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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Warner Bros. released a new 4K Ultra HD version of "<keyword id="13995952" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="singin-in-the-rain" source="Orion">Singin' in the Rain</keyword>" for its 70th anniversary.</li><li>Insider spoke to director and star <keyword id="13995951" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gene-kelly" source="Orion">Gene Kelly</keyword>'s widow, Patricia Ward Kelly, about his legacy.</li></ul><p>At the time "Singin' in the Rain" was released over 70 years ago, there had never been a film like it. And there likely never will be one like it again.</p><p>The satirical musical comedy — directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen and starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, and Jean Hagen — has achieved classic film status in the decades since its debut, though it was only a modest hit at the time of release and won no Oscars the year it was eligible.</p><p>In honor of the film's 70th anniversary and <a href="https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/singin-rain">Warner Bros.' release of a vibrant new 4K Ultra HD version on Blu-ray</a>, Insider spoke to Kelly's widow and biographer, Patricia Ward Kelly, about "Singin' in the Rain," myth-busting false stories about the <keyword id="11897475" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="movie" source="Orion">movie</keyword>, Gene Kelly's legacy, and why he never wanted a <keyword id="12527277" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="biopic" source="Orion">biopic</keyword> made about his life.</p><div type="image" title="Singin' in the Rain movie still" height="2105" width="2806" msid="91713213" hostid="261"></div><p><strong>You recently said Gene always thought his best-remembered film would be "An American in Paris," which swept the Oscars in 1951. I'm always surprised to be reminded that "Singin' in the Rain" won nothing at the Oscars. Why do you think a movie that's become such a classic was virtually shut out that year, with no awards recognition?</strong></p><p>Gene did talk about this. I asked him about it and what happened. His feeling was that comedy was considered a lesser element. That it wasn't real drama and the people weren't chewing the scenery and you didn't have all the neurosis of all of the actors and everything.</p><p>There wasn't a recognition of how difficult comedy is, things like the great improvisation of Donald O'Connor in the film, and the performance of Jean Hagen, who was nominated for an Oscar for the movie but didn't win. Gene always said Jean was really the glue that held "Singin' in the Rain" together.</p><div type="image" title="Singin' in the Rain movie still" height="2105" width="2806" msid="91713214" hostid="261"></div><p>Even to this day, we're a little reluctant to acknowledge musical theater, although those movies are getting some recognition — like <a href="https://www.insider.com/la-la-land-musical-references-2017-2">"La La Land,"</a> obviously. Still, there's a sense that maybe it's not as serious. But the work involved, the complexity of it, the orchestration, the choreography of all of it... I wish people would recognize it. I wish they would make more of them.</p><p>Gene thought it was the true American art form. And I think it would be nice if we begin to elevate it to that level.</p><p><strong>You've often spoken about how many myths surround this film. What's the most outlandish story you couldn't believe people ever thought was true?</strong></p><p>I keep trying to bust the myths and they just sprout up like mushrooms. They just keep coming up. I stomp it down and it pops back up.</p><p>There's one that even was out when Gene was around, and he just thought it was preposterous — that they put milk in the water [in his iconic "Singin' in the Rain" dance number] so that you could see the raindrops instead of recognizing that it's just fantastic cinematography and lighting. And it's the really difficult thing of backlighting the rain, especially when Gene is dancing along in front of all the plate glass windows, because they had to backlight that rain without showing all the equipment in the windows.</p><p>And several of the people in the film had a tendency to elaborate. Stories about the making of the film just grew and changed and evolved, and I think in some ways it does a disservice to all of the players. I never understood why you would have to elaborate or really manufacture details about what transpired because the making of the film is so amazing. You don't have to make anything up, you just read the production notes and it blows your mind.</p><p><strong>And how about Gene himself, and the stories and myths surrounding him as an artist?</strong></p><p>You hear Gene described as a "taskmaster" and well, he was a professional. He hated being described as a perfectionist. He said, "What professional is not a perfectionist?"</p><p>He's pulling together an entire film. Rita Moreno [who appeared in "Singin' in the Rain" as silent film star Zelda Zanders] said he was in constant motion. He's up on the boom as the director, setting the shots with dancers down on the stage, and then he's setting lighting with the lighting designers. He goes in and changes into his own costume, does a take. Maybe two out of eight takes actually works for the camera and for Gene's movement.</p><p>And one story about the filming of the movie that was true: He was very sick with a temperature of about 103 degrees when he shot the iconic dance number in the rain. So he would go outside and lie on the sidewalk and just try to bake the fever out of him. And then he'd go back in and many times.</p><div type="image" title="Singin' in the Rain movie still" height="2105" width="2806" msid="91713215" hostid="261"></div><p>It's also true that they ran out of water in Culver City [the Los Angeles neighborhood where the MGM lot was] because everybody came home from work and watered their lawn and took showers. And suddenly there wasn't enough water pressure.<br /><br />He choreographed the camera movement in addition to his own movement and all of the dancers, and the lights were hot and burning, and often the bulbs would explode. And just the complexity of it was amazing. So it's kind of amazing these films got made.</p><p>Gene always said that MGM was a repertory company. You had everyone under one roof, and I think that's what made movies of this scale possible. That's why we don't see them today — because to gather all that talent in one place, it's virtually impossible.</p><p><strong>You've spoken at length about how important it is to you — and how important it was to Gene — to protect and maintain his legacy and how he had you record your conversations with him to memorialize everything. He seemed extremely aware of the fact that people would be talking about him for years after his death. What was one rumor or myth about Gene that bugged him the most?</strong></p><p>This perfectionism notion and this notion that he would ever be abusive toward anyone, or that he had a huge ego. He was the most humble man, really. And I'm not just saying that as his wife but also as his biographer. I had to check him on all this stuff.</p><p>I talked to a lot of people, and particularly the musicians and a lot of the technical people, and you get a very different story than you might get from some of the costars whose stories evolved over time. The musicians were consistent about Gene's behavior.</p><p>You'll read things that Gene would sometimes eliminate somebody else's number because he felt it outshone his, but that's not Gene at all. He said, "You surround yourself with the best. And if you surround yourself with the best, it only elevates your position." So a lot of these stories are just kind of nonsense.</p><div type="image" title="Singin' in the Rain movie still" height="2105" width="2806" msid="91713216" hostid="261"></div><p>It also bothered him that a lot of people forget that he directed anything. A lot of people will come up to me and say, "Did he ever direct any pictures?" And they'll say, "Did he ever choreograph anything?" I just had those questions this weekend. I think that's what hurt him the most because he was always left off of lists of directors and choreographers because his presence on the screen is so huge.</p><p>People are stunned that he directed "Hello, Dolly!" They just kind of forget. He said, "I want to be remembered for change in the look of dance on film. I want to be remembered for being behind the camera." And he said, "If anybody is going to do it will be you." I feel that responsibility pretty much every minute of every day.</p><p><strong>In response to the news that <a href="https://variety.com/2021/film/news/tom-holland-fred-astaire-biopic-sony-amy-pascal-1235126701/">Tom Holland is playing another legendary dancer Fred Astaire in a biopic</a>, you <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GeneKellyTheLegacy/posts/421767099612543?__cft__[0]=AZUG3Qe3kjnXag7JSJVU4O03gm_YE2-0yEIgU69B30eWVk4M0ZsWS8ltupodKxV0usHjtoo8ySL3XqCAc5WfMMVy5GE-_PBXfXQ7N6UADYaHCZW8ClRFpQRhu1w0_x7iMCM&amp;__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R">wrote a Facebook post</a> saying that Gene absolutely did not ever want a biopic made about him. Is there any truth that you're aware of to the reports that <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/01/chris-evans-john-logan-gene-kelly-film-1234904351/">Chris Evans has been tapped to play Gene in an upcoming movie</a>? And what would your reaction be if such a project moved forward?</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><div type="image" title="Gene Kelly and Patricia Ward Kelly in 1994" height="924" width="1233" msid="91713218" hostid="261"></div><p>That was one of Gene's strongest objections. He said, "I absolutely do not want a biopic." He had watched so many of them, about his friends and Judy Garland and others. And it was really hurtful to him because he knew these people. He felt what was projected up on the screen really diminished them and their memories.</p><p>So he said, "Absolutely not. I do not want it. Do not do it." And so I'll just sit over in the corner and just keep saying that. I don't know. I don't have any association with that one. I'll just be that little voice over here going, 'He didn't want that.'</p><p><em>This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.</em></p><p><a href="https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/singin-rain">"Singin' in the Rain" is now available on 4K Ultra HD and digitally.</a></p>

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<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>On Wednesday evening the news came out that actress Debbie Reynolds had <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/debbie-reynolds-mother-of-carrie-fisher-rushed-to-hospital-possible-stroke-2016-12">died at the age of 84</a>&#xa0;after being rushed to the hospital due to a medical emergency earlier in the day (her cause of death has not yet been announced).&#xa0;This was one day after her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-actress-carrie-fisher-is-dead-at-60-2016-12">died at the age of 60</a> after suffering a heart attack on a United flight on December 23.&#xa0;<p>As Reynolds' son Todd Fisher told <a href="http://variety.com/2016/film/news/debbie-reynolds-dead-dies-carrie-fisher-mother-1201949432/" target="_blank">Variety</a> after her passing,&#xa0;<span>"She wanted to be with Carrie."&#xa0;</span></p><p>Before Fisher&#xa0;went on to become an icon playing Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" movies, Reynolds was already a legend. At 19 years old she landed the lead female role in the classic 1952 musical "Singin' in the Rain," which also starred Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor. Then in 1964 she received an Oscar nomination for "The Unsinkable Molly Brown." She had her own TV show, "The Debbie Reynolds Show," in 1969. And in 1996 she received a Golden Globe nomination playing the adorable mom in Albert Brooks' "Mother." &#xa0;</p><p>Celebrities both young and old have gone to social media to pay their respects to Reynolds, a&#xa0;Hollywood institution for her whole life.</p><p><strong>Read below how Debbie Reynolds is being remembered:</strong></p>

How stars are reacting to the death of 'Hollywood royalty' Debbie Reynolds

<p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.patsys.com/">Patsy's Italian Restaurant of New York</a></span></p><p class="caption">Patsy's celebrity clients include everyone from Michael Bublé, Regis Phillip, and Burt Lancaster to Tom Hanks, Al Pacino, and Gene Kelly.</p></div><p></p></div></div>While New York City sees a constant shift in its restaurant scene, one family-owned restaurant is still going strong after 70 years.</span></p><p><span><span>Since </span><a href="http://www.patsys.com/">Patsy's Italian Restaurant</a> opened on 56th Street in between 7th and 8th Avenue in 1944, </span><span>it has only had three chefs: Pasquale Scognamillo (or Patsy, as he became known), his son Joe, and his grandson, Sal. </span></p><p><span>Four generations of Scognamillos have worked at the restaurant, including Sal's brother, Frank, and Frank's son, Paul. </span></p><p><span>Today, the restaurant is famous for being Frank Sinatra's favorite, but it's drawn in a slew of celebrity diners, from George Clooney and Al Pacino to James Gandolfini and Tony Bennett. </span></p><p><span>"The Scognamillo family dynasty is not unlike the Sinatras'...theirs is in food and ours is in music," Nancy Sinatra wrote in Patsy's first cookbook, </span><span><a href="http://www.patsys.com/cookbooks.html">"Patsy's Cookbook: Classic Italian Recipes from a New York City Landmark Restaurant."</a></span></p><p><span>We visited the historic eatery to learn about its fascinating history and to see why it's become a beloved hit with some of entertainment's most noted names. </span></p><p><em>*Note: Patsy's Italian Restaurant on 56th Street and 8th Avenue is the only location associated with the Scognamillo family. </em> </p>

This family-owned Italian restaurant in NYC has been a celebrity hideaway for more than 70 years

<p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>A24</span></p><p class="caption">"Moonlight."</p></div><p></p></div></div>"La La Land" is forgettable. Yes, it will probably win best picture when the Oscars are handed out on February 26, because it's practically designed for the Academy Awards. It's a musical, it's cute, it's technically impressive, it flatters Hollywood. But I have yet to meet a fan of the movie (they are many and vocal, as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abn6cPxrc5w" target="_blank">"SNL" aptly parodied</a>) who actually listens to the soundtrack, which when you think about it, opposes the entire logic of a musical.</span></p><p><span>It's also a movie that looks backward. The classics it <a href="http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/news/a52682/la-la-land-movie-references-video/" target="_blank">incessantly references</a> ("Singin' in the Rain," "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg") defined their genres. Gene Kelly perfected the art of singing and dancing on the big screen. </span><span>Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone can barely sing and soft-shoe better than you and I can, and their characters' conflicts (why aren't you pursuing your dream instead of playing in a successful pop-jazz band?) are lame if not puzzling. "La La Land" rewards viewers who recognize what's pretty and vintage, but it's skin-deep.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Summit Entertainment</span></p><p class="caption">"La La Land," inspired by the musical magic of "Singin' in the Rain."</p></div><p></p></div></div>This wouldn't be the first time the Oscar best picture has gone to pat fluff ("Shakespeare in Love" comes to mind), but it comes at a critical time. "Moonlight," a smaller film, has a decent chance of stealing the award, and I hope it does, because it's a revolutionary movie in the middle of what might turn out to be a revolutionary moment in American history. Either way, it's the nominee that will prove to be timeless.</span></p><p><span>From the outside, it's easy to understand why "Moonlight" appeals to Oscar voters. The drama exposes the underbelly of an ignored and blighted corner of the US, and it demands that its extremely talented actors shout and cry a lot. It's also, as critics rightfully point out, in the tradition of movies about the degradations of black life, like "Precious" and "Monster's Ball." The worst parts of the movie indulge in movie-of-the-week cliches about crackheads (the addict mom seemingly transforms out of nowhere by the end to deliver a final redemptive note).</span></p><p><span>But "Moonlight" is unique and life-affirming,</span><span> even soul-cleansing, in a more fundamental way. This is a movie centered on a poor black man with gay desires that is not in any central way about being black, gay, or poor. The director and the writer of the play on which "Moonlight" is based - who are from the same housing projects in Liberty City, Miami, where it's set - deeply understand how circumstances shape their main character, as we see through the gorgeous on-location shooting. (Anyone from Miami or the surrounding area, like I am, will feel the heat just watching.) But the quiet, stunning revelation of the movie is that this poor black man with gay desires can't be pinned down to any of those things. We watch him define his own identity, on his own terms.</span></p><p><span>We're in the early days of a president who recently described the conditions of largely black urban centers as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/01/us/politics/trump-black-history-douglass.html?_r=0" target="_blank">"terrible."</a> Words like those have long been used to strip away the inherent humanity of</span><span> black Americans. We've made a lot of racial progress in 2017, but we're also a country, as research shows, that <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92292747" target="_blank">increasingly self-sorts</a> into communities of people who think and act like us, and who confirm our view of the world.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>A24</span></p><p class="caption">Trevante Rhodes as Black in "Moonlight."</p></div><p></p></div></div>"Moonlight" scrambles that problem. It's audaciously and ingeniously structured in three parts, in which we see the main character in starkly different stages of his life (he's named Little, Chiron, and Black) that are still undeniably linked. The last chapter shows Black, after a traumatic childhood and having moved away, inhabiting the image of a hard black man we've come to accept from pop culture. But then we see more - the wonder of Little, the tenderness and insecurity of Chiron. We see how this man has gradually shuffled through identities to find which one is really his.</span></p><p><span>The ending of "Moonlight" hinges on Black's romantic reunion with a childhood friend that is and isn't what you expect based on a million Hollywood romances. They make awkward small talk, there's the gesture of intimacy in a hot meal, a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJAMawhrmPE" target="_blank">soul song</a> on the jukebox.</span></p><p><span>But we've never seen two black men reuniting like this in a major American movie before. That's not just tokenism. Their interaction is palpably real, and about much more than sex. It's the recognition of two people who know each other so well that they could never forget, no matter how many years they've been apart or how much they've superficially changed. They see each other for who they really are, when hardly anyone else does. It's one of the most remarkable things I've seen portrayed on a big screen.</span></p><p><span>And that recognition of one man's individual humanity and connection in "Moonlight" can help us understand how we look at each other, too. The movie resists the idea that we're defined by our color, sexuality, community, education, income, or even politics, even while those things determine so much about our lives. Its blissful lesson is that we're all just trying to find out who we are and understand each other - and perhaps we can, if we really try.</span></p><p><span> That's something worth celebrating in 2017 or any other year.</span></p><p class="tagline">This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/newest-power-rangers-trailer-dinozords-megazord-2017-1">The new 'Power Rangers' trailer finally shows off the Dinozords and they look incredible</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="ZqOGwxOTE6LcKhMWGdVJbgjl3zm-GvEh" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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