Rating: 
Summary: Strange but (sort of) True
Review: This is a rather strange little tome that succeeds almost in spite of itself. It has the cheap look and feel of an eighth grade history textbook. It is not especially well-written, and it contains many, many factual errors. But, it nevertheless turns out to be a fairly interesting read -- especially once Gene hits the big-time on Broadway and in Hollywood. (The first -- and dullest -- part of the book contains way too much detail about Gene's life and times running his chain of dance studios in Pittsburgh, PA, and the surrounding 'burghs. This part may be of some regional interest to those from the Pittsburgh area, but otherwise: "Forget it.") In any event, the author takes the high road throughout, focusing almost exclusively on Gene's many professional successes (and, of course, a few major failures) as he climbed the ladder to 1940s and 1950s superstardom. A bit more information about Gene's family life, particularly his first wife, actress Betsy Blair (who was blacklisted as a Commie sympathizer during the Red scares of the '50s, and had to leave the United States to find work -- which this book doesn't mention, by the way) and his three children, might have added some additional interest. But it would also appear Gene may have had a few . . . ummmmm . . . pecadillos (concerning his attraction to "barely legal" young ladies -- one of whom he married when he was over thirty and she was just 18) that are best left to the imagination, so the author's discretion in terms of Gene's personal life is undoubtedly justified. Anyway, this is not a bad book for what is it, and it may come in handy as a ready-reference the next time "For Me and My Gal," "Cover Girl," "An American in Paris," "Singin' in the Rain," "Brigadoon," and many other film's graced by Gene's one-of-kind talent appears on TV.
Rating: 
Summary: Strange but true . . . sort of
Review: This is a rather strange little tome that succeeds to some extent almost in spite of itself. It has a cheap look and feel. It is not especially well-written, and it contains many, many factual errors. But it nevertheless turns out to be a fairly interesting read -- especially once Gene hits the big-time on Broadway and in Hollywood. (The first -- and dullest -- part of the book contains way too much detail about Gene's life and times running his chain of dance studios in Pittsburgh, PA, and the surrounding 'burghs. This part may be of some regional interest to those from the Pittsburgh area, but otherwise it can easily be skipped by the reader.) In any event, the author takes the high road throughout, focusing almost exclusively on Gene's many professional successes (and, of course, a few major failures) as he climbed the ladder to 1940s and 1950s superstardom. A bit more information about Gene's family life, particularly with his first wife, actress Betsy Blair (who was blacklisted as a Commie sympathizer during the Red scare of the '50s, and had to leave the United States to find work -- which this book doesn't mention, by the way, and who, also by the way, a few years ago wrote a wonderful and heartfelt memoir of her exceptional life -- including the periods before and after her marriage to Gene -- entitled "The Memory of All That," that is well worth reading) and his three children, might have added some additional interest. But it would also appear Gene may have had a few . . . ummmmm . . . pecadillos (concerning his attraction to "barely legal" young ladies -- one of whom, the aforementioned Betsy Blair, he married when he was over thirty and she was just 18) that are best left to the imagination, so the author's discretion in terms of Gene's personal life may be a blessing in disguise. Anyway, this is not a bad book for what is it, and it may come in handy as a ready-reference the next time "For Me and My Gal," "Cover Girl," "An American in Paris," "Singin' in the Rain," "Brigadoon," and many other film's graced by Gene's one-of-kind talent appears on TV. But if you want a true taste of Gene's genius, get ahold of a copy of the DVD entitled "Gene Kelly: Anatomy of Dancer."
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing, to say the least
Review: This is a very poorly-written biography, and a particular disappointment in that it is the first substantial work on the dancer for 25 years. In fact, the author Alvin Yudkoff seems to rely heavily on Clive Hirschhorn's earlier work, along with many other secondary sources. What it lacks is an original perspective on an undoubtedly complex, yet pioneering Hollywood star.Yudkoff meanders between hero worship and tell-tale anecdote. He uses Kelly's 1985 acceptance of the AFI Life Achievement Award in an attempt to enter the star's psyche, a highly presumptious framework for any biographer to use. And shoddy research is apparent in a number of factual errors, incuding misspelt names (the director Leo McCarey becomes McCrary; Evelyn Keyes is Evelyn Knight) and chronological discrepancies (for instance, Fred Astaire did not retire from films in 1946 because he was mourning his wife's death; she died in 1954). I hope Gene Kelly's long-awaited autobiography, in the hands of his third wife, will do justice to the memory of the man himself. I do not doubt that he was a difficult, often egocentric person. But without that side to his personality, we would not have his legacy. Do yourself a favour: watch Cover Girl or On the Town to honour Gene Kelly's memory, and leave this feeble book on the shelf.
Rating:
Summary: ONE star is TOO NICE . Is this a fictional account?
Review: Ugh, where to begin? As others have written before me, there are so many basic errors in this book that I wonder at the author's "research." If he had spent more time getting the facts straight instead of pretending to know what Gene Kelly was thinking during the AFI tribute, then this book may not be the shambles we readers have had to endure. As I was reading, finding the errors actually became a game for me. I would sit there with my book and pen and paper, just daring Yudkoff to pitch out another mistake. Here are the ones I found: (I'm sure there are several others.)
1. Shirley Maclaine's dress at the AFI Tribute is BLACK not RED. An error that is SO basic, it shows how careless this author is throughout the entire book.
2. In For Me and My Gal, Judy Garland's character was NOT engaged to the George Murphy character. Hey Yudkoff, it would help if you saw the movies of the person about whom you're writing, don't you think???
3. Again, in For Me and My Gal, the Judy Garland and Gene Kelly characters are NOT "immediate sensations," as the author states. Sheesh.
4. Yup, another one regarding For Me and My Gal: the "author" (I'm beginning to use this term more loosely) states that Gene Kelly's character is a solo act in Europe. NOT TRUE. Watch the movie you careless dolt!
5. In Living in a Big Way, Yudkoff says that there is a dance with a trained dog and a dance with a statue. AHEM! They are the same dance. Yikes, this is getting embarrassing! I'm glad I'm not this author!
6. Here's one of the worst: When Yudkoff refers to Vera-Ellen's character in On the Town as "MISS SUBWAYS!" Oh my gosh. Her title was "Miss Turnstiles." Hmm..sounds like someone really needs to sit down with some of the movies before writing any more books.
7. Now here's something I've never seen before in any book, using the exact same quote TWICE. On page 197 and on page 202 he uses the same GK quote in referring to the pioneering on-location film technique of On the Town. (Of course, by this time, who knows if those are even real quotes? So much has already been fabricated!)
SHAME ON THE AUTHOR, THE EDITOR, and THE PUBLISHER who bought the book!!! Gene Kelly fans have waited for 20 years for an updated biography of this legendary dancer, choreographer, and director. The readers deserve better and so does Mr. Kelly himself.
Other annoying things are the way the author's internal monologue Gene Kelly is having with himself at the AFI Tribute(which I gave up on and stopped reading) basically just criticizes and insults everyone. And don't even get me started on the way he keeps hinting at homosexual rumors and portrays a young Betsy Blair as this side of a nymphomaniac. Plus, the book only focuses on about half of Gene Kelly's life. Twenty years are sideswiped in a couple of paragraphs and 40-some years are glossed over in a few pages. How about giving Gene Kelly some credit for being a single widowed father who raised his two younger children who lost their mother to cancer at ages 8 and 11? How about informing your readers that this generous father turned down numerous projects so that he could provide a stable home for his children and this was when he was in his 60's? All Yudkoff cares about are the glamour days. Not a nice way to treat your subject, who you claim to admire.
If you're as frustrated as I am, do what the author did, just learn what you can about Gene Kelly from the 1974 book written by Clive Hirschhorn. You get several treats in one: ACTUAL quotes from Gene Kelly and those who knew him, ACTUAL facts about the man, and a thoroughly enjoyable read.
As for this book: IT IS A DISGRACE! The entire thing is written like the author is wearing a neon saying saying, "Hey everyone! Look at me! I'm writing a book about Gene Kelly!" OK! So you wrote your terrible book, now do something useful like apologize to your readers. If I was Betsy Blair, or Kerry, Timothy, or Bridget Kelly, I would sue the pants off this guy. Ugh, ugh, and again I say, UGH!
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