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. 

Just One More Time (1974) - Star of the month... Frank Sinatra

'Just One More Time' is a 1974 short documentary film promoting the release of the feature film 'That's Entertainment!' (1974).

The short film is primarily made of footage of the hosts of 'That's Entertainment' including Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Elizabeth Taylor, Liza Minnelli, James Stewart, Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor, Mickey Rooney, Bing Crosby and Peter Lawford.

With some insightful narration and clips from some of MGM's most memorable musicals, this is a rather entertaining short film.

Did you know...

• The song "Good Morning" from 'Singin' in the Rain' (1952) as it appears in this short with Debbie Reynolds' narration was originally to appear in 'That's Entertainment' (1974), but cut before release

The Kissing Bandit (1948) - Star of the month... Frank Sinatra

'The Kissing Bandit' is a 1948 musical starring Laslo Benedek and starring Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, Ann Miller, J. Carrol Naish, Mildred Natwick, Ricardo Montalban & Cyd Charisse.

Produced by Joe Pasternak, the screenplay was written by Isabel Lennart & ??

Ricardo (played by Sinstra) visits California to discover he is the son of the notorious kissing bandit. Ricardo plans to live a quiet, however his friends have other ideas and encourage him to follow in his father's footsteps.  

Musical progran

• "Tonight Means Romance" - Kathryn Grayson
• "What's Wrong With Me?" - Kathryn Grayson & Frank Sinatra
• "I Like You" - Sono Asato
• "If I Steal A Kiss" - Kathryn Grayson
• "Siesta" - Frank Sinatra
• "Dance of Fury (Fiesta Dance Specialty)" - Ann Miller, Ricardo Montalban & Cyd Charisse)
• "Señorita" - Frank Sinatra & Kathryn Grayson
• "Love Is Where You Find It" - Kathryn Grayson
• "If I Steal A Kiss (Reprise)" - Frank Sinatra

Song: "Dance of Fury" - Ann Miller, Cyd Charisse 

Song: "Love is Where You Find It" - Kathryn Grayson

Did you know...

• Frank Sinatra did not want to make this film, as he felt he was not right for the part - however the studio forced him to appear and Sinatra claimed he never saw the finished film
• Kathryn Grayson said this was her least favourite of all her films

Closing remarks

A very underrated MGM musical, which I really enjoyed. I found all  of the songs to be quite good, with the highlights being the "Dance of Fury" dance specialty featuring Miller, Montalban & Charisse. I am a very big fan of Ann Miller (she is in my top 3 stars), so I found it very exciting to see her dance off up against Cyd Charisse (my other fave dancer). Another musical highlight was Sono Asato's whip cracking dance routine "I Like You".

Similar premise to 'The Pirate' (1948), released the same year with Gene Kelly. I actually prefer this film over 'The Pirate', however 'The Pirate' is much more well known and appreciated today.

On the Town (1948) - Star of the month... Frank Sinatra

"East side, West side, rouse the city... One day, one night, that's the pity...Let's have a ball tonight, we're going on the town"

Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Jules Munshin, Ann Miller,

Gene Kelly & Vera-Ellen in 'On the Town'

'On the Town' is a 1949 musical directed by Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen, and starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Vera-Ellen, Jules Munshin & Alice Pearce.

The film features a screenplay by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, from their Broadway musical of the same name.

Three sailors with twenty four leave are set to paint the town red, white and blue as they embark on a one day trip to New York, New York. They see this month's Miss Turnstile, Ivy Smith. They embark on a three man mission to find her. On the way, they meet and get some help from female taxi-driver Hildy (played by Garrett) and anthropological student Claire Huddesen (played by Miller).

"New York, New York, it's a wonderful town!"

Trailer

The trailer was produced as a mock James A. Fitzpatrick "TravelTalk: The Voice of the Globe" short film on Manhattan, with narration by Fitzpatrick. 

Watch the trailer:

Musical program

Frank Sinatra & Betty Garrett sing

"Come Up To My Place"

• "New York, New York" - Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra & Jules Munshin
• "Miss Turnstiles Dance" - Vera-Ellen
• "Prehistoric Man" - Ann Miller (with Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett & Jules Munshin)
• "Come Up To My Place" - Frank Sinatra & Betty Garrett
• "Main Street" - Gene Kelly (with Vera-Ellen)
• "You're Awful" - Frank Sinatra (with Betty Garrett)
• "On The Town" - Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Vera-Ellen & Jules Munshin
• "Sambacabana Revue" - Sambacabana Chorus Girls
• "Dixieland Revue" - Dixieland Chorus Girls
• "Shanghai Revue" - Shanghai Chorus Girls
• "Count On Me" - Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Jules Munshin & Alice Pearce
• "A Day in New York: A Ballet in 3 Acts" - Gene Kelly & Vera-Ellen
• "New York, New York" (Finale)

The only musical numbers retained from the original musical were "New York, New York", "Miss Turnstiles Dance", "Come Up To My Place" and the "A Day in New York Ballet".  Six new songs written for the film replaced the following songs not included: "I Can Cook Too", "Some Other Time", "Lucky To Be Me", "Lonely Town", "Carried Away", "I Understand", "Carnegie Hall (Do-Do-Re-Do)", "So Long Baby", "I'm Blue" and "Ya Got Me".

Song: "New York, New York" - Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra & Jules Munshin

Song: "Come Up To My Place" - Betty Garrett & Frank Sinatra

Song: "On The Town" - Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Ann Miller, Betty Garrett, Jules Munshin & Vera-Ellen

Song: "Prehistoric Man" - Ann Miller (with Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett & Jules Munshin)

Song: "You Can Count On Me" - Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Ann Miller, Betty Garrett, Jules Munshin & Alice Pearce

Clip from "A Day in New York Ballet" - Gene Kelly & Vera-Ellen

Song: "Miss Turnstile's Dance" - Vera-Ellen

Did you know...

• This was the first major musical to be filmed on location
• This was the third and final film Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra made together
• This was the screen debut for Alice Pearce, Carol Haney and Bea Benaderet
• Alice Pearce originally played Lucy Schmeeler in the original Broadway production of 'On the Town' - she was the only member of the Broadway cast to appear in the film
• At the time of it's release, 'On the Town' was the second highest grossing film in MGM history, after 'Meet Me in St. Louis' (1944)
• Judy Holliday dubbed the following line of dialogue for an uncredited bit player: "The grass is always greener, if ya know what I mean"
• The Club Dixieland Chorus girls are wearing costumes previously worn in 'The Harvey Girls' (1946)
• Gene Kelly once said this was his favourite of all his films

Closing remarks

Whenever I think about my favourite movie musicals, one of the first films I always think of is 'On The Town'. I absolutely adore it! 

'On the Town' is 100% pure entertainment from the moment the three boys step off the boat and sing "New York, New York", until they return to the ship 24 hours later. 

The story is engaging, the jokes funny, the songs show-stopping and the performances brilliant. 

Speaking of the performances, I'd like to make special mention of four of the actresses in this film...

Ann Miller in 'Prehistoric Man', backed up by the world's

most expensive chorus: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra,

Betty Garrett & Jules Munshin

Ann Miller... What can I say? LOVE HER!!! This was the first Ann Miller film I had ever seen, and she instantly became one of my top 3 favourite stars, and she still is. Ann Miller once remarked, she had the world's most-expensive chorus backing her up in the 'Prehistoric Man' number... the chorus being Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett & Jules Munshin.

Betty Garrett is fantastic as taxi-driver Hildy. Garrett is an actress I like very much, but sadly did not appear in many films.

Vera-Ellen is perfect as Ivy Smith, and it's pleasing to see her reunited with Gene Kelly. The two had initially danced together in the 1948 musical biography 'Words and Music'.

Alice Pearce, remembered by most people as the first Mrs. Kravitz in the 1960s TV series 'Bewitched'. Despite having a very small role in 'On the Town', Pearce shows us her unique comedic talent at being the annoying ugly duckling.

I repeat, 'On the Town' is one of the best movie musicals ever made, with Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett and Ann Miller at their best. I love 'On the Town', and I know you will too!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) - Star of the month... Frank Sinatraarthur freed, betty garrett, busby berkeley, edward arnold, esther williams, frank sinatra, gene kelly, jules munshin, mgm, MGM musical, take me out to the ballgame, TCM, turner classic movies,

"It's fate, baby, it's fate, and it's knocking at our door... It's fate, baby, and that's the reason, you're mine and I am yours." - Betty Garrett (as Shirley Delwyn in 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame')

Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly sing the title song

'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' is a 1949 musical directed by Busby Berkeley and starring Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams and Gene Kelly with Betty Garrett, Jules Munshin, Edward Arnold and Richard Lane.

Produced by Arthur Freed

Set in 1908, the film tells the story of fictional American League baseball team, the Wolves, and two of its players (who are also vaudevillians), Eddie O'Brien (played by Kelly) and Dennis Ryan (played by Sinatra). 

Frank Sinatra serenades Esther Williams

The ballplayers are devastated when the find out, the new owner of the Wolves is a woman, K.C. Higgins (played by Williams). Shorly after both Eddie and Dennis find themselves both falling in love with her. Things get complicated for Dennis when Shirley Delwyn falls in love with him.

Musical program

Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin & Gene Kelly sing
"O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg"

Musical program features:

• "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" - Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly
• "Yes, Indeedy" - Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly (with Jules Munshin)
• "O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg" - Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly & Jules Munshin
• "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (Reprise) - Esther Williams
• "The Right Girl For Me" - Frank Sinatra
• "The Right Girl For Me" (Reprise) - Gene Kelly
• "It's Fate, Baby, It's Fate" - Betty Garrett & Frank Sinatra
• "Strictly U.S.A." - Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Esther Williams, Betty Garrett & Jules Munshin
• "The Hat My Father Wore On St. Patrick's Day" - Gene Kelly
• "Finale: Strictly U.S.A." - Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Esther Williams & Betty Garrett

Watch some of the musical highlights below...

Song: "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" - Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly

Song: "It's Fate, Baby, It's Fate" - Betty Garrett & Frank Sinatra

Song: "O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg" - Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly & Jules Munshin

"Strictly USA" - Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Esther Williams & Betty Garrett 

Song: "The Hat My Father Wore Upon St. Patrick's Day" - Gene Kelly

Song: "The Right Girl For Me" - Frank Sinatra

Song: "Yes, Indeedy" - Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly (with Jules Munshin)

Deleted musical sequences

Two songs were filmed but deleted from the final film:

'Boys and Girls Like You And Me'

- Originally written for the Broadway musical "Oklahoma" (1943), it was cut from the final show; it was then supposed to appear in the film 'Meet Me In St. Louis' (1943), but was also cut from that as well; 

- Danny was supposed to sing the song to Shirley, the song was filmed however it was deemed too slow for the film and was cut

- The melody from the song was later featured in the TV movie musical 'Cinderella' (1957), with the song finally being sung in the 1996 stage production of 'State Fair'

'Babydoll'

- 'Babydoll' was developed after Gene Kelly prevented an Esther Williams swimming number from being included in the film

- Intended to be a lighthearted song and dance interlude for Gene Kelly and Esther Williams, the song was cut as it was considered to be "out of step" wit the rest of the film

- The song was later used in the film 'The Belle of New York' (1952), and performed by Fred Astaire and Vera-Ellen

- Although most of the footage filmed for the song exists, a small component of  footage is missing

Did you know...

• This was the second of three "buddy films" Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly made together
• Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin and Betty Garrett would all be reunited a year later in "On The Town" (1949)
• The idea for the film was conceived by Gene Kelly, who wanted to pay tribute to the early years of baseball
• Judy Garland was the original choice to play K.C. Higgins, however she had become unreliable due to her addiction to antidepressants
• June Allyson was considered for the role of K.C. Higgins, but fell pregnant
• Kathryn Grayson was considered for the role of K.C. Higgins
• In Britain, the film was released under the title 'Everybody's Cheering', as baseball is not popular there
• The final directed by solely by Busby Berkeley
• Baseball player Leo Durocher was originally intended to play the role of Danny Ryan
• In her autobiography, Esther Williams described her time on the film as "pure misery", and claimed Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen treated her with contempt, and made nasty jokes about her - Williams believes this was because Kelly was uncomfortable with her being 3 inches taller than him

Award nominations

• Writers Guide of America Award nomination for Best Written American Musical 

Esther Williams appears briefly in a swimming pool

Closing remarks

In my opinion 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' is a below average MGM musical.  The pace of film gets slow from time to time, and there are not nearly enough songs. This aside, the stars are fantastic and the film was very successful upon it's release.

In addition to Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, I am also a big fan of the two actresses in the film: Esther Williams and Betty Garrett.

• Esther Williams was one of MGMs biggest money makers, and sadly she does not perform an underwater ballet sequence in this film. We do get to see her briefly in the swimming pool.



Esther Williams, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra & Betty Garrett

perform the finale of "Strictly U.S.A."

• Betty Garrett's role in the film is also far too short, as it takes 40 minutes for her character to be introduced. Betty Garrett was a wasted talent and sadly didn't make nearly enough films.

Overall not a bad film, although in my opinion it's inferior to the other two Kelly/Sinatra films "Anchors Aweigh" (1945) and "On the Town" (1949).

Anchors Aweigh (1945) - Star of the month... Frank Sinatra

"Look at me! I'm dancing!" - Jerry the Mouse in 'Anchors Aweigh'

'Anchor's Aweigh' is a 1945 MGM musical comedy directed by George Sidney and starring Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, Gene Kelly and José Iturbi. The film's supporting cast features Dean Stockwell, Pamela Britton, "Rags" Ragland, Leon Ames and Sharon McManus.

Written by Isobel Lennart, the song and dance romance was produced Joe Pasternak and edited by the great Adrienne Fazan.

Navy buddies Joe Brady (played by Kelly) and Clarence Doolittle (played by Sinatra) are awarded bravery medals and granted four days leave in Hollywood. Whilst on leave, they meet young boy Donald Martin (played by Stockwell), who wants to join the navy. When they take Donald home to his Aunt Susie Abbott (played by Grayson), both Joe and Clarence find themselves both in love with her. To impress Susie, they lie and boast about being able to secure Susie a Hollywood audition with the great Jose Iturbi.

Watch the trailer

Jose Iturbi's orchestra spells out the word "NAVY"

The opening sequence

The film's opening scene is among my favourites for a musical. I really like the way George Sidney has used  a montage of shots featuring the different instrument group individually, before cutting to José Iturbi conducting the full orchestra playing 'Anchor's Aweigh'. At the end of the song, we see the orchestra is standing in position to spell out the word "NAVY".

Gene Kelly dances with Jerry the Mouse
in 'The Worry Song'

Gene Kelly dances with Jerry the Mouse

This film is best known for featuring Gene Kelly dancing with Jerry the Mouse from 'Tom & Jerry'. This was one of the first times animation was mixed with live action footage.

Originally, Gene Kelly was meant to dance with Mickey Mouse, however Walt Disney refused to allow Mickey Mouse to appear in an MGM film. Jerry the Mouse (owned by MGM) became a easy substitute. I believe Jerry was a better choice anyway, and don't feel Mickey Mouse was the right choice for this sequence.

In the documentary series, 'MGM: When the Lion Roars' (1992), animators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera reveal how they made this magical sequence:

• Gene Kelly rehearsed with a cardboard cut out of Jerry the Mouse
• After rehersals, Gene Kelly was filmed without the cut out
• The film footage was then traced onto animation paper, with Jerry put onto the animation paper after the footage
• With both images of Kelly and Jerry on the animation paper, the paper was filmed again to give the final effect

At a screening for MGM executives, it was noted Gene Kelly had a reflection on the floor, but Jerry did not. To improve the experience, the animation team re-animated the sequence, with Jerry's reflection on the floor.

Song: "The Worry Song" - Gene Kelly & Jerry the Mouse (from 'Tom & Jerry')

Musical highlights

The film features many musical highlights including:

Gene Kelly & Frank Sinatra sing and dance

in 'Anchors Aweigh' 

• "Anchors Aweigh" - José Iturbi & his Orchestra
• "We Hate to Leave" - Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly
• "Brahm's Lullaby" - Frank Sinatra
• "I Begged Her" - Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly
• "If You Knew Susie" - Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly
• "Jealousy" - Kathryn Grayson
• "What Makes the Sunset?" - Frank Sinatra
• "(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings" - Kathryn Grayson
• "The Worry Song" - Gene Kelly & Jerry the Mouse
• "The Charm of You" - Frank Sinatra
• "I Fall in Love Too Easily" - Frank Sinatra

"If You Knew Susie" - Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly

Song: "I Begged Her" - Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly

Song: "Jealousy" - Kathryn Grayson

Song: "Waltz Serenade" - Kathryn Grayson

Song: "I Fall In Love too Easily" - Frank Sinatra

Inspirations Aweigh

'Anchors Aweigh' has inspired several more contemporary productions, including Paula Abdul's music video for 'Opposite's Attract', where Abdul dances with an animated cat, and even an episode of 'Family Guy', where Stewie dances with Gene Kelly instead of Jerry the Mouse.

Music Video: "Opposite's Attract" - Paula Abdul

Clip: "Family Guy sequence" - Stewie dances with Gene Kelly

Did you know...

Frank Sinatra sings "I Fall in Love Too Easily" at

The Hollywood Bowl

• This was the first of three "buddy films", Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra made together
• The film won an Oscar for Best Original Music Score - in 2001, actor Kevin Spacey purchased this Oscar statuette at a Butterfield & Butterfield estate auction, and returned it to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
• Tom Cat appears briefly as a butler in the animated sequence
• The film provides a rare colour glimpse of the MGM studio, including the front gate, backlot, commissary, a scoring stage and the Thalberg Building
• The song "I Fall in Love Too Easily" was filmed on location at the Hollywood Bowl
• This was the first and only time Gene Kelly received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor
• It took 73 takes to film the song 'I Begged Her', as Frank Sinatra (not a trained dancer) had difficulty with synching his dancing

Awards and nominations

• Academy Award winner for Best Original Music Score
• Academy Award nomination for Best Picture
• Academy Award nomination for Best Actor (Gene Kelly)
• Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography in a color film
• Academy Award nomination for Best Song ("I Fall in Love Too Easily")

Closing remarks

'Anchors Aweigh' in my opinion is one of the best MGM musicals ever made, and I have seen it many times. The songs are catchy, the stars are great and the film entertains for each of its 140 minutes.   I am surprised this film has not yet been turned into a Broadway musical, as I feel it feel it would translate well to the stage.