I loved the dance that Gene and Frank did in the barracks that ended with them jumping on the bunks which I learned later each contained a mini-trampoline to make them leap much higher. The precision of this whole dance number is extraordinary...you would think Kelly and Sinatra had been dancing together forever.
shareTook Frank 72 takes to film that number (of course Gene did it with him--and probably demanded that many takes to make sure it was ok)and 8 weeks to learn it. Sinatra said that he used to be able to film an entire movie in 8 weeks. And about the 72 takes, Frank just couldn't get the timing right for the jumping on the beds.
We'll find each other... we always find each other.
That would've been difficult to try to jump on beds with perfect timing. It's a great number and it looks great tho!!
shareYeah, Gene Kelly was a real perfectionist.
It is funny that GK wanted to make dancing look so carefree and yet it nearly drove everyone, but GK, crazy mad.
Debbie Reynolds has some real brutal stories about working with GK on another movie. SINGING IN THE PAIN, if you will.
If GK made a movie about his real life task-mastering, I am not sure he would be so loved by the public. The public likes easy carefree characters.
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Ye Olde Sig Line:
Liberals kill with ABORTION.
Conservatives kill with the DEATH PENALTY.
I kill with THOSE and WORDS.
I don't recall stories about Fred Astaire being casual about his art, either. In fact, wasn't he the one who told Debbie to get back to practicing and stop complaining about being brought up to near the level of the professionals in her picture? If you want to be the best in any line of work, you can't tolerate anything less. Did Debbie regret having the chance to learn from experts? I don't think so. Gene was no harder a taskmaster than the studio which kept her in round the clock lessons with the best teachers Hollywood had to offer until she collapsed from exhaustion. Her situation was exceptional because of her lack of experience, her young age, and her amazing raw talent that had to be developed in an incredibly short span of time.
I see nothing wrong with an expert demanding everyone around him or her to work on the same high level to create a masterpiece. That's not being egotistical. That's not being a control freak. That's ensuring that things are done right. If experts didn't operate that way we wouldn't have greatness.
That's why in real life nice girls like Aunt Susie don't get to the top. They don't have that drive to succeed. Hollywood is littered with the tattered dreams of highly talented people who never got anywhere.
Frank has acknowledged that Gene was a tough taskmaster -- and thanked him for it. And even Debbie was grateful, eventually.
It's called being professional -- you learn to appreciate those who help you do a good job, and do your best to live up to their high standards.
You either do your job correctly or incorrectly. It's the same in any occupation. I don't believe in bonuses for excellent work. You're paid to do your job.
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