Happy Birthday to Classic Movie Legend, Gene Kelly, born on August 23, 1912!
As mentioned before with James Cagney, a prerequisite for stardom in classic Hollywood cinema was to hold the moniker triple threat. But what about a quadruple threat? Someone who can sing, dance, act, and direct? Surely such a person hasn’t benn in existence since the time of the Renaissance, when great men such as Di Vinci and Michelangelo influenced and cultured the masses of Europe. Well, if you thought that, then, my friend, you were mistaken, for birthday boy Gene Kelly was truly the definition of a Renaissance Man. Perhaps math and science were not his strong suits, but as a dancer, singer, actor, writer, director, producer, and all around entertainer, there is no doubt in my mind that Gene Kelly is a polymath of the modern, entertainment era. So, let us celebrate this multi-talented man by, well, celebrating his multiple talents.
…..
Gene Kelly the dancer in Singin’ in the Rain (1952, Stanley Donen director)
…..
Gene Kelly the actor in Inherit the Wind (1960, Stanley Kramer director)
…..
Gene Kelly the director in Hello Dolly (1969, Gene Kelly director)
…..
Minoo Allen for Classic Movie Hub
Visit CMH’s BlogHub for more posts about Gene Kelly by Veteran and Emerging Classic Movie Bloggers.
,
There will never be another quite like Gene Kelly. Inherit the Wind is in my opinion, the best court room drama. Singing in the Rain is still an absolute delight every time I watch it. Debbie Reynolds and he were both dazzling.
Wonderful, but let’s not forget what a fantastic choreographer he was for Films: one of the best, always experimenting and improving the art of Cine-dance. He was a once in a century talent and awfully good to look at, too.