A Centennial Tribute to Gene Kelly

HOSTED BY PATRICIA WARD KELLY: The Academy will celebrate the 100th birthday of the incomparable Gene Kelly (1912-1996) with a special gala evening of film clips, stories and personal remembrances of the multi-talented motion picture legend.

Gene Kelly is perhaps best known for his remarkable dancing, but his talents extended to many different aspects of filmmaking. His work behind the camera, as an innovative director and choreographer, has had a lasting influence on the way that dance is filmed, and on screen, he was the proverbial triple-threat as an actor and singer as well as a dancer.

Gene Kelly in "Singin' in the Rain" (1952): This centennial tribute to Kelly draws from the one-man show he presented in theaters around the country during the 1980s, as well as from thousands of hours of interviews conducted by his widow, film historian Patricia Ward Kelly, who will serve as program host.

Film clip montages and nearly 20 film excerpts will highlight the scenes, musical numbers and on-screen partnerships that meant the most to Gene. Special guests – some who knew him personally, others whose work and career have been influenced by his genius – will also participate.

The night will showcase Kelly's charisma and creativity, including his unique use of props (mops, sheets of newspaper, roller skates) and environments (a rain-drenched street, a creaky old barn) and his extraordinary athleticism in films like "Living in a Big Way" and "The Pirate." His beloved classics "An American in Paris" and "Singin' in the Rain," and later directorial efforts such as "Invitation to the Dance" and "Hello, Dolly!" will be discussed as well, with insightful commentary on Kelly's creative process. Source: www.oscars.org