Yes, dear friends, now Llydien will elaborate on some of her Favourite Dead Men. Upon closer reflection Llydien noticed that most of the men she likes are dead, actually. However, Llydien's male acquaintances, take note: Science has proven that there is no causal connection between a state of non-living and being Llydien's friend.

kay, now that this has been clarified, let Llydien begin with her very favourite:

ene Kelly!!!!!

Gene Kelly pic

his excellent dancer, choreographer, singer, actor and generally totally accomplished individual (and he has a splendid physique, too!) was born Eugene Curran Kelly on 23 August 1912. He died in February 1996. Gene Kelly starred in over fifty movies including (in no particular order):

Singin' in the Rain (1952)	Everyone has seen this movie at some point in their lives so Llydien cannot really add anything with her description....suffice it to say that the movie is utterly, utterly, UTTERLY wonderful, great music, handsome Gene Kelly, exceedingly funny Donald O'Connor (remember 'Be A Clown'...?), excellent comedy allround and marvellous period costumes and settings. And for those who wonder: no, Llydien has not yet exhausted her stock of adjectives....not by far.....
Anchors Aweigh(1945)	With an endearingly gangly and youthful Frank Sinatra the rather predictable story revolves around sailors on shore leave. The movie has a strong patriotic flavour (after all, this is 1945!), but in this film Gene Kelly also dances with an animated Jerry Mouse. This was the first ever dance to combine live action with animation and the four minutes of actual screen time involved 10.000 painted frames to synchronise with Kelly's movements. Anchors Aweigh broke box-office records all across America when first released and finally established Gene Kelly as a star with a very distinct and quite revolutionary cinematic style.
Brigadoon (1954)	This is the tale of a mystical village in Scotland which comes into existence only once every hundred years. Directed by Kelly and Vincente Minelli, the movie was supposed to be shot on location in Scotland but in the end the studio staged the production on their Hollywood back-lot. As a result the film has a very unreal look and feel to it, but the musical score by Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe (Creators of My Fair Lady) is nonetheless superb and includes 'The Heather On The Hill' which is feelingly rendered by Gene Kelly.
The Pirate (1948)	With Judy Garland (another one of Llydiens favourites). Despite the Kelly-Garland combination (a box-office magnet since For Me and My Gal), the movie was a critical failure, which Llydien thinks is a shame. Yes, Gene Kelly sports a very dodgy mustache and the storyline is less than convincing but Cole Porter wrote the songs, Kelly's dancing is innovative as usual, 'Mack The Black' is charming and funny and Garland and Kelly have some comic scenes which are hilarious.
On The Town (1949)	Again with Frank Sinatra and again portraying sailors on shore leave (this time in New York), On The Town was the first musical to be shot on location in NYC (you can see a crowd of tourists and bystanders staring and waving to the cameras at the back of the scene where they are in front of Rockefeller Plaza!), also the first movie that Kelly directed together with Stanley Donen. Frank Sinatra, Vera-Ellen and Ann Miller co-starred.
For Me and My Gal (1942)	Kelly's first film. Partnered by Judy Garland and with an excellent musical score the picture was an instant hit.
An American in Paris (1951)	Devised to showcase the music of George Gershwin, the movie co-starred Leslie Caron and Kelly bagged an honorary Academy Award for the now legendary final twenty minute ballet sequence.

However, Llydien's all-time favourite Gene Kelly picture is:
nvitation to the Dance (1965)

n 'experimental' movie, it drew limited acclaim as an 'art' picture but lacked box-office success. Envisioned by Kelly as a full-length ballet film, Invitation to the Dance was originally to consist of four separate ballets each featuring the greatest dancers in Europe and America and thereby introducing them to audiences all over the world. In the end budget constrictions and studio attitudes resulted in a film with three interlocking tales at its core. The first ballet called Circus is the semi-classical tragedy of a lovesick Pierrot, who in an attempt to impress the object of his affection falls off a highwire and dies most tragically. The second sequence was entitled Ring Around the Rosy and centred on a bracelet passing though a dozen different hands. The last ballet was a version of 'Sindbad The Sailor' and featured Kelly dancing with an animated ballerina in a beautiful sequence of live action and animation. All three stories are told entirely without dialogue and the story lines are followed by means of music, pantomime and dancing. Gene Kelly both acted in and directed the picture and Llydien considers it a shame that Invitation to the Dance is nowadays almost forgotten.

or Kelly fans - there is an excellent Gene Kelly website, full of pictures and information and one of the most comprehensive to be found on the Web (trust Llydien on this - she has searched far and wide!) Go and have a look....
The Gene Kelly Homepage