Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly were arguably the best dancers of the twentieth century. Astaire had the head start in pictures, achieving stardom in the thirties while working in a series of nine musicals with Ginger Rogers. Meanwhile the younger Kelly was honing his skills on the stage in Pittsburgh and Broadway.
Kelly Comes to Hollywood
Kelly arrived in Hollywood in 1941. David O. Selznick owned the contract for Kelly and loaned him out to MGM. Kelly’s first film was For Me and My Gal with Judy Garland. The first opportunity that Kelly had to dance his own choreography came in the picture Thousands Cheer. The forties saw Kelly’s career pick up steam, however his movies did not enjoy the box office success of Astaire’s films. Astaire was at the pinnacle of his career, some might say he was on the downward side, and Kelly was on the rise when the two danced a routine together for the first time.
Ziegfeld Follies
Kelly and Astaire danced together twice in their careers. Once in 1945 in the movie Ziegfeld Follies and then again in their waning years in the 1976 movie That’s Entertainment II. For the dance sequence in Ziegfeld Follies, the director chose a Gershwin number titled The Babbit and the Bromide, to display their talents.
Kelly’s biographer, Clive Hirschhorn, states that the relationship between the two men developed cautiously. Neither Kelly nor Astaire would criticize the others work and they were overly polite and guarded. In the words of the director Vincent Minnelli, “it was quite, quite fascinating to watch.”
Astaire and Kelly became friends and remained friends until Astaire died. Of the supposed rivalry between the men, Kelly had this to say,” The fact that Fred and myself were in no way similar-nor were we the best dance male dancers around, never occurred to the journalists who wrote about us. Fred and I got edgy when are names were mentioned in the same breath. I was the Marlon Brando of dancers and he was the Cary Grant.”
Astaire Retires Prematurely
Astaire announced his retirement in 1946 and the media declared it was because he could not compete with Kelly. Astaire retired, but not because of Kelly. Astaire’s wife had died and he was so despondent that he refused to work. The person who was responsible for bringing Astaire out of retirement was Kelly.
In 1948, Kelly had the lead role in Easter Parade. Kelly broke his ankle and was unable to do the part. Kelly called Astaire and talked him out of retirement, Astaire took the lead, and the movie was a hit. Kelly later said, “If we’d been rivals I certainly wouldn’t have encouraged him to make a come-back.”
Singin’ in the Rain
Kelly achieved the pinnacle of his career in 1952 with the musical Singin’ in the Rain. Today the musical in acclaimed as the number one musical of all time and is number one on the American Film Institute’s list of great musicals.
Although he did not star in the film, Astaire did have an effect on one of the stars, Debbie Reynolds. Reynolds was not the choice of Kelly to be the female lead and he was disappointed in her dancing ability. Astaire was filming The Belle of New York and was hanging around the studio when he discovered Reynolds crying under a piano. Astaire took Reynolds under his wing and encouraged her. Under his tutelage, Reynolds succeeded in her dance numbers, but she said she never had any fun during the filming of the musical.
Last Dance of the Masters
Kelly talked Astaire into helping narrate and star in the 1976 film That’s Entertainment II. Astaire balked at first, but agreed to do the movie if he did not have to dance. However, once Astaire and Kelly got together there was no stopping them from dancing. Kelly choreographed their song and dance numbers and made the songs capable of Astaire’s range. Astaire commented about Kelly’s abilities by saying, “he’s a damned good director.”
Kelly was extremely devoted to Astaire, because in his words, “the history of dance on film begins with Astaire.” Astaire was seventy-seven years old and in frail health. Kelly would pick him up for dinner because Astaire did not like to drive at night. For only the second time in their storied careers, the men danced together. Watching them dance together is like watching the end of an age. The film would be Astaire’s last, and Kelly would make one more musical before hanging up his dancing shoes for good.
And Then There Was One
Fred Astaire died in 1987. Upon the death of his friend, Gene Kelly released this statement, “Although we have lost one of the greatest dancers who ever lived, Fred Astaire will always be immortal and an inspiration to all dancers who come after him. He was a good, dear friend and a lovely man. God Bless him!”
Gene Kelly lived until 1996. Together the men achieved acclaim in their lifetimes and after. The American Film Institute lists Astaire #5 and Kelly at #15 on the list of the greatest male film stars.
Perhaps the two dancers are together again in heaven, dancing and singing with harps, as they did in The Babbitt and the Bromide dance number.
Reference:
Hirschhorn, Clive. Gene Kelly. Great Britain; W.H. Allen, 1974
Levinson, Peter J. Puttin On The Ritz. New York, N.Y.; St. Martins Press, 2009
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