Gene Kelly: Dancer, Actor, Legend Quiz

Answer: Pittsburgh

Eugene "Gene" Kelly was born on Aug. 23, 1912, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to James and Harriet Kelly, where his father was a traveling record salesman. Gene was the middle of five children, and his mother insisted all take music and dance lessons in their youth.

In high school Gene joined the football and hockey teams, but also continued further dance lessons as a teenager. He started college at Pennsylvania State College, but had to postpone it for a few years due to the Depression and subsequent lack of funds. In the meantime he taught gymnastics to earn pocket money.

Answer: World's Fair

Gene Kelly went back to college, and earned an economics degree at the University of Pittsburgh in 1933. He did not find work right away, so he worked with his mother at a local dance studio, which was soon renamed Gene Kelly Studio of Dance.

In the early 1930s he also turned to the world of acting. He was directing local theater and vaudeville productions in the area. In 1934, he and his brother Fred performed in an act at a children's theater during the Chicago World's Fair. It was in the area called the "Enchanted Island", and Gene acted and danced while on roller skates.

Answer: "Leave It To Me"

When Kelly was 27 years old, he moved to New York to try his luck on Broadway. His debut was in 1938 in "Leave It To Me", where he danced while Mary Martin sang "My Heart Belongs to Daddy". In 1939, he played Harry the Hoofer in "The Time of Your Life", where he also had small speaking parts in addition to dancing.

Kelly's big break occurred when he got the role of Joey Evans in "Pal Joey", which was a 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical. His reprisal of the manipulative nightclub performer gained him many positive reviews, including one from a critic at the "New York Times". All of this fanfare gained the attention of David O. Selznick, a film executive in Hollywood.

Answer: False

Gene met Betsy Blair in New York when she was working as a chorus girl in a nightclub. They married and moved to California the next year. Due to multiple reasons, such as dual careers and political activism, the couple divorced in 1957. Betsy would later move to Paris, where she continued an acting career. She and Gene maintained an amicable relationship after divorcing.

Answer: Himself

In 1941, Gene Kelly headed to Hollywood as a new player in David Selznick's production company. However, due to a shortage of roles, he was loaned out to MGM, where in 1942 he performed in "For Me and My Gal" with Judy Garland. MGM then bought out his contract and had him act in minor roles for several years.

In 1944, Gene was loaned out to Columbia Pictures. Here he starred with Rita Hayworth in "Cover Girl". Working on this film was a young man named Stanley Donen, who would go on to be a major Hollywood choreographer. Gene worked with Donen and they created a unique dance scene where Gene appeared to dance with himself. This was done by combining two photography sequences onto the same film.

The film showed off Gene's ability as a dancer, highlighted the groundbreaking cinematography, and made a star out of Rita Hayworth.

Answer: "Anchors Aweigh"

Gene Kelly enlisted as an officer in the U.S. Navy in 1944, and served in the Photographic Section in Washington, D.C. while continuing to act in films.

In 1945, he starred in "Anchors Aweigh" with Frank Sinatra and Kathryn Grayson. Gene persuaded MGM officials that they should spend $100,000 and two months shooting an eight-minute number, in which he would dance with Jerry the mouse from the "Tom and Jerry" cartoon series. Gene did this by dancing against a blue background and then animators created the mouse's portion of the dance. Audiences were amazed at this new technique. This further solidified his image as an actor and choreographer.

Answer: Choreography

After WWII ended, Gene Kelly made 9 more movies from 1946 through 1950. These also included two with Frank Sinatra and several choreographed with Stanley Donen. One of the movies during this time was "On The Town", which was the first musical to be shot on location (in New York).

In 1951, "An American in Paris," in which Gene received sole star billing, won eight Academy Awards, including best picture of the year, and a special Oscar for him for his contributions to screen choreography. An important part of the movie was a seventeen minute long ballet dance that Gene helped design.

Answer: He had a fever of 103 degrees

Gene Kelly starred in the movie "Singin' In The Rain" in 1952 along with Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds. Debbie was only 18 and this was her first major role and she was learning dancing and singing from Gene as the movie was shot.

A key scene was one where Gene danced through puddles in a storm. The sets had to be meticulously planned to create the precise puddle locations for his steps. The day of the shooting, Gene woke up with a fever of 103 degrees. Further, to make the water visible on screen, milk was added to the water, creating a sticky set. Nevertheless, Gene insisted the "show go on" and completed it in one take.

Gene starred in a few more movies in the 1950s before the era of big musicals began to end.

Answer: True

In 1958, Gene Kelly wrote, narrated, and danced in an NBC-TV special called "Dancing: A Man's Game", in which he used athletes to demonstrate the physicality and manliness of dance. He also won an Emmy for his role in the televised children's movie "Jack and The Beanstalk".

Gene made guest appearances on television programs like "The Muppet Show", "The Julie Andrews Show", and "The Dean Martin Show". In his later years, he even appeared on episodes of "The Love Boat".

Answer: Three

In 1985, Gene Kelly was working on a documentary about the Smithsonian museum when he met 26 year old Patricia Ward. He was 73. Despite the large age difference, they dated and married in 1990. Gene had a series of strokes at the start of 1996.

On February 2, 1996, Gene Kelly died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 83. He left behind his three children. His daughter Kerry, from his first marriage, went into psychology. Timothy and Bridget were from his second marriage. Tim followed his father's footsteps into the film industry. Bridget became a costume designer.

Gene Kelly left behind a legacy of movies, plays, songs, television shows, and delightful memories for all of his fans.