Gene Kelly
Birthday: Born in 1912-08-23 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Deathday: 1996-02-02
Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style, his good looks, and the likable characters that he played on screen. He starred in, choreographed, or co-directed some of the most well-regarded musical films of the 1940s and 1950s, until they fell out of fashion in the late 1950s. Kelly is best known today for his performances in films such as Cover Girl (1944), Anchors Aweigh (1945), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, On the Town (1949), which was his directorial debut, An American in Paris (1951), Singin' in the Rain (1952), Brigadoon (1954), and It's Always Fair Weather (1955). Kelly made his film debut with Judy Garland in For Me and My Gal (1942), and followed by Du Barry Was a Lady (1943), Thousands Cheer (1943), The Pirate (1948), Summer Stock (1950), and Les Girls (1957) among others. After musicals he starred in two films outside the musical genre: Inherit the Wind (1960) and What a Way to Go! (1964). In 1967, he appeared in French director Jacques Demy's musical comedy The Young Girls of Rochefort opposite Catherine Deneuve. Kelly solo directed the comedy A Guide for the Married Man (1967) starring Walter Matthau, and later the extravagant musical Hello, Dolly! (1969) starring Barbra Streisand, recognized with an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Kelly co-hosted and appeared in Ziegfeld Follies (1946), That's Entertainment! (1974), That's Entertainment, Part II (1976), That's Dancing! (1985), and That's Entertainment, Part III (1994). His many innovations transformed the Hollywood musical, and he is credited with almost single-handedly making the ballet form commercially acceptable to film audiences. Kelly received an Academy Honorary Award in 1952 for his career achievements; the same year, An American in Paris won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. He later received lifetime achievement awards in the Kennedy Center Honors (1982) and from the Screen Actors Guild and American Film Institute. In 1999, the American Film Institute also ranked him as the 15th greatest male screen legend of Classic Hollywood Cinema. Description above from the Wikipedia article Gene Kelly, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
TV Credits
Omnibus
Character: Self (segment)
Omnibus is an American, commercially sponsored, educational television series....
The Merv Griffin Show
Character: Self
The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, September 20, 1965 to August 15, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 at 11:30 PM ET weeknights on CBS and again in first-run syndication from February 14, 1972 to September 5, 1986....
The Muppet Show
Character: Self - Special Guest Star
Go behind the curtains as Kermit the Frog and his muppet friends struggle to put on a weekly variety show....
Going My Way
Character: Father Chuck O'Malley
Going My Way is an American comedy-drama series...
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Character: Tom T. Triplett
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to Schlitz Playhouse, beginning with the fall 1957 season....
The Oscars
Character: Self
An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a statuette, officially the Academy Award of Merit, that is better known by its nickname Oscar....
The Kennedy Center Honors
Character: Self
The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture....
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
Character: Self
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts is a NBC television special show hosted by entertainer Dean Martin from 1974 to 1984. For a series of 54 specials and shows, Martin would periodically "roast" a celebrity. These roasts were patterned after the roasts held at the New York Friars' Club in New York City. The format would have the celebrity guest seated at a banquet table, and one by one the guest of honor was affectionately chided or insulted about his career by his fellow celebrity friends. In 197...
Doug Henning's World of Magic
Character: Self
Doug Henning's World of Magic was the first of seven annual prime-time television specials starring magician Doug Henning, which aired live on NBC Friday, December 26, 1975. Bill Cosby was the show's special guest, along with Gene Kelly (who introduced the special) and musical guest Lori Lieberman....
North and South
Character: Sen. Charles Edwards
The story of the enduring friendship between Orry Main of South Carolina and George Hazard of Pennsylvania, who become best friends while attending the United States Military Academy at West Point but later find themselves and their families on opposite sides of the American Civil War....
Talking Pictures
Character: Self (archive footage)
A look back at television appearances by legends of the silver screen, using archive footage to tell the story of their lives and careers....
Sins
Character: Eric Hovland
Sins is a 1986 CBS television miniseries starring Joan Collins. An adaptation of the 1982 novel of the same name by Judith Gould, it is the story of a woman who survives the horrors of the Nazi occupation of France and suffers a succession of challenges as she rises in the world of fashion. Produced by New World Television, Collins also served as executive producer with her then-husband Peter Holm, and the mini-series contained 85 costume changes for her role. Carly Simon co-wrote and performed...
MGM Parade
Character: Performer in 'Ziegfeld Follies' (archive footage)
The original concept of the show was to allow the viewer to see the inner workings of a movie studio and featured interviews with MGM stars and explanations of how movies were made. Later, the format changed to show edited versions of MGM films....
MGM Parade
Character: Self - Actor
The original concept of the show was to allow the viewer to see the inner workings of a movie studio and featured interviews with MGM stars and explanations of how movies were made. Later, the format changed to show edited versions of MGM films....
The Ed Sullivan Show
Character: Self
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, which ran only one season and was eventually replaced by other shows. In 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time....
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Character: Self
In 1973 the American Film Institute initiated its Life Achievement Award, to be presented to a yearly recipient whose talent has fundamentally advanced the film art; whose accomplishments have been acknowledged by scholars, critics, professional peers and the general public; and whose work has stood the test of time....
Il était une fois Champs-Élysées
Character: Self (archive footage)
...
Champs-Elysées
Character: Self
...
The Mike Douglas Show
Character: Self - Co-Host
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went into syndication in 1963 and remained on television until 1982. It was distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia....
What's My Line?
Character: Self - Mystery Guest
Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or "no" questions....
The Danny Kaye Show
Character: Self
The Danny Kaye Show is an American variety show hosted by Danny Kaye that aired on CBS from 1963 to 1967 on Wednesday nights. Directed by Robert Scheerer, the show premiered in black-and-white, but later switched to color broadcasts. At the time, Kaye was at the height of his popularity, having starred in a string of successful films in the 1940s and '50's, made successful personal appearances at such venues as the London Palladium, and appeared many times on television. His most recent films ha...
Great Performances
Character: Self
The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries....
Reflets de Cannes
Character: Self
...
Movie Credits
Singin' in the Rain
Character: Don Lockwood
In 1927 Hollywood, a silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound....
Inherit the Wind
Character: E.K. Hornbeck
Schoolteacher Bertram Cates is arrested for teaching his students Darwin's theory of evolution. The case receives national attention and one of the newspaper reporters, E.K. Hornbeck, arranges to bring in renowned defense attorney and atheist Henry Drummond to defend Cates. The prosecutor, Matthew Brady is a former presidential candidate, famous evangelist, and old adversary of Drummond....
An American in Paris
Character: Jerry Mulligan
Jerry Mulligan is an exuberant American expatriate in Paris trying to make a reputation as a painter. His friend Adam is a struggling concert pianist who's a long time associate of a famous French singer, Henri Baurel. A lonely society woman, Milo Roberts, takes Jerry under her wing and supports him, but is interested in more than his art....
Cover Girl
Character: Danny McGuire
A nightclub dancer makes it big in modeling, leaving her dancer boyfriend behind....
On the Town
Character: Gabey
Three sailors wreak havoc as they search for love during a whirlwind 24-hour leave in New York City....
What a Way to Go!
Character: Pinky Benson
A four-time widow discusses her four marriages, in which all of her husbands became incredibly rich and died prematurely because of their drive to be rich....
For Me and My Gal
Character: Harry Palmer
Two vaudeville performers fall in love, but find their relationship tested by the arrival of WWI....
Christmas Holiday
Character: Robert Manette
Don't be fooled by the title. Christmas Holiday is a far, far cry from It's a Wonderful Life. Told in flashback, the story begins as Abigail Martin marries Southern aristocrat Robert Monette. Unfortunately, Robert has inherited his family's streak of violence and instability, and soon drags Abigail into a life of misery....
Marjorie Morningstar
Character: Noel Airman
While working as a counselor at a summer camp, college-student Marjorie Morgenstern falls for 32-year-old Noel Airman, a would-be dramatist working at a nearby summer theater. Like Marjorie, he is an upper-middle-class New York Jew, but has fallen away from his roots, and Marjorie's parents object among other things to his lack of a suitable profession. Noel himself warns Marjorie repeatedly that she's much too naive and conventional for him, but they nonetheless fall in love....
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Character: Eddie O'Brien
The Wolves baseball team gets steamed when they find they've been inherited by one K.C. Higgins, a suspected "fathead" who intends to take an active interest in running the team. But K.C. turns outs to be a beautiful woman who really knows her baseball. Second baseman Dennis Ryan promptly falls in love. But his playboy roommate Eddie O'Brien has his own notions about how to treat the new lady owner and some unsavory gamblers have their own ideas about how to handle Eddie....
The Pirate
Character: Serafin
A girl is engaged to the local richman, but meanwhile she has dreams about the legendary pirate Macoco. A traveling singer falls in love with her and to impress her he poses as the pirate....
Black Hand
Character: Giovanni E. 'Johnny' Columbo
In turn-of-the-century New York, an Italian seeks vengeance on the mobsters who killed his father....
The Three Musketeers
Character: D'Artagnan
Athletic adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' classic adventure about the king's musketeers and their mission to protect France....
40 Carats
Character: Billy Boylan
After an overnight fling with a man nearly 20 years her junior while vacationing in Greece, Ann Stanley returns to New York assuming she'll never see Peter Latham again. Until, that is, he shows up on her doorstep to take her daughter to a party. Despite her yearning for Peter and the encouragement of her friends and family, Ann initially rebuffs him when he pursues her, but slowly she yields to his charm and her own stifled emotions....
That's Dancing!
Character: Self - Host
A documentary film about dancing on the screen, from it's orgins after the invention of the movie camera, over the movie musical from the late 20s, 30s, 40s 50s and 60s up to the break dance and the music videos from the 80s....
The Life You Save May Be Your Own
Character: Tom T. Triplett
A Southern Gothic parable (truncated on-screen as “The Life You Save”) that twists the typical story of chivalrous boy-meets-girl romance, it follows a seemingly aimless drifter who inserts himself into the isolated lives of an old spinster and her invalid daughter. Adaptation of the short story by Flannery O’Connor....
Summer Stock
Character: Joe D. Ross
To Jane Falbury's New England farm comes a troup of actors to put up a show, invited by Jane's sister. At first reluctant she has them do farm chores in exchange for food. Her reluctance becomes attraction when she falls in love with the director, Joe, who happens to be her sister's fiance....
Ziegfeld Follies
Character: Gentleman (segment "The Babbit and the Bromide")
The late, great impresario Florenz Ziegfeld looks down from heaven and ordains a new revue in his grand old style....
Les Girls
Character: Barry Nichols
After writing a tell-all book about her days in the dance troupe "Barry Nichols and Les Girls", Sybil Wren is sued for libeling her fellow dancer Angele. A Rashômon style narrative presents the story from three points of view where Sybil accuses Angele of having an affair with Barry, while Angele insists that it was actually Sybil who was having the affair. Finally, Barry gives his side of the story....
Du Barry was a Lady
Character: Alec Howe / Black Arrow
Hat check man Louis Blore is in love with nightclub star May Daly. May, however, is in love with a poor dancer but wants to marry for money. When Louis wins the Irish Sweepstakes, he asks May to marry him and she accepts even though she doesn't love him. Soon after, Louis has an accident and gets knocked on the head, where he dreams that he's King Louis XV pursuing the infamous Madame Du Barry....
Thousands Cheer
Character: Private Eddie Marsh
Acrobat Eddie Marsh is in the army now. His first act is to become friendly with Kathryn Jones, the colonel's pretty daughter. Their romance hits a few snags, including disapproval from her father. Eddie's also plagued by fear of having an accident during his family's trapeze act in the army variety show, which also features a gallery of MGM stars....
Xanadu
Character: Danny McGuire
A beautiful muse inspires an artist and his older friend to convert a dilapidated auditorium into a lavish rollerskating club....
The Carpenters: A Christmas Portrait
Character: Self
Richard and Karen Carpenter host a musical celebration of the holiday with celebrity guests Gene Kelly, Georgia Engel, and Jimmy & Kristy McNichol....
Invitation to the Dance
Character: Host / Pierrot / The Marine / Sinbad
Three completely different stories are told through dance....
Anchors Aweigh
Character: Joseph Brady
Two sailors on shore leave head out for four days of partying – only to become involved in the affairs of an aspiring singer and her precocious nephew....
It's Always Fair Weather
Character: Ted Riley
Three World War II buddies promise to meet at a specified place and time 10 years after the war. They keep their word only to discover how far apart they've grown. But the reunion sparks memories of youthful dreams that haven't been fulfilled -- and slowly, the three men reevaluate their lives and try to find a way to renew their friendship....
Brigadoon
Character: Tommy Albright
Americans Jeff and Tommy, hunting in Scotland, stumble upon a village - Brigadoon. They soon learn that the town appears once every 100 years in order to preserve its peace and special beauty. The citizens go to bed at night and when they wake up, it's 100 years later. Tommy falls in love with a beautiful young woman, Fiona, and is torn between staying or going back to his hectic life in New York....
Showbiz Goes to War
Character: (archive footage)
While a few Hollywood celebrities such as James Stewart and Clark Gable saw combat during World War II, the majority used their talents to rally the American public through bond sales, morale-boosting USO tours, patriotic war dramas and escapist film fare. Comedian David Steinberg plays host for this star-studded, 90-minute documentary, which looks at the way Tinseltown helped the United States' war effort....
Jack and the Beanstalk
Character: Jeremy Keen, the Peddler
A retelling of the popular fairy tale that mixes live action and animation....
It's a Big Country
Character: Icarus Xenophon
Comprised of eight unrelated episodes of inconsistent quality, this anthology piece of American propaganda features some of MGM Studios' best directors, screenwriters and actors; it is narrated by Louis Calhern. Stories are framed by the lecture of a university professor. In one tale a Boston resident becomes angry when the census forgets to record her presence. Another sketch chronicles the achievements of African Americans while still another pays tongue-in-cheek tribute to Texas....
That's Entertainment, Part II
Character: Self - Co-Host / Narrator
Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time including comedy and drama as well as classic musical numbers....
Viva Knievel!
Character: Will Atkins
The legendary stuntman plans his most incredible stunt yet while battling the mob in this action-adventure....
The Cross of Lorraine
Character: Victor
French soldiers (Jean-Pierre Aumont, Gene Kelly) surrender to lying Nazis and are herded into a barbaric prison camp....
The Marx Brothers in a Nutshell
Character: Self - Narrator (voice)
A fascinating look at the most beloved comedy team in motion picture history. Exclusive interviews with those closest to the brothers supplement this collection of highlights from their film, theater, and television appearances and offer a compelling look at their lives both on and off-screen....
Pilot #5
Character: Vito S. Alessandro
A small group of Allied soldiers and airmen on Java are being bombed by Japanese 'planes daily. With only one working fighter of their own, and five pilots anxious to fly it, the Dutch commander chooses George Collins to fly a mission to drop a 500-lb bomb on the Japanese carrier lying offshore. As the flight progresses, the commander asks the other pilots to tell him about George. They recount his rise from brilliant law student, through the time he became involved in the corrupt machine of his...
The Devil Makes Three
Character: Jeff Eliot
Jeff Elliot is an American GI investigating a black market gang in Munich....
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Character: Self (archive footage)
A documentary about the glorious history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its decline leading to the sale of its back lot and props. By extension this provides a general history of Hollywood's Golden Age and the legendary studio system....
Living in a Big Way
Character: Leo Gogarty
A World War II pilot (Gene Kelly) comes home to a bride (Marie McDonald) who, spoiled by her father (Charles Winninger), now wants a divorce....
The Happy Road
Character: Michael J. Andrews
Two children run away from a Swiss boarding school and set out for Paris, with their frantic parents in hot pursuit....
The Young Girls Turn 25
Character: Self (archive footage)
Agnes Varda's documentary of the celebrations arising from the 25th anniversary of her husband Jacques Demy's film The Young Girls of Rochefort....
Seagulls Over Sorrento
Character: Lieutenant Bradville
A Navy lieutenant is borrowed by the British to supervise torpedo experiments after one of their scientists is killed....
Ersatz
Character: Don Lockwood (voice) (archive sound)
An animated Plasticine man enacts favourite scenes from Hollywood classics....
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Character: Self
Based on the first centenary of the largest exporter of films in the world, that is Hollywood, is the story told by its protagonists, actors and writers and other people who made life in this business, interspersing images of famous movies....
Words and Music
Character: Gene Kelly
Encomium to Larry Hart (1895-1943), seen through the fictive eyes of his song-writing partner, Richard Rodgers (1902-1979): from their first meeting, through lean years and their breakthrough, to their successes on Broadway, London, and Hollywood. We see the fruits of Hart and Rodgers' collaboration - elaborately staged numbers from their plays, characters' visits to night clubs, and impromptu performances at parties. We also see Larry's scattered approach to life, his failed love with Peggy McN...
You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story
Character: Self
Biographical portrait of one of Broadway's most brilliant songwriters. Told through the use of archival material and interviews with the rich and famous that knew him, this portrait concentrates on his career and his public life events....
The Men Who Made the Movies: Vincente Minnelli
Character: Self (archive footage)
...
Get Aboard! 'The Band Wagon'
Character: Self (archive footage)
Documentary on the 1953 musical "The Band Wagon."...
The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
Character: Self (archive footage)
For the first time in their careers, all the Muppets (except the ones that couldn't make it, like the Doozers, Gorgs and most of the Fraggles) have gathered together in one place to celebrate their thirtieth anniversary and honor the one who brought them together: Kermit the Frog (and by doing so, Jim Henson)....
Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues
Character: Self
Music documentary directed by Patrick T. Kelly....
That's Entertainment!
Character: Self - Host / Narrator
Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50 year history....
Frank Sinatra: Ol' Blue Eyes is Back
Character: Self - Guest Performer
Filmed in front of a live audience on a soundstage in Hollywood, but with the feel of an intimate concert, this "comeback" special proves the Chairman hadn't lost a step....
Directing Dolly: Gene Kelly Remembered
Character: Self (archive footage)
Patricia Ward Kelly remembers Gene Kelly directing "Hello, Dolly!"...
Deep in My Heart
Character: Performer in Dancing Around
Biographic movie about the American composer Sigmund Romberg....
A Bing Crosby Christmas
Character: Self / Narrator (archive footage)
The program on this DVD is basically a retrospective produced in the early 1990s for public television that was originally called «A Bing Crosby Christmas: Just Like the Ones You Used to Know» that was narrated by Gene Kelly and hosted by Bing's widow, Kathryn Crosby. The program itself features clips from fifteen of Bing's classic television specials, concentrating on the period from the early 1960s onwards when he included Kathryn and their three children in the programs....
Reporters
Character: Self
The co-founder of the Gamma press agency, Raymond Depardon, created this documentary of press photographers in Paris and their subjects by following the photographers around for one month, in October, 1980. In-between long hours waiting for a celebrity to emerge from a restaurant or a hotel, boredom immediately switches to fast action as the cameras click and roll when the person appears. The reaction to the gaggle of photographers is as varied as the people they often literally chase all around...
Dancing, a Man's Game - Gene Kelly
Character: Self
In 1958, NBC's OMNIBUS, the Golden Age of Television’s most distinguished series, commissioned Gene Kelly’s first television special. Written, choreographed, co-directed and starring the Hollywood legend, DANCING, A MAN’S GAME enlisted some of the top names in sports to illustrate Kelly’s message about the masculine grace of dance....
Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer
Character: Self (archive footage)
American Masters Series. Documentary on Gene Kelly that gives insight into his dancing, how he formed a style (first "blue collar dancer") and developed different cinematique techniques, such as brilliantly shot dancing sequences....
That's Entertainment! III
Character: Self - Co-Host / Narrator
Some of MGM'S musical stars review the studios history of musicals. From The Hollywood Revue of 1929 to Brigadoon, from the first musical talkies to Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain....
Judy Garland: By Myself
Character: Self - Actor (archive sound)
As Hollywood biographies go, Judy Garland's story is one of the saddest success stories you'll ever hear. The sanitized studio version of her life presented a smiling kid with the big voice, who, alongside Mickey Rooney, just wanted to put on a show. But drugs, overwork, even psychological abuse at the hands of the studio is now part of the Garland legend. But despite the number of Garland books and documentaries, one account has always been missing -- Garland herself never managed to write a me...
Hollywood Musicals of the 40's
Character: Self (archive footage)
Highlights from the great musicals of the 1940s. Stars featured include Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Danny Kaye, Jimmy Durante and Frank Sinatra....
Olivia Newton-John: Hollywood Nights
Character: Self
In this variety special, Olivia shares the evening with Andy Gibb, Elton John, Ted Knight, Gene Kelly and Toni Tennille. The special included songs from Grease and the Totally Hot album as well as some other artists' covers : the Eagles, Bob Seger, Elton John and Buddy Holly. Olivia also performed a parody of the jazz/blues classic Makin' Whoopee with Gene Kelly, changing the lyrics to Makin' Movies and dealing with Olivia's dream of producing a musical. The show was aired internationally and d...
The Movie Palaces
Character: Self
A documentary about the great American movie palaces of the 1920s and 1930s. Filmed on location at some of the extraordinary theaters across the country, the program explores the diverse and priceless architecture of such greats as the Atlanta Fox, the Wiltern in Los Angeles, San Antonio's Majestic, Seattle's Fifth Avenue and, perhaps the most famous, Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Also included are stills and vintage clips of classic movies and newsreels of the era that illustrate the ...
Let's Make Love
Character: Gene Kelly (uncredited)
When billionaire Jean-Marc Clement learns that he is to be satirized in an off-Broadway revue, he passes himself off as an actor playing him in order to get closer to the beautiful star of the show, Amanda Dell....
Combat Fatigue Irritability
Character: Seaman Bob Lucas
A WWII military training film in which a Navy officer is being treated for combat fatigue after his ship was torpedoed and sunk. The narrative explores the way his combat fatigue has affected him and proper treatment to help him recover....
Lucy Moves to NBC
Character: Self
Contacted by Fred Silverman, the President of NBC, Lucille Ball accepts to go back to work as a producer. With the help of her faithful production assistant, Gale Gordon, she starts working on a new series titled "The Music Mart"....
James Bond: The First 21 Years
Character: Self
A look back at the first 21 years of Britain's most successful film series....
Tom & Jerry's 50th Birthday Bash
Character: Self
Celebrate the fiftieth birthday of the animated cat-and-mouse team, Tom & Jerry, including clips from their animated shorts!...
Twenty Years After
Character: (archive footage)
This short celebrates the 20th anniversary of MGM. Segments are shown from several early hits, then from a number of 1944 releases....
The Sandy Duncan Special
Character: Self
This program features then-newcomer Sandy Duncan in her first network television special. Only a few years after being passed over by Gene Kelly for a role in Hello Dolly, Duncan's star had ascended so far so fast that he was now her special guest star. Paul Lynde is also featured in a campy version of "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown"....
The Julie Andrews Show
Character: Self
The Julie Andrews Show is a television special that was broadcast by NBC in November 1965. This was Andrews' first solo American TV Special, although she had previously starred in several dramatic television works (High Tor, Cinderella) and co-starred with Carol Burnett in a major special. However by November 1965 Andrews was now a major movie star with both Mary Poppins and Sound of Music still in cinemas and an Oscar already sitting on her mantelpiece. Julie's guests included Gene Kelly and ...
Happy Again
Character: Don Lockwood (archive footage)
An experimental film superimposing a clip from "Singin' in the Rain" over itself seven times....
The Costume Designer
Character: Self (archive footage)
This short focuses on the job of the costume designer in the production of motion pictures. The costume designer must design clothing that is correct for the film historically and geographically, and must be appropriate for the mood of the individual scene. We see famed costume designer Edith Head at work on a production. The Costume Designer was part of The Industry Film Project, a twelve-part series produced by the film studios and the Academy. Each series episode was produced to inform the pu...
Love Is Better Than Ever
Character: Gene Kelly (uncredited)
The dancing teacher Anastasia falls in love with the smart theatre agent Jud. He likes her, too, but does not want to give up his solo life at all. Thus she plans a trap for him......
Roger Rabbit and the Secrets of Toon Town
Character: Self (archive footage)
A behind-the-scenes documentary hosted by Joanna Cassidy on the making of Who Framed Roger Rabbit....
La La La
Character: Various Roles (archive footage)
When the silent cinema learned to speak, the audience was surprised not only by the voices of the actors and the sound effects, but also by a new element, the music, which, combined with the dance and an unprejudiced imagination, gave rise to a new genre, as important to Hollywood cinema as the western was: the musical. A journey through the history of this genre, from its beginnings to the present day....
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
Character: Self
Documentary about James Stewart's long career as an actor and positive personal life....
And the Oscar Goes To...
Character: Self (archive footage)
The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy itself, which began in 1927 when Louis B. Mayer, then head of MGM, led other prominent members of the industry in forming this professional honorary organization. Two years later the Academy began bestowing awards, which were nicknamed "Oscar," and quickly came to represent the pinnacle of cinematic achievement....
It's Showtime
Character: Self (archive footage)
A collection of film clips profiling animal actors....
The Story of Submarine Warfare in the Pacific
Character: Narrator (voice)
The U.S. Pacific submarine fleet was all that was available in the early days of America's involvement in World War 2 and it took the fight to the Japanese with great success....
Sid & Judy
Character: Self (archive footage)
Explore the dramatic career and personal struggles of the talented and tragically short-lived entertainer Judy Garland through rare concert footage, never-heard-before voice recordings and personal photos....
Frank Sinatra: Around the World
Character: Self - Guest
Four legendary performances from around the world, In the release of 2 DVD's, the four performances are not delivered in chronological order....
The Young Girls of Rochefort
Character: Andy Miller
Delphine and Solange are two sisters living in Rochefort. Delphine is a dancing teacher and Solange composes and teaches the piano. Maxence is a poet and a painter. He is doing his military service. Simon owns a music shop, he left Paris one month ago to come back where he fell in love 10 years ago. They are looking for love, looking for each other, without being aware that their ideal partner is very close......
Frank Sinatra: The First 40 Years
Character: Self
Gala tribute to the Chairman of the Board....
Night of 100 Stars
Character: Self
The most glittering, expensive, and exhausting videotaping session in television history took place Friday February 19, 1982 at New York's Radio City Music Hall. The event, for which ticket-buyers paid up to $1,000 a seat (tax-deductible as a contribution to the Actors' Fund) was billed as "The Night of 100 Stars" but, actually, around 230 stars took part. And most of the audience of 5,800 had no idea in advance that they were paying to see a TV taping, complete with long waits for set and cost...
True Blue
Character: (Archive Footage)
Stamatis cannot get over his breakup with Katerina. He stays locked inside, until one night Katerina visits him with one purpose only: to get him out of the house....
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1940s: Stars, Stripes and Singing
Character: (archive footage)
This is a two-hour in-depth exploration into the Hollywood musicals of the 1940s....
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1950s: The Golden Era of the Musical
Character: Self (archive)
During the 1950s, musical masterpieces that have yet to be equaled were produced in Cinemascope with stereophonic sound. These two episodes explore how the post-war years were alive with bold experimentation in musical film. Later in the decade, Rock & Roll became the musical choice of the younger generation and movie musicals followed suit. Highlights of this 2-part program include: Films based on smash Broadway musicals become the rage. A pretty starlet with no musical training named Marilyn M...
Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall
Character: Self (archive footage)
Director Spike Lee chronicles Michael Jackson's early rise to fame....
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs: America's Greatest Music in the Movies
Character: Don Lockwood
The top 100 songs of the past 100 years chosen by the American Film Institute are presented by host-actor John Travolta....
Gene Kelly - An American in Hollywood
Character: Self - Portrait Subject & Interviewee (archive footage)
Gene Kelly is a legend of the heyday of the Hollywood musical. His name stands for masterpieces such as "Singin' in the Rain" and "An American in Paris". As a singer, dancer, actor, choreographer and director, he was a true all-round artist who revolutionized the world of dance in particular. Kelly, who loved to experiment, explored new forms of dance expression and helped a whole generation of young talents to fame. From his beginnings in cabarets and on Broadway to his recognition as a choreog...