Gene Kelly

Eugene Curran Kelly
1912 - 1996 (complications from two strokes)
American born Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania

Height 5' 9" (1.75 m) . MGM was the largest and most powerful studio in Hollywood in 1941 when Gene Kelly arrived in town. He came direct from the hit Broadway show "Pal Joey" and planned to return to the Broadway stage after making the one film called for in his movie contract. His first film for MGM was For Me and My Gal (1942) with Judy Garland. What kept Kelly in Hollywood were "the kindred creative spirits" he found behind the scenes at MGM. The talent pool was especially large during World War II, when Hollywood was a refuge for many musicians and others in the performing arts of Europe who were forced to flee the Nazis. After the war, a new generation was coming of age. Those who saw An American in Paris (1951) would try to make real life as romantic as the reel life portrayed in that musical, and the first time they saw Paris, they were seeing again in memory the 17-minute ballet sequence set to the title song written by George Gershwin and choreographed by Kelly. The sequence cost half a million dollars to make--in 1951 dollars. Another Kelly musical of that era, Singin' in the Rain (1952), was one of the first 25 films selected by the Library of Congress for its National Film Registry of movies that are part of the American heritage. Kelly was in the same league as Fred Astaire, but instead of a top hat and tails, Kelly wore work clothes that went with the masculine, athletic dance style he was creating with his "snappy paper-tearing, roller-skating, puddle-stomping footwork." Spouse Patricia Ward (20 July 1990 - 2 February 1996) (his death), Jeanne Coyne (6 August 1960 - 10 May 1973) (her death) 2 children, Betsy Blair (22 September 1941 - 3 April 1957) (divorced) 1 child.

Christmas at the Movies (1991) , "Sins" (1986) , "North and South" (1985) , "The Love Boat" (1984) , "Great Performances: Dance in America" (1981) , Xanadu (1980) , "The Big Show" (1980) , "The Mary Tyler Moore Hour" (1979) , Viva Knievel! (1977) , America Salutes Richard Rodgers: The Sound of His Music (1976) , The Dorothy Hamill Special (1976) , "The Sandy Duncan Show" (1974) , 40 Carats (1973) , "The Funny Side" (1971) , Demoiselles de Rochefort, Les (1967) , Jack and the Beanstalk (1967) , What a Way to Go! (1964) , "Going My Way" (1962) , Inherit the Wind (1960) , Marjorie Morningstar (1958) , Something for the Girls (1958) , Les Girls (1957) , The Happy Road (1957) , "Schlitz Playhouse of Stars"(1957) ,
Invitation to the Dance (1956) , The Magic Lamp (1956) , It's Always Fair Weather (1955) , Deep in My Heart (1954) , Brigadoon (1954) , Seagulls Over Sorrento (1954) , The Devil Makes Three (1952) , Singin' in the Rain (1952) , It's a Big Country (1951) , An American in Paris (1951) , Summer Stock (1950) , Black Hand (1950) , On the Town (1949) , Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) , "Suspense" (1949) , The Three Musketeers (1948) , The Pirate (1948) , Living in a Big Way (1947) , Ziegfeld Follies (1946) , Anchors Aweigh (1945) , Christmas Holiday (1944) , Cover Girl (1944) , The Cross of Lorraine (1943) , Thousands Cheer (1943) , Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) , Pilot #5 (1943) , For Me and My Gal (1942)