... and then of course there was Fred Kelly - Gene's brother. They only danced together once on film - but it's worth a look if you havent seen it. Fred went on to teach - he taught Gene to tap, for one ... As Gene became a star, Fred became a great teacher, and had a more 'normal life - which suited him. Fred won three Donaldson Awards (pre Tonys) for replacing his brother in Saroyan's THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE. One for acting (presented by Helen Hayes), one for comedy (presented by Charlie Chaplin), and one for dance (presented by Antoinette Perry). Fred got Saroyan to let him add additional dance numbers to the show!
Fred appeared in Irving Berlin's THIS IS THE ARMY in 1942, and in 1948 he choreograohed Sigmund Romber's musical MY ROMANCE.
I saw Fred onstage twice - you might have too, if you saw the original production of FOLLIES. He played the small role Willy Wheeler, and covered Weissman, Theodore Whitman, and the Major -Domo. |
