LOVE AFFAIR WITH GENE KELLY

Gene Kelly explains the youth physical fitness program being pushed by JFK, due to concerns about modern conveniences making children lazy.

After World War II, many Americans worried that US citizens, especially the young, were growing overweight and out of shape. The nation's economy had changed dramatically, and with it the nature of work and recreation changed. Mechanization had taken many farmers out of the fields and much of the physical labor out of farm work. Fewer factory jobs demanded heavy labor. Television required watching rather than doing. Americans were beginning to confront a new image of themselves and their country, and they did not always like what they saw.

Only a month after the inauguration, the new administration convened a conference on physical fitness, reorganized the President's Council on Youth Fitness, and chose a new director, Charles "Bud" Wilkinson, a highly successful University of Oklahoma football coach. True to Kennedy's style, the new executive for the council was named a special consultant to the president. The president's council unquestionably became President Kennedy's council. Although the council did not have the authority to impose a national program, it developed and promoted a curriculum to improve fitness. The council's fitness curriculum was devised with the cooperation of nineteen major US educational and medical organizations. Two hundred thousand copies were distributed at no cost and another 40,000 were sold. The council engaged in a sweeping drive to achieve widespread participation in the program for the 1961–1962 school year. A core group of almost a quarter of a million schoolchildren took part in pilot projects in six states. At the end of the year, half again as many students passed a physical fitness test as had a year earlier. Furthermore, there was a general improvement of physical education programs around the country.

With success came expansion. Renamed the Council on Physical Fitness, and later the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, it added new programs and awards and enlarged existing programs in later administrations. But the achievement of the Council on Youth Fitness was as much political as educational. In a general sense, the actions of the Kennedy council were a minor triumph of liberal Democratic thinking. A nationwide problem was identified and a national response was developed through the resources of the federal government. The program produced a measurable improvement in fitness nationwide as well as a shift in public attitudes and wider participation. The work of the council also helped identify President Kennedy with fitness, vigor, and preparedness. Energetically promoting the fitness message brought both message and messenger to the public. It is not too much to say that the council's fitness programs were a way of encouraging the nation's youth to participate in the "New Frontier.

Gene Kelly hosting "The Funny Side of Consumers" episode in 1971.

The Funny Side was hosted by Gene Kelly and starred five pairs of actors and actresses who were presented as married couples. Each week was an examination of the "funny side" of a potential issue in real-life marriages, such as health, money, sex, and the like. Each couple was a stereotype. Kelly also appeared as an actor in the sketches, and there was also a musical aspect with production numbers. It was a shortlived series that lasted only 13 episodes.

Gene Kelly hosting "The Funny Side of Newspapers" episode in 1971.

The Funny Side was hosted by Gene Kelly and starred five pairs of actors and actresses who were presented as married couples. Each week was an examination of the "funny side" of a potential issue in real-life marriages, such as health, money, sex, and the like. Each couple was a stereotype. Kelly also appeared as an actor in the sketches, and there was also a musical aspect with production numbers. It was a shortlived series that lasted only 13 episodes.

Gene Kelly hosting "The Funny Side of Money" episode in 1971.

The Funny Side was hosted by Gene Kelly and starred five pairs of actors and actresses who were presented as married couples. Each week was an examination of the "funny side" of a potential issue in real-life marriages, such as health, money, sex, and the like. Each couple was a stereotype. Kelly also appeared as an actor in the sketches, and there was also a musical aspect with production numbers. It was a shortlived series that lasted only 13 episodes.

Gene Kelly hosting "The Funny Side of Sex" episode in 1971.

The Funny Side was hosted by Gene Kelly and starred five pairs of actors and actresses who were presented as married couples. Each week was an examination of the "funny side" of a potential issue in real-life marriages, such as health, money, sex, and the like. Each couple was a stereotype. Kelly also appeared as an actor in the sketches, and there was also a musical aspect with production numbers. It was a shortlived series that lasted only 13 episodes.

Gene Kelly hosting "The Funny Side of Health" episode in 1971.

The Funny Side was hosted by Gene Kelly and starred five pairs of actors and actresses who were presented as married couples. Each week was an examination of the "funny side" of a potential issue in real-life marriages, such as health, money, sex, and the like. Each couple was a stereotype. Kelly also appeared as an actor in the sketches, and there was also a musical aspect with production numbers. It was a shortlived series that lasted only 13 episodes.

Gene Kelly appearance on the Lucille Ball special "Lucy Moves to NBC" 1980.

Gene Kelly guest appearance on "The Mary Tyler Moore Hour" April 1st, 1979.

This series is about Mary McKinnon, the host of a weekly television variety show.

In this episode, Mary arrives in her dressing room and chats with Iris, who reveals that she worked all weekend on various projects of Mary's, wondering what "twist of fate" prevented her from being a star as well, as they'd planned. Harry arrives and asks if she is nervous about performing with her upcoming guest, Gene Kelly. Mary brushes it off, saying she has performed with prominent celebrities before, but Iris unhelpfully reminds her about a disastrous high-school event at which her dance skills proved less than graceful. Elsewhere, Kenny runs into some financial trouble with his car and attempts to borrow money from Mary, who is skeptical.

At the table read, Gene is late and Mary runs through her song-and-dance number with Tony as a stand-in; it goes well until Gene appears to watch, which makes Mary nervous. They read through their comedy scene and a flustered Mary blows her lines, revealing that she is indeed anxious about the dance. Kenny unsuccessfully attempts to weasel money out of Gene as well. At home, Ruby watches her soap operas and asks about Gene, and Mary admits she is nervous. Ruby makes matters worse by telling her about another star who bombed when paired with a famous dancer. Kenny comes by and tries to fleece Ruby, then asks to hide his ill-gotten car in Mary's home.

Mary rehearses her song, a medley of Gene's classic numbers including "Love is Here to Stay" and "Singin' in the Rain." On the set, Gene and Mary express doubts about their makeup for their comedy sketch, but Artie reassures them, overanalyzing Gene's doctor character. They rehearse the corny scene, in which Mary plays a patient with a comically large nose and Gene her incompetent surgeon; Artie gives notes and then says to move on to the song-and-dance number. Mary resists, and Gene notices her nervousness, kindly reassuring her that they will look out for one another. When they begin the dance, however, Mary puts her back out and is unable to move. Kenny takes advantage of the situation and tries to sell the "inside story" to the newspaper.

Harry tells Mary that her symptoms are psychosomatic and tries to snap her out of it. Iris laments that she caused Mary's fear by bringing up all of her musical inadequacies, to which Mary sadly agrees. Mary then talks to Gene and expresses her disappointment; he says he cannot do the dance without her and asks for her help, and as she "shows" him the steps, her back seems to heal and they rehearse normally. The performance goes off without a hitch with Mary and Gene in matching tuxedos. Everyone congratulates them backstage. Kenny then reveals that he managed to extract money from his parents, and Mary thanks Gene for his help and kindness.

Gene Kelly on the set of "The Young Girls of Rochefort" in France 1966.

Gene Kelly rehearsing scenes on the set of "The Young Girls of Rochefort" in France 1966.

Gene Kelly on Judy Garland in "Summer Stock": "She could learn to dance quicker than a dancer. You couldn't give her what you would give Cyd Charisse or Leslie Caron but what she could learn, she'd learn it like that *snaps fingers*!"

Gene Kelly on "The Pirate": " We thought we were so clever, you know? How we would do this but when it opened, you couldn't give the picture away. The public wouldn't accept Judy in that part. They wouldn't accept me with a moustache on."

Gene Kelly on Judy Garland: "She knew every mark and every move. She taught me virtually everything I learned about filming."

Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire interview in Cannes 1976 to promote "That's Entertainment Part Two."

Interview in French with Gene Kelly in front of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. He came to direct the filming of the documentary "That's Entertainment Part Two". He explains that he no longer dances in his films, but he is not nostalgic and appreciates the music of the new generation. Circa 1976