With the successes of An American in Paris (1951) and Singin’ in the Rain (1952), Gene Kelly was able to secure his reputation as a major figure in American musical films. For his contribution to films and his achievements in the art of choreography, he received an honorary Academy Award in 1952. Kelly’s box-office appeal began to wind down when Hollywood musical slowly went of out fashion, resulted in his series of flops, from Brigadoon (1954) to Les Girls (1957). Finishing his contract to make three last pictures for MGM, Kelly finally left the studio and returned to stage work.
Let’s take a look back at the energetic dancer in the 1950s:
Gene Kelly performs on a stage, circa 1950. Photo by Martin Mills.
Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly coming off the plane from Los Angeles at Idlewild Airport, near New York, early 1950s. Photo by Keystone-France.
Gene Kelly with dance choreographers Carol Haney and Jeanne Coyne, 1951. Photo by J. R. Eyerman/LIFE.
Gene Kelly performs in a still from the film ‘An American in Paris,’ 1951. Photo by MGM Studios.
Gene Kelly, 1951. Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis.
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