
A video of Gene Nelson dancing up the stairs in Tea for Two popped up in my Instagram feed the other day, and I was positively gobsmacked. What a talent! Once I started digging, I realized just how much he had going for him. I vaguely remember him as Will Parker in Oklahoma!, but I had no idea he had such an incredible career!
I decided I needed to see Tea for Two in its entirety, so I rented it on Amazon. While the music is brilliant and the plot is tolerably dippy, it had some of the most bizarre (if well-performed) dance numbers I’ve ever seen. Crazy Rhythm is especially nutty. I couldn’t even figure out which culture(s) they were trying to rip off. But while the choreography and taste-level were questionable, Gene Nelson’s epic talent shone through.
Nelson went on to direct many television shows, including episodes of The Donna Reed Show, Gilligan’s Island, I Dream of Jeannie, Starsky & Hutch, The Mod Squad, and The Andy Griffith Show, to name a few.
July 30, 2020 at 12:29 pm
Any time Donna wants me to smile all day, she posts dancing. Can’t believe it been almost 60 years ago for the high point of my dancing career. With a metal rod holding my leg bone in the ankle socket, I am happy just to be walking fairly good. You are never going to find great dancing and music like the old days today. Thanks, Donna for the big smile — Hal
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July 30, 2020 at 6:19 pm
That was just for you! You’re very welcome.
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December 7, 2020 at 3:03 am
Thank you for this review of my favorite dancer of all time, Gene Nelson. He combined the grace and elegance of Astaire with the athleticism and ballet training of Gene Kelly, and danced better than either one of them. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more graceful human being. Added to all that, he had more charm and charisma than any of the other dancers of that time. Nelson was an excellent actor, capable of much more range than he was usually allowed to show. He should have been the one getting all the accolades that Kelly and Astaire got. Thank you again for this article, definitely one beautiful thing.
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December 7, 2020 at 12:56 pm
Thank you for the visit! It’s incredible to me that he wasn’t better known. What a talent!
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