{"id":1756,"date":"2013-05-24T10:01:31","date_gmt":"2013-05-24T10:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=1756"},"modified":"2015-01-08T17:48:46","modified_gmt":"2015-01-08T22:48:46","slug":"gene-kelly-in-an-american-in-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/05\/24\/gene-kelly-in-an-american-in-paris\/","title":{"rendered":"Gene Kelly in \u201cAn American in Paris\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Gene <\/a>
Gene Kelly, 10, is in the center, between brothers Jim, left, and Fred. (Photo credit: Unknown) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Gene <\/a>
Gene Kelly at Peabody High School. (Photo Credit: Unknown) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
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Gene Kelly and wife Betsy Blair at the Wilkinsburg home of the Kelly parents. ( Photo by Bill Herman, Sun-Telegraph) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Gene <\/a>
Gene Kelly with Frank Sinatra, left, and Fred Astair, right, in 1975. (Photo by UPI) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
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Gene Kelly with Pirates announcer Bob Prince, left, and Mayor Richard Caliguiri at Mellon Square in 1981. (Photo by Jim Klingensmith, Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

As an actor, dancer, director and choreographer, Gene Kelly excelled on the Broadway stage, the movie screen and behind the lens of a movie camera.<\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh native moved with muscular grace and his innovative approaches pushed the boundaries of the movie musical. \u201cOn the Town,\u201d a 1949 film in which Kelly played a sailor on leave, was the first movie musical to be shot on location. Filming men dancing on the streets of New York City presented many challenges for cast and crew. Whether he danced with a mop, a mouse or Leslie Caron, Kelly thrilled his audiences with a singular, sensational ebullience. In the memorable \u201cSingin\u2019 in the Rain,\u201d his partner was an umbrella as he splashed, skipped and strolled his way into movie history.<\/p>\n

He was born Eugene Curran Kelly in East Liberty on Aug. 23, 1912. His mother, Harriet, insisted that all five of her children take music and dance lessons. In the 1930s, during the Depression, he taught at the successful Kelly School of Dance with his brother, Fred.<\/p>\n

His big break came in 1940, the year he was cast to play the unscrupulous central character in the Broadway production of \u201cPal Joey.\u201d \u00a0A critic for The New York Times observed that Kelly was not only \u201cglib-footed, but he has a feeling for comment and content that give his dancing personal distinction and raise it several notches as a dancing art.\u201d<\/p>\n

He arrived in Hollywood in 1941, where David O. Selznick had signed him to an exclusive contract. A 1944 film called \u201cCover Girl\u201d showed Kelly dancing with an ectoplasmic version of himself that represented his character\u2019s conscience.\u00a0Kelly received sole star billing for \u201cAn American in Paris.\u201d In 1951, the movie won eight Academy Awards, including best picture. Kelly received a special Oscar for his contributions to screen choreography.<\/p>\n

On Saturday night, the name of this multitalented Pittsburgh native will be invoked often as talented students from 29 schools in Allegheny County \u00a0take to the stage of the Benedum Center in Downtown\u2019s Cultural District. That\u2019s when the Pittsburgh CLO presents the 23rd annual Gene Kelly Awards, which honors the best in local high school musical theater. \u00a0Thousands will cheer as exuberant students sing and dance memorable numbers. More than 20 cash and university scholarships will be awarded. Winners of the best actor and best actress award will head to New York on July 1 to represent the Kellys in the National High School Musical Theater Awards.<\/p>\n

For those who attend, the Gene Kelly Awards are part high school prom and part pep rally for musical theater. We like to think that Gene Kelly, who died in 1996 at age 83, is there in spirit, tapping his dancing feet and singing joyously, somewhere off stage or even in the rain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Pittsburgh native moved with muscular grace and his innovative approaches pushed the boundaries of the movie musical.<\/p>\n

Look at the picturesGene Kelly in \u201cAn American in Paris\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1757,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[1066],"tags":[1167,1278,1005,1044],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/tumblr_mn9kgx4Jdu1rr5swxo1_1280.jpg?fit=1080%2C796&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1626,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/07\/05\/barbara-feldon-and-the-64000-question\/","url_meta":{"origin":1756,"position":0},"title":"Barbara Feldon and ‘The $64,000 Question’","date":"July 5, 2013","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Actress Barbara Anne Hall Feldon and Gene Kelly, who 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