He's Got Rhythm

The Life and Career of Gene Kelly

Cynthia Brideson

Narrated by Cynthia Wallace

Available from Audible

Book published by The University Press of Kentucky

He sang and danced in the rain, proclaimed New York to be a wonderful town, and convinced a group of Parisian children that they had rhythm. One of the most influential and respected entertainers of Hollywood’s golden age, Gene Kelly revolutionized film musicals with his innovative and timeless choreography. A would-be baseball player and one-time law student, Kelly captured the nation’s imagination in films such as Anchors Aweigh (1945), On the Town (1949), An American in Paris (1951), and Singin’ in the Rain (1952).

In the first comprehensive biography written since the legendary star’s death, authors Cynthia Brideson and Sara Brideson disclose new details of Kelly’s complex life. Not only do they examine his contributions to the world of entertainment in depth, but they also consider his political activities—including his opposition to the Hollywood blacklist. The authors even confront Kelly’s darker side and explore his notorious competitive streak, his tendency to be a taskmaster on set, and his multiple marriages.

Drawing on previously untapped articles and interviews with Kelly's wives, friends, and colleagues, Brideson and Brideson illuminate new and unexpected aspects of the actor's life and work. He’s Got Rhythm is a balanced and compelling view of one of the screen’s enduring legends.

Cynthia Brideson is coauthor of Ziegfeld and His Follies: A Biography of Broadway's Greatest Producer and Also Starring ... : Forty Biographical Essays on the Greatest Character Actors of Hollywood’s Golden Era, 1930–1965.

REVIEWS:

“Readers will get a well-documented recounting of a man who, despite shortcomings, believed that 'true talent seems to show itself most often in kindness.'”

—Library Journal

“The Brideson sisters—the authors of Ziegfeld and His Follies—cover Kelly’s professional story in full detail.... He’s Got Rhythm provides a comprehensive overview enhanced by references to many previously published works.”

—New York Times Book Review

“A solidly written and researched biography.”

—Book Reviews by David Marshall James

“A stellar new work.”

—Open Letters Monthly

“It’s an extensively researched, expertly assembled, and almost compulsively readable chronicle of a talent who made it to the top through sheer determination, hard work, and not a little talent.”

—Yes! Weekly

“The Brideson sisters cover Kelly’s professional story in full detail. ”

—New York Times Book Review

“Cynthia and Sara Brideson’s comprehensive biography He’s Got Rhythm: The Life and Career of Gene Kelly expands on periods in the multihyphenate performer’s career not already covered in other biographies.”

—Movie City News

“The book is an engaging, thoughtful, and comprehensive look at the great hoofer.”

—AV Club

“He’s Got Rhythm is a balanced and compelling view of one of the screen’s most enduring legends.”

—Lane Report

“In this superb book, Cynthia Brideson and her late sister Sara Brideson bring us what will likely become the definitive biography of Gene Kelly, as they pay tribute to both an innovative creative artist, who was also a devoted parent and caring citizen of the world.”

—TheaterJones.com

“Cynthia Brideson and Sara Brideson have written a wonderful, readable and enjoyable biography of Gene Kelly.”

—Bismarck Tribune