Invitation to the Dance (1956)

This is a movie where three entirely different stories are told though dancing. Words are not used and the style of dancing is different for each part. Kelly is a clown in the 'Circus'; a ... See full summary »

Director:

Gene Kelly

Stars:

Gene Kelly, Igor Youskevitch, Claire Sombert

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gene Kelly	...	The Clown in 'Circus' / The Marine in 'Ring Around the Rosy' / Sinbad in 'Sinbad the Sailor'
Igor Youskevitch	...	The Lover in 'Circus' / The Artist in 'Ring Around the Rosy'
Claire Sombert	...	The Loved in 'Circus'
Tamara Toumanova	...	The Girl on the Stairs in 'Ring Around the Rosy'
Diana Adams	...	The Hatcheck Girl in 'Ring Around the Rosy'
Tommy Rall	...	The Sharpie in 'Ring Around the Rosy'
Belita	...	The Femme Fatale in 'Ring Around the Rosy'
David Paltenghi	...	The Husband in 'Ring Around the Rosy'
Daphne Dale	...	The Wife in 'Ring Around the Rosy'
Claude Bessy	...	The Model in 'Ring Around the Rosy'
Irving Davies	...	The Crooner in 'Ring Around the Rosy'
André Previn	...	The Composer at the Piano in 'Ring Around the Rosy'
Carol Haney	...	Scheherazade in 'Sinbad the Sailor'
David Kasday	...	The Genie in 'Sinbad the Sailor'

Storyline

This is a movie where three entirely different stories are told though dancing. Words are not used and the style of dancing is different for each part. Kelly is a clown in the 'Circus'; a Marine in 'Ring Around the Rosy'; and Sinbad in 'Sinbad the Sailor'.

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Plot Keywords:

circus | sailor | genie | clown | bracelet | 

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Genres:

Animation | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

12

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 May 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Circus

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$600,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed between late August 1952 and early February 1953 at MGM's British studio in Boreham Wood, Elstree, with shooting continuing at Metro's Culver City, California studio between the third and thirteenth of October 1953, the movie's box-office appeal was doubted by MGM executives, who held back the film until a national release on May 15, 1956, followed on May 22 by a Manhattan opening at the Plaza Theatre. Indeed, this innovative, all-dancing project failed to make money.

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Connections

Referenced in Ein Mountie in Chicago: An Invitation to Romance (1995)

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Soundtracks

Ring Around The Rosy
Music by André Previn
Conducted by André Previn
Orchestrated by Wally Heglin (uncredited)
Danced by (in ring order): Daphne Dale, Igor Youskevitch, Claude Bessy,
Tommy Rall, Belita, Irving Davies, Diana Adams, Gene Kelly,
, Tamara Toumanova, and David Paltenghi

User Reviews

a three-part invitation

In what must have been a daring move in the 1950s, Gene Kelly created a film which was pure dance - three sequences (Circus, Ring Around The Rosy, Sinbad the Sailor).

Although not a great grosser in its day, time has been kind to this film and although it is not that well known, this film should be as it has a large amount of charm.

The first section, Circus, is a story about a clown and his unrequited love for the leading lady. A common love triangle presented in ballet, this is bittersweet and watchable.

In Ring Around The Rosy, a bracelet is lost and found and there is a charming duet to watch ... while Sinbad the Sailor includes a mix of real life and animation in the story of the sailor and the genie.

As good as any of Kelly's other work, this should be seen a lot more than it is.