Gene Kelly's widow kicks MoDo in the teeth

[CatWoman]

:rofl:

I Knew Gene Kelly. The President Is No Gene Kelly.

Re “Soft Shoe in Hard Times” (column, March 16):

Surely it must have been a slip for Maureen Dowd to align the artistry of my late husband, Gene Kelly, with the president’s clumsy performances. To suggest that “George Bush has turned into Gene Kelly” represents not only an implausible transformation but a considerable slight. If Gene were in a grave, he would have turned over in it.

When Gene was compared to the grace and agility of Jack Dempsey, Wayne Gretzky and Willie Mays, he was delighted. But to be linked with a clunker — particularly one he would consider inept and demoralizing — would have sent him reeling.

Graduated with a degree in economics from Pitt, Gene was not only a gifted dancer, director and choreographer, he was also a most civilized man. He spoke multiple languages; wrote poetry; studied history; understood the projections of Adam Smith and John Maynard Keynes. He did the Sunday Times crossword in ink. Exceedingly articulate, Gene often conveyed more through movement than others manage with words.

Sadly, President Bush fails to communicate meaningfully with either. For George Bush to become Gene Kelly would require impossible leaps in creativity, erudition and humility.

Patricia Ward Kelly
Los Angeles, March 16, 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/opinion/l19dowd.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[NC_Nurse]

1. Alright! She slams Bush at the same time!!!

:headbang:

[SharonAnn]

86. Her letter is truly a thing of beauty.

[goclark]

105. Now that was a letter!

Put that on the front page of the NYT.

:hug: to a classy lady

[eShirl]

2. yowza!

Damn

I like her :D

[CatWoman]

3. feisty, ain't she?

:)

[Elspeth]

32. I'd say she came down like a sledge hammer, but if you prefer belittling adjectives

go right ahead and use them.

[CatWoman]

35. what's so belittling about "feisty"??

:shrug:

[progdonkey]

45. yeah, "feisty" is good....

Besides, it's very strange to criticize a woman who's paying a compliment to a woman that the word she used to compliment that woman was belittling to women, isn't it? :silly:

[Ellen Forradalom]

92. It wouldn't be belittling

if it weren't used almost exclusively to trivialize women's assertiveness..IMHO.

[CatWoman]

101. you say tomato

I say 2mahtoe

[Ken Burch]

103. Christ, it was written in SUPPORT of Mrs. Kelly's letter.

What's your problem here?

There ain't no sexism in this one.

[Runcible Spoon]

106. ya know there's picking one's battles...

and then there's making mountains out of molehills. Catwoman has a long and mega-fucking-distinguished reputation on this site as a champion of women, minorities, minority women, what have you. Back the fuck off Confused Semantics Nazi! Welcome to Contextland.

[Yavin4]

51. Hey, MoDo Started It

So, it's on! It's On!

MoDo just got served!!!

[MrModerate]

4. What's Dowd gonna do with . . .

Her brand-new, extra asshole?

[progressoid]

17. It'll come in handy.

The other asshole is plugged with her head.

[Not Sure]

50. Brilliant! (nt)

[stillrockin]

76. good one

[MrModerate]

88. (rimshot!) n/t

[Lerkfish]

5. she's absolutely right: Kelly was a renaissance man.

and bush is an obsolescence man.

[fascisthunter]

6. I Like... (nt)

[Kadie]

7. I am a big fan of Gene Kelly.

Now, I am also a big fan of Patricia Ward Kelly.

Excellent!

:bounce:

[progressoid]

8. Best post of the day!!!

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[PylesMalfunction]

9. OMG!

Absolutely brilliant!

[blue sky at night]

10. MoDo.....

do we always have to use asinine "nicknames" for everyone? god it makes me want to puke...but hey, great post.

[CatWoman]

12. I don't know where the "MoDo" nickname comes from

however, I don't believe it was generated on DU :shrug:

[codjh9]

83. Yes!!! Thank you -

I'm not some cranky 80-year-old codger, but still, all of this verbal shorthand, acronyms, etc. in society today drives me NUTS! Not to mention the latest hip/trendy words/phrases, which I never latch onto.

[ms liberty]

11. K&R - good for her! Gene Kelly was the greatest. n/t

[AlCzervik]

13. Gene Kelly who was in "Inherit the wind" the only Dimson knows about wind

is the wind he passes and probably laughs maniacally after.

[anitar1]

61. I once read that he flaunts his flatulance n/t

[peace frog]

70. and no doubt demands

that everyone stay in the room while he stink-bombs the Oval Office.

[Number9Dream]

75. In "Inherit The Wind", Gene Kelly was excellent...

as the cynical, wise-cracking reporter E.K. Hornbeck. My favorite Gene Kelly role and one of my favorite movies. I wasn't aware of much of what Ms. Kelly wrote. Good for her! Surprised the corporate media published it.

[lildreamer316]

14. Love it.

My dad would have loved it too..

[monmouth]

15. Hahaha, George Bush is no Gene Kelly....I'm going to chuckle all evening on that one..n/t

[SeattleGirl]

16. Great ass-kickin' there, Mrs.Kelly!

To even put Dumbya in the same sentence with Gene Kelly is an abomination; to compare his "dancing ability" with Mr. Kelly's is a stretch too far.

[tanyev]

18. Outstanding!

:applause:

[immoderate]

19. Long time hoofer, and big Gene Kelly fan here...

How wonderful of Patricia Ward Kelly to keep everybody honest. :rofl:

Gene had more talent in his nail clippings than George Bush could ever comprehend.

--IMM

[Fleshdancer]

20. WOW!

Good for Ms. Kelly! I would be upset if my husband were compared to W too.

I had no idea Gene Kelly had a degree in economics and spoke multiple languages. Cool stuff.

[Peace Patriot]

21. Great letter! Wow! These "pundits" who treat Bush like a legitimate president--

someone you can use nifty, upbeat metaphors to describe, as they slaughter more people to get their oil, rip up our Constitution and destroy our country--make me sick.

I'm so glad Patricia Kelly called her on it!

These legitimizers of Bush and his junta are as bad as the Vichy who collaborated with the Nazis and found the local Gestapo to be charming, educated men with a fine taste in wines.

They made you want to vomit.

[RufusTFirefly]

79. Bush = Fredo

As for being a good dancer?

Here's Franz Liebkind, author of "Springtime for Hitler"

Oh, sure. I used to take him his
hot milk and his opium. Achhh,
those were the days. Vat good
times ve had. Dinner parties vit
lovely ladies and gentlemen,
singing und dancing. You know, not
many people knew about it, but the
Fuhrer vas a terrific dancer.

...

let me
tell this, and you're getting it
straight from the horse, Hitler vas
better looking than Churchill, he
vas a better dresser than Churchill,
had more hair, told funnier jokes,
and could dance the pants off
Churchill!

[AlGore-08.com]

22. Gene Kelly was a major Liberal Democrat - - stood up against HUAC

So to compare a guy two steps to the right of Mussolini to Gene Kelly is a double insult.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_for_the_First_Amendment

[IDemo]

23. Zingin' in the rain!

:toast:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

27. lol!

:rofl:

[hootinholler]

29. What a glooorious feeeling!

Good one!

-Hoot

[trof]

24. Bless her sweet heart. Kelly was a maestro.

[jimshoes]

25. Man how I wish the chimp

would accidentally read that. It might even make a dent in his arrogant sense of self importance.
ed:sp

[MadMaddie]

43. Eh ...you're making the assumption that he is capable of

reading and understanding her jab...


Good for her!:applause:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

26. Standing ovation here for Patricia Ward Kelly!!!!

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause::applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

39. ..

[supernova]

28. The Genius of Gene Kelly

:D

You go, Mrs Kelly! :applause:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlkrN4DXvO0

[librechik]

30. well deserved plotz in the gazinga to miz easy snark

maybe it'll slide out a little harder next time

[alfredo]

31. Incredible

[Ishoutandscream2]

33. This letter is proof positive Gene was a man of grace and quality

Just look at the woman he married! Outstanding!!!!

[Owl]

34. Yes, outstanding!

[Johonny]

36. I don't know

Maybe the people that compare him to Gene Kelly have only seen him in Xanadu.

[pansypoo53219]

57. gene

still was a great dancer in xanadu. he was the best part.

[Johonny]

82. I got Paul McCartney out of Wings

Homer: You fool he was the best part

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

37. Kick!

[AwakeAtLast]

38. He certainly was a smart man - he married a wonderful, articulate woman

She said more about * in that short letter than most pundits could say in a 24 hour period.

What a great letter! :thumbsup:

[MasonJar]

40. Great post. You tell her and him, Mrs. Kelly! Kudos! I watch Singing in the Rain

at least twice a year because I show it to my music humanities classes. What a great dancer and comedian Gene Kelly was.

[Richard Steele]

41. Nice! K&R

[eppur_se_muova]

42. "Poetry in Motion" was used to describe Kelly ...

Bu**sh** is just poultry in motion.

[LibertyLover]

44. Mrs. Kelly is erudite and articulate

in her own right. What a beautifully written letter. Rarely have I read a better smackdown. You go girl!

[fishwax]

46. good stuff

:rofl:

:applause:

[emmadoggy]

47. Hot Damn! That's a good ass-chewing!

Perfectly stated. And what a horrible insult it was, so good for her for spitting it back.

I LOVE Gene Kelly - even more after reading this. Much here that I did not know about him.

Oh, yeah - and his wife rocks, too!

[onehandle]

48. Nice. My wife is one of Gene's greatest fans.

I'll send this to her.

[Aristus]

49. I don't mind saying I think Gene Kelly was astoundingly gifted.

I've got "Singin' In The Rain" on DVD and watch it every one in a while. When Kelly (and Donald O'Conner, too. He was amazing) is doing his routines, I just swell with pride for the human race. I can't believe we can actually do things like that.

I miss him. He was a terrific guy.

I remember, not long before he died, he appeared in an airline commercial with Fred Astair (not long before HE died, too) It was incredible watching those two old pros share the TV screen together. I got a funny twinge when Astair called Kelly "sonny".

[elleng]

52. Good to hear someone as articulate

hand it to MoDo too!

[pansypoo53219]

53. i always had a thing for gene kelly.

even in that awful Xanadu. modo is a dodo.

[Lorien]

54. That's brilliant

:applause:

[Mooney]

55. Gene Kelly's not in a grave?

"Surely it must have been a slip for Maureen Dowd to align the artistry of my late husband, Gene Kelly, with the president’s clumsy performances. To suggest that “George Bush has turned into Gene Kelly” represents not only an implausible transformation but a considerable slight. If Gene were in a grave, he would have turned over in it."

Gene Kelly's body has been stolen!

[rucognizant]

67. NOooooooo,

Obviously he was cremated!

[Mooney]

74. I assume nothing.

He may have been lost at sea on a pirate ship adventure, or he may have perished in an airplane crash with a Uruguayan rugby team, who had to resort to cannibalism in order to survive.

It's happened before.

[FatDave]

56. That is the greatest thing I've read in days. (nt)

[RufusTFirefly]

58. Gene Kelly -- Class Act: Did his part to break the blacklist

One of the victims of the Hollywood Blacklist was Jules Dassin, director of Du rififi chez les hommes, The Naked City, and Never on Sunday, among others. But when he showed up at Cannes, it was almost as though he was invisible. Paralyzed by the fear of McCarthyism, no one seemed to want to acknowledge his presence.

Except Gene Kelly

According to Betsy Blair (an actress and Kelly's first wife)

"All the Hollywood people shunned him..but Gene came after him, greeted him warmly, took his arm, and walked with him up the staircase of the Palais du Festival among all the journalists…the only one who had the guts."

[Jade Fox]

90. Great story.....

I knew there was a (many!) reason I liked Gene Kelly.

[sofa king]

59. She's wrong on one point.

If Gene were in a grave, he would have performed an impeccable twist in it.

[BlooInBloo]

60. She cut in line.

[tainted_chimp]

62. AND......she's a knockout.

...from 2006:




Brains AND beauty!

[NJCher]

63. gifted people

Most people don't know it but quite often, gifted people are gifted all the way around. That this world-renown dancer would write poetry, speak multiple languages, and also understand economics is no surprise to me.

Another characteristic of the gifted is that they have a social conscious and keenly feel the injustices of this world.

Maureen Dowd shows her ignorance once again. I so agree with Peace Patriot's post above--that the media should not stoop to humanizing these criminals and thugs who have taken over our government.




Cher

[SalmonChantedEvening]

64. ShhLap!

Well done Mrs. Kelly!!

:applause:

:)

[DrZeeLit]

65. Mrs. Kelly is my new hero. Way to go, Patricia Ward Kelly! n/t

[IdClaire]

66. Good for you Mrs Kelly!

What an excellent letter.

[PurpleChez]

68. Woo Hoooooo!!!!!111!!!!11!!!!!!

I was never a dance fan but still thought that Gene Kelly rokked. Patricia Kelly rokks too!

[bedazzled]

69. ROCK ON! she DESERVED gene kelly!

that's a real compliment, because he was major hot...

[BrklynLiberal]

71. MoDo is an inane, shallow twit. Kudos to Mrs. Kelly!!!!!

[NashVegas]

72. Worth Noting - Kelly Studied Economics

Just goes to show you how what bullshit all the highly specialized degrees - like Mass Media / Communications, for example - are.

[Brewman_Jax]

73. Smashing review

Too many of the freepers I know are now forced to admit that the "guy they want to have a beer with" would have trouble ordering one. :rofl:

[Pacifist Patriot]

77. I had no idea. Sounds like a neat guy I'd have liked to have known.

Kudos to Patricia!

[joeybee12]

78. Actually, seems like she's really only kicking Bush in the teeth...

...but her point is well-taken.

[Bluenorthwest]

80. One time at work

I ansewed the phone, which was not my job exactly, and it was Gene Kelly calling for one of my co-workers. I almost fainted.
Mr Kelly was among other things, greatly resposible for passing on the skills he learned filming dance to the generations that followed him. He passed it on, he gave it freely, and in that way he served both the dance and the cinema in a profound way.
Another difference between Bush and Gene Kelly is Gene worked hard for a living. And I would have voted for Gene.

[Botany]

81. Singing in the rain

Mrs. Kelly is a hell of a writer too.

[Irishonly]

84. What A Woman!

I imagine somewhere Gene in giving her a big smile and patting her on the back. If my mom and dad were still here they would be thrilled with her statement. Not only did she speak up she slammed Dowd and Bush to boot!

[LiberalFighter]

85. Beautiful... Now if someone will read her letter to Bush.

Who taught Bush his soft shoe? Rove, Cheney, Ari, Dana?

Someone needs to light some matches to his shoes.

[aquart]

87. Add to that, his excellent choice in a wife.

My, that was lovely to read. Thank you.

[lame54]

89. This makes me want to know more about Gene Kelly....

and less about Bush

[northernsoul]

109. hear! hear!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Kelly

[bpj62]

91. Athlete

People sometimes forget that Gene Kelly wasnt just a dancer he was an athlete. It took great strenght and agility to perform some of the dance moves that he did and he did it which such ease. Whenever I go to Disneyworld I ride the movie ride at MGM and they have this great montage to Gene Kelly. It is a shame that Maureen Dowd sullied his name by comparing him to the chimp.

[SidDithers]

93. oh snap...nt

Sid

[WorseBeforeBetter]

94. We need...

more men like Gene Kelly:



and fewer men like this:



I'd ask how we got to this point, but we all know the answer to that. Sigh.

[road2000]

95. It would be a relief...

if Bush were visible only once every hundred years. Dowd too, come to think of it.

[Dangerously Amused]

96. Sweet.

[Wetzelbill]

97. that was awesome

That woman has some wit! :)

[Kurovski]

98. Some excellent writing, that.

Dowd would have done better to compare Bushler to a hyperactive pre-schooler.

Gene Kelly was a remarkable man.

[pleah]

99. Bravo!

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[grannylib]

100. Way to go! Glad to see anyone speaking out about the fraudulent

nature of GWB, Unelected Imbecile, and his supporters and apologists.

[Ken Burch]

102. Tell it, Mrs K!

Somewhere, Gene's dancing his head off to this!

Gene Kelly was a REAL working-class American hero!

He almost got blacklisted, btw.

[GreenPartyVoter]

104. Wow! What a letter. And I had no idea how well-educated Gene was.

[JDPriestly]

107. What a beautiful letter.

[northernsoul]

108. This is the definition of a classy LTTE

You go, Patricia Ward Kelly!!!

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

110. Kicking for Saturday morning DUers!

[Orsino]

111. I had no idea that Gene Kelly was that much of a drinker. n/t