I never met him, but I miss him
Feb. 2nd, 2016 11:46 pmTwenty years ago today, Gene Kelly died. Here's a lovely little tribute from the L.A. Times. I really identified with this part:
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Hardest poll ever
Dec. 16th, 2014 06:08 pmGreatest Stars of the 1940s
After much musing and fretting, I finally went with Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis, Cary Grant, Claude Rains, Gene Kelly, Jimmy Stewart, Joseph Cotten, Judy Garland, Ingrid Bergman, and Katharine Hepburn.
. . . But I had six or seven runners-up!
After much musing and fretting, I finally went with Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis, Cary Grant, Claude Rains, Gene Kelly, Jimmy Stewart, Joseph Cotten, Judy Garland, Ingrid Bergman, and Katharine Hepburn.
. . . But I had six or seven runners-up!
'Cover Girl' and Rita Hayworth
Nov. 2nd, 2014 12:37 amThis post is for the "getTV Rita Hayworth Blogathon" at Classic Movie Hub.
Cover Girl (1944) is my favorite Rita Hayworth film. And one of my favorite Gene Kelly films, to boot. In it, Hayworth plays two roles: Rusty Parker, a dancer at a Brooklyn nightclub, and (in flashbacks) Maribelle Hicks, Rusty's grandmother who worked in vaudeville.
Movie musical meme
Jun. 22nd, 2014 11:23 pmSwiped this from a thread at Broadway World: What are your top ten performances in a musical film?
Here are mine:
Dance, girl, dance
Jul. 8th, 2013 11:19 amDoing some more research on musical films. Did you know that, in 10 films with Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers got one dance solo? Just one.
I'm not dissing or judging Astaire (or their choreographers or directors) -- I love him and always have. He was an awesome dancer and a classy human being. It was just a different time.
And there's no question that Fred was the better and more experienced dancer, I don't care what they say about "backwards and in high heels." There's also no question that their partnership brought out the best in her. Also, things changed a good deal in his later films with other partners.
Still . . . one. That does seem a mite unbalanced.
(Possibly Gene Kelly has me spoiled. The man used to hand out numbers to other people -- both singing and dancing numbers -- like Halloween candy.)
I'm not dissing or judging Astaire (or their choreographers or directors) -- I love him and always have. He was an awesome dancer and a classy human being. It was just a different time.
And there's no question that Fred was the better and more experienced dancer, I don't care what they say about "backwards and in high heels." There's also no question that their partnership brought out the best in her. Also, things changed a good deal in his later films with other partners.
Still . . . one. That does seem a mite unbalanced.
(Possibly Gene Kelly has me spoiled. The man used to hand out numbers to other people -- both singing and dancing numbers -- like Halloween candy.)
*mind blown*
Jun. 13th, 2013 09:48 pmDoing a little research for an article I want to write about Singin' in the Rain, I saw this on Wikipedia:
"In an early draft of the script, the musical number 'Singin' in the Rain' was to be sung by Reynolds, O'Connor, and Kelly on their way back from the flop preview of The Dueling Cavalier."
o.0
Can you imagine? I mean, seriously -- can you imagine? I suppose it would have been something like "Good Morning," only -- outside! In the rain! Which . . . just . . . wow. (I feel like Arthur on Cabin Pressure when he gets overwhelmed and incoherent. I'll be saying "BRILLIANT!" next.)
Obviously I'm very, VERY happy with the "Singin' in the Rain" number that we did end up getting, plus we got "Good Morning" thrown in for the three of them. No complaints. But it's so much fun to try to picture what it would have been like!
"In an early draft of the script, the musical number 'Singin' in the Rain' was to be sung by Reynolds, O'Connor, and Kelly on their way back from the flop preview of The Dueling Cavalier."
o.0
Can you imagine? I mean, seriously -- can you imagine? I suppose it would have been something like "Good Morning," only -- outside! In the rain! Which . . . just . . . wow. (I feel like Arthur on Cabin Pressure when he gets overwhelmed and incoherent. I'll be saying "BRILLIANT!" next.)
Obviously I'm very, VERY happy with the "Singin' in the Rain" number that we did end up getting, plus we got "Good Morning" thrown in for the three of them. No complaints. But it's so much fun to try to picture what it would have been like!
Gene Kelly alert
Apr. 7th, 2013 02:09 pmThere's a PBS program on here this afternoon -- "Michael Feinstein's American Songbook: Let's Dance" -- that has some footage of Gene Kelly in Pal Joey on Broadway. If you're a Kelly fanatic, you know that such footage is harder to find than the Holy Grail. (They never even made a cast album -- at least, not until Gene had left the show.) I've seen about 10 seconds' worth of it -- fingers crossed that Feinstein's got at least a little more than that!
Anyway, just wanted to let y'all know in case you wanted to check it out. You'll need to check your local PBS listings.
Anyway, just wanted to let y'all know in case you wanted to check it out. You'll need to check your local PBS listings.
There's always something
Dec. 18th, 2012 09:02 amI was feeling a bit sad about the Charles Dickens bicentennial and the Gene Kelly centennial drawing to a close. They've made this year so much fun.
Then I was reminded that 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of C. S. Lewis's death.
So there's that.
On a happier note*, though,
ibmiller reminds me that it will also mark the bicentennial of Pride and Prejudice!
*Not saying that it wasn't a happy occasion for Lewis -- the Lewis Institute calls it "his passing from death to life," and I'm sure he saw it the same way himself! But it makes for kind of a different celebration . . .
Then I was reminded that 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of C. S. Lewis's death.
So there's that.
On a happier note*, though,
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*Not saying that it wasn't a happy occasion for Lewis -- the Lewis Institute calls it "his passing from death to life," and I'm sure he saw it the same way himself! But it makes for kind of a different celebration . . .
A nice pair of Genes
Nov. 17th, 2012 12:31 pm(I am SO sorry. Somehow I seem to be in a mood for dreadful puns these days.)
If you're a classic movie buff, the Warner Archive Collection is pretty much the greatest site in the history of time. They're putting out all sorts of rare movie and TV classics on DVD. (That is, on DVD-R, which, I'm told, will only play in a DVD player. I don't know why they went that route. Cheaper, maybe?) As
stillsparkling pointed out the other day, they've got Jimmy Stewart's detective series Hawkins, which I don't think I ever got to see before.
AND they've got something I've been pining for, literally for decades: The Cross of Lorraine, one of Gene Kelly's few non-musical films.
( Gotta love those Irish Frenchmen )
If you're a classic movie buff, the Warner Archive Collection is pretty much the greatest site in the history of time. They're putting out all sorts of rare movie and TV classics on DVD. (That is, on DVD-R, which, I'm told, will only play in a DVD player. I don't know why they went that route. Cheaper, maybe?) As
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
AND they've got something I've been pining for, literally for decades: The Cross of Lorraine, one of Gene Kelly's few non-musical films.
( Gotta love those Irish Frenchmen )
The luckiest women in the world
Oct. 16th, 2012 08:51 pmBecause there's no such thing as too many Gene Kelly tributes, here's a montage of him with his leading ladies.
Note the moment at 6:01 when he grabs Taina Elg's hand and pulls her into the shadows for a kiss. When I watched Les Girls again recently, I MAY have backed that up and rewatched it three or four times.

Note the moment at 6:01 when he grabs Taina Elg's hand and pulls her into the shadows for a kiss. When I watched Les Girls again recently, I MAY have backed that up and rewatched it three or four times.

This is a thing that exists
Sep. 14th, 2012 11:24 amThe Gene Kelly Cross Stitch Pattern.
I haven't cross-stitched in ages -- never even finished the Snoopy I was making for my goddaughter when she was born, six years ago -- but I am so tempted to get this, you have NO IDEA.
In other "this is a thing that exists" news: The Narnia Wardrobe Ring. We've finally found a ring I wouldn't wear: For one thing, I'd have to sell everything I own, ever have owned, and ever will own, plus any potential firstborn child, to afford it. For another thing, the sheer size and weight of it would drag my hand all the way down to the floor.
But the concept's kind of cool, don't you think? Wonder if they make a pendant . . .
I haven't cross-stitched in ages -- never even finished the Snoopy I was making for my goddaughter when she was born, six years ago -- but I am so tempted to get this, you have NO IDEA.
In other "this is a thing that exists" news: The Narnia Wardrobe Ring. We've finally found a ring I wouldn't wear: For one thing, I'd have to sell everything I own, ever have owned, and ever will own, plus any potential firstborn child, to afford it. For another thing, the sheer size and weight of it would drag my hand all the way down to the floor.
But the concept's kind of cool, don't you think? Wonder if they make a pendant . . .
Happy 100th birthday, Gene!
Aug. 23rd, 2012 09:29 am1. "Singin' in the Rain," Singin' in the Rain
Bless you and thank you, Gene, for all the joy over the years. Happy birthday!
ETA: And here's a little something I wrote for Gene today.
Bless you and thank you, Gene, for all the joy over the years. Happy birthday!
ETA: And here's a little something I wrote for Gene today.