hagithequeen There is no better when it comes to amazing dancers like O'Connor and Kelly. They are different but to say one is better than the other is absurd.
Two brilliant dancers. Donald O'Connor has this effortless fluidity, and Gene Kelly has an energized athleticism. Two different styles and both wonderful.
@@mariechance5655 I got into tap because my father was a tap dancer in Vaudeville for a brief period; I never felt the urge to dance a step once they stopped paying me. My dad danced (tap and ballroom) for as long as he could walk.
I know right Donald is one of the people deserved to live forever as a legend like other singers ( John Lennon, Freddie Mercury etc) but sadly after his death in 2007 he was forgotten by my generation same with Gene. Now if you were to ask me my personal favorite of the two I would totally say Donald O' Connor. I love his warm and caring nature, his smile is so genuine, his dancing is remarkable, his comedy is so hilarious, and his singing is some of the best I have ever heard. I just watched him in Out To Sea, when he was a lot older and he could still dance just as good as he could in Singing In The Rain and in others. He was still funny especially all of his expressions. He does not have a ton of lines but he has some awesome dancing moments considering how old he was getting for me anyway he will be my dancing star.
O'Connor - August 28, 1925 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Died September 27, 2003 (aged 78) Kelly - August 23, 1912 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. Died February 2, 1996 (aged 83) Kelly was 13 years older than O'Connor. They probably celebrated their birthdays together!
I’m not entirely sure when this started but I’m developing a MASSIVE crush on a younger Donald O’Connor lol. The world lost someone really special when he died. Glad he lived a good long life tho ❤️
O'Connor was about 13 years younger than Kelly, and here it shows, but Kelly still had it. They were both wonderful. And I agree with everyone who says that O'Connor was an amazing talent who never really got the credit he deserved. He was still in his prime when Hollywood musicals went out of fashion, which is a pity.
More people need to know the name Donald O Connor I haven't met a single person who could sing dance and act. Highly funny, dazzling eyes like the sea after a storm, brilliant smile and the personality of a charmer.
There's more entertainment in this one segment alone, than Hollywood could produce in a year with all today's celebrities joining together. God doesn't make 'em like Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor any more.
cecil renfield, i tend to agree; however, with the likes of Derek Hough, and song a dance men like Hugh Jackman, Scott Bakula and Zac Effron...there is still remarkable talent. Yes The Fosse's, Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor are gone, but those who emulate them are still around. I ♥️ Dance.
Agree. The current ones mentioned here are , I am sure, are great as well. Hollywood itself just does’t support this type of quality entertainment. It’s gone or at most very scarce.
Donald and Gene were some of the best performers to ever be on screen .one thing I've noticed in the comments is no one has said anything about how incredibly fit they both had to be. dancing like that looks easy but you need incredible cardio endurance to keep moving that long.
You are so right about the physicality of these 2 great stars. TO be real, though, I think dancers have always been underrated as athletes. Miss those 2 guys and the Era they came from.
This is such a wonderful post. I never knew they danced together after Singin' in the Rain. Both are wonderful. It is true that Donald O'Conner never got the praise he deserved. I do find myself watching him instead of Gene Kelly.
O'Connor moves with such fluidity from his head to his feet, I find myself focused on him too. Kelly's great but stiff, lots of repeated moves. Donald seems to dance for the pure joy of it.
@@ingriddubbel8468 have to agree about Her Kelly's perfect ass, but there are still dancers - Christopher Walken comes to mind, John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, a few others - maybe not the caliber of Kelly and O'Connor, but great dancers.
Both are legends, both are equally gifted...but...I'd have to give the edge to Donald. He has such an effortless relaxed fluid style when he moves, he makes it look soooo easy.
I really can't decide they are both so close in my opinion. The each have their moments where they shine. I'm not a professional, so it's just all amazing to me.
Did anyone notice at 7:26 is pretty much the Moses Supposes dance with different music? Yeah, and that's live...ah, watching them brings a smile to my face!
Rather than compare them to each other, I will just say their styles are very different. Gene's ballet training is evident while Donald seems to have trained only in tap and depends on his tap timing to move through the choreography. Donald is also dancing closer to the floor while Gene dances a bit more elevated. They are great together!
"Buddy!!" I'd pay a million dollars to see this remastered into a DVD. These television spectaculars from the 1950's are still quite rare finds. You're seeing a reprise of "Moses Supposes" on videotape at 7:23!!
J Sharp Unfortunately, O'Connor was a very heavy smoker and that paid a heavy price on his ability & life. Altho both of them smoked in early years, Kelly was never as heavy a smoker as O'Conner was. O'Conner lived till he was 78 but as musicals died away in the Golden age of Hollywood he was unable to transition to regular movies & overlooked for a show of his own. He did pay a price for that heavy smoking & bc he didn't taper off or quit early enough..Such a shame..
I'm only 20 and was watching some other dancers from this day and came across this! THIS IS SO AWESOME! How come people don't dance like this anymore. ITS SO PERFECTLY COOL!!!!!!!
BubbaTheBulldog Because back then it took real genuine talent, and years of hard slog honing their craft while working their way up through the clubs and theatre circuits before they made it. Today, people want instant stardom with just one appearance miming to a tape on 'The X Factor' or 'Britain's/America's Got Talent' 🙄
Que c'est merveilleux de voir ces deux grands acteurs : Gene kelly et Donald O'Connar se réunissaient ensemble de danser magnifiquement bien !!!... je ne m'en lasse jamais .... Que de la nostalgie des années poétiques qui n'existent plus qu'aujourd'hui !!!.... Hélas ! que du regret avec ces belles années 1950.. Thank you Vladmir Zworkin for share this Video-clip.
"Ethel, how you've changed." "Oop. Right in the eye." These guys work so well together. I love it. Everything Mr. Kelly and Mr. O'Connor do is pure gold in my eyes.
My favorite dancer has always been Gene Kelly....quickly followed up by Donald O'Connor - together, PURE MAGIC. You can't help but smile and get a little misty eyed when the clip ends knowing that those two great talents are no longer with us.
This had me grinning uncontrollably the whole way through. Gene Kelly and Donald O Connor were legends. (Donald especially is my favorite for his amazing skill but also his sense of humor and handsome looks) This was broadcast 42 years before I was born and yet I feel connected to this time. I wish dancing like this was still a popular thing.
Two brilliant performers. 20 yrs later, it was either 1979 or '80, I remember seeing Donald dance at the Oscars in a production number that went all over the stage and up and down stairs. I was out of breath just watching! He was in his mid-50's at the time. Amazing!
Sigh. Such a shame that we cannot remain young forever. Look at those fit, graceful, athletic bodies filled with life and fun. They were beautiful men! Love to watch them dance.
These two were brilliant.. what it must've been like to be alive in those days.. pure, clean, raw, *great* talent! Donald O'Conner & Gene Kelly were sure some talented, trailblazing dancers. And fine, handsome fellas to boot! **swoon** 😙😙💜
Has anyone observed that Gene Kelly's choreography is the forerunner to Bob Fosse's routines in "All That Jazz" "Chicago" and other dance projects? Fosse worked on musical films at MGM and became close with both Astaire and Kelly, who were making films like "Singin In The Rain" and "The Band Wagon", that had innovative dance numbers.
Donald O'Connor, a great, underated, talented, fab dancer; he always looked like he was floating, and he made it look so effortless; watch the 'Moses Supposes' number in Singin' In The Rain, then you'll understand! Miss you, always!
Must have been incredible to have been living back in those times. TV/entertainment is now 24 hours a day so it never goes off unlike the 50s and 60s. Back in those days, people must have had stuff to look forward to the next week. It's no wonder people say we only have 30 second attention spans these days.
TV was very different in the 50s and 60s. No recording devices at home. Almost no movies on TV. You went to the theater. If you missed a show you might hope it's going to be on during summer reruns.
Thanks Heidi Anne Morris , have always enjoyed Gene Kelly and feel he was a great talent! But Donald O'Conner could not be matched with both dance and comedic timing...they were brilliant together.
Their dancing was so advanced and ground breaking, nothing substantial has ever been added or improved on. The choreography was so exceptional, when I watch So You Think You Can Dance I'm mostly disappointed in the choreography the judges laude as "genius".
You an me both Ingred. These two tap dancer were tops in their field. i am constantly amazed while watching them and yes, Donald O'Conner was under rated. Great performers like Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr., Sandman Simms ...
@@Ophiuchus123456789 true. There's a video here on youtube of Hope and Cagney dancing. People only think of Cagney from gangster movies, but I love to watch him dance. I remember when I was a kid he received some award and he danced to the stage. And him tapping down a staircase amazes me.
Love watching Donald O'Connor's effortless movements and joy. My dance teachers Dillard Winton and Miss Diane, were vaudeville dancers. He moved like Donald O'Connor and she moved like Vera-Ellen. Such a joy watching this and remembering.
Perhaps because of his stocky frame, Gene Kelly always gave me the impression that he had put a lot of hard work into learning to dance, and became really good at it. Donald O'Connor gave me the impression that he didn't need to learn; it just came naturally to him. Probably this natural spontaneity came from hours of hard practice.
