festival featuring various MGM musicals. Now, the 2012 Glasgow Film Festival will celebrate Gene’s Centennial with “Gene Kelly: Strictly Song and Dance.” Nine days of Gene Kelly films! Singin’ in the Rain An American in Paris Take Me Out to the Ballgame Brigadoon Hello Dolly On the Town Anchors Aweigh The Pirate (pole-dancing! Daisy dukes!) I’m just hoping — wishing and hoping — that this spread comes to the...
Read MoreA Celebration of the MGM Film Musical
In the CD That’s Entertainment: A Celebration of the MGM Film Musical, British conductor John Wilson leads his renowned orchestra in recordings of 14 songs from the studio’s golden era of musicals. Among them are several songs from films Gene Kelly appeared in: “The Heather on the Hill” from Brigadoon (1954); “Singin’ in the Rain” (from the film of the same title, 1952); “I Got Rhythm,” “Love is Here to Stay,” and the main...
Read MoreTrue Talent, Kindness, and Take Me Along
In 1973, Colleen Lester was an aspiring actress fed up with the theater, but Gene Kelly gave her a new perspective. Lester met Kelly during a summer revival of the stage musical Take Me Along, she an apprentice on the verge of quitting and he the show’s headliner. During intermissions, Kelly taught her a few dance steps, and one day he offered her a word of advice on dealing with cruel co-workers, which she’s never forgotten: “Don’t let them bother you. The ones who are...
Read MoreGene Kelly Profile: People (Feb. 19, 1996)
Printed the week after his death on February 2, 1996, this article from People magazine pays tribute to Gene Kelly’s on- and offscreen legacy. A lovely closing statement: “Gene Kelly saw himself [...] as a simple man doing a few simple things well. Speaking of Singin in the Rain, he told People, ‘The picture was done with joy, and it brings joy. That’s what I always tried to do.’” You succeeded, Gene. You succeeded. [Download article as...
Read MoreOn L.A.’s Nairobi Room and Gene’s Son, Tim Kelly
This 1984 People magazine article primarily discusses the African-themed Nairobi Room, an after-hours club in L.A. which Gene’s son, Tim Kelly, once co-managed with a friend. But there are a few Gene-related tidbits in the column as well. In the image to the right, Gene hugs Tim while holding his replacement Oscar. Read the article to learn more about why the “little gold man” had to be replaced. (Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Brittany...
Read MoreDebbie Reynolds Auction: The Results
Debbie Reynolds’s Hollywood memorabilia auction closed today. Here’s a blurb from Profiles in History, which put on the event: The Debbie Reynolds Collection is deemed to be the most significant collection of Hollywood costumes and props since the liquidation of the MGM and FOX studios in the 1970’s. The entire collection contains over 3,500 costumes, 20,000 original photographs, several thousand original movie posters, original costume sketches and hundreds of key props from film...
Read MoreLessons from Kelly and Astaire
Arizona resident Lee Mills reminisces about winning a scholarship to work at MGM and taking dance lessons from Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and Gypsy Rose Lee. Getting to MGM: When Lee Mills enters the dining room at Sierra Blanca in Pinetop-Lakeside, she brings a reminder of her days as a dance student at MGM studios. Pinned to a pillowcase that covers a piece of equipment is a publicity shot of Gene Kelly, one of the most famous dancers in Hollywood. He was also one of her teachers. “I lived...
Read More
Recent Comments