Gene Kelly

Sonny Malone (Michael Beck) is a frustrated artist. He has tried to leave a job he hates--painting large display versions of record-album covers--but he shreds his efforts and throws them out the window. The pieces blow past a mural of nine dancing women. THE WOMEN GLOW INTO LIFE AND LEAP FROM THE PAINTING! The women are the so-called Nine Muses of Olympus. They dance down the street and turn into streaks of neon light and fly up into the sky, with accompanying "whoosh" sounds. However, one of them, Terpsichore (Olivia Newton-John) stays on Earth. Sonny does not see this one muse who remains. He returns to his hated job. On the way there, he is kissed by Terpischore who rolls up on him on roller skates before skating away. At work, Sonny's co-workers lovingly chide him. His tyrannical boss orders him to paint just what he is told and nothing more. He seems beat down, but his next assignment is an album cover of a musical group called 'The Nine Sisters'. It is the one with one of the kissing woman on it! He asks around--who is the kissing album-cover woman? A guy behind the desk says she's not on the payroll. The photographer can't explain how she got into the shoot for the album cover--of a hundred pictures, she's in only one. A guy on a porch hasn't seen her (but tries to set Sonny up with one of his daughters). Sonny goes to look for her at the scene of the kiss which is the front of an abandoned art deco auditorium. Sonny goes inside the auditorium and finds Terpsichore, who introduces herself as Kira. The two of them fall in love, though Kira refuses to tell Sonny anything about herself. One day, Sonny hears a clarinet played by an older gentleman who sits on a rock by the ocean. The older man is Danny McGuire (Gene Kelly), a former big-band orchestra leader who is currently working as construction mogul. One thing leads to another, Danny and Sonny become friends. Danny tells Sonny that he once had a muse in the 1940s who looked significantly like Kira. Kira encourages Sonny and Danny to open a nightclub at the auditorium, and the two begin working on this project as partners. However, Kira eventually confesses to Sonny that she is a Muse and cannot stay in love with him. Kira/Terpischore tells Sonny that she is not supposed to fall in love with mortals. Rather, her purpose in the universe is to inspire people--men, it seems--to achieve a dream; then she moves on. So, sadly, she must leave. Sonny gets upset, and Kira leaves Earth. Danny tells Sonny to keep pursuing Kira, encouraging Sonny not to give up on his ambitions like he did after his own muse left him. Sonny finds the wall upon which Kira was, and is, a painting. He looks at the wall, then roller-skates quickly toward it and jumps into it! Inside the realm of the gods, Kira's father Zeus denies Sonny's plea to let Kira come back to Earth, and despite Kira's mother Mnemosyne interceding for Sonny and Kira, Zeus ultimately sends Sonny back to Earth. Kira then professes her feelings for Sonny, and her parents decide to let her go back to him for "a moment, or maybe forever." At the climax, Kira and the Muses perform at the grand opening of Sonny and Danny's nightclub Xanadu before returning to their realm. Sonny is saddened by their departure, but upon seeing a waitress who looks exactly like Kira, he stops her and asks to talk.

40 carats is a diamond in the rough .... which centers around a 40's woman who goes on vacation in Greece finds love with a much younger man then abandons him to go back to her life in New York. However, she quickly finds out that her daughter is dating the same guy she left in Greece making for some awkward humorous and embarrassing moments . 40 Carats is not ha ha funny but the subtle adult humor in which it was handled makes it very funny. By todays standard, ullman would have just been passed of as silly sex starved cougar and the young male( albert) a stupid eye candy figure head. But 40 carats doesn't insult the audiences intelligence which would have been easy to do at that time. Instead it takes an intelligent and often funny look into age, gender double standards that still exist to this day to some extent. Gene kelly is so- so as Ullman's ex but the chemistry between liv Ullman and Edward Albert is what stands out. If you are into witty comedies with a dramatic flair 40 Carrats is definitely for you

Based on the famous Scopes Monkey trial of 1925 a Tennessee schoolteacher Bertram Cates (Dick York) is arrested for teaching his students Darwin's theory of evolution. The case receives national attention and one of the newspaper reporters, E.K. Hornbeck (played by Gene Kelly), arranges to bring in renowned defense attorney and atheist Henry Drummond (Spencer Tracy) to defend Cates. The prosecutor, Matthew Brady (played by Fredric March ) is a former presidential candidate and famous evangelist. The two are old adversaries and clash throughout the film. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Cates's girlfriend is the daughter of the town's bombastic preacher (Claude Akins). Throughout the movie, the sarcastic reporter mocks the bible toting hostile townsfolk. Drummond eventually calls the prosecutor to the stand and prods him to explain various biblical stories such as Jonah and the whale. Eventually, the great Biblical Literalist is forced to concede that certain Biblical accounts cannot be taken literally, but must be interpreted intellectually. With that concession, Drummond is able to assert Cates has every right to hold a differing opinion, including about the Book of Genesis and to deny him that right is unjust. Matthew Brady is so rattled by Drummond's questioning that he collapses under the strain. In the end, despite his badgering of Brady, Drummond is sympathetic to his beliefs. The judge (Henry Morgan) issues a $100.00 fine much to the dismay of many in the courtroom.

Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly) is an exuberant American expatriate in Paris trying to make a reputation as a painter. His friend Adam (Oscar Levant) is a struggling concert pianist who is a long time associate of a French singer, Henri Baurel (Georges Guétary). A lonely society woman, Milo Roberts (Nina Foch) takes Jerry under her wing and supports him, but is interested in Jerry more than his art. Jerry remains oblivious to her feelings, and falls in love with Lise (Leslie Caron), a French girl he meets at a restaurant. Lise loves him as well, but she is already in a relationship with Henri, whom she feels indebted to for having saved her family during World War II. At a raucous masked ball, with everyone in black-and-white costumes, Milo learns that Jerry is not interested in her, Jerry learns that Lise is in love with him, but is marrying Henri the next day, and Henri overhears their conversation. When Henri drives Lise away, Jerry daydreams about being with her all over Paris, his reverie broken by a car horn, the sound of Henri bringing Lise back to him.

Chip, Gabey and Ozzie, three sailors on a twenty-four hour shore leave, look for adventure and romance in New York City and seek out the city's best known attractions. Following a whirlwind tour of Manhattan that includes stops at the Empire State Building, Central Park and Rockefeller Center, Ozzie and Gabey decide to forgo sightseeing and instead pursue the beautiful women of New York. While riding on a subway, the three sailors see a poster of Ivy Smith, "Miss Turnstiles" for the month of June, and fall instantly in love with her. As they gaze dreamily at the poster, they imagine Ivy coming to life and revealing her life story in a dance. Although they all are taken with her beauty, Gabey is especially smitten with Ivy and vows to find her. To their astonishment, the sailors find Ivy as soon as they step off the train into the subway station, where Ivy is posing for a photo shoot. Gabey poses with her for a photograph, but before he can make an impression on her, she disappears. Gabey, Chip and Ozzie follow Ivy and pile into a taxicab driven by the flirtatious Brunhilde Esterhazy, who tries to seduce Chip. With the facts on the poster about Ivy's life as their only clues to her whereabouts, Gabey and his pals search for her in places she is likely to be found. Accompanied by Brunhilde, who is determined to snare Chip, the sailors look for Ivy at the Museum of Natural History, where Ozzie meets Claire Huddeson, an anthropologist who quickly succumbs to his charms. While celebrating their new love with a kiss and a dance, Ozzie and Claire accidentally destroy a dinosaur skeleton at the museum. They flee, but the police are on their trail. The search for Ivy continues at various museums around the city. Finally the group decides to split up and search for her separately, agreeing to meet at 8:30 that evening at the Empire State Building. Alone at last with Chip, Brunhilde takes him to her apartment, only to be greeted by her annoying, ailing roommate, Lucy Shmeeler. Meanwhile, Gabey finds Ivy in a dance studio, and she consents to go on a date with him that evening. As she owes her dance instructor, the unpleasant, dipsomaniac Madame Dilyovska, a great deal of money, Ivy promises to return from her date at 11:30, in time to make her performance as a cooch dancer at Coney Island. At 8:30, Chip, Brunhilde, Ozzie, Claire and Gabey meet at the top of the Empire State Building, where they hide Ozzie from the policemen who are looking for him. When Ivy arrives, the three couples begin their wild night on the town. The merriment soon comes to an end, however, when, at 11:30, Ivy vanishes without explanation, leaving behind only a brief farewell note. Although his pals try to cheer him up by quickly substituting Lucy for Ivy, Gabey gets drunk and sadly recalls his time with Ivy. Later, acting on a tip from Madame Dilyovska, Gabey and his pals find Ivy at Coney Island, where she admits that shame made her keep her job a secret from him. Gabey and Ivy soon resume their romance, but they only have a few hours remaining before the end of Gabey's shore leave. After Ivy, Claire and Brunhilde persuade the police to drop the charges against the men, the three women bid their sailors farewell at the shipyard.

After eight months at sea, sailors Clarence Doolittle and Joseph Brady are granted a four-day shore leave in Hollywood, California. Joe, an incorrigible philanderer, plans to see one of his sweethearts while on leave, and later offers the shy and bookish Clarence advice on how to meet women. Clarence and Joe set out to find their shore leave romances but their plans are soon thwarted by a police sergeant, who demands that they help him with an unusual situation involving a young boy named Donald Martin. The police sergeant explains that Donald has run away from home to join the Navy and refuses to tell the police where he lives. Joe and Clarence easily win Donald's trust and agree to escort him home, where he lives with his widowed aunt, Susan Abbott. While Joe is eager to avoid any further involvement with the young boy, Clarence falls in love with Susan and promises to return the following day. When Joe and Clarence return to Susan's, they meet Bertram Kraler, a man Susan hopes will introduce her to the famous maestro José Iturbi. As Susan dresses for her date, Joe, convinced that Bertram is a new suitor who will only get in the way of Clarence's romantic pursuit of Susan, scares Bertram away by suggesting that Susan is a notorious Navy sweetheart. When Susan learns what Joe has done, she breaks down in tears and believes that her chances at breaking into show business are doomed. Joe tries to comfort Susan but only makes matters worse for himself when he tells her that Clarence and Iturbi are good friends and that he can arrange an audition for her. With her faith in Joe and Clarence restored, Susan takes them to a Mexican restaurant and sings a song for them. While Joe dances with Susan, Clarence meets a friendly waitress, whom he nicknames "Brooklyn," after their hometown. Realizing that he must honor Joe's promise to Susan for an audition with Iturbi, Clarence tries unsuccessfully to meet with Iturbi at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. Meanwhile, Joe, who has become quite fond of Donald and Susan, tells Donald's classmates a story about his experience in a mythical kingdom populated by animals: In the kingdom, Joe discovers that the animals that live there are sad because their mouse king has prohibited them from singing. Determined to help the animals, Joe visits their unhappy king and shows him the beauty of song and dance. Joe's story concludes with the king repealing his edict and allowing the animals to sing. As a new romance develops between Clarence and Brooklyn, Joe falls in love with Susan. One day, Susan has a chance encounter with Iturbi and discovers that Joe and Clarence have been deceiving her and do not really know Iturbi. Feeling embarrassed and betrayed, Susan breaks down in tears. Iturbi, however, understands her situation and arranges a screen test for her. The test is a great success, and Iturbi soon presents Susan at one of his shows. Before returning to his ship, Joe makes amends with Susan, and Clarence and Brooklyn embrace.

In New York City, eager to attain fame and glory, chorus dancer Maxine Martin (Leslie Brooks) enters a contest to be a Vanity magazine cover girl. Inspired by Maxine's initiative, Rusty Parker (Rita Hayworth), a fellow dancer who also works at the Brooklyn nightclub owned by former U.S. Army officer Danny Maguire (Gene Kelly), also enters the contest. The women are interviewed by Cornelia Jackson (Eve Arden), the assistant to magazine publisher John Coudair (Otto Kruger). When Jackson expresses an interest in Rusty, Maxine sabotages her rival's chances by telling her that Jackson is looking for a model with a brash personality. Consequently, when Rusty sashays into her office, Jackson dismisses her as a "gland case." Jackson then proposes Maxine as a candidate for the cover, and Coudair insists on going to Danny's club to see her in her "natural environment." At the club, Coudair is enchanted by Rusty, who reminds him of his long-lost sweetheart, Maribelle Hicks. In a flashback sequence, Coudair recalls a night 40 years earlier when he saw Maribelle dance at Tony Pastor's club and fell hopelessly in love. After her performance that night, Rusty joins Danny and Genius (Phil Silvers), another entertainer at the club, at Joe's Oyster Bar, where they engage in their Friday night ritual of searching for a pearl to bring them luck. When the three return to their apartment house, Rusty finds a telegram from Coudair, inviting her to his office the next day. Fearful that Coudair's offer will endanger the trio's close friendship, Genius tears up the telegram, but after he retires to his room, Rusty pieces it back together. Rusty keeps her appointment with Coudair, and when the publisher learns that Maribelle Hicks was her grandmother, he awards her his magazine's cover. Danny is crestfallen when Rusty's issue appears on the news stands, arguing that she should achieve success with her feet and not her face. Drawn by Rusty's notoriety, crowds begin to flock to Danny's club, and one day, Coudair brings Broadway theater owner Noel Wheaton (Lee Bowman) to meet Rusty and offer her a job. After Rusty rejects his overture, Wheaton tries to woo her with armloads of roses. When Wheaton's strategy fails, Coudair joins forces with him to lure Rusty to Broadway. To achieve his goal, Coudair sends Rusty an invitation to Vanity 's 50th anniversary dinner party. Rusty informs Danny that she plans to miss her performance at the club to attend the party, prompting an argument. Coudair summons Danny to pick up Rusty after the party, and Danny arrives at the Coudair mansion to find the house deserted except for his host. After admonishing Danny to free Rusty so that she can move on to a better life, Coudair recalls the day he introduced Maribelle to his society matron mother. When his mother disapproved of their romance, Maribelle threatened to return to her piano player sweetheart. As Coudair reminisces about the past, Wheaton drives Rusty to his luxurious Broadway theater, and she cavorts on the deserted stage. After leaving Coudair's house, Danny joins Genius at Joe's to wait for Rusty. When she fails to appear, Danny, after tortuous self-reflection, decides to sever his relationship with her. The next day, Rusty is late for rehearsal, and Danny gives her song to Maxine to perform. Rusty protests and storms out of the club, bound for Broadway. After making Rusty a star, Wheaton offers to make her his wife, and she agrees to give him an answer the following day. That night Rusty drives to Danny's club and discovers that Danny has closed his establishment and left town with Genius to entertain at U.S. Army camps and training facilities. She then goes to Joe's, where Wheaton and Coudair later find her, drunk. Although she accepts Wheaton's proposal, Coudair realizes that she is desperately unhappy. When Danny and Genius learn of Rusty's impending marriage, they come home to Brooklyn and Joe's. As Joe informs them that Rusty's wedding is to take place that night, Danny cracks open an oyster and finds a pearl. Determined to reunite the lovers, Genius takes the pearl to Coudair and asks him to deliver it to Rusty. Aware that Rusty is a most unhappy bride, Jackson exhorts Coudair to rectify his mistake of breaking up Rusty and Danny. As Coudair escorts Rusty down the aisle to the sound of the wedding march, he hands her the pearl and completes his story of his romance with Maribelle, revealing that Maribelle deserted him at the altar for her piano player. Heartened by Coudair's tale, Rusty realizes that she belongs with Danny, and as the minister recites the wedding vows, she announces that she is leaving. Still dressed in her wedding gown, Rusty hurries to Joe's and is there reunited with Danny and Genius in a joyful dance.

Two vaudeville performers fall in love, but find their relationship tested by the arrival of WWI. Set during WW I, Palmer and Hayden team up as vaudeville artists. Harry Palmer deliberately injures his hand to avoid being drafted to the army. Later, he makes up for this. WW I patriotism for a WW II audience, very sentimental, great musical episodes and songs. —Gerhard Gonter <g.gonter@ieee.org>