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Gene Kelly: A Life of Dance and Dreams
Traces the career and personal life of the stage and film dancer, choreographer, actor, and director.
262 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 28, 2008
A wonderful biography that focuses especially on Kelly's early years. Has a great story about how he took a risk and won his first significant Broadway role.
For Kelly fans, this book is a MUST READ!
For Kelly fans, this book is a MUST READ!
April 25, 2013
Picked up this book while looking for a book on stop-motion animation at the library (there wasn't one). I love Gene Kelly's dancing in Singing in the Rain and An American in Paris (and can't understand why everybody doesn't love the ballet at the end), but I knew nothing about the man himself.
I learned that he's an Irish Catholic from Pittsburgh who took dancing lessons from a young age with his brothers and sisters. He had a quick temper which got him into fist-fights when he was a boy and made him enemies when he grew up. His family started running a couple of successful dance studios which they took over from his dance teacher. Gene was the popular and successful teacher and choreographer at the studios, even as he was making good grades in college and performing with his brother Fred at "cloops." Gene was in his late twenties before he finally went to New York and eventually made it on Broadway by creating the title role in Pal Joey. He didn't go to Hollywood until he was in his thirties, and married to a seventeen-year-old dancer.
He had a contract with MGM, but they paid him a salary and didn't give him any work a lot of the time (!!!! what kind of a job is that?). He made movies on and off, his wife joined lots of Communist groups, he would invite Hollywood stars over and they would play insanely competitive charades, sing around the piano (imagine an impromptu sing with Oscar Levant and Judy Garland), and then play volleyball in the yard when the sun came up. His best works were On The Town (which was apparently groundbreaking, I remember thinking it was insipid), An American in Paris, and Singin' in the Rain, though he did choreograph and dance some brilliant numbers in other films before that. After Singin' in the Rain, he never did anything very impressive again. He spent some time in Europe, acted, directed, danced in this and that, was divorced by his first wife, married a second who died of leukemia, and did lots of TV specials to pay the bills.
So that was pretty much all that was interesting in the book, much of which read like a capsule summary of every production he ever did (though it skipped, bizarrely, over most of the filming of Singin' In The Rain). It was broken up by Gene's supposed musings at an awards ceremony when he was 73, which were chronologically out of order, hard to follow, and generally depressing.
A point that made me think: Gene put his all in to every production, which was evidenced by his insistence on over-rehearsing the dancers and complaining to the producer/director/studio head about everything he thought ought to be better or different. I realized that I tend to sympathize with characters like that when they are described on paper (he's right after all, the dance with his reflection was brilliant, why couldn't the studio heads see it?) but absolutely loathe people like that in real life (I don't care if he is right and it is better with his suggestion, he's such a jerk that I would rather produce something inferior than acquiesce to him). Ain't that funny.
I learned that he's an Irish Catholic from Pittsburgh who took dancing lessons from a young age with his brothers and sisters. He had a quick temper which got him into fist-fights when he was a boy and made him enemies when he grew up. His family started running a couple of successful dance studios which they took over from his dance teacher. Gene was the popular and successful teacher and choreographer at the studios, even as he was making good grades in college and performing with his brother Fred at "cloops." Gene was in his late twenties before he finally went to New York and eventually made it on Broadway by creating the title role in Pal Joey. He didn't go to Hollywood until he was in his thirties, and married to a seventeen-year-old dancer.
He had a contract with MGM, but they paid him a salary and didn't give him any work a lot of the time (!!!! what kind of a job is that?). He made movies on and off, his wife joined lots of Communist groups, he would invite Hollywood stars over and they would play insanely competitive charades, sing around the piano (imagine an impromptu sing with Oscar Levant and Judy Garland), and then play volleyball in the yard when the sun came up. His best works were On The Town (which was apparently groundbreaking, I remember thinking it was insipid), An American in Paris, and Singin' in the Rain, though he did choreograph and dance some brilliant numbers in other films before that. After Singin' in the Rain, he never did anything very impressive again. He spent some time in Europe, acted, directed, danced in this and that, was divorced by his first wife, married a second who died of leukemia, and did lots of TV specials to pay the bills.
So that was pretty much all that was interesting in the book, much of which read like a capsule summary of every production he ever did (though it skipped, bizarrely, over most of the filming of Singin' In The Rain). It was broken up by Gene's supposed musings at an awards ceremony when he was 73, which were chronologically out of order, hard to follow, and generally depressing.
A point that made me think: Gene put his all in to every production, which was evidenced by his insistence on over-rehearsing the dancers and complaining to the producer/director/studio head about everything he thought ought to be better or different. I realized that I tend to sympathize with characters like that when they are described on paper (he's right after all, the dance with his reflection was brilliant, why couldn't the studio heads see it?) but absolutely loathe people like that in real life (I don't care if he is right and it is better with his suggestion, he's such a jerk that I would rather produce something inferior than acquiesce to him). Ain't that funny.
August 27, 2016
This book is FILLED with inaccuracies. If you look it up on Amazon.com you can see my review, where I list them. Gene Kelly deserved better than this.
March 29, 2018
This is an unusually written not-too-deep biography of arguably the most iconic dancer of the 20th century. So in what way is this unusually written? It begins with Gene Kelly in a chair at an American Film Institute tribute to him in the mid ‘80s. His alleged thoughts and feelings during that institute tribute which was televised are described here, though how Yudkoff knew what his thoughts and feelings were is never clear. Is this an example of narrative nonfiction? I get a bit squeamish with books that allegedly delve into the conversations one has with oneself or even with others if they aren’t catalogued somewhere, and that’s what gets this book a slightly lower rating than it otherwise would have gotten from me.
But we are at this tribute as the book opens, and it cuts back to scenes from throughout Kelly’s life. You see the depression-era kid growing up in Pittsburgh in the ‘20s and ‘30s. His dad sold phonograph records and players for Columbia until the depression killed that job. His mom, recognizing that her children all had some ability to dance, ultimately became the owner of the Kelly dance studios, operating them in various locations in Pennsylvania during Gene’s youth and early adulthood.
As each chapter closes, you return to that AFI ceremony as the next speaker triggers yet more memories, and off you go again to the set of “Anchors Away” and of course, “Singing in the Rain.”
You’ll read with interest of Kelly’s Broadway years, his marriage to a 17-year-old girl whose Communist Party leanings would ultimately land her in some difficulty with her career during the McCarthy era, and his second marriage to a woman who remained faithful to him until her death.
This is the story of the hot-headed Irish kid whose temper meant lots of street fights in Pittsburgh and lots of strident disagreements on movies sets later in life.
This is a book about a man so driven that he made Debbie Reynolds’s feet bleed on the set of “Singing in the Rain” so hard did he make her work. She didn’t complain about that so much as she remembered it.
This is the story of a career that never again had the same luster it had upon the release of “Singing in the Rain.” The author shows you Kelly’s agonizing slide into stroke-filled old age. You’ll read about a Christmas fire that destroyed his autobiography, other personal papers, and an Oscar statue he didn’t care for and never missed.
I was disappointed to see how little attention the author paid to the apparent feud between Kelly and Streisand during the making of “Hello, Dolly.” Walter Matthau told Streisand she didn’t have the talent of a butterfly fart. She promptly countered that the movie’s name was “Hello, Dolly, not Hello Walter.” She felt that Matthau and Kelly ganged up on her; I guess that’s possible, since the two were friends, but you get the impression that Kelly simply didn’t know how to work with Streisand—that he was less effective as her director.
Sadly for me, the author totally slams the musical “Xanadu,” which Kelly made with Olivia Newton-John. I realize the bulk of you who read this will agree with the author’s perspective. It probably was as bad a film as got made in 1980, but that was a particularly memorable summer for me, and everything associated with it is viewed under a softer less critical light than the rest of the world would have seen things.
If you have fond memories of Kelly’s movies, even the ones most people despised, you’ll probably find something of value in this biography. I don’t know how accurate it is or how well researched it was, but you’ll at least get a broad-brush understanding of who Kelly was by reading this.
But we are at this tribute as the book opens, and it cuts back to scenes from throughout Kelly’s life. You see the depression-era kid growing up in Pittsburgh in the ‘20s and ‘30s. His dad sold phonograph records and players for Columbia until the depression killed that job. His mom, recognizing that her children all had some ability to dance, ultimately became the owner of the Kelly dance studios, operating them in various locations in Pennsylvania during Gene’s youth and early adulthood.
As each chapter closes, you return to that AFI ceremony as the next speaker triggers yet more memories, and off you go again to the set of “Anchors Away” and of course, “Singing in the Rain.”
You’ll read with interest of Kelly’s Broadway years, his marriage to a 17-year-old girl whose Communist Party leanings would ultimately land her in some difficulty with her career during the McCarthy era, and his second marriage to a woman who remained faithful to him until her death.
This is the story of the hot-headed Irish kid whose temper meant lots of street fights in Pittsburgh and lots of strident disagreements on movies sets later in life.
This is a book about a man so driven that he made Debbie Reynolds’s feet bleed on the set of “Singing in the Rain” so hard did he make her work. She didn’t complain about that so much as she remembered it.
This is the story of a career that never again had the same luster it had upon the release of “Singing in the Rain.” The author shows you Kelly’s agonizing slide into stroke-filled old age. You’ll read about a Christmas fire that destroyed his autobiography, other personal papers, and an Oscar statue he didn’t care for and never missed.
I was disappointed to see how little attention the author paid to the apparent feud between Kelly and Streisand during the making of “Hello, Dolly.” Walter Matthau told Streisand she didn’t have the talent of a butterfly fart. She promptly countered that the movie’s name was “Hello, Dolly, not Hello Walter.” She felt that Matthau and Kelly ganged up on her; I guess that’s possible, since the two were friends, but you get the impression that Kelly simply didn’t know how to work with Streisand—that he was less effective as her director.
Sadly for me, the author totally slams the musical “Xanadu,” which Kelly made with Olivia Newton-John. I realize the bulk of you who read this will agree with the author’s perspective. It probably was as bad a film as got made in 1980, but that was a particularly memorable summer for me, and everything associated with it is viewed under a softer less critical light than the rest of the world would have seen things.
If you have fond memories of Kelly’s movies, even the ones most people despised, you’ll probably find something of value in this biography. I don’t know how accurate it is or how well researched it was, but you’ll at least get a broad-brush understanding of who Kelly was by reading this.
April 29, 2020
The book primarily focuses on Kelly's young life (until about age 45) and sums up the other half in the final chapter. I enjoyed the details of his rising career through his production of Singin' in the Rain, but I felt the author took liberties in voicing Kelly's thoughts (especially in describing aspects the AFI ceremony at the beginning of each chapter). The format of the book gives a sense that after Singin' in the Rain Kelly had nothing valuable left to contribute--that his last forty years were essentially something to fast forward through--which seems a harsh sentence. The conclusion also felt weak and unsatisfying.
February 6, 2022
This was an engaging biography of a man who's work I have always respected, even though my own personal interest in dance is quite limited. It does not attempt to whitewash his personal or professional flaws, but it doesnt dwell on them either. I suspect that the parts that purport to state his thoughts while attending an American Film Institute tribute stretch the truth some, but they are completely believable, given what we learn about him from this book. All in all, one of the better show business biographies I have read.
December 13, 2017
Very straight forward telling of Gene Kelly's life, set as flashbacks during one of his many awards ceremonies. I actually have not seen some of his most famous work and this book leads me to many movies I need to catch up on.
August 26, 2025
The author of this biography made his subject's life read like a boring list of "did this then did that". It was only okay, and I considered giving up in disgust many times, but kept reading to the end, hoping it would improve. It didn't.
December 3, 2014
Gene Kelly was an amazing, driven, inspirational man, and Gene Kelly: A Life of Dance and Dreams by Alvin Yudkoff shows his struggles to achieve success. Gene Kelly was from Pittsburgh, PA and eventually moved to New York where he became a successful performer and choreographer on Broadway. Eventually he would move on to Hollywood where he would star in several movie musicals such as: Anchors Aweigh with Frank Sinatra and Kathryn Grayson and Singing in the Rain with Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds (which became to be hailed as one of Hollywood’s best movie musicals ever). He was incredibly successful and hard working.
From what I have been told, this is one of the best books about Gene Kelly. Alvin Yudkoff describes Gene and his life very well, and seems to have left no stone un-turned when looking for details about his life. The book portrays Gene as a very hardworking man. At some points in his life he was paid by MGM every week without having to do anything which made him very upset. He felt discouraged about his career and yearned to work on another project and would pester his agent about not having a film to work on. While some people may be very happy that they have a weekly paycheck and not have to work for it, Gene was very discouraged about this and was extremely upset. He was quoted to say This example shows his hardworking personality and a bit of his strong "Irish temper". I went in to this novel with only a brief idea about his life, but I have known several of his films ever since I was very young. he inspired me to take tap lessons when I was a boy. One thing that surprised me most about his life was that he was a far left wing liberal, and one of his wives went to communist rallies which surprised me. His first wife Betsy was characterized in this way: ...a joiner of every left-wing association in sight: the CFA, the Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee, the Committee to Elect Henry Wallace, the Hollywood Committee for the Arts, Sciences, and Professions- these only headed the parade of activist groups she gave her time and money to." I enjoyed how Alvin Yudkoff didn't write about it in a way that made it seem like a bad thing. I think a lot of authors may have portrayed it in a fashion which wouldn't be too flattering to the Kellys, but Alvin Yudkoff did which made me like the book even more. One thing I didn't enjoy about the author's style was how he repeatedly inserted passages that were written in Gene's point of view from entirely different points in his life. The reader would be reading about his move from New York to Hollywood and then be suddenly interrupted by a long passage about an entirely different point in his life. This happened so frequently that I eventually resorted to skipping them. For example in one passage where they are talking about how Gene was growing up it suddenly cuts to this: "The tie comes at every Hollywood fundraiser for the "freight", the pitch, about the worthiness of the sponsoring organization. In this case the American Film Institute." It completely ruins the flow of the book. Overall though I liked this book and was happy to learn more about Gene Kelly, the immortal dancer.
From what I have been told, this is one of the best books about Gene Kelly. Alvin Yudkoff describes Gene and his life very well, and seems to have left no stone un-turned when looking for details about his life. The book portrays Gene as a very hardworking man. At some points in his life he was paid by MGM every week without having to do anything which made him very upset. He felt discouraged about his career and yearned to work on another project and would pester his agent about not having a film to work on. While some people may be very happy that they have a weekly paycheck and not have to work for it, Gene was very discouraged about this and was extremely upset. He was quoted to say This example shows his hardworking personality and a bit of his strong "Irish temper". I went in to this novel with only a brief idea about his life, but I have known several of his films ever since I was very young. he inspired me to take tap lessons when I was a boy. One thing that surprised me most about his life was that he was a far left wing liberal, and one of his wives went to communist rallies which surprised me. His first wife Betsy was characterized in this way: ...a joiner of every left-wing association in sight: the CFA, the Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee, the Committee to Elect Henry Wallace, the Hollywood Committee for the Arts, Sciences, and Professions- these only headed the parade of activist groups she gave her time and money to." I enjoyed how Alvin Yudkoff didn't write about it in a way that made it seem like a bad thing. I think a lot of authors may have portrayed it in a fashion which wouldn't be too flattering to the Kellys, but Alvin Yudkoff did which made me like the book even more. One thing I didn't enjoy about the author's style was how he repeatedly inserted passages that were written in Gene's point of view from entirely different points in his life. The reader would be reading about his move from New York to Hollywood and then be suddenly interrupted by a long passage about an entirely different point in his life. This happened so frequently that I eventually resorted to skipping them. For example in one passage where they are talking about how Gene was growing up it suddenly cuts to this: "The tie comes at every Hollywood fundraiser for the "freight", the pitch, about the worthiness of the sponsoring organization. In this case the American Film Institute." It completely ruins the flow of the book. Overall though I liked this book and was happy to learn more about Gene Kelly, the immortal dancer.
December 23, 2022
Average Joe made good!I dislike 'chummy' biographies, the kind where the biographer latches on to a phrase or two that was probably a chance observation or private joke, then over-uses it to show his subject's funny, human side. In A LIFE OF DANCE AND DREAMS by Alvin Yudkoff, that term that so annoyed me was 'cloop,'a description of seedy nightclubs the Kelly's sometimes worked in, which combined the words 'club' and 'chicken coop.' Ad nauseam. There is a running account of Kelly ungraciously sitting through still another ceremony of recognition of his accomplishments while celebrity friends like Shirley MacLaine and Jimmy Stewart praise him to the appreciative audience. Kelly's mind wanders, he fidgets and daydreams, and often begins to speak or stand out of turn. We are privy to what he is 'really' thinking while tired clips of his films are shown. He comes across as crass, and I suppose he must have been. Much time is spent prattling about "The Game." The Game was apparently the hottest event in Hollywood at one time. Stars like Sinatra would often fly in for a mad evening of cut-throat charades at the Kelly house, risking ridicule from the host if they didn't play well, followed by hard-core volleyball once the sun rose. Who knew? So we hear that Kelly was overbearing and forced his way into every aspect of productions he worked on, had a black-listed communist for a first wife and skipped the country to his beloved France, for tax purposes, but he was an exceedingly nice guy, especially to Judy Garland-lug of a hard-working Irish Catholic boy form Pittsburgh that he was. His life seems full of resentment despite his easy smile, and whether accurate or not, it is NOT interesting reading. It took a long time to finish this book. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, let alone a fan.
January 11, 2009
Gene Kelly has fascinated me since I was a young girl. I knew very little about his back story or personal involvements, and was intrigued with the story of his legendary career. This is a perfect Biography to read if you are only familiar with Kelly's dance, and not his person. I loved getting to know, not only about him, but old Hollywood, and the history and development of the MOVIE MUSICAL! One can not help but fall in love with the lackadaisical life style led by these talented, and sometimes, in Kelly's and co. case, intellectual individuals. Myths that circulate about blacklisted actors during the Red Scare, and even Judy Garland's constant life struggle are talked about with their relation to Kelly.
While this introduction to the life of Gene Kelly was a great read I couldn't help but feel that I was still missing a lot of information about his later years. Even as early as "Singin' in the Rain," I felt Alvin Yudkoff leaves a lot of information out that would interest any Kelly fan. This would not have bothered me as much if he did not allude through out the book to Kelly's constant dismissal from MGM and movie goers after the Movie Musical began to loose popularity. It seemed as though he too was dismissing it, which left me, personally, wanting to know more!
So, to summarize this is a great read for one looking to learn the fundamentals of the Gene Kelly story, but may not give the details one may be looking for. I know that I will be reading more Biographies regarding him, but I would have anyway!
C'est tout!
While this introduction to the life of Gene Kelly was a great read I couldn't help but feel that I was still missing a lot of information about his later years. Even as early as "Singin' in the Rain," I felt Alvin Yudkoff leaves a lot of information out that would interest any Kelly fan. This would not have bothered me as much if he did not allude through out the book to Kelly's constant dismissal from MGM and movie goers after the Movie Musical began to loose popularity. It seemed as though he too was dismissing it, which left me, personally, wanting to know more!
So, to summarize this is a great read for one looking to learn the fundamentals of the Gene Kelly story, but may not give the details one may be looking for. I know that I will be reading more Biographies regarding him, but I would have anyway!
C'est tout!
September 2, 2010
On the plus side: I learned a lot about Gene Kelly I didn't know. I know his movies pretty well and like them. I love his athletic dancing and the (over)acting he brings to dance.
On the negative side: I didn't much enjoy the writing, least of all the interludes where it imagines his thoughts at the AFI awards ceremony. A couple of times I found myself rereading sentences and paragraphs because I thought I'd dozed off. I hadn't. There was such a poor sense of continuity that it just seemed like I'd checked out.
Also on the negative side, he didn't allow much give and take. He was pretty much "My way or the highway" whether he was dealing with his wife, his dancers, his directors, fellow actors, even guests at his home.
I now know that he was pretty liberal, just as I recently learned that Ginger Rogers was pretty conservative. The book talks a good bit about Hollywood politics and the conservative/liberal divide. The McCarthy era and its effect on his career is interesting, but puzzling. Less activist people than he were blacklisted. More activist people than he (notably his wife) were blacklisted. He seemed to enjoy a lot of latitude, if he was as outspoken as Yudkoff makes him out to be.
On a personal note, my uncle and namesake, Clifton Brittain, was the same age and grew up in the same Pittsburgh neighborhood as Gene Kelly. Reportedly he was also a thespian. My dream is to find a playbill which lists Clifton Brittain and Gene Kelly as co-stars.
On the negative side: I didn't much enjoy the writing, least of all the interludes where it imagines his thoughts at the AFI awards ceremony. A couple of times I found myself rereading sentences and paragraphs because I thought I'd dozed off. I hadn't. There was such a poor sense of continuity that it just seemed like I'd checked out.
Also on the negative side, he didn't allow much give and take. He was pretty much "My way or the highway" whether he was dealing with his wife, his dancers, his directors, fellow actors, even guests at his home.
I now know that he was pretty liberal, just as I recently learned that Ginger Rogers was pretty conservative. The book talks a good bit about Hollywood politics and the conservative/liberal divide. The McCarthy era and its effect on his career is interesting, but puzzling. Less activist people than he were blacklisted. More activist people than he (notably his wife) were blacklisted. He seemed to enjoy a lot of latitude, if he was as outspoken as Yudkoff makes him out to be.
On a personal note, my uncle and namesake, Clifton Brittain, was the same age and grew up in the same Pittsburgh neighborhood as Gene Kelly. Reportedly he was also a thespian. My dream is to find a playbill which lists Clifton Brittain and Gene Kelly as co-stars.
August 29, 2008
Having always been more of an Astaire fan who appreciated Gene Kelly but never really revered him, this book only cemented my opinions. Before reading this book, I had no idea what a leftie Kelly was. In biographies and autobiographies of Astaire, I don't remember politics ever being mentioned much. Astaire seemed to have a much humbler attitude that kept him firmly in the entertainment realm. Of course,even today I am ferociously turned off by celebrities that enter the political arena, either by sounding off on their own personal beliefs or by actively participating in elections. So, I have to say that his political attitudes and the openness with which he articulated them made me less likely to be interested in Kelly.
As far as the structure of the book, each section is constructed around a pretend internal monologue in Kelly's mind as he is honored for a lifetime achievement award. I found it very jaded and slightly bitter, as I did most of the book.
As far as the structure of the book, each section is constructed around a pretend internal monologue in Kelly's mind as he is honored for a lifetime achievement award. I found it very jaded and slightly bitter, as I did most of the book.
May 8, 2010
This guy is an idiot. Most of what he says is contradicted by the other biographies I've read and even Gene Kelly's own wife's memoir!!! A good portion of it is outright guesswork as to what was going on in Gene Kelly's mind, the rest is obviously made up in Yudkoff's head as there is no way he can know these tiny little details. He wrote this book three years after Kelly's death!! Most of the quotes he uses are verbatim from Clive Hircshhorn's biography written years before (and sometime switched around to create an entirely different quote!). Yudkoff never even interviewed Kelly himself. There are some "facts" that are flat out wrong even in his descriptions of Gene's movies! IDIOT.
June 13, 2013
This was one of the best biographies I've ever read. It is so detailed and he was such a complicated man, none of which ever showed up on the creen. He always seemed to be boyish and easy going. It is difficult to know the truth with these types of books, perspectives on people vary depending on who you are talking to. He started late in his career and it cost him and there is a sadness to his decline but he seemed to have a sense of future. If you care about movies this is a good read and well written.
August 10, 2008
I was really impressed by this biography of Gene Kelly. I have always enjoyed watching this man on screen but always wondered about his life. It was really interesting to read about his life and is introduction to show business. He did not start in movies until he was in his thirties and this amazes me because he had such a wonderful body of work in a short period of time.
If you love Gene Kelly you will love this book!
If you love Gene Kelly you will love this book!
August 29, 2010
not the greatest biography i've ever read. it seems to just focus on all the bad things that happened in Gene Kelly's life like him breaking his ankle and not being able to be in "Easter Parade". in certain parts it's as if the writer is imagining what Gene Kelly would have said at an award show. some parts of the book were good such as the making of some of the actor's movies and when he did some plays.
August 3, 2013
This biography highlights GK's determination to push the limits of cinema and dance. In the end, it feels as if he had failed to reach the heights he had set for himself, hence the ironic retrospective angle of the book, set at a 'Lifetime Achievement Award' ceremony. I really appreciated this perspective because it didn't have the happy Hollywood ending that always littered GK's movies. Fascinating read.
April 1, 2010
If you wan to learn more about the man behind the brilliant dancer, singer and movie star, this book is great. :) It's filled with little anecdotes of his private life (his witty sense of humour) and backstage stories.
(there are not nearly enough Gene-pictures in it, but that's just me. )
(there are not nearly enough Gene-pictures in it, but that's just me. )
July 1, 2011
The biography by Alvin Yudkoff, Gene Kelly: A lLife of Dance and Dreams was a fascinating insight into one of my favorite actors/dancers. I recommend this to anyone interested in the background and production of musicals and also interested in what made this fabulous dancer tick!
Sally
Sally
March 28, 2012
This is a very good complement to other bios of Kelly such as Hirschhorn's one, with more details than expected, and a thorough research through every phase of Gene Kelly's life and career. It develops more his emotional profile than in previous biographies.
October 14, 2012
The subject matter might be fascinating had the author any skill and the editor ruthlessly cut out 80% of the irrelevant detail. Much of the contents are gossip.
If you like celebrity gossip, this book might not put you to sleep.
If you like celebrity gossip, this book might not put you to sleep.
September 23, 2012
Really like Gene Kelly, but am not a fan of this book. While the book contains plenty of interesting information about Gene's life, I found the author's style to be disjointed and it read more like a research paper than a biography.
June 4, 2010
So much movie history in this book... along with the strengths and weaknesses of its main character. I couldn't put it down.
Read
March 1, 2013Have to take this one off my list for now. Our library here doesn't have this biography. :(
March 30, 2012
An unfortunate biography in which the author seems to desire writing a novel.
A straight forward, factual biography is much more preferred.
A straight forward, factual biography is much more preferred.
April 21, 2014
Interesting to learn more about his life.
April 23, 2016
I really hate when biographers invent things. Throughout the book the author pretends he is Gene Kelly at the AFI awards, reflecting back on his career. It's a biography; don't make something up!
May 22, 2012
An interesting and in depth account of gene's life.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews