Squiddiddler Loc: Phoenix

Please watch on a Full Screen
You may have no idea how good Gene Kelly was at Dancing until you watch this. Look closely and notice these are not even shoe skates. They are the kind we had as a kid and came with a skate key. I wonder how many times he fell before perfecting this routine. If you've ever roller-skated, you will find this impossible to believe!!!
​ ​ This fellow is ​ ​ really amazing!! He starts tap dancing about half way through. I loved looking at the dresses and hats of the ladies and all the old cars. Notice also that most of the ladies were wearing ​ ​ gloves except at the end when folks were clapping. This will bring up some of those old time memories for most of us.

http://www.chonday.com/Videos/geskates2

rjoeholl

Amazing.

bahmer

10 to 1 those skates were glued to the bottom of those shoes and the appearance of the old style skates was only for show. Sort of like that imitation fire hydrant and imitation cars that were all built for the set. The cars may have been real sorry.

JimMe

Glued skates and imitation props aside... WOW!!!

bahmer

True, back then, those actors could do their craft with excellence, unlike so many today who use standins.

boatbob2

Gene,was/is one of a kind.

Alicia Loc: NYC

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How sorry I feel for you that you must dampen anything beautiful with your unmanageable skepticism. How sad that you are possessed by unbeautifying anything. You would gain by just sitting back and enjoying.

bahmer

Sorry that you feel the way that you do but as a mechanical engineer for all of my life I always look for the how did they do that. One of the first questions posed in this post was how did they keep those skates clamped on for Kelly to go through all of those moves and I was responding to that question. Many things that were done by the movie industry are fake and many times they had stunt men stand in for them so looking at how did they do that ruins it then don't look at that aspect and believe that everything that you see on the big screen is true and gospel and go on you merry way. I on the other hand will look for how they did it so if you don't like it don't read any of my posts simple isn't it. But you couldn't have that as a lefty now could you. It's like they say if a conservative doesn't want guns he doesn't buy guns but if a liberal doesn't want guns then nobody should have guns.

Alicia Loc: NYC

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Why can't you see that a stunt man accomplishing a feat is any less worthy of applause than the star. Just like a con, you must degrade anything you can. Why couldn't you accept my comment as it was offered instead of bringing politics into it.

We both know that the skates were adhered in the same manner we did as children. They destroyed quite a few of my shoe soles.
It was sort of a badge of honor to carry one's own key even though it was interchangeable with your pals'.

bahmer

Whatever

JimMe

bahmer... I understand your point... And yes, Hollywood and Magicians and Such are faking us... But...

"How does he or she do it?!?"

That's something I say aloud... But I don't mind if I never really find out... In fact, never finding out keeps a piece of my childhood innocence alive...