The Late Gene Kelly’s Wife Says His Movies Are Being Used in Therapy
Gene Kelly was truly a triple threat. He could sing, dance and act, and is best known for some timeless classics including Singin’ in the Rain and An American in Paris. While he sadly passed away in 1996 at the age of 83, his widow Patricia Ward Kelly, who was married to the star for the last six years of his life, now makes it her mission to preserve his legacy. She recently opened up about why she believes his films have stood the test of time and which newer musical she thinks he would enjoy.
She admitted, “I hear from someone every single day — and I’m not exaggerating — someone in the world writes to me on one of the social media platforms,” and confirmed that the films have been used in treatment for neurodivergence and for people with ADHD.
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She explained, “A few years ago, I noticed an interesting trend online in what people were saying about Gene’s movies. I saw that very often they are being screened around the world in therapeutic fashion for patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia, and for ‘relaxed’ events for young people with autism and various other neurodiverse issues. I continue to be intrigued by the relationship between music and the mind, and know of several instances where music has been used therapeutically to help patients overcome their obstacles. I also have a friend whose autistic son has watched Singin’ in the Rain over 2,000 times, as it brings him both joy and comfort.”
Now, Patricia is working with the ADHD Foundation in the U.K., more specifically the Umbrella Project, which helps raise awareness of different types of neurodiversity and celebrate them rather than dismiss them or shame them.
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Patricia also gushed about the new musical film Emilia Pérez and said that Gene would have loved it. She said, “I sent notes to the director and the choreographers and the composers, congratulating them and saying that my only regret is that Gene isn’t here to see it, because I think he would be very impressed by it. I think what they do quite effectively is they use the dance and the music to propel the story. That’s what Gene was always trying to do, create a character, create a role and use the movement to propel the plot.”
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She continued, “Instead of what happened earlier in the ’30s and ’40s, when the story would go along and then it’d come to a halt. You’d have a dance number, and then it would go on to the story. So you could essentially cut the numbers out of the picture and it wouldn’t make any difference. So I think Emilia Pérez is a modern way of doing much of what Gene was doing and what he was championing then.”
Patricia added that Gene loved to watch movies at home, often forgoing the movie theater because the floors were sticky and people talked during the film. She said that he loved watching films on VHS and explaining the techniques behind some of their favorite scenes.
1950s Musicals
November 2020
Bright and brassy, toe-tapping musicals from the 1950s
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