An Evening with Gene Kelly (1977) - Star of the month... Frank Sinatra

'An Evening with Gene Kelly' is a 1977 documentary interview film with Gene Kelly, interviewed by Gavin Millar.

The film begins with a short montage of Gene Kelly's signature songs including:

• "Singin' in the Rain" from 'Singin' in the Rain' (1952)
• "Broadway Rhythm" from 'Singin' in the Rain' (1952)
• "Mop Dance" from 'Thousands Cheer' (1943)
• "On the Town" from 'On the Town' (1949)
• "Newspaper Dance" from 'Summer Stock' (1950)
• "The Worry Song" from 'Anchors Aweigh' (1945)

Gene tells us about his early life, how he started dancing, the MGM studio, Frank Sinatra, his experimention with dance in film and much more.

As it only runs for 50 minutes, I think "An Hour with Gene Kelly" would have been a more appropriate title than "An Evening with Gene Kelly".

Overall, an enjoyable and insightful interview. 

Singin in the Rain (1952) - Star of the month... Gene Kelly

'Singin' in the Rain' is a 1952 MGM musical comedy directed by Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen, and starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds with Jean Hagen, Rita Moreno,  All musical numbers were choreographed by Gene Kelly.

The film is a satire on the awkward transition of silent to sound films and is most remembered for featuring Gene Kelly's signature song and dance routine 'Singin in the Rain'.

Musical program

• "Singin' in the Rain" (Intro) - Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor & Debbie Reynolds
• "Fit as a Fiddle" - Gene Kelly & Donald O'Connor
• "Temptation" (Instrumental)
• "Dreaming Of You" - Debbie Reynolds
• "Singin' in the Rain" - Gene Kelly
• "Make 'Em Laugh" - Donald O'Connor
• "Beautiful Girl Montage" (also features "I Got A Feeling You're Feeling", "The Wedding of the Painted Doll" and "Should I?"
• "You Were Meant For Me" - Gene Kelly (with Debbie Reynolds)
• "Moses Supposes" - Gene Kelly & Donald O'Connor
• "Good Morning" - Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor & Debbie Reynolds
• "Would You" - Debbie Reynolds
• "Broadway Melody Ballet" (also features "Broadway Rhythm") - Gene Kelly
• "You Are My Lucky Star" - Gene Kelly (with Debbie Reynolds)

Deleted songs:

• In an early draft of the script, "Singin' in the Rain" was to be sung by Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor & Debbie Reynolds on their way back from the flop preview of 'The Dueling Cavalier'
• In an early draft of the script Gene Kelly was to sing "Dreaming Of You", instead of "You Were Meant For Me"
• Debbie Reynolds originally sang "You Are My Lucky Star" to a billboard showing an image of Don Lockwood - the footage has survived and is included on the DVD release
• Rita Moreno was originally meant to sing "I Got A Feelin' You're Foolin'"

Song: "Singin' in the Rain" - Gene Kelly

Song: "Dreaming Of You" - Debbie Reynolds

Song: "Good Morning" - Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds & Donald O'Connor

Song: "Make 'Em Laugh" - Donald O'Connor

Song: "Fit As a Fiddle" - Gene Kelly & Donald O'Connor

Song: "Singin' in the Rain" - Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds & Donald O'Connor

Clip from 'The Broadway Ballet' - Gene Kelly & Cyd Charisse

Clip from 'The Broadway Ballet' - Gene Kelly & Cyd Charisse

"Moses Supposes" - Gene Kelly & Donald O'Connor

Outtake musical number: "You Are My Lucky Star" - Debbie Reynolds (deleted from the final film)

Song: "Would You?" - Debbie Reynolds

Song: "You Were Meant For Me" - Gene Kelly (with Debbie Reynolds)

Song: "Singin' in the Rain (in E-Flat)" / "You Are My Lucky Star" - Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds & Donald O'Connor (with Jean Hagen)

Did you know...

• This was Debbie Reynold's first starring role
• Debbie Reynolds once said the two hardest things she has ever done is childbirth and 'Singin in the Rain'
• Arthur Freed gave Betty Comden and Adolph Green a mandate to write a film called "Singin' in the Rain", which was to feature as many of his songs as possible

Closing remarks

Although the film was only a moderate success on it's initial release, it is now considered to be one of the greatest musical films of all time, and even one of the best films ever made.

An Evening with Gene Kelly (1977) - Star of the month... Gene Kelly

'An Evening with Gene Kelly' is a 1977 documentary interview film with Gene Kelly, interviewed by Gavin Millar.

The film begins with a short montage of Gene Kelly's signature songs including:

• "Singin' in the Rain" from 'Singin' in the Rain' (1952)
• "Broadway Rhythm" from 'Singin' in the Rain' (1952)
• "Mop Dance" from 'Thousands Cheer' (1943)
• "On the Town" from 'On the Town' (1949)
• "Newspaper Dance" from 'Summer Stock' (1950)
• "The Worry Song" from 'Anchors Aweigh' (1945)

Gene tells us about his early life, how he started dancing, the MGM studio, Frank Sinatra, his experimention with dance in film and much more.

As it only runs for 50 minutes, I think "An Hour with Gene Kelly" would have been a more appropriate title than "An Evening with Gene Kelly".

Overall, an enjoyable and insightful interview. 

The Asphalt Jungle (1950) - Star of the month... Marilyn Monroe

The Asphalt Jungle is a film noir film crime caper directed by John Huston (father of Angelica Huston). Based on the novel by W.R. Burnett, it tells the story of a group of criminals planning and executing a jewel robbery. The film stars Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen and in a very small but important role, Marilyn Monroe in one of her early films.

The supporting cast includes James Whitmore, Sam Jaffe, John McIntire, Marc Lawrence and Teresa Celli. 

In 2008, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." It was also nominated for 4 Oscars (Best direction; Best Supporting Actor - Sam Jaffe; Best Cinematography - Black & White; and Best Writing - Screenplay). 


It is still regarded today as one of the most important and influential crime films ever made.

Although primarily shown in black and white, a computer colourised version of the film was shown on TV in the 1980s and 1990s. Here is a brief clip of Marilyn from the colourised version of the film: 

Marilyn Monroe

Re-issue poster giving Marilyn top
billing despite her small role

Marilyn Monroe appears as Angela Phinley, mistress of Alonzo D. Emmerich (played by Louis Calhern), whom she calls "Uncle Lon".


Marilyn was still an unknown at the time of the film's release. She had only appeared in a small number of films in very small roles. And although her name was not listed on the original poster, following her rise to fame, film posters were redesigned to include a prominent picture of her and even included her name. 


Despite appearing in the film for about 4 minutes, Marilyn steals the film from the very first shot of her laying on the couch. This film got her noticed by director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who cast her in her next important role in 'All About Eve' (1950).

Use of sound rather than music

A technique which John Huston has used in this film, is to use sound rather than music. This technique is particularly effective during the 11 minute robbery sequence, adding to the naturalistic style of the film. There are moments of silence in between sounds of drilling, bricks smashing and dynamite exploding. We hear the police siren in the distance, which gradually gets louder and louder as the police car gets closer. This helps in building up suspense, and the viewer sympathises with the crooks, wanting them to get away.


The music score by Miklós Rózsa lasts for about 6 minutes. After the main titles,  there is no music until approx. 100 minutes into the film.

Did you know...

Marilyn Monroe as Angela Phinley

• Georgia Holt (mother of Cher) was considered for the role of Angela Phinley
• The role of Angela Phinley (played by Marilyn Monroe) was originally intended for Lola Albright
• A spin-off TV series followed in 1961, lasting only 13 episodes
• The film features the film debut of Jack Warden

Concluding remarks

The Asphalt Jungle is a great crime film, and definitely worth watching to see Marilyn Monroe in the role which first got her noticed.