Gene Kelly, Vera Ellen, Carol Haney - A Day In New York finale

Three great dancing stars in On The Town´s A Day In New York finale.
Pretty ballet and folk mixture with fine execution. Really fresh number. I really like Vera Ellen´s aproach in 1:32 - 1:45 - great, feminine and modern.

[sfperalta]

The athleticism and grace of Gene Kelly never ceases to amaze -- all the while looking like he's doing nothing special. What a joy!

[johnprovince]

One of the best dancers around, Carol Haney in the green, was Kelly's dance captain who choreographed routines around his co-star's strengths. Gene unsuccessfully tried to cast her in bigger roles, but the studio execs thought she wasn't pretty enough. Check out her one big role in The Pajama Game.

[moso]

I’m always amazed by that slide at the end and wonder how many takes did that take to stop right in front of the picture.

[bostonblackie]

Carol Haney was Gene Kelly's "Dance Captain." She worked behind the scenes in all of his innovative musicals, choreographing them right along side Kelly. MGM would never let her be in front of the camera in credited roles, probably because they thought she was so talented behind the camera why loose her. Kelly wanted her in the "Gotta Dance" number in "Singing In The Rain, " but again the studio said no. It was another talented dancer Bob Fosse who put her on stage in "The Pajama Game, " for which she won the Tony Award. When the movie was made Carol Haney got to be in front of the camera credited for her performance. She died before the age of forty. A YT video "From This Moment On" of Haney doing an uncredited dance number with Fosse from the movie "Kiss Me Kate" is certainly worth viewing. Along with an other video of an appearance with Fosse in what was to become known as "The Ed Sullivan Show" in which they dance to promote "The Pajama Game" on Broadway.

[susanlloyd]

Very clear to see the ballet training that GK combined with Sports moves to create his style-"an American style" of dancing.

[susanlloyd]

What talent. Hard to believe this sweet and innocent twosome are the same dancers who steam up the Screen in "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue." Gene Kelly was a genius choreographer for film, as well as a real heartthrob. Don't make them like that anymore.

[jochenstossberg]

I always thought that this number was a bit underwhelming. And looked cramped. The music is fabulous though. Pity the film dropped most of Bernstein's wonderful score. Carol Haney was a wonderful dancer who suffered from paralyzing stage fright - and she became a choreographer. She staged all the dances for Funny Girl and Flower Drum Song on Broadway. And she was dropped as the choreographer from the film versions of both shows. When she saw Flower Drum Song no doubt she was happy they didn't use her. She also kept a secret. When Gene Kelly became a big star he became lazy. So he got Carol Haney to dub his 'tap's - which are recorded afterwards on a tap board, and added to the soundtrack of musical films. So the actual tapping we hear on some of his films was her - not him. No idea which ones. This was common practice apparently. As common as dubbed singing. Ann Miller was one star who always recorded her own taps. So who else had a little help?

[OmayraPacheco-mn]

Romero alert... May be Daniels. WGNJMNFAS 🎉🎉🎉🎉😂 Dirty Dancing line ... 1949....GK is in finale... in audience. Ortega. Patrick may not have known...😮 Familia.

[esmeephillips]

Don't want to drag up that anorexia business again, but notice how Vera-Ellen's costume shows less leg than the other two, who have cheong-sam splits right up the thighs (Carol's were superb, muscular yet shapely)? Yet what we glimpse of Vera-Ellen's pins looks healthy enough.

My reservations, as usual, center on her grinning pantomime and Kelly 's chronic tendency to ham. All a mite too 'O wow, it's art, it's practically ballet, but we're all having SUCH a great time!' Or is my stomach a little too sensitive?

By the end Lenny is *really* channeling the Walking Theme from 'An American in Paris'😆. No wonder Kelly wanted to give the genuine article the treatment.