The Basics: Did Gene Kelly Wear a Hairpiece?
This entry is part 15 of 16 in the series Gene Kelly: The Basics. To lift viewers’ spirits, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) devoted yesterday’s schedule (Sept. 11) to films that celebrate New York City. Among the pictures shown: 42nd Street (Lloyd Bacon, 1933) Guys and Dolls (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1955) The Clock (Vincente Minnelli, 1945) Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977) On the Town (Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, 1949) On the Town is not my favorite Gene Kelly musical, but I am still a...
Read MoreThe Basics: Was Gene Kelly Religious?
This entry is part 14 of 16 in the series Gene Kelly: The Basics.It is only natural to be curious about the beliefs of someone we admire from afar. We want to know what the person was really like and whether or not we would have anything in common with him/her if we were to know him/her personally. As to the question of Gene Kelly and whether or not he was religious, the short answer is no, but the longer answer is much more complicated. Gene was part of a large “lace curtain”1 Irish...
Read MoreThe Basics: When Did Gene Kelly Die?
This entry is part 1 of 16 in the series Gene Kelly: The Basics.In July 1994, Gene Kelly suffered the first of two strokes. Although doctors at UCLA’s Medical Center labeled it “mild,” the stroke kept him in the hospital for nearly seven weeks. Gene suffered another, much smaller stroke in Feburary 1995. “He was neurologically stable, aware, and conversational,” the Associated Press reported the following day. But sadly, Gene would never fully recover from this...
Read MoreThe Basics: Gene and His Love for France
This entry is part 12 of 16 in the series Gene Kelly: The Basics.In the opening voiceover from An American in Paris (1951), Gene Kelly’s character, Jerry Mulligan, neatly parallels Gene’s own thoughts on the subject at hand: “Paris is a mood, a longing you didn’t know you had until it was answered. Paris is like love or art or faith, it can’t be explained, only felt.” (Right: Gene flying high for Air France.) As I rewatched An American in Paris for the umpteenth time...
Read MoreThe Basics: Did Gene Have Children?
This entry is part 12 of 16 in the series Gene Kelly: The Basics. Motion Picture Magazine: Which of your traits do you hope your little daughter has inherited? Gene Kelly: None. I only hope she’ll get as much fun out of life as her old man is getting. (Oct. 1944) Gene Kelly had three children. His first was a daughter, Kerry (above), born in October of 1942 to Gene and his first wife, Betsy Blair. Although likely exaggerated (as fanzine interviews typically were/are), the Photoplay article...
Read MoreThe Basics: Did Gene Star in Any Non-Musical Pictures?
This entry is part 11 of 16 in the series Gene Kelly: The Basics.Yes, Gene Kelly starred in many non-musical pictures. He may be most widely known as a song-and-dance man, but his “straight pictures” (i.e., no singing or dancing) were just about as numerous. In total, not counting the TV productions, he starred in 14 non-musical pictures. Part of the reasoning for having Gene star in non-musical pictures was for the studio to get their money’s worth out of him. It made no economic...
Read MoreThe Basics: Did Gene Kelly Marry?
This entry is part 10 of 16 in the series Gene Kelly: The Basics.I can’t imagine an adult man not wanting marriage. Freedom is lonely…it’s sheer boredom…’getting to know you’ is the loveliest thing in life….A little variety can’t possibly compensate for the joys of solidity, of having someone close by your side, of having children. For the joy of having a child, I’d eliminate a lot of freedom. And for a wife. A woman clips your wings a bit, but she’s worth it. – Gene...
Read MoreThe Basics: Where Did Gene Live While He Worked in Hollywood?
This entry is part 9 of 16 in the series Gene Kelly: The Basics.Gene Kelly lived in several places while he worked in Hollywood. After arriving in Los Angeles in 1941, Gene’s first residence was at Laurel Canyon in a small house on Lookout Mountain Drive. He acquired this house through his New York agent, Johnny Darrow who, at the time, was beginning to dabble in real estate. The house was in no way a flashy structure. In fact, upon first moving into their home, Kelly and his then wife,...
Read MoreThe Basics: What Was The Game?
This entry is part 8 of 16 in the series Gene Kelly: The Basics.Even fairly casual fans of Gene Kelly learn early on that he was known for being highly competitive and a perfectionist and that, moreover, he expected those he worked with to work as hard as he did. This attitude extended into how he played, and nowhere perhaps is this more evident than with The Game. A variation on charades, The Game was a fixture of Kelly house parties between roughly the mid 1940s through the early ’50s when...
Read MoreThe Basics: Did Gene Win Awards for His Work?
This entry is part 7 of 16 in the series Gene Kelly: The Basics.Oh, yes, Gene won plenty of awards. First, he was given an Honorary Academy Award “in appreciation of his versatility as an actor, singer, director and dancer, and specifically for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film.” This was one of the seven awards given for An American in Paris (1951). Sadly, the Oscar was lost in a house fire in 1983, but it was replaced at the 1984 Academy Awards. In...
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