Gene Nelson | |
|---|---|
 Nelson in 1953. | |
| Born | Eugene Leander Berg March 24, 1920 Astoria, Oregon, U.S. |
| Died | September 16, 1996 (aged 76) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Gene Berg Eugene E. Nelson |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1938–1980 |
Gene Nelson (born Leander Eugene Berg; March 24, 1920 – September 16, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, screenwriter, and director. [1] [2] [3]
Nelson was born Eugene Leander Berg in Seattle, Washington. By 1924, he and his parents moved to Santa Monica. He was inspired to become a dancer during his childhood by watching Fred Astaire in films. After serving in the Army during World War II, during which he also performed in the musical This Is the Army , Nelson landed his first Broadway role in Lend an Ear . His performance earned a Theatre World Award. He also appeared onstage in Good News .[ citation needed ] Nelson's longtime professional dance partner during the 1950s was actress JoAnn Dean Killingsworth. [4]
Nelson co-starred with Doris Day in Lullaby of Broadway in 1951. He played Will Parker in the film Oklahoma! [5]
In 1959, he appeared in Northwest Passage as a young man trying to prove his innocence in a murder case. Nelson appeared on the March 17, 1960 episode of You Bet Your Life , hosted by Groucho Marx. He and Groucho's daughter, Melinda, performed a dance number together. [6]
Nelson directed eight episodes of The Rifleman in the 1961–62 season. He also directed episodes of the original Star Trek , I Dream of Jeannie (the first season), Gunsmoke (and starred in many others including “Saludos” [1959] and “Say Uncle" [1960]), The Silent Force , and The San Pedro Beach Bums . Nelson directed the Elvis Presley films Kissin' Cousins (1964), for which he also wrote the screenplay, and Harum Scarum (1965). For the Kissin' Cousins screenplay he received a Writers Guild of America award nomination for best written musical. In the late 1980s, he taught in the Theater Arts Department at San Francisco State University.
He starred as Buddy in the 1971 Broadway musical Follies , for which he received a 1972 Tony Award nomination for Featured Actor in a Musical.[ citation needed ] The production featured a score by Stephen Sondheim, was co-directed by Michael Bennett and Harold Prince, and co-starred Alexis Smith and Dorothy Collins. [7]
In 1990, for contributions to the motion picture industry, Nelson was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star is located at 7005 Hollywood Boulevard.
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Golden Globe Award | Win | Most Promising Newcomer | Tea for Two |
| 1965 | Writers Guild of America Award | Nominated | Best Written American Musical | Kissin' Cousins (Shared with Gerald Drayson Adams) |
Stanley Donen was an American film director and choreographer. He received the Honorary Academy Award in 1998, and the Career Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2004. Four of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.
Bells Are Ringing is a 1960 American romantic comedy-musical film directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Judy Holliday and Dean Martin. Based on the successful 1956 Broadway production of the same name by Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Jule Styne, the film focuses on Ella Peterson, based on the life of Mary Printz, who works in the basement office of a telephone answering service.
Allen Curtis Jenkins was an American character actor, voice actor and singer who worked on stage, film, and television. He may be best known to some audiences as the voice of Officer Charlie Dibble in the Hanna-Barbera TV cartoon series Top Cat (1961–62).
An American in Paris is a 1951 American musical romantic comedy film inspired by the 1928 jazz-influenced symphonic poem An American in Paris by George Gershwin. Starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary, and Nina Foch, the film is set in Paris, and was directed by Vincente Minnelli from a script by Alan Jay Lerner. The music is by George Gershwin, with lyrics by his brother Ira, with additional music by Johnny Green, and Saul Chaplin, the music directors.
Kissin' Cousins is a 1964 American musical Panavision Metrocolor comedy film directed by Gene Nelson and starring Elvis Presley. Written by Gerald Drayson Adams and Gene Nelson, the film featured Presley playing two roles: an Air Force officer, with dark hair, and his look-alike hillbilly distant cousin, with blond hair.
Harum Scarum is a 1965 American musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley. It was shot on the original Cecil B. DeMille set from the film The King of Kings, with additional footage shot on location at the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Los Angeles. Some of the film was based on Rudolph Valentino's 1921 movie The Sheik.
Jay Novello was an American radio, film, and television character actor.
Edward Barry Kelley was an American actor on Broadway in the 1930s and 1940s and in films during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. The heavy-set actor created the role of Ike in Oklahoma! on Broadway. His large size and acting range had him playing primarily judges, detectives, and police officers.
Charles Powell Walters was an American Hollywood director and choreographer most noted for his work in MGM musicals and comedies from the 1940s to the 1960s.
Li'l Abner is a 1959 musical comedy film based on the comic strip of the same name created by Al Capp and the successful Broadway musical of the same name that opened in 1956. The film was produced by Norman Panama and directed by Melvin Frank. It was the second film to be based on the comic strip, the first being RKO's 1940 film, Li'l Abner.
Abraham Isaac Sofaer was a Burmese-born British actor who began his career on stage and became a familiar supporting player in film and on television in his later years.
William Henry Rorke, known professionally as Hayden Rorke, was an American actor best known for playing Colonel Alfred E. Bellows on the 1960s American sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.
Tea for Two is a 1950 American musical romantic comedy film starring Doris Day and Gordon MacRae, and directed by David Butler. The screenplay by Harry Clork was inspired by the 1925 stage musical No, No, Nanette, although the plot was changed considerably from the original book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel; and the score by Harbach, Irving Caesar, and Vincent Youmans was augmented with songs by other composers.
It's Always Fair Weather is a 1955 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. The film was scripted by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who also wrote the show's lyrics, with music by André Previn. It stars Kelly, Dan Dailey, Cyd Charisse, Dolores Gray, and dancer/choreographer Michael Kidd in his first film acting role.
Brigadoon is a 1954 American Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical film, made in CinemaScope and color by Ansco, based on the 1947 Broadway musical of the same name by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. The film was directed by Vincente Minnelli and stars Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, and Cyd Charisse. Brigadoon has been broadcast on American television and is available in VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray formats.
Theodore Carroll Marcuse was an American character actor who appeared frequently on television in the 1950s and 1960s, often portraying villains.
Always Leave Them Laughing is a 1949 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Milton Berle and Virginia Mayo.
The Cool Ones is a 1967 film starring Roddy McDowall and directed by Gene Nelson. The 1960s novelty singer known as Mrs. Miller performs in a cameo role, and the film features performances by the bands the Leaves and the Bantams as well as a brief appearance by Glen Campbell, playing a fictional singer.
She's Working Her Way Through College is a 1952 American comedy film produced by Warner Bros. A musical comedy in Technicolor, it is directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, and stars Virginia Mayo and Ronald Reagan. The screenplay is based on the 1940 Broadway play The Male Animal by James Thurber and Elliott Nugent, although the play's title is not mentioned in the screen credits.
Ben Lewis (1894–1970) was an American film editor who worked in Hollywood for over 50 years. He was employed by MGM for many years, beginning his career with them in the silent era. An early credit was for Quality Street (1927) starring Marion Davies. Among his most famous films were Kismet (1944), The Red Badge of Courage (1951) and The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1962). He retired in 1969 and died 18 months later of cancer on December 29, 1970. His brother, Joe, was a film director.
WW II Draft registration for Gene Leander Berg (Serial Number S-437)
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