I wonder what Gene Kelly was thinking as he watched Xanadu unfold before his eyes. Did he regret signing on? Was he amused at how the making of musicals had deteriorated since his day? Did he deplore the waste of time and money.
More than likely one thing must have been clear to him. Xanadu proves that with the collapse of the studio system where a place like MGM where Kelly made some of the best musicals ever, you can't pay the talent enough for what they're worth. When Kelly made The Pirate and Summer Stock, he and Judy Garland were drawing a straight salary from MGM and Arthur Freed the producer was also on salary and could command all the resources that MGM had behind the camera. The big budget flops of the sixties proved the musical was just too expensive to make.
But the success of Grease for Olivia Newton-John prompted this film, of course the big names from that film were again not big names yet. And Grease did have a built in following from Broadway which sometimes guarantees a box office.
Xanadu bears some resemblance to the Rita Hayworth film Down to Earth where Terpsichore comes down to earth to lend her talents to a Broadway bound show. Here one of the nine Muses, this one played by Olivia comes to life and inspires and falls for Michael Beck who is an artist and would be club owner.
Olivia also inspires some nostalgia in Gene Kelly who remembers back in the day when he had a club during World War II. In fact Kelly's character is named Danny McGuire, the same as in his one of his biggest hits back in the day, Cover Girl. And his character did own a club in Brooklyn in that film.
When Kelly and Beck start comparing notes and decide to collaborate, some strange things happen. In fact so strange that I could barely follow the flow of the story.
On the plus side Xanadu has some nice songs for Olivia Newton John to sing and she's a fine singer and a beauty. She also is exactly the same age as your's truly so I always have a soft spot for her. Poor Gene Kelly though, the only thing that Xanadu shows him is how old he's getting. He danced much better with Fred Astaire in those filmed sequences of That's Entertainment Part II. Kelly looks completely lost here.
By the way note that while Xanadu got a whole lot of Razzie award nominations including worst musical in the existence of the award for their first 25 years which it won, one career got started here. Choreographer Kenny Ortega who later did Newsies and now is riding high with the High School Musical franchise made his bones here.
And that in itself says something. All the talent in front and behind the camera for the High School Musical films is under studio contract to the Magic Kingdom.
Learn that lesson folks.
More than likely one thing must have been clear to him. Xanadu proves that with the collapse of the studio system where a place like MGM where Kelly made some of the best musicals ever, you can't pay the talent enough for what they're worth. When Kelly made The Pirate and Summer Stock, he and Judy Garland were drawing a straight salary from MGM and Arthur Freed the producer was also on salary and could command all the resources that MGM had behind the camera. The big budget flops of the sixties proved the musical was just too expensive to make.
But the success of Grease for Olivia Newton-John prompted this film, of course the big names from that film were again not big names yet. And Grease did have a built in following from Broadway which sometimes guarantees a box office.
Xanadu bears some resemblance to the Rita Hayworth film Down to Earth where Terpsichore comes down to earth to lend her talents to a Broadway bound show. Here one of the nine Muses, this one played by Olivia comes to life and inspires and falls for Michael Beck who is an artist and would be club owner.
Olivia also inspires some nostalgia in Gene Kelly who remembers back in the day when he had a club during World War II. In fact Kelly's character is named Danny McGuire, the same as in his one of his biggest hits back in the day, Cover Girl. And his character did own a club in Brooklyn in that film.
When Kelly and Beck start comparing notes and decide to collaborate, some strange things happen. In fact so strange that I could barely follow the flow of the story.
On the plus side Xanadu has some nice songs for Olivia Newton John to sing and she's a fine singer and a beauty. She also is exactly the same age as your's truly so I always have a soft spot for her. Poor Gene Kelly though, the only thing that Xanadu shows him is how old he's getting. He danced much better with Fred Astaire in those filmed sequences of That's Entertainment Part II. Kelly looks completely lost here.
By the way note that while Xanadu got a whole lot of Razzie award nominations including worst musical in the existence of the award for their first 25 years which it won, one career got started here. Choreographer Kenny Ortega who later did Newsies and now is riding high with the High School Musical franchise made his bones here.
And that in itself says something. All the talent in front and behind the camera for the High School Musical films is under studio contract to the Magic Kingdom.
Learn that lesson folks.