IF FRED ASTAIRE WAS white tie and tails, Gene Kelly was white socks and loafers--often enough with his cuffs casually rolled up so we could better appreciate the flash of his footwork. If the sinuous elegance of his great (and friendly) rival shone most brilliantly on the polished surface of a ballroom floor, Kelly's robust athleticism seemed to rise most exuberantly from a gritty city sidewalk. Astaire put us in touch with our romantic ideals and with that perfection of manner the rest of us attain only in our more blissful daydreams. At his best, Kelly reminded us that, in reality,...
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