History Creator / GeneKelly

Born and raised in UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}}, Kelly began his career on stage, dancing in such Broadway shows as ''Leave It to Me'', ''One for the Money'', ''Theatre/TheTimeOfYourLife'', and ''Pal Joey''. It was while starring in the latter that he was signed by film producer David O. Selznick, who took him to Creator/{{MGM}}. There, Kelly became a megastar by appearing in a string of famous musicals. His biggest successes in the post-war period were ''Film/AnAmericanInParis'', ''Film/OnTheTown'', and his iconic role in ''Film/SinginInTheRain'' (he choreographed all three and co-directed the latter two with Creator/StanleyDonen).

Born and raised in UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}}, Kelly began his career on stage, dancing in such Broadway shows as ''Leave It to Me'', ''One for the Money'', ''Theatre/TheTimeOfYourLife'', and ''Pal Joey''. It was while starring in the latter that he was signed by film producer David O. Selznick, who took him to Creator/{{MGM}}. There, Kelly became a megastar by appearing in a string of famous musicals. His biggest successes in the post-war period were ''Film/OnTheTown'', ''Film/AnAmericanInParis'', and his iconic role in ''Film/SinginInTheRain''.

* WorkingClassHero: His appeal was mainly built around this trope, playing regular characters in musicals. He claimed his aim was to show working-class guys that they could also sing and dance.

Kelly was among the many creative influences to whom Michael Jackson paid tribute in his "Beat It" and "Bad" videos. Music/PaulaAbdul also included a ShoutOut to him in her "Opposites Attract" video, in which she dances with an animated cat.

* Danny [=McGuire=] (possibly the same Danny [=McGuire=] as in ''Film/CoverGirl)'' in ''Film/{{Xanadu}}'' (1980)

* TomHanksSyndrome: [[invoked]] Kelly's career fizzled in the 1950s, and he didn't make much of an impression as a dramatic actor. (He played E.K. Hornbeck, a nod to Creator/HLMencken, in the 1960 [[Film/InheritTheWind film version]] of ''Theatre/InheritTheWind''.) However in a case of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, Gene Kelly did appear in the little known FilmNoir ''Christmas Holiday'' (opposite Deanna Durbin), where he plays a proto-[[Film/{{Psycho}} Norman Bates]] killer. The film has a cult status among noir afficionados.

** Not only was he competitive at work, he was a rabid competitor in sports, as well. Kelly was all set to play the lead in ''Easter Parade'' (1948), but broke his ankle during a volleyball game (not caused by the game itself, but by stamping his foot in frustration when his teammates started goofing off). Astaire ended up filling in for him, playing opposite Judy Garland. As it was originally meant for Kelly, the role is significantly darker than the boy scouts Astaire was known for playing--and that's ''after'' it was lightened quite a bit from the original draft of the script.

* BigNameFan: Following Paula Abdul's release of "[[AnimatedMusicVideo Opposites Attract]]", Kelly took notice of the music video and enjoyed it, later asking Paula over to his place for tea. The pair continued to meet for tea once per week until his death.

Though he usually tended to play [[CasanovaWannabe "heels"]], Kelly's performances gave the impression that anyone -- athletes, sailors, or Joe Sixpack -- could sing and dance. (As he once put it, "Creator/FredAstaire represented the aristocracy, I represented the proletariat.") This quality was further evidenced by his trademark outfit, which consisted of [[ClothesMakeTheLegend a polo shirt, white socks and loafers]]. The white socks were handy for protecting his feet; Kelly later shared this tip with Music/MichaelJackson, which led to the singer's trademark look.

[[caption-width-right:310:"You dance joy. You dance love. You dance dreams."]]

Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, and choreographer. You may remember him as the guy who [[Film/SinginInTheRain performed a whimsical ditty in inclement weather]].

Film producer David O. Selznik discovered Kelly after seeing him star in ''Pal Joey'' on Broadway. Under Creator/{{MGM}}, Kelly became a megastar by appearing in a string of famous musicals. His biggest successes in the post-war period were ''Film/OnTheTown'', ''Film/AnAmericanInParis'', and his iconic role in ''Film/SinginInTheRain''.

Gene Kelly was among many creative influences to whom Michael Jackson paid tribute in his "Beat It" and "Bad" videos. Music/PaulaAbdul also included a ShoutOut to him in her "Opposites Attract" video, in which she dances with an animated cat.

Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, and choreographer. You may remember him as the guy who [[Film/SinginInTheRain performed a whimsical ditty in inclement weather]].

[[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gene_kelly.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:290:''"You dance joy. You dance love. You dance dreams."'']]

Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, and choreographer. You may remember him as the guy who [[Film/SinginInTheRain performed a whimsical ditty in inclement weather]].

Though he tended to play [[CasanovaWannabe "heels"]], Kelly's performances gave the impression that anyone -- athletes, sailors, or Joe Sixpack -- could sing and dance. (As he once put it, "Creator/FredAstaire represented the aristocracy, I represented the proletariat.") This quality was further evidenced by his trademark outfit, which consisted of [[ClothesMakeTheLegend a polo shirt, white socks and loafers]]. The white socks were handy for protecting his feet; Kelly later shared this tip with Music/MichaelJackson, which led to the singer's trademark look.

* DreamBallet: His best-remembered movies tend to have a dream sequence. ''Paris'' had that acid-trip ballet which closes out the movie. ''Singin[='=]'' has Kelly pitching a musical to the studio boss ("Broadway Melody"), featuring Cyd Charrisse as an evil {{flapper}}. Charrisse was trained in ballet, and while her dance in the speakeasy is [[{{Fanservice}} more famous]], she has another scene in the dream which is a ballet dance. ''On the Town'' is an odd example because his character (Gabey) had a dream sequence in the stage musical, but it was cut from the film. (For some reason, they replaced all but one of Leonard Bernstein's high-brow songs with original ones, none of which were popular.) Of course, MGM arranged for Gabey to dance with [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry Jerry the Mouse]], which was cutting-edge at the time. In ''Cover Girl'', Kelly has a {{dance off}} with his reflection in a shop window, before hurling a trashcan at his doppelganger and [[RageAgainstTheReflection shattering it.]] His swan song, ''Xanadu'', had a sequence of Kelly dancing with a past incarnation of Music/OliviaNewtonJohn from World War II.

* Eddie O'Brien in ''Take Me Out to the Ball Game'' (1949)

* Tommy Albright in ''Brigadoon'' (1954)

* Ted Riley in ''It's Always Fair Weather'' (1955)

* DreamBallet: His best-remembered movies tend to have a dream sequence. ''Paris'' had that acid-trip ballet which closes out the movie. ''Singin[='=]'' has Kelly pitching a musical to the studio boss ("Broadway Melody"), featuring Cyd Charrise as an evil {{flapper}}. Charrise was trained in ballet, and while her dance in the speakeasy is more famous, she has another scene in the dream which is a ballet dance. ''On the Town'' is an odd example because his character (Gabey) had a dream sequence in the stage musical, but it was cut from the film. (For some reason, they replaced all but one of Leonard Bernstein's high-brow songs with original ones, none of which were popular.) Of course, MGM arranged for Gabey to dance with [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry Jerry the Mouse]], which was cutting-edge at the time. In ''Cover Girl'', Kelly has a {{dance off}} with his reflection in a shop window, before hurling a trashcan at his doppelganger and [[RageAgainstTheReflection shattering it.]] His swan song, ''Xanadu'', had a sequence of Kelly dancing with a past incarnation of Music/OliviaNewtonJohn from World War II.

* DreamBallet: His best-remembered movies tend to have a dream sequence. ''Paris'' had that acid-trip ballet which closes out the movie. ''Singin[='=]'' has Kelly pitching a musical to the studio boss ("Broadway Melody"). ''On the Town'' is an odd example because his character (Gabey) had a dream sequence in the stage musical, but it was cut from the film. (For some reason, they replaced all but one of Leonard Bernstein's high-brow songs with original ones, none of which were popular.) Of course, MGM arranged for Gabey to dance with [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry Jerry the Mouse]], which was cutting-edge at the time. In ''Cover Girl'', Kelly has a {{dance off}} with his reflection in a shop window, before hurling a trashcan at his doppelganger and shattering it. His swan song, ''Xanadu'', had a sequence of Kelly dancing with a past incarnation of Music/OliviaNewtonJohn from World War II.

* TomHanksSyndrome: [[invoked]] Kelly's career fizzled in the 1950s, and he didn't make much of an impression as a dramatic actor (He played E.K. Hornbeck, an expy of Creator/HLMencken, in the 1960 [[Film/InheritTheWind film version]] of ''Theatre/InheritTheWind''). However in a case of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, Gene Kelly did appear in the little known FilmNoir ''Christmas Holiday'' (opposite Deanna Durbin), where he plays a proto-[[Film/{{Psycho}} Norman Bates]] killer. The film has a cult status among noir afficionados.

-->'''WebVideo/TheCinemaSnob''': Suddenly I have the urge [[GlamorousWartimeSinger to buy war bonds.]]

* DreamBallet: His best-remembered movies tend to have a dream sequence. ''Paris'' had that acid-trip ballet which closes out the movie. ''Singin[='=]'' has Kelly pitching a musical to the studio boss ("Broadway Melody"). ''On the Town'' is an odd example because his character (Gabey) had a dream sequence in the stage musical, but it was cut from the film. (For some reason, they replaced all but one of Leonard Bernstein's high-brow songs with original ones, none of which were popular.) Of course, MGM arranged for Gabey to dance with [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry Jerry the Mouse]], which was cutting-edge at the time. In ''Cover Girl'', Kelly has a {{dance off}} with his reflection in a shop window, before hurling a trashcan at his doppelganger and shattering it. His swan song, ''Xanadu'', had a sequence of Kelly dancing with a past incarnation of Olivia Newton-Jojn from World War II.

* HostilityOnTheSet: Kelly's perfectionism was infamous among co-stars and colleagues, over whom he ruled as absolute overlord. Creator/DebbieReynolds and Donald O'Connor both bore the brunt of this while shooting ''Singin' in the Rain''; Reynolds basically had to mimic Kelly's every move (despite not being a trained dancer) in '''heels''', while O'Connor got shouted at whenever Kelly was irritated with Reynolds, since Kelly didn't feel justified in punishing a novice. Reynolds, an octogenarian who kept working up until her death in December 2016, attributed her longevity to Kelly's hellish training. Later in his career he admitted that he might've crossed the line a few times with his particular 'style]' of directing and apologized to some actors whom he thought bore the worst of it, including O'Connor and Reynolds. In fact, Reynolds was shocked that Kelly considered her a friend and was amicable, as she was under the impression he despised her.

* DreamBallet: His best-remembered movies tend to have a dream sequence. ''Paris'' had that acid-trip ballet which closes out the movie. ''Singin[='=]'' has Kelly pitching a musical to the studio boss ("Broadway Melody"). ''On he Town'' is an odd example because his character (Gabey) had a dream sequence in the stage musical, but it was cut from the film. (For some reason, they replaced all but one of Leonard Bernstein's highbrow songs, none of which were popular.) Of course, MGM arranged for Gabey to dance with [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry Jerry the Mouse]], which was cutting-edge at the time. In ''Cover Girl'', Kelly has a {{dance off}} with his reflection in a shop window, before hurling a trashcan at his doppelganger and shattering it. His swan song, ''Xanadu'', had a sequence of Kelly dancing with a past incarnation of Olivia Newton-Jojn from World War II.

Film producer Daivd O. Selznik discovered Kelly after seeing him star in ''Pal Joey'' on Broadway. Under Creator/{{MGM}}, Kelly became a megastar by appearing in a string of famous musicals. His biggest successes in the post-war period were ''Film/OnTheTown'', ''Film/AnAmericanInParis'', and his iconic role in ''Film/SinginInTheRain''.

* DreamBallet: His best-remembered movies tend to have a dream sequence. ''Paris'' had that acid-trip ballet which closes out the movie. ''Singin[='=]'' has Kelly pitching a musical to the studio boss ("Broadway Melody"). ''On he Town'' is an odd example because his character (Gabey) had a dream sequence in the stage musical, but it was cut from the film. (For some reason, they replaced all but one of Leonard Bernstein's highbrow songs, none of which were popular.) Of course, MGM arranged for Gabey to dance with [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry Jerry the Mouse]], which was cutting-edge at the time. In ''Cover Girl'', Kelly has a {{dance off}} with his reflection in a shop window, before hurling a trashcan at his doppelganger and shattering it. His swan song, ''Xanadu'', had a sequence of Kelly dancing with a past incarnation of Olivia Newton-Jon from World War II.

* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Creator/JudyGarland was his mentor on the set of ''Me and My Gal''; Kelly would later claim she taught him everything he knew about the business. Years later, when Garland came out of rehab, Gene requested her for ''Summer Stock''.
* BigManOnCampus: Not only was he competitive at work, he was a rabid competitor in sports as well.
* DrillSergeantNasty:
** Kelly's perfectionism was infamous among his co-stars and colleagues, over whom he ruled as absolute overlord. Creator/DebbieReynolds and Donald O'Connor both bore the brunt of this while shooting ''Singin' in the Rain''; Reynolds basically had to mimic Kelly's every move (despite not being a trained dancer) in '''heels''', while O'Connor [[TheScapegoat got shouted at]] whenever Kelly was irritated with Reynolds, since Kelly didn't feel justified in punishing a novice. Reynolds, who was still working up until her death in December 2016 (despite being an octogenarian), attributed her longevity to Kelly's hellish training.
** Later in his career he admitted that he might've crossed the line a few times with his particular ''[[PrimaDonnaDirector style]]'' of directing and apologized to some actors whom he thought bore the worst of it, O'Connor and Reynolds in particular. In fact, Reynolds was shocked that Kelly considered her a friend and was amicable, as she was under the impression he despised her.

* IntergenerationalFriendship:
** He was close to Fred Astaire, who came from the generation of performers before his, and eagerly took every opportunity to work with his idol and friend.
** Following Paula Abdul's release of "[[AnimatedMusicVideo Opposites Attract]]". Kelly took notice of the music video and enjoyed it, later asking Paula over to his place for tea. The pair continued to meet for tea once per week until his death.

* RedOniBlueOni: Himself (Red) and Fred Astaire (Blue). The pair didn't dance together often, unfortunately. Their styles have been described as Astaire skittering across the stage like a waterbug on a pond, while Kelly stomped holes in the floorboards.

** Kelly originally suggested doing a dance with WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse instead of [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry Jerry]] the mouse, but Disney was going through serious financial problems during the early 40's, and couldn't afford to outsource animation to other studios.
** Kelly was all set to play the lead in ''Easter Parade'' (1948), but broke his ankle during a volleyball game (not caused by the game itself, but by stamping his foot in frustration when his teammates started goofing off). Astaire ended up filling in for him, playing opposite Judy Garland. As it was originally meant for Kelly, the role is significantly darker than the boy scouts Astaire was known for playing--and that's ''after'' it was lightened quite a bit from the original draft of the script.

** Later in his career he admitted that he might've crossed the line a few times with his particular ''[[PrimmaDonnaDirector style]]'' of directing and apologized to some actors whom he thought bore the worst of it, O'Connor and Reynolds in particular. In fact, Reynolds was shocked that Kelly considered her a friend and was amicable, as she was under the impression he despised her.

** Later in his career he admitted that he might've crossed the line a few times with his particular ''style'' of directing and apologized to some actors whom he thought bore the worst of it, O'Connor and Reynolds in particular. In fact, Reynolds was shocked that Kelly considered her a friend and was amicable, as she was under the impression he despised her.

** Following Music/PaulaAbdul's release of "[[AnimatedMusicVideo Opposites Attract]]". Kelly took notice of the music video and enjoyed it, later asking Paula over to his place for tea. The pair continued to meet for tea once per week until his death.

* RedOniBlueOni: Himself (Red) and Creator/FredAstaire (Blue). The pair didn't dance together often, unfortunately. Their styles have been described as Astaire skittering across the stage like a waterbug on a pond, while Kelly stomped holes in the floorboards.