Gene Kelly: The Underrated Singer
This entry is part 14 of 14 in the series Essays / Analyses.Fans, scholars, and critics alike talk all the time about Gene Kelly the dancer, Gene Kelly the director, Gene Kelly the choreographer, and Gene Kelly the actor. But rarely do they discuss Gene Kelly the singer. As a singer who is completely enchanted by Kelly’s light, clear, and pure tenor voice, I often wonder why it doesn’t get the appreciation it should. In fact, I once did a presentation on his singing voice in a high...
Read MorePutting the Ass in Assets: The Objectification of Gene Kelly (and Other Men) on Social Media
This entry is part 13 of 14 in the series Essays / Analyses.I’ve written before, mostly in jest, about the public’s interest in Gene Kelly’s backside. That’s right; devoted to his bum are individual tumblelogs and Facebook pages, recurring hashtags, animated gifs, and dozens upon dozens of tweets. Regarding the latter, a few recent cases in point: Gene Kelly had a most spectacular ass. Watching it is akin to a religious experience. (via @phoenix_emrys) Gene...
Read MoreGene Kelly vs. Fred Astaire: A Fan Weighs In
This entry is part 12 of 14 in the series Essays / Analyses.Over the years, Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly have been compared and contrasted endlessly. They were often featured together in retrospectives in film, television, and even in a commercial. I shouldn’t be surprised if they got a bit tired of seeing each other at some level! And yet such a practice on the part of the public is understandable: when it came to male cinematic dancing in the 1940s and ’50s, the two of them were...
Read MoreMasculinity, Credibility, and Gene Kelly: A Scotsman’s Quandary
This entry is part 11 of 14 in the series Essays / Analyses.Being a fan of Gene Kelly, and film musicals in general, has burdened me with two formidable dichotomies since my childhood: how to defend my masculinity as a heterosexual male and my credibility as a student of Scottish history. The film musical genre, as I am told constantly, is the forte of gay men, a more potent defining characteristic, it would seem, than any lifestyle choice. Stand-up comics and a host of poorly written...
Read MoreThank You, Gene Kelly, for Not Directing Cabaret
This entry is part 10 of 14 in the series Essays / Analyses.Last week I stumbled across several 1976 newspaper articles in which Gene Kelly discusses his return to movies. After the death of his (second) wife, Jeanne Coyne, Kelly turned down virtually any film project that would take him away from the couple’s two young children, Tim and Bridget. At this point, single fatherhood was his life. But with the blessing of his kids, he returned to the silver screen in the dramatic (not musical)...
Read MoreThe Bias of All That: Gene Kelly and His Wives
This entry is part 9 of 14 in the series Essays / Analyses.In the first half of her memoir, The Memory of All That: Love and Politics in New York, Hollywood, and Paris, actor/activist Betsy Blair writes fondly about her relationship with and marriage to Hollywood song-and-dance man Gene Kelly. The reader learns, for instance, what Gene was wearing when the sixteen-year-old Blair first laid eyes on him: “an open-necked white shirt, a dark long-sleeved sweater, dark trousers, and moccasins. He...
Read MoreThose Gene Kelly Volkswagen Commercials Suck, and Here’s Why
This entry is part 8 of 14 in the series Essays / Analyses.For the subject of my final FlowTV column, I debated between “God,” a thought-provoking episode of FX’s comedy show Louie, and those two recent Volkswagen commercials that digitally resurrect my man Gene Kelly. Well, from the title of this post, I suppose it’s clear which path I took. With the exception of “So Why Did Everybody Love Raymond?” this Flow essay was the most difficult one I’ve written (I’ve penned seven...
Read MoreSingin’ in the Rain: Duped Again
This entry is part 7 of 14 in the series Essays / Analyses.Earlier this month I learned that The Valentine Theatre, a “108-year-old, 901-seat facility” in downtown Toledo would be showing Singin’ in the Rain (1952) as a part of its “Silver Screen Classics” program. As a die-hard Gene Kelly fan, I was excited. But I was also skeptical because of what happened the last time a Toledo theatre said they’d be screening arguably The Greatest Film Musical Ever Made. Would this be another...
Read MoreGene Kelly’s Family Tree
This entry is part 6 of 14 in the series Essays / Analyses.Moderator/creator of The Gene Scene, Donna Pointkouski climbs up Gene Kelly’s family tree. While she admittedly didn’t discover much new information, she did learn “more about Gene’s aunts and uncles” and that “it is much easier to start from scratch now than it was 21 years...
Read MoreMemories of Betsy
This entry is part 5 of 14 in the series Essays / Analyses.Upon hearing of Betsy Blair’s death in 2009, Donna Pointkouski wrote “I Remember Betsy,” in which she recalls her memories of meeting, conversing, and ultimately forming a friendship with Blair, Gene Kelly’s first wife. Here’s an excerpt: I didn’t ask questions as if I was interviewing her; we merely conversed. She understood that I admired the man who had once not only been a Hollywood star, but also...
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