Moving away from the more well known examples of Kelly’s work, Patricia showed clips that were Gene’s favorites, each one accompanied by memories he had shared with her about the number or film. After watching the amazing “Alter Ego” clip from “Cover Girl” (1944), in which Kelly dances with a ghost image of himself, Patricia said that Gene felt this was the most difficult number he ever filmed. In those days long before digital photography or special effects, the number was created by double-exposing the film inside the camera and required Gene to do two separate dances with such precision that everyone on the set thought it would be impossible to achieve.
Kelly hated making “Living in a Big Way” (1947) and only agreed to do it to help out star Marie McDonald. The film was a mess but director Gregory La Cava took pity on Gene and let him choreograph three dances that ended up being among the best he ever put on film. We watched the incredible construction site number that Gene did (with no special effects or stunt men) in which he is bounding across tiny planks of wood and soaring through the air on a ladder that is hurling from one building under construction to the next. Kelly’s athleticism was evident in every clip, with many featured guests talking about his unbridled masculinity. (“If a man looks like a sissy when he’s dancing,” Gene once said, “he’s just not a very good dancer!”)
