Sunday, August 26, 2012

The Sunday Musical Offering - "Singin' in the Rain" 1952 featuring Gene Kelly

Last Thursday there were many events celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Gene Kelly. I stayed up very late to enjoy two Hollywood masterpieces on the Turner Classic Movies network. The first was An American in Paris and the second was one of my all time favorites – Singin’ in the Rain. What was it about Gene Kelly?

Born in 1912, Eugene Curran “Gene” Kelly was an innovator and one of the biggest Hollywood stars in that generation of awesome major musicals. Now, everybody knows that I cannot dance. But, when I watch a Gene Kelly picture, I want to get off the couch and joyously ‘bop’ about the room. There was a spirit, a freedom, a joy in Kelly’s step which included a magnificent combination of tap, ballet and modern dance. While there will never be another dancer like Gene Kelly, his influence can be seen in countless other American dancers in our time and generation.

Singin’ in the Rain was written in 1929 with music by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Arthur Freed. This moment in the film simply exudes radiant joy and happiness.

Love One Another - Brian

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