Directed by Gene Kelly
Written by Leonard Gershe
1976/US
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime rental
Gene Kelly: [narrating over a clip from For Me and My Gal with Judy Garland] For Me and My Gal was my first film, and boy was I lucky! I co-starred with Judy Garland. That’s what I call starting at the top!
Movie buffs will want to start with Part I, but there are many gems from the MGM legacy in Part II.
Gene Kelly directed and he and Fred Astaire are the co-hosts. This means that they get to dance together a couple of different times! They are sill sublime years after their prime.
Most of the movie is devoted to clips from lesser-known musicals, many of which I have not seen. There are also clips from some of MGM dramas and comedies showcasing a bevy of the famous stars in the MGM galaxy. My favorite clips were of Eleanor Powell dancing. How unjustly forgotten she is! Absolutely the most amazing female tapper that ever lived.
I needed something uplifting after Carrie (1976) and this was just the ticket!
Trailer
I agree, Eleanor Powell was out of this world!
I love her but have seen only a few of her movies.
Oh yeah! Eleanor Powell! I wish her movies were as good as her!
My favorites are Born to Dance and Broadway Melody of 1936.
And then there’s Honolulu where she does an homage to Bill Robinson. In blackface.
That was the problem. She should have got better movies. I don’t remember her being a bad actress. Not a glamour girl but an appealing one.
The missing theme – hard to find a decent sounding clip (needs to be angry and attacking) this isn’t quite it, but, had the lyrics and they are worth reading, a savage recall of living in poverty – miles away from the pretty world shown here LOL – just the title fits – another I think you may have missed… and kills the reams of rap crap that tries to do the same critical thing without a fraction of the listenability and talent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJSo9YmHin0
(YouTube followed up with a similar themed one that will be high on your list so I had to add it in thanks for your unflagging efforts – I hope Mr is still improving as much as is possible)
Amazing the combo of pop music and punk lyrics in The Jam song.
Thanks for including The Kinks. I love them so.
Here’s one back at you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs6G9tisVdU