Tag Archives: Gene Kelly

ADM21 Moses Supposes

Just in time to celebrate the August birthdays of Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor, American Dance Machine for the 21st Century has released its latest video, “Moses Supposes” (music by Roger Edens, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green) from … Continue reading

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Broadway Birthday: Liza Minnelli

Happy birthday to EGOT performer Liza Minnelli, born March 12, 1946, in Los Angeles, the daughter of performer Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli, who named her after the 1929 Gershwin song “Liza (All the Clouds’ll Roll Away).” She grew … Continue reading

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Broadway Legends: Vera-Ellen

One of the most versatile dancers on stage and screen, Vera-Ellen Rohe was born Feb. 16, 1921, in Norwood, Ohio, where she began dancing at age 9. Four years later, she won the Major Bowes Amateur Hour, which sent her … Continue reading

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Today in Musical History: An American in Paris

The Oscar-winning film An American in Paris, the pinnacle of MGM’s Freed Unit musicals, received its wide release on Jan. 11, 1952. The story centers around expat painter Jerry, who has moved to Paris after WWII and is quickly caught in … Continue reading

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History of Musicals: Broadway Goes Bust

Broadway’s Roaring Twenties came to a roaring close with the rise of Hollywood’s “talkies” and the fall of the stock market. The subsequent exodus of talent posed a serious challenge for stage musicals. In 1929, Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern … Continue reading

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Essential Film Musicals: Singin’ in the Rain

Though now often regarded as the greatest film musical ever made, Singin’ in the Rain was only a modest hit when it was first released in 1952. Its stature has grown to near legendary status in the years since. Roger … Continue reading

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Essential Film Musicals: An American in Paris

MGM’s Freed Unit, which began creating musical films in 1939 under producer Arthur Freed’s leadership, reached the peak of its creative and critical acclaim in 1951 with An American in Paris, which won the Oscar for Best Picture. Much of … Continue reading

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Essential Film Musicals: Meet Me in St. Louis

After working as an uncredited associate producer on The Wizard of Oz, Arthur Freed was given charge of his own unit at MGM. His first effort was the film adaptation of Rodgers and Hart’s stage musical Babes in Arms (1939), … Continue reading

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