A true pioneer and one of the best-loved stars from Hollywood's Golden Age, Gene Kelly was an innovator whose work still influences filmmakers and Dancing in the Movies today. A gifted choreographer, director, actor, singer and dancer, he was a driving force behind many groundbreaking MGM musicals including "An American in Paris" and "Singin' in the Rain." Today as we celebrate the Academy's A Centennial Tribute to Gene Kelly, we have a unique look at how two of his legendary dance films at MGM were conceived.
For his second onscreen pairing with Judy Garland in "The Pirate" (1947), Kelly came up with some wildly ambitious and acrobatic dance sequences. One of the most challenging of these was a solo ballet on a pirate ship that set the stage for his innovative routines to come, and here's how it was originally pitched to MGM in written form by dance director Robert Alton:
The following year, Kelly wanted to team up again with his pal Frank Sinatra, with whom he had scored a hit in "Anchors Aweigh." Kelly himself conceived the story with Stanley Donen, and he made a strong case to MGM to cast Sinatra with him in the film:
The pitch worked, and Kelly and Donen worked up an enthusiastic treatment for the film designed to wow the studio heads. Could you pass up a movie that sounded like this?
Documents from the Margaret Herrick Library's Vincente Minnelli papers and Turner/MGM scripts.
What's your favorite Gene Kelly dance number?
