Notes On A Napkin

Just a cheery sight for today! Gene surrounded by Christmas trees amidst the Christmas Market in Leicester Square. I love that people stop by to say hi to him and then send me photos. I absolutely love this statue. It took hours and hours to get every detail right. But the wonderful team stuck with me through it all and got it right. I was insistent about everything. I didn't want to cringe every time I saw it, thinking, "Oh, if only we had..." It was a good lesson for everyone in how important it is to stick to your guns. If you believe in something, see it through. That's what Gene did and I've tried to emulate him in this as best as I can.

I've looked at this photo hundreds of times, but this morning I was especially struck by the gloriousness of it, as it captures beauty and joy in Cyd Charisse's gaze and outstretched arms. Gene assiduously rehearsed this segment of the Broadway Melody ballet with his assistant Carol Haney standing in for Cyd. It took three Ritter fans (the equivalent of three airplane motors) to get the long scarf into the air. Gene had to choreograph the scarf along with his movement, Cyd's movement and the camera's movement. He carefully instructed the Ritter fan operators in where to direct the fans and how to time the "wind" with the music. I bought Cyd's white dress from the Debbie Reynolds auction several years ago. It is in disrepair, but it is still magnificent. I think.

Here's a photo I found from October 30, 1993. Gene and I had a date every Saturday night. We started with dinner at Wolfgang Puck's Spago up on Sunset Blvd., where we always sat at a two-top in the corner by the window. Then we went to the bar in the Peninsula Hotel to listen to piano music, often until the early hours of the morning. Many of my notes from my conversations with Gene are written on cocktail napkins and sugar packs from these evenings at The Peninsula when Gene's memory was stirred as he heard the songs of his youth, including "September Song," "Autumn Leaves," "Stardust," and more. As you can see by this, we were celebrating Halloween a little early when our dear friend @shariweise brought her young daughter @izzybugatti in her cow costume. (Gene, by the way, loved this little one. He suggested the name Isabella for her and it stuck, beautifully.) The following night, we did what others in our neighborhood did, we gave out treats to the many kids who came from all over.

Gene said he had great fun working with Phil Silvers and Rita Hayworth on Cover Girl (1944). He described Silvers as "one of the greatest comedians of all time" and Hayworth as "a great gal" who moved beautifully. All three were pros who could also have a good time. Phil Silvers was at Gene's house for the famous evenings of charades and singing around the piano. When Rita Hayworth's daughter, Princess Aga Khan, reached out to Gene to enlist his aid in bringing attention to Alzheimer's disease, he said yes and gave his name as a supporter of the annual Rita Hayworth Gala, established in 1984. Now known as the Imagine Benefit, the event has raised nearly $90 million to advance the cause. It is a fitting alliance, since Gene's films are frequently used in care homes for patients with Alzheimer's and dementia. I've spoken in several while sharing Gene's movies and it is amazing to see how people respond to the images and to the music. There is often instant recognition and joy.

I think you'll enjoy this! It is a photo of Gene and producer Arthur Freed checking in to the Caledonian Hotel in Edinburgh in April 1953. They took the night train from London and were in Scotland to scout locations for Brigadoon. Sadly, shooting on location did not come to pass, due to weather and budget. But I love that he was there, meeting folks, seeing dance. He loved every minute of it. And, charmer that he was, he knew how to lean in with that smile, didn't he? The thing is, it wasn't fake. It was genuine. I think that's one of the reasons it is so appealing.

You might not have seen this photo before. It is Gene as the "Black Arrow" in Dubarry Was a Lady (1943). The snipe on the back reads: "REVOLUTIONARY RALLY...Gene Kelly leads a gang of cutpurses in a display of vengeance against King Louis XV." Gene's first agent in New York thought Gene's name was too Irish and wanted him to change it to Frank Black. Had Gene done it, you would have had Frank Black in The Black Hand; Frank Black as the Black Arrow; Frank Black as Mack the Black Macoco. You get the drift.

This photo was shot by Gene's friend, the photographer Milton Greene, for an Air France ad campaign. Some of you might think this is Paris. Others of you will recognize this location from the old M-G-M lot.

Gene is referred to as a "Spritely Gob" in the snipe on the back of this photo showing Gene performing "Bell Bottom Trousers" when he appeared as a guest on The Julie Andrews Show in 1965. The song is a re-working of a bawdy sea song titled "The Servant of Rosemary Lane." A cleaner version was written in 1944 by bandleader Moe Jaffe and became popular during World War II. In 1945, it was recorded by Tony Pastor's orchestra, Kay Kyser's, Guy Lombardo's, Jerry Colonna, Louis Prima orchestra, and more, with the recordings topping the charts for weeks. The chorus for this version: "Singing bell bottom trousers,/ Coats of navy-blue./ Let him climb the rigging/ Like his daddy used to do." A pretty charming gob, I'd say.

Here's a photo of Gene rehearsing his Spanish dance in the Pontiac TV Special he did with Carol Lawrence and Donald O'Connor in 1959. The image is by Tony Karp who worked as a still photographer from 1959 to 1962, with many of his assignments for NBC-TV. Over fifty years ago, he designed and built the computer-controlled zoom lens that was used to shoot the opening scene of The Godfather (1972). According to Karp, "This was the first piece of computer-controlled equipment used in the making of a major motion picture. The computer interface made it possible for the director or cameraman to easily set up a zoom by dialing the start, the finish, and how long the zoom should take. The zoom was repeatable, which made multiple takes easy. Unlike other zoom controls available at the time, it had no low-speed limit. This made it possible to have the three-minute zoom used to shoot the opening scene of The Godfather." Small world, isn't it. I bet you want to re-watch that opening scene now, don't you!

Well, there he is! Unmistakable yet again. Gene's handwritten note on the back of this photo reads: "Dancing with a young partner at a school entertainment - Age 10 - Girl is Claire Cupps." It is amazing to see that he is all there in that 10-year-old smile. White tie and tails—the very thing he worked to escape from years later. With an aversion to the rich who populated Pittsburgh and Johnstown, Gene said he wanted to "dance like the common man" and to create a style of dance that represented the American male. As I've said before, he based that style on the type of movement he knew best—sports, including the baseball and hockey that he loved. So, broad, wide open steps, low to the ground. p.s. You superstars have identified that Claire Cupps was born in Pittsburgh on November 8, 1913. It makes sense, since Gene was born August 23, 1912. Thank you for your spelunking!