In 1956, Gene Kelly had two more years left on his MGM contract. The musical genre seemed to be waning, however, and MGM was giving him nothing. "I couldn't stand not working," Kelly later recalled. "It drove me almost berserk." Eventually he offered to do two more movies to complete the contract, one of which he would produce and direct. The studio agreed, on the condition that Kelly also star in the film he directed. Kelly didn't want to but acquiesced because "at this point I was eager to broaden my horizons." He set up a company called Kerry Productions, named after his daughter, and went to France to make The Happy Road (1957).

In the film, Kelly plays an American businessman who has placed his son (Bobby Clark) in a Swiss boarding school. The son runs away from school in order to prove to his father that he can take care of himself. He's joined by a fellow student (Brigitte Fossey), whose mother (Barbara Laage) then teams up with Kelly to find the kids. The kids' adventures as they make way for Paris and their parents' attempts to track them down comprise the bulk of the story. Michael Redgrave appears as a Colonel Blimp-like NATO commander who is asked to help find the kids using his resources. Kelly's businessman is an interesting against-type inverse of his An American in Paris (1951) painter. Here he doesn't like the French and is impatient with their inefficiencies, tiny vehicles, and shortage of rental cars.

The Happy Road is a modest production (undoubtedly one of the reasons Kelly chose it to direct and produce) and though uneven, it's often warm and charming with some fine comic episodes. At its best, it reveals Kelly relying on his own unique strengths as a film artist. As historian Jeanine Basinger has written, "A lovely scene at a carnival is practically a ballet of comedy and movement, using choreography as a device for telling the story, obviously reflecting Kelly's dance background." Maurice Chevalier sings the title tune (with lyrics by Kelly and Chevalier) but does not appear in the film.

Since MGM played The Happy Road as a second feature on double bills, the movie didn't make much of a dent in moviegoers' consciousness. But it showcased Kelly's skills as a director, and proved he was particularly gifted at directing children. The Happy Road also won a Golden Globe award for "Best Film Promoting International Understanding."

During production of The Happy Road, Kelly and Betsy Blair ended their marriage. Within a few months, Kelly was acting in the fine musical Les Girls (1957), his last MGM film. His contract now ended, Gene Kelly was a freelance artist.

Producer: Noel Howard, Gene Kelly
Director: Gene Kelly
Screenplay: Arthur Julian, Harry Kurnitz, Joe Morhaim
Cinematography: Robert Juillard
Film Editing: Borys Lewin
Art Direction: Alexandre Trauner
Music: Georges Van Parys
Cast: Gene Kelly (Mike Andrews), Barbara Laage (Suzanne Duval), Michael Redgrave (Gen. Medworth), Bobby Clark (Danny Andrews), Brigitte Fossey (Janine Duval), Roger Treville (Dr. Solaise).
BW-100m. Letterboxed. Closed captioning.

by Jeremy Arnold