There are many debates out there. Coke vs. Pepsi, Beatles vs. Rolling Stones, Garfield vs. Heathcliff, Frank Sinatra vs. Bing Crosby.
One of these such debates is "Who was better? Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly."
These two men have been compared and contrasted many times. They've been compared in books, in films, and now in my blog. The average person can easily see that they are very different in the way that they approach dance. I don't have a great deal of technical knowledge about dance. However, I have spent an unknown amount of hours watching and enjoying both of them and their movies. So let's begin:
Now to begin this conversation, you need a little bit of information.
Fred Astaire was born in 1899 and from the age of 6 was already in show business. Astaire started as a brother-sister act with his sister, Adele. They continued to do this until he was 32. He then went to Hollywood to be in movies. According to Hollywood folklore, his first screen test is reported to have said, "Can't Sing. Can't Act. Balding. Can dance a little." Then his partnership with Ginger Rogers began.
Gene Kelly was born in 1912. He didn't enter into show business until he was 26. He started on Broadway in a show called, "Leave It To Me" as a dancer. Then he got a part in "Time of Your Life" which is the first show that he danced to his own choreography. His big break came when he starred in "Pal Joey". It was during this show's run that David Selznick saw him and signed him to a contract. He then sold Kelly to MGM and his movie career began.
When Fred was making his move through the Big Apple, the shows were an excuse to get the latest songs out there. The dialogue and action were written around the songs. By the time Gene came around, most of these songs had been written. His shows, such as "Pal Joey", were a little darker and had a story line that easily integrated the songs into the show.
Acting
Their acting mirrored their dancing in a way. With Fred Astaire, there is a shrugging quality to him. He doesn't look like he's really trying. He often plays a lovable, affable character. It's kind of like he's saying, "Bare with me as I get to the next dance and then I'll amaze you".
As it seems that Fred Astaire might not be trying. Gene Kelly seems to be trying too hard. The characters that he tended to play were more brash, more outspoken. He didn't like to see closeups of himself because he wasn't a natural actor. He felt that his face showed that he was really trying. His best acting was in the movies where he played a boastful, over-the-top character.
Singing
Neither Gene Kelly nor Fred Astaire are thought of as having wonderful voiced. However, they are both very enjoyable. Their voices are kind of alike in that they both have a high timbre to their voice. However, Irving Berlin preferred Fred Astaire to sing his songs than any other singer in the world. That included Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Perry Como, etc. That is because he felt that Astaire interpreted his songs better then any other person.
Dancing
Now we get to their bread and butter. Their dancing is what they are truly known for.
Fred Astaire, just like his acting, often seems like he's not trying. He is very up-right in his dancing and his taps skim the floor. His dancing seems to characterize class and elegance. It seems that he has invisible wings that slightly lift him up. His body was longer and leaner than Gene's and he had a higher center of gravity. No matter how he moves, it seems that his dancing is completely effortless. He is probably working extremely hard but you would never know.
Gene Kelly, just like his acting, seems to be trying a little harder. His dancing is low to the ground. He has a much lower center of gravity. His taps are more pronounced. They seem to be digging into the ground a little bit more. He was more trained in different dances than was Astaire. He liked to incorporated these dances into his movies. His three most celebrated movies are ones that had long dance breaks that incorporated his ability to perform different types of dance. These three are "Singin' in the Rain", "On the Town", and "An American in Paris". From the latter, he won an honorary Oscar for "his versatility as an actor, singer, director and dancer, and specifically for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film."
These two performers were both excellent in what they did. The only true similarities are that they both danced and sang in movies. They way that they danced was very different from each other. They were both innovative and led the way for many dancers and performers on stage and in film.
Personally, I prefer Gene Kelly's way of dance and his movies to that of Fred Astaire. However, I enjoy both of them and will continue to do so for years to come!!
Gene Kelly
Gene and Fred together
