MovieChat Forums > She's Working Her Way Through College (1952) Discussion > Amazing Athleticism

Amazing Athleticism

posted 12 years ago by Two-Spacer
5 replies | jump to latest

Gene Nelson's athleticism in the gym in "Am I in Love" is truly amazing, especially considering that he was 32 years old.

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[–] qormi 10 years ago

That was incredible....not too many cutaways....what a performance! Is there any athlete that talented around today?

[–] marhefka 10 years ago

@gormi.

Gene Nelson has always been a favorite of mine. Probably his best performance, imo, was in Oklahoma as Will Parker. Every time I think about Gene, the words: "I got to Kansas City on a Tuesday" come to mind.

But, I never knew he was so athletic. I agree with you in that it was "incredible."

[–] joeparkson 9 years ago

If Gene Nelson had come on the scene in the early 1940s instead of the early 1950s, he might have rivaled Gene Kelly. They both combined grace with athleticism. By about 1956, public taste for big musicals and dancing numbers were fading. It also affected the singers like Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel Gordon MacRae.

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[–] guy_in_west_houston 9 years ago

Gene Nelson never ceases to amaze me. He would leave Astaire and Kelly on the sidelines.

[–] mdonln 9 years ago

I'm not sure that's a fair comparison. As far as I know the other two were dancers. Gene Nelson, on the other hand, is clearly a gymnast as well.

He does seem like a good actor too even without the other stuff. For some reason, I never really thought of Astaire and Kelly as actors who danced. I considered them dancers who act; meaning acting wasn't their forte.

This may be the only thing I've seen Gene Nelson in, to my knowledge, but I thought his acting stood up. Hmm, maybe that's why I'm not usually a fan of musicals. A lot of the actors who also sing and dance act as if they're acting or just holding out until their next musical number. Their acting seems very 'Broadway'; over the top and projected instead of natural and believable.

Ginger Rogers is a female example of what I'm saying about Gene Nelson. She was a great dancer but she's just as good as an actress. Judy Garland, on the other hand, I find to be mostly musical. Her acting is okay but, to me, it always seems like a performance. I never felt like she 'became' the character.

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