I just love this routine. I've watched it many times and am always impressed with the energy and talent of all three dancers. Bless you Gene Kelly, Fayard Nicholas, and Harold Nicholas. You brought many people hours of entertainment. Heaven is a happier place with all of you there.
"We're a couple of Swells", Fred & Judy, very similar, not as acrobatic, more tap, more memorable song, from "Easter Parade". th-cam.com/video/J3aUAiLU0TI/w-d-xo.html
Having the most outstanding and innovative entertainers of all time - Mr Gene Kelly and the Nicholas Brothers -together in one amazing,showstopping,and exhilarating production number is truly delightful.noteworthy,and historic.They did perform Mr Cole Porter's Be A Clown remarkably and vigorously. Indeed they had great flairs in dancing. Mr Kelly was praised for his fresh ideas and intense energy.The Nicholas Brothers were admired for their highly-acrobatic,daring,and unique methods.
Well said and GK wanted the Nicholas brothers in this film 🎥 disapprove by the Hollywood bigwigs or else he won't do the film altogether shows GK was very powerful in his era and always gets what he wants
Wish we would've seen Gene Kelly, The Nicholas Bros, Fred Astaire, Buddy Ebsen, and Bojangles all in the same Picture.... would've blew the roof off the place!
holy shit the Nicholas Brothers danced with gene kelly ? . why haven't i ever seen this. as a kid the parents showed me "singing in the rain" "anchors away" "brigadood " "jack and the bean stalk " even " summer stock " but they seemed to have missed this one haha. i know what im doing tonight.
Nikbrickk [B's Gaming] yeah The Pirate was a flop when it came out and was somewhat panned by critics. As a result, they probably didn’t really see the market value for it in the home videos era. So it was rather obscure for quite a few decades. BUT THANKFULLY we have it now!!! My art teacher actually met Judy Garland once and he asked her about the scene where her character goes in a rage and throws knickknacks, antiques, and other valuables at Gene in a slapstick manner. He asked her if she had fun doing this scene, and she said to him, “only on the first take”.
I love this and saw it several times as a child, but only now am I noticing that the Nicholas brothers must have been quite short and light as they are smaller than Gene Kelly and on two occasions he supports both of them simultaneously balancing on him or climbing on him. Kelly wasn’t tall himself. Judy Garland wasn’t even 5’ tall herself! Yet all them were giants!
At 2:52, Fayard crushes brother Harold and Gene when they duck walk. The difference pops out at you. (Different builds though, so some things come easier for others.) Kelly is most certainly one of the greatest ever but ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov once called the Nicholas Brothers the most amazing dancers he had ever seen in his life. In fact, he also called them the greatest dancers ever in one interview. Also of note, Gene and Fayard were in their late forties!
Whoops, could not let the age references go by. Fayard was born in 1914 which made him 33-34 in this movie. Gene Kelly was born in 1912, so he was 35-36 at time of filming.
Somewhere I heard that Kelly said his hardest workout was with the Nicholas Brothers. I think it was Donald O'Connor introducing the brothers at a tribute to them at the Paramount Theater in Oakland as part of the SF Jazz Fall Season.
How tragic that this scene had to be cut when the film was shown in the American south - a white boy dancing with N....... And credit to Kelly for doing the number knowing the path of least resistance would have been not to.
@@witchingours4432 GK was very powerful back then he was the golden boy of that era and he always gets what he wants and he told the studio that he wanted the Nicholas brothers badly to be on that movie 🎬 or else he won't do it all and the Hollywood bigwigs had no choice to accept his demands
Arthur Freed who wrote "Make em Laugh" for Donald O'CONNOR could have gotten sued for plagiarism of Cole Porter's "Be a Clown". I heard there was a whole story behind that during the making of Singing In the Rain.
Who is keeping up with whom, is what I think now when I see this. Gene could NOT hop over someone and land doing the splits. This could have been better since both he and they could tap and he and they were acrobatically inclined. Gene has been a fave of mine since the 60s and I LOVE this movie.
They're all great but Gene's ballet training as well as his gymnastic training gives him an edge. He did not want tap dancing in "The Pirate" because it would be anachronistic. I love this movie, too
I wish gene kelly did the splits and I knew he could do it but Hollywood declined because he was insured financially at that time and any injury could have been cost Hollywood millions and don't forget GK was the golden boy of Hollywood musicals in that era
Still amazed Cole Porter didn't sue over 'Make 'Em Laugh' in 'Singing in the Rain' from only a few years later. Different key, different lyrics, exact same melody. Wonder what he thought of the lyric change. It is an impossible choice isn't it? Gene Kelly and the Nicholas Brothers; Gene Kelly and Judy Garland; or Donald O'Conner. Who could possibly name a preference?
"ALMOST" identical, I'd say. Yes, very similar in rhythm (not so much in melody) -- but as they say, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Porter CHOSE not to sue, and probably wishes them well. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN was way more successful than THE PIRATE.
Now go check out Slim Gaillard and Slam Stewart… the Nat Cole Trio (before Nat “King” Cole was co-opted as a single by the record company for being a vocal hitmaking goldmine)… heck, check out Cab Calloway’s sister Blanche while you’re at it - she also had a successful and amazing big band of her own. Then check out the Nicholas Brothers’ dancing with Gene Kelly in “The Pirate - they are never leas than thrilling to watch.
Was this considered a break through at the time? To have such a fully integrated piece could not have gone down well in parts of the country. Does it go even further when they react to the noose? It is done so quickly, but it's an image that you cannot help but notice. Fantastic dancing and athleticism from all.
Some have interpreted the noose as a veiled allusion to lynching blacks. But it is Kelly who finds himself directly below it. IMO it more likely refers to his occupation: hanging from the yardarm.
Such a great dance, though when I first saw Gene Kelly I expected him to stop, look at the camera and say "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
The song writers for “Singing In The Rain” plagiarized this song for the movie with Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds. Cole Porter didn’t complain as MGM owned both songs. IMBD has interesting trivia on a lot of films. The real tragedy of this film was Judy Garland’s dependence on multiple drugs while filming. Also, the treatment of the Nicholas Brothers by MGM, airing the movie in the South, simply because they were Black dancing with a White Actor. This scene was cut from the film airing in the South.
I remember forever When I was three Mama, who was clever Remarking to me "Son, when you're grown up And you want everything nice I've got your future sewn up If you'll take this advice." (Chorus 1) [SERAFIN] Be a clown Be a clown All the world Loves a clown Be a fool Play the calf And you'll always have the last laugh Wear the cap And the bells And you'll rate with all the great swells If you become a doctor, folks'll face you with dread If you become a dentist, they'll be glad when you're dead You'll get a bigger hand if you can stand on your head Be a clown, be a clown, be a clown
Kelly won plaudits for a racially integrated number, but he keeps himself a little front and center all through. The Nicholases are his supporters. In 'Singin' in the Rain', Donald O'Connor does a slapstick solo to 'Make 'Em Laugh' by Schwartz and Dietz, an outrageous ripoff of 'Be a Clown'. But Cole Porter let it go. MGM paid him so well that he did not want to rock the boat.
Didn't bother GK in the slightest he wanted them badly for that scene or he wouldn't be in the movie plain and simple and he was very powerful in that era and gets what he wants and what a brilliant performance by the three of them and had great pleasure doing it RIP 🙏
'He keeps himself a little front and center...' He was the star and the male lead, so no different to EVERY number in Classic Hollywood. It's also perfectly okay to take the lead.
In the original version the Nicholas Brothers scenes were deleted in the South. Southern antiBlack sentiment was so strong no Black star really made it big. There were petitions against Lena Horne (another Metro Black star) buying a place in Bevelry Hills. Curiously Nat King Cole faced little opposition when he bought in Hancock Park, a gentile area around Los Angeles. When viewing Kelly and the Nicholas Brothers you are acutely aware of what a klutz he is and how effortless they are.
No he requested to work with them for the film, but not only was this movie a flop but he got so much shit from Hollywood because he danced with black.
🤣🤣🤣 clueless you are and he wasn't upstaged by them because he wanted them badly in that film or else he won't do it period and GK was very powerful back then and always gets what he want do your research properly before writing crap
I just love this routine. I've watched it many times and am always impressed with the energy and talent of all three dancers. Bless you Gene Kelly, Fayard Nicholas, and Harold Nicholas. You brought many people hours of entertainment. Heaven is a happier place with all of you there.
It must have been a great treat for Jean Kelly to be able to dance number with the Nicholas Brothers.
3 of The Most Athletic Dancers hands down!
Nicholas brothers=greatest tap dancers of all time
@nananini9199 Their routine in "Stormy Weather" the greatest routine of all time.
I'm amazed Gene Kelly was able to keep up, those brothers go hard
Keep up! The set decorator, Jack Martin Smith, recalled the day he saw Gene Kelly dance the Nicholas Brothers down to the ground.
The trio did amazing
@@susanlloyd7395 Shut up you dullard. Kelly was great but the Nicholases were in another league.
@@susanlloyd7395 And stop making shit up. Douche bag.
@@susanlloyd7395 You’ve clearly never seen any of The Nicolas Brothers Dance performances
Talent ! Rehearsals ! What A Show ! Don't Expect To See That In 2024 Or 25-26-27 !
Imagine if Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and the Nicholas Brothers all danced together.
We'd all burst into flames with the excitement!
@@etherealtb6021 the ground would probably burst into flames for sure!
I can hear Fred Astaire singing a song like this
"We're a couple of Swells", Fred & Judy, very similar, not as acrobatic, more tap, more memorable song, from "Easter Parade". th-cam.com/video/J3aUAiLU0TI/w-d-xo.html
Je ne pense pas que Fred Astaire a le talent des frères Nicholas
Having the most outstanding and innovative entertainers of all time - Mr Gene Kelly and the Nicholas Brothers -together in one amazing,showstopping,and exhilarating production number is truly delightful.noteworthy,and historic.They did perform Mr Cole Porter's Be A Clown remarkably and vigorously. Indeed they had great flairs in dancing. Mr Kelly was praised for his fresh ideas and intense energy.The Nicholas Brothers were admired for their highly-acrobatic,daring,and unique methods.
Well said and GK wanted the Nicholas brothers in this film 🎥 disapprove by the Hollywood bigwigs or else he won't do the film altogether shows GK was very powerful in his era and always gets what he wants
Those three guys are tap dancing geniuses in their own ways.
Love Those Men ! TALENT ! HARD WORK !
Three of my favorites. Total JOY watching them dance together ❤ 😍 ♥
Sure did the three of them had fun doing this and it was magical ✨️
All I can say is - WHAT A WORKOUT!!!!
Sure was and the three of them really enjoyed themselves great fun RIP 🙏
Gene Kelly, bless his soul, is wearing himself out trying to keep up. You can see it on his face.
Ken Love I just see a big smile on his face. They are all a little older in this movie than their other more famous movies.
He did do well though, better than either of us could. They all did great
A rumour it was gene kelly worked them out because he was perfectionist but the three of them had great fun together
Wish we would've seen Gene Kelly, The Nicholas Bros, Fred Astaire, Buddy Ebsen, and Bojangles all in the same Picture.... would've blew the roof off the place!
No argument here
Absolutely
Dancers back then loved each other's style...and if they got a chance would play off each other...this is one example!
Absolutely
This was the ultimate best of gene kelly at his athletic best with the Nicholas brothers friendship has no colours 💯👍👌🙏
Amazing talent beyond words
Gene Kelly has always been my favorite dancer.
That was a whole workout regiment!!! Good lord hahaha
Wtf...practice and breath control like a muthafucka
@@reallyrell8892 hahah I'm saying tho! 🤣
@@zzzkatproductions684 I'm big baffled frfr
Sure was
Did this make anyone else feel melancholy and a bit sad. Perhaps because none of these three greats are still around
A new lockdown gem on a cold, damp winters evening,
Those 3 cats seems to have a lot of fun together during that famous scene RIP 🙏
Been a big fan forever. Sadly, three forgotten legends
holy shit the Nicholas Brothers danced with gene kelly ? . why haven't i ever seen this. as a kid the parents showed me "singing in the rain" "anchors away" "brigadood " "jack and the bean stalk " even " summer stock " but they seemed to have missed this one haha. i know what im doing tonight.
Nikbrickk [B's Gaming] yeah The Pirate was a flop when it came out and was somewhat panned by critics. As a result, they probably didn’t really see the market value for it in the home videos era. So it was rather obscure for quite a few decades. BUT THANKFULLY we have it now!!!
My art teacher actually met Judy Garland once and he asked her about the scene where her character goes in a rage and throws knickknacks, antiques, and other valuables at Gene in a slapstick manner. He asked her if she had fun doing this scene, and she said to him, “only on the first take”.
I love this and saw it several times as a child, but only now am I noticing that the Nicholas brothers must have been quite short and light as they are smaller than Gene Kelly and on two occasions he supports both of them simultaneously balancing on him or climbing on him. Kelly wasn’t tall himself. Judy Garland wasn’t even 5’ tall herself! Yet all them were giants!
All three were fantastic ❤
Fantastic dance routine. Love it. Gene must have been strong to balance the Nicholas Brothers on top of him. Love this film
👍👌
At 2:52, Fayard crushes brother Harold and Gene when they duck walk. The difference pops out at you. (Different builds though, so some things come easier for others.) Kelly is most certainly one of the greatest ever but ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov once called the Nicholas Brothers the most amazing dancers he had ever seen in his life. In fact, he also called them the greatest dancers ever in one interview.
Also of note, Gene and Fayard were in their late forties!
Whoops, could not let the age references go by. Fayard was born in 1914 which made him 33-34 in this movie. Gene Kelly was born in 1912, so he was 35-36 at time of filming.
@@rahazel Oops, my mistake. Thanks for the catch. Too many stouts at the time.
Scenes like this remind me of the great dance duets Baryshnikov & Gregory Hines did, in White Nights.
Gene Kelly did a great job keeping up with the brothers 👏 😂❤
Amazing!
Apresentação antológica de Nicholas Brothers e Gene Kely. NB maiores sapateadores de todos os tempos, seguidos de Gene K. FRED Astere.
Outstanding.. amazing.. talented, actors, singers, dancers, musicians.. The old times, when an artist was actually AN ARTIST.. not just "famous"..
W ! O ! W ! AS IN WOW ! ! !
Somewhere I heard that Kelly said his hardest workout was with the Nicholas Brothers. I think it was Donald O'Connor introducing the brothers at a tribute to them at the Paramount Theater in Oakland as part of the SF Jazz Fall Season.
How tragic that this scene had to be cut when the film was shown in the American south - a white boy dancing with N....... And credit to Kelly for doing the number knowing the path of least resistance would have been not to.
I was just wondering about this. It must have been a brave choice at the time for all involved, including the studio.
What's a N 🤔🧐 and he wanted the Nicholas brothers in the first place or else he won't do the film plain and simple
@@witchingours4432 did paid off thoe
@@witchingours4432 GK was very powerful back then he was the golden boy of that era and he always gets what he wants and he told the studio that he wanted the Nicholas brothers badly to be on that movie 🎬 or else he won't do it all and the Hollywood bigwigs had no choice to accept his demands
Totally agree with you a white h***y dancing 🕺 with ethics
Wow, the Nicholas Brothers must have been really short, Gene Kelly was only 5’7”!!
Exactly
Arthur Freed who wrote "Make em Laugh" for Donald O'CONNOR could have gotten sued for plagiarism of Cole Porter's "Be a Clown". I heard there was a whole story behind that during the making of Singing In the Rain.
Who is keeping up with whom, is what I think now when I see this. Gene could NOT hop over someone and land doing the splits. This could have been better since both he and they could tap and he and they were acrobatically inclined. Gene has been a fave of mine since the 60s and I LOVE this movie.
They're all great but Gene's ballet training as well as his gymnastic training gives him an edge. He did not want tap dancing in "The Pirate" because it would be anachronistic. I love this movie, too
I wish gene kelly did the splits and I knew he could do it but Hollywood declined because he was insured financially at that time and any injury could have been cost Hollywood millions and don't forget GK was the golden boy of Hollywood musicals in that era
Still amazed Cole Porter didn't sue over 'Make 'Em Laugh' in 'Singing in the Rain' from only a few years later. Different key, different lyrics, exact same melody.
Wonder what he thought of the lyric change.
It is an impossible choice isn't it? Gene Kelly and the Nicholas Brothers; Gene Kelly and Judy Garland; or Donald O'Conner. Who could possibly name a preference?
"ALMOST" identical, I'd say. Yes, very similar in rhythm (not so much in melody) -- but as they say, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Porter CHOSE not to sue, and probably wishes them well. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN was way more successful than THE PIRATE.
Now go check out Slim Gaillard and Slam Stewart… the Nat Cole Trio (before Nat “King” Cole was co-opted as a single by the record company for being a vocal hitmaking goldmine)… heck, check out Cab Calloway’s sister Blanche while you’re at it - she also had a successful and amazing big band of her own.
Then check out the Nicholas Brothers’ dancing with Gene Kelly in “The Pirate - they are never leas than thrilling to watch.
Was this considered a break through at the time? To have such a fully integrated piece could not have gone down well in parts of the country. Does it go even further when they react to the noose? It is done so quickly, but it's an image that you cannot help but notice. Fantastic dancing and athleticism from all.
Some have interpreted the noose as a veiled allusion to lynching blacks. But it is Kelly who finds himself directly below it. IMO it more likely refers to his occupation: hanging from the yardarm.
Same thoughts I had.
It caused problems and was cut out in the South.
Oreo cookie
Such a great dance, though when I first saw Gene Kelly I expected him to stop, look at the camera and say "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
I think there was some breakdancing!!
This song sounds exactly like ‘Make ‘Em Laugh’ from Singin’ In The Rain but with different lyrics.
Don't you mean, "Make 'Em Laugh" sounds just like this song? After all, "The Pirate" came out 4 years BEFORE "Singin' in the Rain".
The movie studios recycled several songs.
They almost didn’t use make’em laugh because they sounded alike
The song writers for “Singing In The Rain” plagiarized this song for the movie with Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds. Cole Porter didn’t complain as MGM owned both songs. IMBD has interesting trivia on a lot of films. The real tragedy of this film was Judy Garland’s dependence on multiple drugs while filming. Also, the treatment of the Nicholas Brothers by MGM, airing the movie in the South, simply because they were Black dancing with a White Actor. This scene was cut from the film airing in the South.
Similar melody.
Average Clussy Fan: ''Ahhhh yes, Clown Lady, sit on my face''
Average Be a Clown Enjoyer:
I have a duet (I’m a dancer) of be a clown and we do most actions ❤
I remember forever
When I was three
Mama, who was clever
Remarking to me
"Son, when you're grown up
And you want everything nice
I've got your future sewn up
If you'll take this advice."
(Chorus 1)
[SERAFIN]
Be a clown
Be a clown
All the world
Loves a clown
Be a fool
Play the calf
And you'll always have the last laugh
Wear the cap
And the bells
And you'll rate with all the great swells
If you become a doctor, folks'll face you with dread
If you become a dentist, they'll be glad when you're dead
You'll get a bigger hand if you can stand on your head
Be a clown, be a clown, be a clown
Vídeos de idiotices tem milhões de visualizações, um vídeo desse de pura arte não tem 100 mil visualizações, e o mundo em que vivemos hoje 🤷🏾♂️
MINNELLI
Came here cuz Lady Gaga sing this in Joker
Anyone think this song should have been in Joker?
Kelly won plaudits for a racially integrated number, but he keeps himself a little front and center all through. The Nicholases are his supporters.
In 'Singin' in the Rain', Donald O'Connor does a slapstick solo to 'Make 'Em Laugh' by Schwartz and Dietz, an outrageous ripoff of 'Be a Clown'. But Cole Porter let it go. MGM paid him so well that he did not want to rock the boat.
Didn't bother GK in the slightest he wanted them badly for that scene or he wouldn't be in the movie plain and simple and he was very powerful in that era and gets what he wants and what a brilliant performance by the three of them and had great pleasure doing it RIP 🙏
'He keeps himself a little front and center...' He was the star and the male lead, so no different to EVERY number in Classic Hollywood. It's also perfectly okay to take the lead.
In the original version the Nicholas Brothers scenes were deleted in the South. Southern antiBlack sentiment was so strong no Black star really made it big. There were petitions against Lena Horne (another Metro Black star) buying a place in Bevelry Hills. Curiously Nat King Cole faced little opposition when he bought in Hancock Park, a gentile area around Los Angeles. When viewing Kelly and the Nicholas Brothers you are acutely aware of what a klutz he is and how effortless they are.
Gene Kelly a klutz?! Everyone has different tastes, but Gene Kelly a klutz!
Sandra Shevey - as long as having cross burnt into his lawn is considered "little opposition" I guess you could say Nat faced little opposition.
@@lynnlobliner3933 IKR
I bet you can't do this dance routine. Klutz! Mr. Kelly was the best. He choreografed all he dances as well shame on you
Give merit where merit is due. Can't stand ignorant people
Kelly never worked with them again. He did not like being upstaged.
not true.. their act broke up.
No he requested to work with them for the film, but not only was this movie a flop but he got so much shit from Hollywood because he danced with black.
@@cookieanon7794 I know and he said if he doesn't dance with them he won't do the film overall
🤣🤣🤣 clueless you are and he wasn't upstaged by them because he wanted them badly in that film or else he won't do it period and GK was very powerful back then and always gets what he want do your research properly before writing crap
@@cookieanon7794 personally he didn't care what Hollywood think and he got what he wanted by getting them
Came here cuz Lady Gaga sing this in Joker