"American Masters: Gene Kelly" on PBS

[dirac]

This program finally made its way to the public television stations in my area recently, and I'm just posting this to encourage people to check it out, if they haven't already (and to solicit the opinions of those who have). There are many good things in it, although you will agree with its overarching view of Kelly's accomplishments only if you regard those frightful Dream Ballets that polluted musicals of the forties and fifties as summit achievements of cinematic dance, not that I have strong feelings on the subject. Suffice it to say that I found the biographical material more valuable than the general take on Kelly's work.

Some very interesting remarks from the commentators: Arthur Laurents, Betsy Blair, André Previn, Betty Comden, Fayard Nicholas, Betty Garrett, Elvis Mitchell, Jeanine Basinger, and Deborah Jowitt, among others.