An American in Paris: Inside the Script (Book)
An American in Paris: Inside the Script (from the Editors of Warner Bros) From the book description… [Order here.] This highly illustrated eBook will have you moving in step with the incomparable movie musical starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron. From the script to 12 new chapters about the creation of the masterpiece, An American in Paris: Inside the Script gives lovers of the film a whole lot more to sing about. Warner Bros. Digital Publishing proudly presents An American in...
Read MoreThe World’s His Stage: Gene Kelly at The National Media Museum (UK)
This entry is part 1 of 6 in the series Gene Kelly: National Media Museum.Whilst flicking through Twitter one evening, I spotted a tweet from @GeneKellyFans promoting a course at the National Media Museum in Bradford, UK. to celebrate the centenary of Gene Kelly’s birth. Long story short, I immediately cleared my Wednesday nights for the next seven weeks and signed up. I must confess to both a personal and academic interest here as I start a part-time PhD later this year, researching...
Read MoreFourth of July Special (PBS) to Celebrate Gene Kelly
PBS’s upcoming Fourth of July special, “A Capitol Fourth,” plans to honor Gene Kelly: A musical tribute to beloved American legend Gene Kelly, in celebration of his 100th birthday, featuring the National Symphony Orchestra performing a medley of Hollywood classics including SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN and AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. Broadcast live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, A CAPITOL FOURTH will air live in HD on PBS Wednesday, July 4, 2012 from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. ET...
Read More100 Reasons to Celebrate Gene Kelly #14: Those Ballet Numbers
This entry is part 14 of 16 in the series 100 Reasons to Celebrate Gene Kelly.Another reason to celebrate Gene Kelly is those brilliant ballet/dream numbers that he conceived, choreographed, and ultimately put onscreen. See, for example, the dream sequence in the middle of The Pirate (1948) – yes, the one revealing Kelly’s legs in those short, tight black shorts. There’s also, of course, the lavish and expensive (it cost half a million dollars!) ballet at the close of An...
Read MoreAn American in Paris at the Glasgow Film Festival
This entry is part 3 of 8 in the series Glasgow Film Festival.Sunday 19th February, 11am – An American in Paris (1951) An American in Paris at 11 o’clock on a Sunday morning? This will gauge the true extent of Gene’s appeal in the old city, and, I have to say, the turnout was pretty good, much better than I had anticipated — not like yesterday’s packed-to-the-rafters crowd, but pretty close. As usual we began with an introduction from Allan Hunter and a thank you to the sponsors...
Read MoreLeslie Caron Speaks with BBC News
In this clip with BBC News, Leslie Caron discusses her role in An American in Paris (1951) and Hollywood pictures in general. The clip runs about 3.5 minutes. An American in Paris is currently playing in the U.K., which Sue has written about here and here. And you’ll find several other posts on the film...
Read MoreAn American In Paris, A Brit In Heaven
On 2nd November I made a flying visit to London, to the British Film Institute, to hear Leslie Caron talk about her career and to see a newly restored print of An American In Paris (Vincente Minnelli, 1951). I am back home now but still on quite another planet. I was totally stunned by AAIP on the big screen. I am not usually lost for words, but I don’t really know how to describe it. I’ll try below. On the Restoration Firstly, the restoration is fantastic. They have taken some of...
Read MoreGene and Debbie (Not) Sitting in a Tree: That One Kiss Debbie Reynolds Cannot Forget
Last Saturday night, a slew of Gene Kelly fans from across the country tuned in to Turner Classic Movies to watch and live-tweet An American in Paris (Vincente Minnelli, 1951), the lavish MGM musical which earned Kelly an honorary Oscar and which Alec Baldwin and Robert Osborne introduced as one of The Essentials. Here’s Osborne on the film: “It’s joyous, it’s fun, it’s Technicolorful. It’s why people went to the movies.” Moreover, Osborne beamed,...
Read More100 Reasons to Celebrate Gene Kelly #7: Dat Ass
This entry is part 7 of 16 in the series 100 Reasons to Celebrate Gene Kelly.Elsewhere, fans go on and on about Gene Kelly’s physical attributes: his smile, his forearms, his black hair (or lack thereof), his talented legs/feet. But no body part, it seems, is more revered among some fans than Gene’s, ahem, backside. In fact, devoted to “dat ass” are an entire Tumblr: genekellysbutt.tumblr.com a Facebook page: Gene Kelly’s Bottom a Twitter hashtag: #MajesticAss or...
Read More100 Reasons to Celebrate Gene Kelly #2: His Understanding of Children
This entry is part 2 of 16 in the series 100 Reasons to Celebrate Gene Kelly. “Gene Kelly made my children laugh and feel loved by him (above, 1990). He took the time to do the little things that only matter to children. He had an instinctive understanding of them and they knew that he was genuine. At the end of the black tie event from which this photo was taken, Gene got down on his knees on the ballroom floor to hug each one of my kids. Can you imagine that? In a tuxedo no less. We...
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