Gene Kelly’s Widow Patricia Dispels Myths on ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’ Debbie Reynolds, Fred Astaire & More (Exclusive)
Hollywood legend Gene Kelly’s beloved widow and official biographer, Patricia Kelly, has dedicated herself to making sure his magic continues to endure throughout the world. She works tirelessly to keep his memory alive through her successful one woman show, Gene Kelly: The Legacy as well as her live symphonic cinema tribute Gene Kelly: A Life in Music.
Hoping to finish her memoir in December, Patricia plans to follow that endeavor with a high-quality coffee table book packed with photos of Gene taken by famous photographers such as Robert Capa, Richard Avedon and Annie Leibovitz. It will also include Gene’s comments regarding his experiences working with them. Rounding out the trilogy, she would like to put together a tome of her husband’s precious artifacts like his dancing shoes, paired with relative information about each object.
On the heels of returning from her sold-out show Gene Kelly: A Life in Music with the Auckland Arts Festival in Auckland, New Zealand, Patricia talked to us about helping to dispel myths, reveal Gene Kelly’s true nature and more.
That myth about Singin’ in the Rain …
“I don’t know why it keeps resurfacing, but there is no milk in the water for the iconic Singin’ in the Rain number in the film. It is simply phenomenal lighting and cinematography backlighting the rain,” Patricia tells us. “And for the record, Gene said the film is NOT about the McCarthy era as many want to believe.”
Debbie Reynolds’ feet bleeding all over the floor? NOT TRUE.
Everett Collection
“Gene cared about the well-being of everyone on the set,” says Patricia. “It’s been circulated for decades that he worked Debbie so hard in Singin’ in the Rain that her feet bled all over the floor — it is just not true. Debbie actually thanked him many times for giving her her career.” Adding, “George Chakiris, Leslie Caron and many other dancers have shared with me how Gene was thoughtful with people. He was always worried about performers getting shin splints dancing on the hard surfaces. He certainly had high expectations of himself and of others, but performers, grips, camera operators, and cinematographers have all let me know how professional and kind he was.”
Walt Disney did not turn Gene Kelly down …
Everett Collection
In 1945, the multitalented Kelly wanted to combine live action with animation for the film Anchors Aweigh. “Gene wanted to dance with Mickey Mouse but Disney was too busy with war work to make it happen. Walt generously called MGM to endorse the project and the studio greenlit Gene’s request. Jerry the Mouse became his partner in the beloved dance sequence.”
Astaire vs. Kelly … their true partnership
Everett Collection
“Fred Astaire continued the European tradition of ballroom dancing on polished floors. Gene said ‘I want to break from that and create an American style that is broad and bold,” recalls Patricia. “He wanted to dance to the American Songbook and to Jazz.” Gene told Patricia that in the Astaire-Kelly duets in That’s Entertainment II, the two giants were so respectful of each other that they ended up bowing to the other! “Gene always choreographed to benefit his partners and he did it for Fred,” adding “Gene never tried to steal scenes. He said, ‘I always surrounded myself with the best; it made me look my best!’ He did this for Frank Sinatra, Olivia Newton-John, and many others, including Debbie Reynolds. He made her look like a powerhouse!”
Gene Kelly was far more than a dancer with a pretty face …
Everett Collection
Not only was Kelly a fabulous actor and breathtaking dancer, he was also an accomplished director (including On The Town, Hello, Dolly!, That’s Entertainment, Part II and, yes, Singin’ in the Rain), exquisite choreographer, and more. “There’s a reason why we are still watching Singin’ in the Rain 70+ years later,” Patricia remarks. “Gene put so much into developing that film; from the scenery to the camera angles.” Kelly even oversaw the costumes. “They had to move,” explains Patricia. “For example skirts could change from one cut to another in a single routine. It accommodates the movement and the audience doesn’t detect it.” Then adds, “The three-piece costume he wears in the ‘Gotta Dance’ number in Singin’ in the Rain is actually one piece so Gene could extend his arms and legs without his shirt coming out of his pants!”
Patricia maintains her husband was meticulous with every detail, from camera moves to meetings with Technicolor experts. “During the ballet sequence in Broadway Melody (1952), Cyd Charisse‘s white scarf shoots up in the air. Gene placed Ritter fans, equivalent of three airplane motors, next to the camera to lift that scarf!” she explains. “He was very specific in saying he wanted to be remembered for his work behind the camera. He was an economics major, wrote poetry, and spoke multiple languages. He was a true Renaissance man.”
Sharing Gene’s genius forever…
Courtesy Patricia Ward Kelly
“It is a grand vision, but I think it is feasible,” Patricia says of archiving everything Kelly in perpetuity to share with the world. It means digitizing everything — she wants to make it like a virtual museum. “At an auction, I recently acquired the black loafers that Gene wore in An American in Paris. In the virtual museum I would like to have Gene talk about how he had these loafers specially made so he could bend his toe like a ballet slipper while it looked like a regular man’s moccasin. I love the idea of people hearing his voice! Then I will fill some of the stories I share in my shows.”
Patricia has many other ideas for the virtual museum site including interactive areas where visitors can learn about the artists and others who influenced Gene, like Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Lon Chaney Sr. and Bo Jangles, and also hear from those who have been influenced by him, in their own words.
“People like Alvin Ailey, Hugh Jackman, Derek Hough, Ryan Gosling, magician David Copperfield (“I am an illusionist because of Gene Kelly”), Olympic skaters. I think it would be fun for people to learn he influenced football and baseball players, and boxers!” (Sugar Ray Robison even danced with Kelly on NBC in 1958.) In the aptly titled ‘Because of Gene’ section Patricia wants to provide a way for younger generations to record their own accounts of how Gene influenced their lives. “I still receive fan letters almost daily about how much Gene means to them!”
Courtesy Patricia Ward Kelly
Hoping her successor will perhaps offer traveling pop up exhibits worldwide, Patricia keeps the actual items inherited from Gene stored in pristine condition.
The relaunch of his official site will be coming soon; click here to sign up for updates. Patricia is active on the Gene Kelly The Legacy social pages found on Instagram and Facebook. She runs both pages and adds new content daily, plus responds to every message.
Remind 
1950s Musicals
November 2020
Bright and brassy, toe-tapping musicals from the 1950s
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