Gene Kelly: Dancing, A Man’s Game

Category:

In 1958, the distinguished American television series, Omnibus, commissioned Gene Kelly’s first television special. Written, choreographed, directed and presented by the Hollywood legend, Dancing, A Man’s Game enlisted some of the top names in American sport to illustrate Kelly’s message about the masculine grace of dance.

Kelly takes the typical movements of each athlete (including baseball-player Mickey Mantle, the boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, and American footballer Johnny Unitas) and translates them into a dance. He also talks about the parallels between ballet and sport, with a particularly useful discussion of ballet’s historical alliance with fencing. In the second half of the program Kelly is in his element discussing the history of tap, aided by the dazzling, Philippines-born Patrick Adiarte.

Digitally remastered from the original 16mm kinescope prints preserved by the Library of Congress, this acclaimed production is available now for the first time since its historic NBC broadcast on December 21, 1958. The film may be black and white, but Dancing, A Man’s Game still fulfils Kelly’s mission to inspire and educate people about men’s dancing. Snap up a copy for the young male dancer in your family!

Includes booklet with analysis and cast biographies.

Region Code: 1
Format & Aspect Ratio: NTSC, 4:3
Number of discs: 1
Run time: 55 minutes
Studio: Entertainment One, 2013
AISN: B007XF0XK2