Gene Kelly

"Where Fred Astaire glided across shiny dance floors, Gene Kelly bounced. Where Fred tapped, Gene stomped. Where Fred was an airy continental concoction, Gene was an all-American jock--and his rise to stardom revitalized the movie musical. Kelly's apotheosis came when he sang "Singin' in the Rain". ... High-voiced and easy, alone in the patently fake downpour of a studio set, Kelly reveled in the plastic bliss of a world where one can breathe out one's longings in song and dance." --From Entertainment Weekly, January 10, 1992.

He was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame (1992)

Biography

By John Charles was even more impressive "On the Town" (1949). Having gained some experience directing while in the service, Kelly both starred in and made his directorial bow with "Town," sharing helming duties with Stanley Donen, a talented, young choreographer who had previously worked with Kelly on "Cover Girl" and "Anchors Aweigh." The two first-time directors picked a production that had more than the usual challenges, in that the customary studio work was complemented by some New York City location shooting at various Big Apple landmarks. This was a very rare occurrence for musicals of the time, which were almost always lensed on the studio back lots under closely controlled conditions, and helped to enhance the film's appeal. "Black Hand" (1950) offered Gene Kelly an unusual change of pace role as an Italian immigrant battling the Mafia in New York City, but he quickly returned to familiar territory with "Summer Stock" (1950), his final collaboration with a then very troubled Judy Garland. After the inclusion of a ballet sequence in "The Pirate," "An American in Paris" (1951) successfully incorporated a beautifully staged and shot routing that ran a then-unheard of 18 minutes. The multiple Oscar-winning production also introduced Kelly's discovery Leslie Caron, who took the lead role when Cyd Charisse dropped out due to pregnancy.

As fine as "An American in Paris" was, Kelly's next film was the crown jewel in MGM's musical catalogue and widely regarded as the greatest musical of all time. Set during the time when talking pictures were being introduced in a post-silent era Hollywood, "Singin' in the Rain" (1952) was a delightful, rollicking tribute to moviemaking. Kelly's remarkable choreography, including his show-stopping "Moses Supposes" tap dancing number with Donald O'Connor and, of course, Kelly's performance of the title song, performed on a rain swept street complete with an umbrella as prop, helped make this one of the most beloved musicals ever produced. Although the movie was inexplicably shut out at the Oscars, Kelly and Donen shared a Director's Guild of America Award for their efforts and Kelly received a special Academy Award that year in recognition of his amazing achievements both on and off the silver screen.

While not as well known as many MGM musicals, the company's adaptation of the Broadway smash "Brigadoon" (1954) had plentiful charm and offered the first chance for audiences to see Kelly glide his way across the wide CinemaScope frame. Originally planned as a direct follow-up to "On the Town," "It's Always Fair Weather" (1955) was slightly darker that most of Kelly's musicals from this time, with the relationship between its three protagonists strained for part of the running time, but still ended in very upbeat fashion. Kelly co-directed once again with Donen, and the show-stopping sequence came early on, with Kelly and fellow leading men Dan Dailey and Michael Kidd dancing on, around and through a taxi cab, and finally adding grace to garbage by tap dancing with trash can lids attached to their feet. Kelly directed solo on "Invitation to the Dance" (1956), an ambitious project that sought to tell three stories solely through dance (including one starring Kelly and featuring him interacting again with animation) and no dialogue. However, the project, which started filming in 1952, experienced any number of problems, and had been greatly reworked by the time it finally appeared four years later. Although it was a success overseas, "Invitation to the Dance" failed domestically, a signal that audiences had started to tire of this sort of fare.

After 15 years and numerous hits for MGM, the following year's "Les Girls" (1957) was Kelly's last musical for the company. The actor's marriage to Blair also ended that year. An outspoken liberal, Blair ended up blacklisted, but was able to find some work thanks to Kelly's intervention, including "Marty" (1955), which earned her an Oscar nomination. In later life, Blair described Kelly, who was also a progressive liberal, as a hardworking, attentive and near perfect husband, but divorced him because she desired her freedom. With MGM no longer producing musicals, Kelly directed and starred in "Marjorie Morningstar" (1958) opposite a young Natalie Wood and "The Tunnel of Love" (1958), as well as helming a successful run of "Flower Drum Song" (1958-60) on Broadway.

In 1960, he married dancer Jeanne Coyne and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Stanley Kramer's acclaimed drama about the real-life controversy generated by the teaching of evolution in schools during the 1920s, "Inherit the Wind" (1960) found Kelly in fine dramatic form as a journalist based on famous writer H.L. Mencken. Kelly also explored series television with "Going My Way" (ABC, 1962-63), a network version of the hit 1944 feature, with Kelly assuming the Father O'Malley role originated by Bing Crosby. The hour-long comedy failed to click with viewers, however, and was cancelled after one season.

By this time, directing became Kelly's primary occupation. In addition to theatrical features like "Gigot" (1962), "A Guide for the Married Man" (1967) and "The Cheyenne Social Club" (1970), he also directed and starred in an Emmy Award-winning adaptation of "Jack and the Beanstalk" (CBS, 1967). His main accomplishment at this time was "Hello Dolly!" (1969), a big-budget version of the Broadway hit that helped to solidify Barbra Streisand as a major box office attraction. Kelly returned to television as host of "The Funny Side" (NBC, 1971), a comedy series that included song and dance numbers. Although the program garnered an Emmy Award, it was gone from the air waves after only four months. Coyne died of leukaemia at the young age of 50 in 1973, and aside from a supporting role in the comedy "40 Carats" (1973), Kelly was mostly inactive throughout the 1970s. However, his talents were seen on movie screens around the world once again when MGM scored a surprise hit with "That's Entertainment!" (1974), a collection of memorable sequences from their library of classic musicals, which included clips from such Kelly outings as "Singin' in the Rain" and "An American in Paris" as well as new footage of the star in bookend segments. The studio also tapped Kelly to direct linking sequences and/or do additional hosting duties for the follow-ups "That's Entertainment, Part II" (1976), "That's Dancing" (1985), and "That's Entertainment III" (1994).

It was a shame these compilation extravaganzas were not released at the end of Kelly's motion picture career, as his final two original entries in his filmography were simply embarrassing. "Viva Knievel!" (1977) was a ludicrous attempt to create a motion picture career for the charmless (and frequently unsuccessful) daredevil Evel Knievel, with Kelly wasted in a nothing role as his alcoholic mechanic. Even more unfortunate was the disastrous Olivia Newton-John musical fantasy "Xanadu" (1980) in which he played a character bearing the name of his leading man from "Cover Girl," but that was where any resemblance between the two productions ended. Despite its critical drubbing, "Xanadu" did provide Kelly with his final onscreen dance with Newton-John, giving the roller disco musical its one touch of class.

Kelly earned his final acting credits in a pair of miniseries, the Civil War epic "North and South" (ABC, 1985) and "Sins" (CBS, 1986), and accepted Lifetime Achievement Awards from the American Film Institute and the Screen Actors Guild in 1985 and 1989, respectively. In 1990, the star married his third wife, Patricia Ward, and they remained together until Kelly passed away on Feb. 2, 1996 from complications brought about by a pair of strokes he had suffered. It was safe to say that with the death of Astaire in 1987 and Kelly nine years later, the two greatest dance innovators in cinema history officially brought the curtain down on the Golden Age of movie musicals.

Filmography

Life Events

1932

Took over mother's dance school and renamed it Gene Kelly's Studio of the Dance

1934

Performed dance act with his brother Fred

1935

Made unsuccessful RKO screen test

1938

Debut as stage dance director/choreographer, "Hold Your Hats", Pittsburgh Playhouse

1938

Moved to New York; made Broadway debut as dancer in "Leave It to Me"

1941

Signed 7 year contract with David O Selznick

1941

Starred as Joey Evans on Broadway in "Pal Joey"

1943

Made first non-musical films, "The Cross of Lorraine" and "Pilot No. 5", both WWII dramas

1944

First film as choreographer, "Cover Girl"

1950

Feature directorial debut (co-directed with Stanley Donen), "On the Town" (also co-starred)

1956

First solo directorial credits, "The Happy Road", a non-musical children's film in which he also starred, and "Invitation to the Dance", an all-dance film which he also wrote and choreographed

1957

Last film as performer for MGM, "Les Girls"

1958

Directed the MGM comedy, "The Tunnel of Love", starring Doris Day and Richard Widmark; end of association with MGM

1959

Hosted the TV specials, "The Gene Kelly Pontiac Special" and "The Gene Kelly Show"

1964

Directed and produced the TV comedy pilot, "At Your Service", starring Van Johnson; pilot not picked up as series

1967

First and only non-USA film credit, "The Young Girls of Rochefort", a musical comedy directed by Jacques Demy in which he starred

1970

Last directorial credit for a feature-length fictional film, "The Cheyenne Social Club"

1976

Final directorial credit, handling new sequences for the compilation film, "That's Entertainment Part 2"

1980

Final major film acting performance, "Xanadu"

1994

Final onscreen appearance, one of the hosts of "That's Entertainment! III", a compilation film

Photo Collections

The Pirate - Movie Posters

Here are a few original-release American movie posters from MGM's The Pirate (1948), starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game - Group Publicity Stills

Here are a number of group publicity stills from the MGM musical Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949). Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.

The Pirate - Gene Kelly Publicity Stills

Here are a few Publicity Stills of Gene Kelly taken during production of MGM's The Pirate (1948). Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.

It's Always Fair Weather - Group Publicity Stills

Here are a few cast Publicity Stills taken for It's Always Fair Weather (1955), starring Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, Dan Dailey, Dolores Gray, and Michael Kidd. Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.

The Three Musketeers (1948) - Behind-the-Scenes Photos

Here are a few photos taken behind-the-scenes of MGM's The Three Musketeers (1948), starring Gene Kelly, June Allyson, and Van Heflin.

An American in Paris - Behind-the-Scenes Photos

Here are a number of photos taken behind-the-scenes during production of MGM's An American in Paris (1951), directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron.

Brigadoon - Publicity Dancing Stills

Here are some Publicity Stills from Brigadoon (1954), featuring the dancing of Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.

Invitation to the Dance - Lobby Card

Here is a Lobby Card from Invitation to the Dance (1956), starring Gene Kelly. Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

Les Girls - Publicity Stills

Here are several stills used to publicize Les Girls (1957), starring Gene Kelly, Mitzi Gaynor, Kay Kendall, and Taina Elg. Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.

On the Town - Group Publicity Stills

Here is a series of stills taken to publicize MGM's On the Town (1949) featuring the cast around a park bench. Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.

Black Hand - Title Lobby Card

Here is the Title Lobby Card from MGM's Black Hand (1950), starring Gene Kelly. Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

The Three Musketeers (1948) - Movie Poster

Here is the American one-sheet movie poster for The Three Musketeers (1948). One-sheets measured 27x41 inches, and were the poster style most commonly used in theaters.

Du Barry Was a Lady - Gene Kelly Rehearsal Photos

Here are a few photos taken of Gene Kelly as he rehearses a dance number from Du Barry Was a Lady (1943).

Anchors Aweigh - Complete Shooting Script

Here is a copy of the complete shooting script (158 pages) for MGM's Anchors Aweigh (1945), written by Isobel Lennart. This a version dated 6/8/44 - the different colored pages indicate revisions made during the scripting process.

Du Barry Was a Lady - Movie Poster

Here is an American one-sheet movie poster for MGM's Du Barry Was a Lady (1943), starring Lucille Ball and Red Skelton. One-sheets measured 27x41 inches, and were the poster style most commonly used in theaters.

Du Barry Was a Lady - Behind-the-Scenes Photos

Here are a few photos taken behind-the-scenes during production of MGM's Du Barry Was a Lady (1943), starring Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, and Zero Mostel.

Thousands Cheer - Movie Poster

Here is the American one-sheet movie poster for Thousands Cheer (1944). One-sheets measured 27x41 inches, and were the poster style most commonly used in theaters.

For Me and My Gal - Movie Posters

Here are a few original-release American movie posters from For Me and My Gal (1942), starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly.

Words and Music - Movie Poster

Here is the American one-sheet movie poster for the MGM musical Words and Music (1948). One-sheets measured 27x41 inches, and were the poster style most commonly used in theaters.

For Me and My Gal - Behind-the-Scenes Photos

Here are a few photos taken behind-the-scenes during production of For Me and My Gal (1942), directed by Busby Berkeley, and starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly.

Words and Music - Scene Stills - "The Slaughter on 10th Avenue"

Here are a number of scene stills from MGM's Words and Music (1948), featuring Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen in "The Slaughter on 10th Avenue" sequence.

Videos

American In Paris, An (1951) -- (Movie Clip) Our Love Is Here To Stay On the banks of the (MGM soundstage) Seine, painter Jerry (Gene Kelly) and ingenue Lise (Leslie Caron) do their romantic number set to Gershwin's "Our Love Is Here To Stay," in An American In Paris, 1951, from producer Arthur Freed.

American In Paris, An (1951) -- (Movie Clip) I Got Rhythm Gene Kelly (as "Jerry") with his own choreography and the neighborhood kids, does some language instruction with George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm," in An American In Paris, 1951.

American in Paris, An (1951) -- (Movie Clip) A Simple Girl Variations on Gershwin's "Embraceable You" support Henri (Georges Guetary) as he describes his girlfriend Lise (Leslie Caron) to Adam (Oscar Levant) in a fantasy musical sequence in An American In Paris, 1951.

American in Paris, An (1951) -- (Movie Clip) Opening, This Is Paris The opening sequence from Vincente Minnelli's An American in Paris, 1951, which offers a brief tour of Paris and introduces "Jerry," the Gene Kelly character.

Singin' In The Rain (1952) -- (Movie Clip) Moses Supposes Silent star Don (co-director and choreographer Gene Kelly) with diction coach (Robert Watson), joined by musical partner Cosmo (Donald O’Connor) for the flat-out athletic tap number to the song by Roger Edens, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, a rousing bit from Singin’ In The Rain, 1952.

Singin' In The Rain (1952) -- (Movie Clip) All I Do Is Dream Of You The studio boss (Millard Mitchell) after a talking-picture demo, with Cosmo (Donald O’Connor) pal of star Don (Gene Kelly), who’s delighted to find snooty Cathy (Debbie Reynolds) doing a cheesecake gig, song by Nacio Herb Brown and producer Arthur Freed, bimbo Lina (Jean Hagen) getting pied, in Singin’ In The Rain, 1952.

Singin' In The Rain (1952) -- (Movie Clip) I'm Not An Actor! After the premiere, silent-movie star Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) with musical partner Cosmo (Donald O’Connor) in Hollywood, gets mobbed and, with a coy contemporary-swashbuckling escape, meets opinionated Cathy (Debbie Reynolds), early in MGM’s Singin’ In The Rain, 1952.

Singin' In The Rain (1952) -- (Movie Clip) Dignity, Always Dignity Dora (Madge Blake) the M-C, sidekick Cosmo (Donald O’Connor) already in place, co-director Gene Kelly (as matinee idol Don Lockwood), with Jean Hagen, silent for now (as co-star Lina), launches the biography bit, song by Al Hoffman and Al Goodhart, from the opening to MGM’s Singin’ In The Rain, 1952.

Happy Road, The (1957) -- (Movie Clip) He Was Teaching Us About Baseball Paris-based American widower businessman Mike (producer and director Gene Kelly) has just learned his son escaped from his Swiss boarding school and here, confronting the headmaster (Roger Treville) meets the mother (Barbara Laage) of his French accomplice, and their nobleman pal the Earl (T. Bartlett), early in MGM’s The Happy Road, 1957.

Happy Road, The (1957) -- (Movie Clip) Hold Your Positions Stopped at a military road-block in rural France, American dad Mike (producer-director Gene Kelly) and French mom Suzanne (Barbara Laage), chasing their boarding-school runaway kids (Bobby Clark, Janine Duval) are handed off to a Brit commander (Michael Redgrave), who turns out to be clueless, Colin Mann and Harry Locke in support, in The Happy Road, 1957.

Tunnel Of Love, The (1958) -- (Movie Clip) Class of '79 From credits establishing Westport, Connecticut and title song by the leading lady, Doris Day and Richard Widmark arrive home, greeted by neighbors Gig Young and Elisabeth Fraser, opening The Tunnel Of Love, 1958.

Singin' In The Rain (1951) -- (Movie Clip) Zelda's Kid Sister In the “Revolution In Hollywood” montage, Rita Moreno as “Zelda” in the cocktail shaker routine and the cutaways, with four Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed tunes, Jimmy Thompson the crooner, Debbie Reynolds with him as Kathy, Millard Mitchell the studio boss, Donald O’Connor as Cosmo, Tommy Farrell as Sid the A-D, in Singin’ In The Rain, 1951.

Singin' in the Rain - (Original Trailer) A silent screen swashbuckler (Gene Kelly) finds love while trying to adjust to the coming of sound in Singin' in the Rain (1952), directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen.

Happy Road, The - (Original Trailer) Gene Kelly returns to Paris to star in and direct The Happy Road (1957) about two single parents whose children have run away.

Devil Makes Three, The - (Original Trailer) A soldier (Gene Kelly) returns to Munich after the war and gets mixed up with the black market in The Devil Makes Three (1952).

Deep in My Heart -- (Original Trailer) Jose Ferrer stars in Deep in My Heart (1954), MGM's all-star biography of Broadway songsmith Sigmund Romberg.

Crest of the Wave - (Original Trailer) An American demolitions expert (Gene Kelly) creates waves when he heads a British Royal Navy project in Crest of the Wave (1954).

Gigot - (Original Trailer) A mute janitor (Jackie Gleason) takes in a prostitute and her young daughter in Gigot (1962), directed by Gene Kelly.

Words And Music - (Original Trailer) Judy Garland, Lena Horne and Perry Como perform the songs of Rodgers and Hart in Words And Music (1948).

On the Town - (Original Trailer) Three sailors wreck havoc during a whirlwind 24-hour shore leave in New York City in On the Town (1949) starring Gene Kelly & Frank Sinatra.

Anchors Aweigh - (Original Trailer) A pair of sailors on leave try to help a movie extra become a singing star in Anchors Aweigh (1945) starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Kathryn Grayson.

That's Entertainment! - (Original Trailer) An all-star cast, including Frank Sinatra and Fred Astaire, introduce clips from MGM's greatest musicals in That's Entertainment! (1974).

Ziegfeld Follies - (Original Trailer) Legendary showman Flo Ziegfeld imagines the kind of Follies he could produce with MGM's musical stars in Ziegfeld Follies (1946) starring Judy Garland.

Pirate, The - (Original Trailer) An actor (Gene Kelly) poses as a notorious buccaneer to court a romantic Caribbean girl (Judy Garland) in The Pirate (1948).

Family

James Patrick Joseph Kelly

Father

Theatrical manager. Al Jolson's road manager in the 1920s.

Harriet Kelly

Mother

Dance studio owner, amateur actor.

Harriet Joan Kelly

Sister

Child performer. Oldest sibling; performed with siblings as The Five Kellys.

James Kelly

Brother

Child performer. Born c. 1910; performed with siblings as The Five Kellys; died c. 1989.

Louise Kelly

Sister

Child performer. Performed with siblings as The Five Kellys.

Fred Kelly

Brother

Dancer, actor, dance teacher. Born on June 29, 1916; younger made sole film appearance when he danced with Gene Kelly in "Deep in My Heart", a biopic of Sigmund Romberg in which the two had guest spots; later operated a dance studio (one of his students was a young John Travolta); died of cancer on March 15, 2000.

Kerry Kelly

Daughter

Mother, Betsy Blair.

Timothy Kelly

Son

Mother, Jeanne Coyne.

Bridget Kelly

Daughter

Costumer. Mother, Jeanne Coyne.

Companions

Betsy Blair

Wife

Actor. Married in 1941; divorced in 1957; later married and divorced director Karel Reisz; mother of Kelly's oldest child.

Jeanne Coyne

Wife

Dancer. Married from 1960 until her death in 1973; formerly married to Stanley Donen; had two children with Kelly.

Patricia Ward Kelly

Wife

Journalist. Married in 1990 when she was 32; met Kelly on a writing assignment; survived him.

Bibliography

"Gene Kelly: A Life of Dance and Dreams"

Alvin Yudkoff, Back Stage Books (1999)

"Gene Kelly"

Jeanine Basinger, Pyramid Books (1976)

"Gene Kelly: A Biography"

Clive Hirschorn, Regnery (1975)

"The Films of Gene Kelly"

Tony Thomas, Citadel Press (1974)

"Gene Kelly -- Versatility Personified"

Michael Burrows, St Austell, Primestyle Ltd. (1972)

"The Cinema of Gene Kelly"

Richard Griffith, Museum of Modern Art (1962)

Notes

He was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame (1992)

About

Biography

Filmography

Photos & Videos

Family & Companions

Bibliography

Notes

Biography

Filmography

Director (Feature Film)

Cast (Feature Film)

Writer (Feature Film)

Producer (Feature Film)

Music (Feature Film)

Dance (Feature Film)

Art Director (Feature Film)

Art Department (Feature Film)

Special Thanks (Feature Film)

Misc. Crew (Feature Film)

Cast (Special)

Cinematography (Special)

Cast (Short)

Misc. Crew (Short)

Cast (TV Mini-Series)

Life Events

1932

1934

1935

1938

1938

1941

1941

1943

1944

1950

1956

1957

1958

1959

1964

1967

1970

1976

1980

1994

Photo Collections

Videos

Movie Clip

Trailer

Family

Companions

Bibliography

Notes

TCM Emails