Happy Birthday Gene Kelly! Born on August 23, 1912 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he would have been 100 today. I love Fred Astaire but if I had to choose between the two I would pick Gene Kelly as my favourite. There was something so charming about him, from the innovative dancing to the devilish smile to the "Irish whiskey tenor voice" as he called it.
When I was a kid I was fortunate enough to see him emcee a special event for the San Francisco Ballet. I will never forget when he stepped out on stage. He was an old man by then but for me he was still the young, energetic dancer whose films I had watched over and over, mesmerized by his every move.
Here is one of his more creative dance scenes from Summer
Stock (1950). With only a creaking board and newspaper as props, it’s pure genius,
just like the man.
No comments:
Post a Comment