On Academics and Fansites (or, My Justification for Creating Gene Kelly Fans)
Yikes! My last post, on similarities between animated GIFs and early cinema, was over a month ago. Where have I been, you ask? Unfortunately, not on vacation, not teaching, and certainly not at the...
View ArticleThank You, Gene Kelly, for Not Directing Cabaret
Last week I stumbled across several 1976 newspaper articles in which Gene Kelly discusses his return to movies. After the death of his (second) wife, Jeanne Coyne, Kelly turned down virtually any film...
View ArticleA Tribute to Gene Kelly’s Rug
This entry is part 8 of 13 in the series Pic of the Day. To lift viewers’ spirits, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) devoted yesterday’s schedule (Sept. 11) to films that celebrate New York City. Among the...
View ArticleOn Sleeping in Gene Kelly’s Pajamas (Quote of the Day)
This entry is part 6 of 29 in the series Quote of the Day. Betsy Blair and Gene Kelly, courting in Central Park, 1941 “A ritual developed at the end of each evening. They [pianist/playwright Dick...
View ArticleGene and Debbie (Not) Sitting in a Tree: That One Kiss Debbie Reynolds Cannot...
(Originally posted over at Gene Kelly Fans.) On the evening of October 22, a slew of Gene Kelly fans from across the country tuned in to Turner Classic Movies to watch and live-tweet An American in...
View ArticleGene Kelly in the 21st Century: SCMS 2012
A few minutes ago, the Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS) released the schedule for its 2012 Conference, to be held in Boston, March 21-25. For those non-academic readers, here’s how this...
View Article11 Top Posts of 2011
The end of the year is nigh, which means that a slew of “Top Ten,” “Best Of,” and “Most Watched” lists is upon us. Yep, if they haven’t already, your favorite journalists, bloggers, critics, and...
View ArticlePutting the Ass in Assets: The Objectification of Gene Kelly (and Other Men)...
I’ve written before, mostly in jest, about the public’s interest in Gene Kelly’s backside. That’s right; devoted to his bum are individual tumblelogs and Facebook pages, recurring hashtags, animated...
View ArticleGene Kelly Cops a Feel in The Pirate
This entry is part 12 of 13 in the series Pic of the Day. For those unaware that Hollywood censored itself to avoid government intervention, here’s a quick history lesson to precede the brilliant...
View ArticleWhat, An Erotic Judy Garland? Burn the Negative! (Quote of the Day)
This entry is part 17 of 29 in the series Quote of the Day. Since I’m currently infatuated with certain sensual scenes/shots from The Pirate (Vincente Minnelli, 1948), here are a couple of...
View ArticleDancing in the Rain: Gene Kelly, the BBC, and Me
This entry is part 1 of 6 in the series Dancing in the Rain. Dancin’ in the rain In October 2011, BBC Radio 2 invited me to take part “Dancing in the Rain: Gene Kelly,” a documentary celebrating the...
View ArticleGene Kelly’s Prominence in American Film (Dancing in the Rain)
This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series Dancing in the Rain. This is the portion of my BBC Radio interview that made it into the final broadcast. See series “Dancing in the Rain” for more...
View ArticleGetting Hooked On, Teaching About, and Rating Gene Kelly (Dancing in the Rain)
This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series Dancing in the Rain. You came to Gene Kelly quite late didn’t you? Your first experience of his work? I did. I was in the second year of my PhD program, studying...
View ArticleGene Kelly: Status, Style, and Substance (Dancing in the Rain)
This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series Dancing in the Rain. What place do song-and-dance men (like Gene Kelly) hold in cinema history? An important one in Hollywood’s classical era, at least. After...
View ArticleGene Kelly: The Scar, The Rug, The Number, The Stilettos (Dancing in the Rain)
This entry is part 4 of 6 in the series Dancing in the Rain. Gene Kelly’s appearance: the rug verses the scar. Why cover one and not the other? My guess is that the scar suggests masculinity and...
View ArticleGene Kelly Fan vs. Scholar (Dancing in the Rain)
This entry is part 5 of 6 in the series Dancing in the Rain. You set Gene Kelly Fans. What has the response to the site been? Overall, pretty good. Some days the site receives 100 hits, other days 500,...
View ArticleTCM’s 31 Days of Oscar Promo
In case you missed this year’s super-cool, seamlessly edited promotion for TCM’s upcoming 31 Days of Oscar (Feb. 1–Mar. 2), I’m embedding it here. Sure, the “trailer” features scenes from An American...
View ArticleAmbitious, Creative, and Indispensable: RIP, Gene Kelly (Pic of the Day)
This entry is part 11 of 13 in the series Pic of the Day. Sixteen years ago today, the world lost one of Hollywood’s greatest entertainers, dancers, choreographers, innovators, cinematographers, and...
View ArticleBackstage Musicals: For People Without Balls (Quote of the Day)
This entry is part 21 of 29 in the series Quote of the Day. Any of you have the balls? The main reason why most film and TV musicals are backstagers is simple: it provides a ready-made excuse for...
View ArticleThe Oscars’ (Misleading, Dumb, and Revealing) 2012 Ad Campaign
This entry is part 15 of 16 in the series Essays / Analyses. We showed you how to kiss…and be dragged upstairs for some domestic rape! This year’s Oscars ad campaign, “Celebrate the Movies in All of...
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