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Gene Kelly Quotes (1912-1996)
Actor, Singer, Director
About Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly (born Eugene Curran Kelly, August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director, producer, and choreographer.
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Explore our curated collection of the most famous and impactful Gene Kelly quotes.
“Fred Astaire represented the aristocracy, I represented the proletariat.”
“I really don't know why I clicked. I didn't want to be a dancer, I just did it to work my way through college. But I was always an athlete and gymnast, so it came naturally.”
“In the 1930s, when I started, Martha Graham was the only dancer doing anything modern, but she did it all to classical music. I couldn't see myself doing Swan Lake every night, and I wanted to develop a truly American style. The only dancer in the movies at that time with any success was Fred Astaire, but he did very small, elegant steps in a top hat, white tie, and tails.”
“It's all true. It's true I didn't want to be a dancer. What I really wanted to be was a shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Then at 14 I discovered girls, and began to study dancing diligently. At that time dancing was the only way you could put your arm around the girl. Dancing was courtship. Only later did I discover you dance joy. You dance love. You dance dreams. Of course, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost a hell of a shortstop.”
Gene Kelly Quotes by Topic
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Gene Kelly on Baseball 2 quotes
“Of any tradition outside of our Constitution, that is our tradition, baseball.”
Gene Kelly on Weather
“Give 'em quips, give 'em fun And they'll happy to say you're A-1 If you become a farmer you've the weather to buck If you become a gambler you'll be stuck with your luck But Jack you'll never lack if you can quack like a duck Be a clown, be a clown, be a clown.”
What Gene Kelly Said About Others
Discover personal opinions Gene Kelly shared regarding contemporaries.
Gene Kelly on Fred Astaire
“The fact that Fred and I were in no way similar - nor were we the best male dancers around never occurred to the public or the journalists who wrote about us...Fred and I got the cream of the publicity and naturally we were compared. And while I personally was proud of the comparison, because there was no-one to touch Fred when it came to "popular" dance, we felt that people, especially film critics at the time, should have made an attempt to differentiate between our two styles. Fred and I both got a bit edgy after our names were mentioned in the same breath. I was the Marlon Brando of dancers, and he the Cary Grant. My approach was completely different from his, and we wanted the world to realise this, and not lump us together like peas in a pod. If there was any resentment on our behalf, it certainly wasn't with each other, but with people who talked about two highly individual dancers as if they were one person. For a start, the sort of wardrobe I wore - blue jeans, sweatshirt, sneakers - Fred wouldn't have been caught dead in. Fred always looked immaculate in rehearsals, I was always in an old shirt. Fred's steps were small, neat, graceful and intimate - mine were ballet-oriented and very athletic. The two of us couldn't have been more different, yet the public insisted on thinking of us as rivals...I persuaded him to put on his dancing shoes again, and replace me in Easter Parade after I'd broken my ankle. If we'd been rivals, I certainly wouldn't have encouraged him to make a comeback.”
About Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly (born Eugene Curran Kelly, August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director, producer, and choreographer.