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The Best Gene Kelly Movies

Updated October 3, 2020 2.5k votes 581 voters 36.1k views40 items

List RulesVote for your favorite movies, regardless of critic reviews or how big the role was.

List of the best Gene Kelly movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Gene Kelly's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Gene Kelly movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Gene Kelly movies will be at the top of the list. Gene Kelly has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Gene Kelly movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Gene Kelly films to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best Gene Kelly role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Gene Kelly performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

List features films like The Devil Makes Three and Xanadu.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Gene Kelly movies?" and "What are the greatest Gene Kelly roles of all time?"

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Singin' in the Rain
Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly
Released: 1952
Directed by: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American musical comedy film directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, and choreographed by Kelly and Donen. It... more
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An American in Paris
Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron
Released: 1951
Directed by: Vincente Minnelli
An American in Paris is a 1951 American musical film inspired by the 1928 orchestral composition by George Gershwin. Starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary, and Nina Foch,... more
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#1 of 46 Movies That Won Best Picture at the Oscars and Golden Globes#66 of 93 The Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture
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On the Town
Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly
Released: 1949
Directed by: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
On the Town is a 1949 musical film with music by Leonard Bernstein and Roger Edens and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. It is an adaptation of the Broadway stage musical of the same... more
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Anchors Aweigh
Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly
Released: 1945
Directed by: George Sidney
Anchors Aweigh is a 1945 American Technicolor musical comedy film directed by George Sidney and starring Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, and Gene Kelly, in which two sailors go on a four-day shore... more
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Ziegfeld Follies
Judy Garland, Lucille Ball
Released: 1945
Directed by: Vincente Minnelli, George Sidney, Roy Del Ruth, Lemuel Ayers, Merrill Pye
Ziegfeld Follies is a 1946 Hollywood musical comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Lemuel Ayers, Roy Del Ruth, Robert Lewis, Vincente Minnelli, Merrill Pye, George Sidney and... more
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Summer Stock
Judy Garland, Gene Kelly
Released: 1950
Directed by: Charles Walters
Summer Stock, known as If You Feel Like Singing in the UK, is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical made in 1950. The film was directed by Charles Walters and stars Judy Garland and Gene Kelly and features... more
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Brigadoon
Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse
Released: 1954
Directed by: Vincente Minnelli
Brigadoon is a 1954 MGM musical feature film made in CinemaScope and Ansco Color based on the Broadway musical of the same name by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. The film was directed by... more
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The Young Girls of Rochefort
Catherine Deneuve, Gene Kelly
Released: 1967
Directed by: Jacques Demy
The Young Girls of Rochefort is a 1967 French musical film written and directed by Jacques Demy, starring Catherine Deneuve, her sister Françoise Dorléac, Jacques Perrin, Michel Piccoli, Danielle... more
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The Pirate
Judy Garland, Gene Kelly
Released: 1948
Directed by: Vincente Minnelli
The Pirate is a 1948 American Technicolor musical feature film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. With songs by Cole Porter, it stars Judy Garland and Gene Kelly with co-stars Walter Slezak, Gladys Cooper,... more
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Cover Girl
Rita Hayworth, Gene Kelly
Released: 1944
Directed by: Charles Vidor
Cover Girl is a 1944 American Technicolor musical film starring Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly. The film tells the story of a chorus girl given a chance at stardom when she is offered an opportunity to... more
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Thousands Cheer
Judy Garland, Gene Kelly
Released: 1943
Directed by: George Sidney
Thousands Cheer is a 1943 American comedy musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Produced at the height of the Second World War, the film was intended as a morale booster for American troops... more
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What a Way to Go!
Paul Newman, Shirley MacLaine
Released: 1964
Directed by: J. Lee Thompson
What a Way to Go! is a 1964 American black comedy directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin, Gene Kelly, Bob Cummings and Dick Van Dyke.... more
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For Me and My Gal
Judy Garland, Gene Kelly
Released: 1942
Directed by: Busby Berkeley
For Me and My Gal is a 1942 American musical film directed by Busby Berkeley and starring Judy Garland, Gene Kelly – in his screen debut – and George Murphy, and featuring Martha Eggerth and Ben... more
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The Cross of Lorraine
Gene Kelly, Jean-Pierre Aumont
Released: 1943
Directed by: Tay Garnett
The Cross of Lorraine is a 1943 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer war film about French prisoners of war escaping a German prison camp and joining the French Resistance. Directed by Tay Garnett, it stars... more
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That's Dancing!
Liza Minnelli, Gene Kelly
Released: 1985
Directed by: Jack Haley, Jr.
That's Dancing! is a 1985 retrospective documentary produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that looked back at the history of dancing in film. Unlike the That's Entertainment! series, this film did not... more
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Words and Music
Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney
Released: 1948
Directed by: Norman Taurog
Words and Music is a 1948 film loosely based on the creative partnership of the composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart. The film stars Mickey Rooney as Hart and Tom Drake as Rodgers, along... more
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It's Always Fair Weather
Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse
Released: 1955
Directed by: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
It's Always Fair Weather is a 1955 MGM musical satire scripted by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who also wrote the show's lyrics, with music by André Previn and starring Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Cyd... more
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Marjorie Morningstar
Natalie Wood, Gene Kelly
Released: 1958
Directed by: Irving Rapper
Marjorie Morningstar is a 1958 melodrama film based on the 1955 novel of the same name by Herman Wouk. The film, released by Warner Bros. and directed by Irving Rapper tells a fictional coming of age... more
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Let's Make Love
Marilyn Monroe, Bing Crosby
Released: 1960
Directed by: George Cukor
Let's Make Love is a 1960 musical comedy film made by 20th Century Fox in DeLuxe Color and CinemaScope. It was directed by George Cukor and produced by Jerry Wald from a screenplay by Norman Krasna,... more
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Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly
Released: 1949
Directed by: Busby Berkeley
Take Me Out to the Ball Game is a 1949 Technicolor musical film starring Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, and Gene Kelly. The movie was directed by Busby Berkeley. The title and nominal theme is taken... more

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Inherit the Wind
Spencer Tracy, Gene Kelly
Released: 1960
Directed by: Stanley Kramer
Inherit the Wind is a 1960 Hollywood film adaptation of the 1955 play of the same name, written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, directed by Stanley Kramer. It stars Spencer Tracy as lawyer... more
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That's Entertainment!
Elizabeth Taylor, Liza Minnelli
Released: 1974
Directed by: Jack Haley, Jr.
That's Entertainment! is a 1974 compilation film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to celebrate its 50th anniversary. It was followed by two sequels and a related film called That's Dancing!. The film,... more
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The Devil Makes Three
Gene Kelly, Pier Angeli
Released: 1952
Directed by: Andrew Marton
The Devil Makes Three is a 1952 thriller film set in post-World War II Germany, starring Gene Kelly, Pier Angeli and Richard Egan.... more
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The Three Musketeers
Angela Lansbury, Vincent Price
Released: 1948
Directed by: George Sidney
The Three Musketeers is a Technicolor adventure film adaptation of the classic novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père which starred Gene Kelly and Lana Turner. The film is today best... more
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Les Girls
Gene Kelly, Leslie Phillips
Released: 1957
Directed by: George Cukor
Les Girls, also known as Cole Porter's Les Girls, is a 1957 musical comedy film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by George Cukor, produced by Sol C. Siegel with Saul Chaplin as associate... more