Happy hundredth, Gene Kelly

I'm sorry to say I was unaware until an hour or two ago that Gene Kelly, actor/dancer extraordinaire, would have turned 100 today.

It says something about him that in spite of the general awfulness of his last film, Xanadu, Kelly was still as sparkling and wonderful a presence as ever, and not just because he did his own dancing and roller-skating. If you know nothing of the man, do yourself a favor and ignore Xanadu entirely (try to forget I even brought it up). Instead, check him out in On the Town (with Frank Sinatra) or An American in Paris (with Leslie Caron). Or you could check out a more obscure project of his from 1952, Singin' in the Rain.

Thank you, Mr. Kelly, for giving us some of the most memorable musical sequences in film history.

I'm dancin' — and singin' — in the rain....