MGM was the largest and most powerful studio in Hollywood in 1941 when Gene Kelly arrived in town. He came direct from the hit Broadway show "Pal Joey" and planned to return to the Broadway stage after making the one film called for in his movie contract. His first film for MGM was For Me and My Gal with Judy Garland. What kept Kelly in Hollywood were "the kindred creative spirits" he found behind the scenes at MGM. The talent pool was especially large during World War II, when Hollywood was a refuge for many musicians and others in the performing arts of Europe who were forced to flee the Nazis. After the war, a new generation was coming of age. Those who saw An American in Paris would try to make real life as romantic as the reel life portrayed in that musical, and the first time they saw Paris, they were seeing again in memory the 17-minute ballet sequence set to the title song written by George Gershwin and choreographed by Kelly. The sequence cost half a million dollars to make--in 1951 dollars. Another Kelly musical of that era, Singin' in the Rain, was one of the first 25 films selected by the Library of Congress for its National Film Registry of movies that are part of the American heritage. Kelly was in the same league as Fred Astaire, but instead of a top hat and tails, Kelly wore work clothes that went with the masculine, athletic dance style he was creating with his "snappy paper-tearing, roller-skating, puddle-stomping footwork."


During World War II he was a sailor stationed at the U S Naval Photographic Center in Anacostia, DC (where the documentary "Victory at Sea" (1952) was later assembled for NBC-TV). He starred in several Navy films while on active duty there and in "civilian" films while on leave. Ranked #26 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] He was awarded the National Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton in 1994. Had three children: Kerry Kelly, with Betsy Blair, in 1942, and Bridget Kelly and Tim Kelly, with Jeanne Coyne, in the 1960s. Was dance consultant for Madonna's 1993 "Girlie Show" tour. His first two wives were dancers. Actress Betsy Blair met Gene while she was a performer and he a choreographer in the show "Diamond Horseshoe". Second wife Jeanne Coyne was Gene's dancing assistant for many years before they married in 1960. A major talent in her own right, her dazzling footwork can be seen in the "From This Moment On" number alongside partner Bobby Van, Ann Miller, Tommy Rall, Carol Haney and Bob Fosse in Kiss Me Kate (1953) (1953). She died of leukemia in 1973. Working on an autobiography at the time of his death. Kennedy Center Honoree, 1982 Martial arts stars Jackie Chan and David Carradine both cite him as an influence. Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945-1985". Pages 510-515. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988. Was named the #15 greatest actor on The 50 Greatest Screen Legends list by the American Film Institute Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 309-312. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Ray Bradbury's novel "Something Wicked This Way Comes" was dedicated to Kelly. He wore a hairpiece (toupee). Had a fever of 103 degrees while filming the famous rain scene in Singing In The Rain. He and MGM studio head Louis B Mayer shared a long standing feud stemming from even before Kelly entered the motion picture business. One evening after seeing Gene perform in Pal Joey on Broadway, Mayer met Kelly backstage and offered to sign him to MGM without a screen test. When Kelly later received a call from a MGM representative requesting a screen test he insisted there was some sort of mistake saying he had Mayer's word he did not have to make one and told the rep to ask Mayer himself. When the rep did, he called back days later stating that he did talk to Mayer and that he still had to make a test. Gene was furious and wrote a scathing letter to Mayer for retracting his promise. For the first couple of years he worked for Mayer, Kelly was uncertain that Mayer even read the letter until Louis brought it up in an argument one evening. Was originally set to star as Don Hewes alongside Judy Garland in Easter Parade (1948). However before filming began he broke his leg, resulting in Fred Astaire coming out of retirement in order to replace him in the film.