Gene Kelly and Dean Martin

Here's a wonderful clip of two greats, doing what they did best. I think it's from one of Dean Martin's specials with Gene Kelly as the guest star, but I am not sure. If anyone knows, please leave a comment! The best line? "Bye-bye booze?" Enjoy! Both are no longer with us, but they are still bringing us joy!

Gene Kelly: Paula Abdul's American Idol

Long before Paula Abdul ever judged a contestant on "American Idol", she was a pop star herself. One of her commercial endorsements was for Diet Coke, in which she danced along with Gene Kelly from his appearance in Anchors Aweigh. Both Cary Grant and Groucho Marx also "appeared" in the commercial. But of the three stars, Paula considers Gene Kelly to be her idol. According to interviews, she first saw Singin' in the Rain at the age of 4, and she decided she wanted to be a performer.

When she began to fulfill that dream, Paula claims that Gene influenced her choreography. For the video to one of her first hits, "Opposites Attract", she created an animated character to dance with a la Joe Brady's dance with Jerry the Mouse. Gene saw the video and enjoyed it, and he asked Paula to have tea with him. According to an interview in Teen People magazine in May, 2006, Paula describes their meeting:

When I met him, it was as if I'd known him my whole life. We talked like two dancers talk; it's a language where you go back and forth really quickly. I remember saying to myself, "If I die today, I died meeting my hero."

Paula goes on to say that they had weekly tea parties until Gene passed away in 1996. She calls him "one of the most phenomenal male dancers in history...He took risks, made magic happen on-camera and did most of his own stunts. They broke the mold after him."

We agree, Paula, and how lucky you were to have had Gene for both a tea-partner as well as a virtual dance partner! And now, here's the commercial...

Gene Kelly and Judy Garland

Over on the Gene Scene message board, fans were excited with Renata's new video of Gene and Judy clips (see below). Well, I wanted to present that video as our "featured video clip" so it inspired me to do this post on...what else? Gene and Judy!

Gene Kelly and Judy Garland appeared in only three films together: For Me and My Gal (1942), The Pirate (1948), and Summer Stock (1950). Ironically, their first film together marks Gene's screen debut, and their last is Judy's final film for MGM. All three films feature a brash male character (is this a trend for Gene?) in the entertainment "business" pursuing Judy's more wholesome gal.

I was never a huge Judy Garland fan, but I just have to admit that she's wildly talented and I like her more each time I see the films. What is most evident in the montage of clips from these three films is the real-life relationship between Judy and Gene. And no, the word "relationship" used here does not imply a sexual or romantic one.

According to biographies, the pair met when Gene was performing in Pal Joey on Broadway. Judy, already a huge movie star, attended one of his performances and requested to meet. Gene accompanied Judy and her entourage, which included her mother and several press agents, to dinner. The group went to the Copacabana club for singing and dancing until 3 am. Judy asked her mother if she and Gene could walk around the city for a while. Permission granted, Gene took her for a walk through Central Park, walking and talking about the future possibilities of a movie together until 5 am.

That dream became a reality in For Me and My Gal. Gene appears somewhat star-struck as if he can't believe he's on screen with a big star like Judy! He always gave her credit for helping him learn how to dance for the film camera as opposed to dancing on stage for an audience. While Gene was a "newbie" when it came to acting in front of a camera, when it came time to dance the pair were well matched! By The Pirate, the mutual affection is evident in their performances. And in Summer Stock, the tables were nearly turned in that it was suddenly Judy who appeared lost at times. Despite her experience in the movies, her medical condition was precarious due to the "prescriptions" provided by the studio. In this film, Gene takes the lead to help her through it. Cast members reported that they waited, and waited, and waited for Judy to be emotionally ready to work or perform. Gene was patient, and he brought out the best in her as a result. Considering he's decribed by other co-stars as a "slave-driver", the fact that he was so patient during the filming of Summer Stock proves just how much he cared. The patience paid off, and Judy looks fabulous in her "Get Happy" finale, filmed months after the rest of the movie.

What I see in their on-screen appearances together is a mutual love, respect, and admiration. And so, I present our Featured Video Clip... Many thanks to Renata for her love of Gene and her talent at making videos!

Kurt Browning Skates in the Rain

Not to be outdone by Usher's recent performance, Canadian figure skater Kurt Browning did an amazing "Singin' in the Rain" tribute on his television special in 1994. Kurt's admiration of Gene Kelly really shines through. He's even said that it's his favorite performance ever. Considering he's skated in competitions and shows hundreds of times, including various World Championships and the Olympics, that's amazing. Of course, Gene Kelly used to enjoy ice skating himself - we can only wonder what he thought of this creative tribute. Enjoy!

Usher and Singin' in the Rain, Continued

Some fans emailed me and asked why I haven't updated the last posting since the show Movies Rock aired. Well, here you go...

Usher's performance has gotten rave reviews over at the Gene Scene Forum. He added his own spin to some of Gene Kelly's choreography, but overall the number was definitely a tribute to Gene and his work. Usher's admiration of Gene is apparent in the "intro" to the number. Good job! It's wonderful to see Gene and his work being respectfully remembered. Thanks, Usher!

Video Clip of the Month: Gene Kelly - Everytime We Touch

Here's a little video montage I found on YouTube.com to the song "Everytime We Touch". I think the creator ("mdill33") did a superb job of editing the clips. However, not all of the color effects "work". All in all, it's a great tribute and shows not only Gene Kelly's dancing talent, but it also shows his tenderness in the non-dancing romantic scenes with his female co-stars. The creator of the clip seems to have several GK-related montages, so there may be more to come in the future. For now, enjoy "Everytime We Touch":

To Be an American in Paris

The Gene Scene Blog will be silent for a while as I do my "Jerry Mulligan" tour of Paris. As a bon voyage thought, let me quote Gene Kelly as Jerry himself:

"Back home everyone said I didn't have any talent. They might be saying the same thing over here but it sounds better in French."

Video Clip of the Week -- Speaking of Gene's Family Tree...

For the "Video Clip of the Week" I thought Gene Kelly fans might enjoy these clips from his appearance on The Julie Andrews Show in 1965. It's a charming look at Gene's family tree! The video is divided into 2 parts.



Since The Julie Andrews Show isn't available on DVD (at least I don't think it is), you probably haven't seen this so you're in for a treat!