An Attempt to Solve the Great Kelly-Astaire Debate

Perhaps the two most talented and well-known dancers of their days, these two artists embody the inherent grace, poise, and discipline that dance requires. Dance and musical enthusiasts - even now - have their favorites. I, of course, have mine too. My favorite is Gene Kelly.

To me, the men represented two different eras of dance, of the musical genre of film, and of society. Astaire seemed suave, polished, the upper class, bourgeoise  representitive in a white tie and tails, gracefully tapping his way across the screen with Ginger in tow. Kelly was earthier, more blue-collar, with a vital energy to him - he was strong - the kind of guy that could dance you right out of your socks one minute, and beat up a guy in the back alley the next. That's why Gene is my favorite - he's the more accessible guy - the one all the working-class sitffs in the audience can relate to.

Here's Gene in Summer Stock (1950). In my mind, Gene is phenomenal with prop dancing. Notice how he discovers and plays with the creaking floor and the newspaper - both are neat experiments in sound, and you can see the creative process taking form! Now I know this was rehearsed dozens of times, but it doesn't look rehearsed. It looks like Gene's character, Joe Ross, was lost in thought and stumbled upon something that elevated his mood for a moment - then, you'll notice, he goes back into his pensive state after the moment has passed. That's what Kelly always seems to do: give us beautiful and emotional moments in his characters' lives.

Now here's Fred Astaire in Royal Wedding (1951). He is also prop dancing here. Also rehearsing for a show. Their characters aren't that different, but Astaire's props seem too... placed, too easily obtained. Look at the setting - he's rehearsing in a gym - giving the choreography ample opportunity to play around with gym equipment. In contrast, Kelly is on a stage, there just happens to be two unlikely things - a squeaky board and a newspaper there. Astaire also seems to know exactly what he intends to do with the props, whereas Kelly plays with them a little. Kelly also incorporates the props into the music. Astaire only seems to do this with the metronome.

I'd also like to point out their clothes. I said before that Astaire seemed to represent a more upper-class society - look at his outfit. He's rehearsing, yet his clothes are neat, he has on a matching belt and socks, and even though his sleeves are rolled up, note how perfectly pressed his shirt looks. Watch Kelly - his outfit denotes his character: his shirt is a little rumpled and untucked, he dances part of the dance with his hands in his pockets; this is not an upper class performer - this is a hoofer thrying to make good.

Perhaps I'm being too hard on Astaire. After all, he is a product of the escapism Hollywood offered during the depression. Astaire's first ten movies were from 1933-1939. In those ten films, he played a dancer or performer of some sort - there were only two exceptions: a sailor and a psychiatrist. Even so, if you watch some of his first films like Flying Down to Rio or Top Hat, he's always in a tuxedo. Movies in the thirties went a little overboard with opulence - it was an assurance to America that they'd be on top again.

Kelly started making movies in the 40's. Of the thirteen or so films he made in that decade, only about half of them potrayed Kelly as a dancer, actor, or acrobat. At least four of the characters in musicals were in the armed forces. Sensible, when you consider the push in the forties to make patriotic films or feature men in the armed forces - even if it was a comedy or musical. Three of Kelly's roles in the 40's were dramatic, NOT musical. Perhaps it was his versatility in this regard that actually made him more believable as a regular guy.

Perhaps, then, their personas were indicative of the decades in which their film careers were birthed - Astaire never shook off the debonaire coolness he portrayed in the 30's, and Kelley never rose above his blue-collar, regular Joe image. Maybe that's okay; it means they never had to compete with one another over image. But what it also means is that this debate may never be put to rest. Some musical lovers will always love Astaire - and will always love the way he seemed to transcend the worldly troubles of his day. Others will love Kelly and his tough accessibility. I lean toward Kelly, because I love to see the joy on his face when he dances and I love to watch his kid-like playfulness and his amazing athleticism. For all those reasons, I feel he far outshines Astaire, even though I have incredible respect for him too.

Please leave a comment if you agree, disagree, or have a third dancer you'd like to bring in.. or just tell me whether you liked the blog!