That's Entertainment! Page #6

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He just keeps rollin'

He keeps on rollin'

along

You and me, we sweat and strain

Body all aching and racked with pain

Tote that barge and lift that bale

Ya get a little drunk

And ya lands in

jail

I gets weary

And sick of trying

I'm tired of living

And scared of dying

And ol'man river

He just keeps rolling

along

I'll go my way by myself

Like a bird on the wing

I remembered something else

I learned at the studio...

during my stay there. MGM's motto. ;

"Do it big, do it right, and give it class."

I'd like you to meet someone

who certainly measures up to that phrase.

He's the classiest gentleman

I've ever worked with.

Mr. Fred Astaire.

I'm by myself

alone

I have a great many fond memories

about this place.

So many happy moments worrying

about whether or not...

we were getting the job done. What fun.

We shot some of The Band Wagon here.

Being here again brings to mind

some of the wonderful people...

I've worked with over the years.

One of them in particular...

is my long-time friend...

Gene Kelly.

In The Pirate with the Nicholas Brothers...

Gene displayed the rough and tumble

kind of acrobatic dancing...

that quickly became a popular part

of his repertoire.

From the start,

Gene was constantly experimenting...

from classical ballet

to a burlesque buck-and-wing.

He was determined to broaden

the horizons of the film musical.

And in doing so, he became

one of the most versatile...

and original performers

the movies have ever known.

Kelly was forever breaking rules.

Though the studio often tried

to stop him...

Gene insisted on doing his own stunts.

His bosses always seemed to find out

about it after the scene had been shot.

But audiences

loved the sight of Gene himself...

flying through the air in film after film.

New York, New York, a wonderful town

The Bronx is up and the Battery's down

The people ride in a hole in the ground

New York, New York

it's a wonderful town!

In On the Town with Frank Sinatra

and Jules Munshin...

Manhattan became the backdrop

for this unforgettable romp.

A tribute to Gene's persistence...

it was the first major musical

to be filmed on location.

The famous places to visit are so many

Or so the guidebooks say

I told my grandpa I wouldn't miss on any

But we got just one day

Gotta see the whole town

Right from Yonkers on down to the bay

In just one day

New York, New York, a wonderful town

The Bronx is up and the Battery's down

The people ride in a hole in the ground

New York, New York

it's a wonderful town!

Manhattan women are all in silk and satin

Or so the fellas say

There's just one thing necessary

in Manhattan

When you got just one day

Gotta pick up a date, maybe seven or eight

on your way

In just one day

New York, New York, a wonderful town

The Bronx is up and the Battery's down

The people ride in a hole in the ground

New York, New York!

It's a wonderful town!

I've had a lot of partners in my day.

But can you imagine a grown man

dancing with a mouse?

Well, Gene did just that

in Anchors Aweigh.

His dancing partner was Jerry the Mouse

ofTom and Jerry fame.

Critics said it was the most effective use

of live and animation technique...

ever put on film.

And I certainly agree.

Look at me! I'm dancing!

More than any other star, I think

Gene Kelly became the symbol...

of the MGM musical of the 1950s.

And here's a classic routine

that audiences would never forget.

This is my favorite number

from one of his very best musicals. ;

Singin' in the Rain.

I'm singin'in the rain

Just singin'in the rain

What a glorious feelin'

I'm happy again

I'm laughing at clouds

So dark up above

The sun's in my heart

And I'm ready for love

Let the stormy clouds chase

Everyone from the place

Come on with the rain

I've a smile on my face

I walk down the lane

With a happy refrain

Just singin'

Singin'in the rain

Dancin'in the rain

I'm happy again!

I'm singin'and dancin'in the rain!

I'm dancin'and singin'

in the rain

The finale to the Broadway ballet

from Singin' in the Rain...

seems to me to exemplify the genius

of Gene Kelly.

Actor, singer, dancer,

choreographer and director.

Gotta dance!

Gotta dance!

Gotta dance!

That's the Broadway

melody!

You've seen Gene Kelly's work

on the screen.

I think I've said it all.

He's one of those rare talents

who really understands...

what the movie musical is all about.

Now I'd like you to meet someone

that recently joined the gang.

If Hollywood breeding

could be compared to royalty...

then she would certainly be

our crown princess.

I remember so well when she,

as a tiny little girl...

used to sit on the set watching her father,

Vincente Minnelli...

directing me in several pictures.

Her mother:
The fabulous Judy Garland.

Yet this young lady has made it

all on her own, yes, she has.

Miss Liza Minnelli.

The first studio I've ever been inside

was MGM.

I can't really say that I grew up here.

But I know that for over 10 years,

I'd race like crazy after school...

to get down here and visit

whatever set my parents were on.

You may not know this...

but I made my film debut at MGM.

In the very last shot for

The Good Old Summertime...

they needed a little girl

to play the daughter...

of Van Johnson and Mama.

Guess who got the part.

There she is, folks. What personality!

No wonder I didn't get any billing.

It's no wonder this place

will always be a part of me.

My father directed dozens of films here...

and Mama, well, this was her home

for over 15 years...

and 30 films.

It began in 1935.

In an MGM musical short...

a vaudeville team called

the Gumm Sisters...

made their first appearance on film.

Twelve-year-old Frances

was the stand-out...

and talent scouts from MGM

decided to give her a chance.

But first they changed her name

from Frances Gumm to Judy Garland.

The studio put Mom

in another short subject.

This time they paired her up

with a young operatic singer named...

Deanna Durbin.

These musical shorts

were like a screen test.

In those days, if you came across

in a two-reeler...

you just might have a chance

in a real musical.

Swing

North, south, east, west,

just swing

You'll find the swing is best, swing

Make it a national thing

You'll find

There is a chance of romance

If on the dance floor, you dance

America

Although MGM would drop

Deanna Durbin...

some executives at the studio pleaded

to keep my mother under contract.

And they finally won.

Well, they kept her at MGM just barely.

She spent the next few years

in low-budget musicals.

Once in a while, she did appear

as a sort of novelty act...

in a big extravaganza like

the Broadway Melody of 1938...

with Buddy Ebsen.

Mama once told me...

MGM seemed obsessed

with Shirley Temple.

They even offered 20th Century Fox

Jean Harlow and Clark Gable...

just to get Temple for a certain picture

that Metro was preparing.

But the deal fell through.

So MGM finally went ahead

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