Editing Gene Kelly (section)

===1958–1996: After MGM===
In 1958, Kelly directed [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]]'s musical play ''[[Flower Drum Song]]''.<ref>In an episode foreshadowing his later conflicts with the studio, [[Elia Kazan]] in the late 1940s offered Kelly the role of Biff in ''[[Death of a Salesman]]'' on Broadway, but MGM refused to release him. cf. Blair, p. 112</ref> Early in 1960, Kelly, an ardent Francophile and fluent French speaker, was invited by A. M. Julien, the general administrator of the [[Palais Garnier|Paris Opéra]] and [[Opéra-Comique]],<ref name="Thomas" /> to select his own material and create a modern ballet for the company, the first time an American had received such an assignment. The result was ''Pas de Dieux'', based on [[Greek mythology]], combined with the music of [[George Gershwin]]'s ''[[Concerto in F (Gershwin)|Concerto in F]]''. It was a major success, and it led to his being honored with the ''Chevalier'' de la [[Légion d'Honneur]] by the French Government.

[[File:Inherit the wind trailer (5) Gene Kelly.jpg|thumb|Kelly as Hornbeck in ''[[Inherit the Wind (1960 film)|Inherit the Wind]]'', 1960]]

In 1960, Kelly continued to make some film appearances, such as Hornbeck in the Hollywood production of ''[[Inherit the Wind (1960 film)|Inherit the Wind]]'' and as himself in ''[[Let's Make Love]]''. However, most of his efforts were now concentrated on film production and directing. In Paris, he directed [[Jackie Gleason]] in ''[[Gigot (film)|Gigot]]'' (1962), but the film was drastically recut by [[Seven Arts Productions]] and flopped.<ref name="Hirschhorn" /> Another French effort, [[Jacques Demy]]'s homage to the MGM musical, ''[[The Young Girls of Rochefort]]'' (''Les Demoiselles de Rochefort'', 1967), in which Kelly appeared, was a box-office success in France and nominated for Academy Awards for Best Music and Score of a Musical Picture (Original or Adaptation), but performed poorly elsewhere.

He was asked to direct the 1965 film version of ''[[The Sound of Music (film)|The Sound of Music]]'', which had already been turned down by Stanley Donen. He escorted [[Ernest Lehman]], the screenwriter, out of his house, saying, "Go find someone else to direct this piece of shit."<ref name="wsj">{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/book-review-the-sound-of-music-story-by-tom-santopietro-1425069491|title=Book Review: 'The Sound of Music Story' by Tom Santopietro|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=February 27, 2015|access-date=May 18, 2015|last1=Eyman|first1=Scott|archive-date=May 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527160652/http://www.wsj.com/articles/book-review-the-sound-of-music-story-by-tom-santopietro-1425069491|url-status=live}}</ref>

His first foray into television was a documentary for [[NBC]]'s ''[[Omnibus (U.S. TV series)|Omnibus]]'', ''Dancing is a Man's Game'' (1958), in which he assembled a group of America's greatest sportsmen—including [[Mickey Mantle]], [[Sugar Ray Robinson]], and [[Bob Cousy]]—and reinterpreted their moves choreographically, as part of his lifelong quest to remove the effeminate stereotype of the art of dance, while articulating the philosophy behind his dance style.<ref name="Hirschhorn" /> It gained an [[Emmy]] nomination for choreography and now stands as the key document explaining Kelly's approach to modern dance.

Kelly appeared frequently on television shows during the 1960s, including ''[[Going My Way (TV series)|Going My Way]]'' (1962–63), which was based on the [[Going My Way|1944 film of the same name]]. It enjoyed great popularity in Roman Catholic countries outside the US.<ref name="Hirschhorn" /> He also appeared in three major TV specials: ''[[The Julie Andrews Show]]'' (1965), ''New York, New York'' (1966), and ''[[Jack and the Beanstalk (1967 film)|Jack and the Beanstalk]]'' (1967)—a show he produced and directed that again combined cartoon animation and live dance, winning him an [[Emmy Award]] for Outstanding Children's Program.

[[File:Hello, Dolly!1.jpg|thumb|[[Walter Matthau]] with [[Barbra Streisand]] in ''[[Hello, Dolly! (film)|Hello, Dolly!]]'', 1969]]
In 1963, Kelly joined [[Universal Pictures]] for a two-year stint. He joined [[20th Century Fox]] in 1965, but had little to do—partly due to his decision to decline assignments away from Los Angeles for family reasons. His perseverance finally paid off, with the major box-office hit ''[[A Guide for the Married Man]]'' (1967), in which he directed [[Walter Matthau]]. Then, a major opportunity arose when Fox—buoyed by the returns from ''The Sound of Music'' (1965)—commissioned Kelly to direct ''[[Hello, Dolly! (film)|Hello, Dolly!]]'' (1969), again directing Matthau along with [[Barbra Streisand]]. The film was nominated for [[42nd Academy Awards|seven Academy Awards, winning three]].

In 1966, Kelly starred in a musical television special for [[CBS]] titled ''Gene Kelly in New York, New York''.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.woodyallenpages.com/2014/08/votw-woody-allen-on-gene-kelly-1966-tv-special|title= Woody Allen On Gene Kelly 1966 TV Special|website= Woody Allen pages|date= August 10, 2014|access-date= April 2, 2020|archive-date= June 13, 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200613124128/http://www.woodyallenpages.com/2014/08/votw-woody-allen-on-gene-kelly-1966-tv-special/|url-status= live}}</ref> The special focuses on Gene Kelly in a musical tour around [[Manhattan]], dancing along such landmarks as [[Rockefeller Center]], [[the Plaza Hotel]], and [[the Museum of Modern Art]], which serve as backdrops for the show's entertaining production numbers.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2011-03-26/gene-kelly-television|title= Gene Kelly on Television|website= UCLA.edu|access-date= April 2, 2020|archive-date= June 14, 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200614045648/https://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2011-03-26/gene-kelly-television|url-status= live}}</ref> The special was written by [[Woody Allen]], who also stars alongside Kelly. Guest stars included choreographer [[Gower Champion]], British musical comedy star [[Tommy Steele]], and singer [[Damita Jo DeBlanc]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2011-03-26/gene-kelly-television|title= Gene Kelly Television|website= UCLA.edu|access-date= April 2, 2020|archive-date= June 14, 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200614045648/https://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2011-03-26/gene-kelly-television|url-status= live}}</ref>

In 1970, he made another television special: ''Gene Kelly and 50 Girls'', and was invited to bring the show to [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]], which he did for an eight-week stint on the condition he be paid more than any artist had ever been paid there.<ref name="Hirschhorn" /> He directed veteran actors [[James Stewart]] and [[Henry Fonda]] in the comedy Western ''[[The Cheyenne Social Club]]'' (1970), which performed poorly at the box office. In 1973, he worked again with Frank Sinatra as part of Sinatra's [[Emmy]]-nominated TV special, ''[[Magnavox Presents Frank Sinatra]]''.

In 1974, he appeared as one of many special narrators in the surprise hit ''[[That's Entertainment!]]'' In 1976, he directed and co-starred with his friend Fred Astaire in the sequel ''[[That's Entertainment, Part II]]''. It was a measure of his powers of persuasion that he managed to coax the 77-year-old Astaire—who had insisted that his contract rule out any dancing, having long since retired—into performing a series of song-and-dance duets, evoking a powerful nostalgia for the glory days of the American musical film.

Kelly was a guest on the 1975 television special starring Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé, "Our Love Is Here to Stay," appearing with his son, Tim, and daughter, Bridget. He starred in the poorly received action film ''[[Viva Knievel!]]'' (1977), with the then high-profile stuntman, [[Evel Knievel]]. Kelly continued to make frequent TV appearances. His final film role was in ''[[Xanadu (film)|Xanadu]]'' (1980), a flop despite a popular [[Xanadu (soundtrack)|soundtrack]] that spawned five Top 20 hits by the [[Electric Light Orchestra]], [[Cliff Richard]], and Kelly's co-star [[Olivia Newton-John]].<ref name="Hirschhorn" /> In Kelly's opinion, "The concept was marvelous, but it just didn't come off."<ref name="Thomas" />

In 1980, he was invited by [[Francis Ford Coppola]] to recruit a production staff for American Zoetrope's ''[[One from the Heart]]'' (1982). Although Coppola's ambition was for him to establish a production unit to rival the [[Arthur Freed|Freed Unit]] at MGM, the film's failure put an end to this idea.<ref name="Hirschhorn" /> In November 1983 he made his first Royal Variety Performance before Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, at London's Theatre Royal. Kelly served as executive producer and co-host of ''[[That's Dancing!]]'' (1985), a celebration of the history of dance in the American musical. Kelly's final on-screen appearance was to introduce ''[[That's Entertainment! III]]'' (1994). His final film project was the animated film ''[[Cats Don't Dance]]'', not released until 1997, for which Kelly acted as an uncredited choreographic consultant. It was dedicated to his memory.

In 1993, Kelly was hired by [[Madonna]] and her brother [[Christopher Ciccone]] to do the choreography for part of Madonna's [[The Girlie Show (Madonna)|The Girlie Show]] tour, but he was quickly dismissed due to the very different visions that Kelly and the Ciccones had about the performers he was to direct and their dancing abilities.<ref name=Ciccone2>{{cite book|last1=Ciccone|first1=Christopher|last2=Leigh|first2=Wendy|date=2008|title=Life with My Sister Madonna|publisher=Gallery Books|page=211|isbn=9781439109267}}</ref>