12/26/22 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Be A Clown From The Pirate- Gene Kelly and The Nicholas Brothers

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In The Pirate (1948) both Gene Kelly and Judy Garland fought to get The Nicholas Brothers (Fayard Nicholas and Harold Nicholas) included in the movie. They succeeded, but the Be a Clown sequence was cut by exhibitors in Memphis and other U.S. cities in the South because it included The Nicholas Brothers, who were black.  Continue reading

7/16/18 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Gene Kelly- Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

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Singin’ in the Rain (1952) musical comedy film classic directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. The film starred Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds. Continue reading

8/22/16 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: American In Paris- Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron

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 An American in Paris is a 1951 musical film inspired by the 1928 orchestral composition An American in Paris by George Gershwin. Starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary, and Nina Foch, the film is set in Paris, and was directed by Vincente Minnelli from a script by Alan Jay Lerner. The music is by George Gershwin, with lyrics by his brother Ira, with additional music by Saul Chaplin, the music director. Continue reading

9/8/14 O&A Hollywood Monday: On The Town

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On The Town, the 1949 MGM musical film is an adaptation of the Broadway stage musical of the same name produced in 1944. Both the theatre and film productions are based on the Jerome Robbins ballet entitled Fancy Free, which was also produced in 1944. The music was written by Leonard Bernstein and the lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. 

With an all-star song and dance cast including Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin, Ann Miller, Betty Garrett and Vera Ellen the film was an instant success. On The Town won the Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Cinematography (Color). Screenwriters Comden and Green won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Musical. Continue reading