Before it began filming, Xanadu had a bright future. It was front-page news that the Universal production would be a then-31-year-old Olivia Newton-John's first film after the blockbuster Grease. And it would be the last film appearance screen legend Gene Kelly, then
68
, would make before his death in 1996.
Was Andy Gibb supposed to be in Xanadu?
Andy Gibb was originally cast to
play Sonny
. The Pan Pacific Auditorium, on Beverly Boulevard in Hollywood near CBS' Television City, was used for exterior shots of the Xanadu Club. It was built in 1935 and destroyed by a fire in 1989.
Did Gene Kelly do his own roller skating in Xanadu?
Gene was 67, nearly 68, when he shot Xanadu. A very adept skater – on ice and roller skates –
he did his own skating for the picture
. A lot of things upset him about the movie and one he pointed out to me was the fact that, instead of filming him full-figure, they cut off his legs in a lot of the shots.
Was Xanadu Gene Kelly's last movie?
Danny McGuire, who appeared in Cover Girl, also appears in Xanadu.
The film was Gene Kelly's final film role
, except for compilation films of the That's Entertainment!
How much did Xanadu gross?
Besides not coming off artistically, Xanadu bombed at the box office. The $20 million production ($61 million today) had a domestic gross of
$23 million ($70 million today)
.
What did Gene Kelly think of Xanadu?
In the biography The Films of Gene Kelly, Song and Dance Man, his only quote about Xanadu is: “
The concept was marvelous, but it just didn't come off.”
Why did Olivia Newton-John do Xanadu?
The script, such as it was, existed mostly in theory: in response to Newton-John's later claim that the film was
being rewritten on the hoof
, director Robert Greenwald tartly corrected, “It was being written on the hoof.” Its slender premise offered us Newton-John as the muse Terpsichore, brought to Earth as a sparkly …
Who was a better dancer Fred or Gene?
So
Fred Astaire
was the more interesting dancer, and the influence of his films is still reflected even in contemporary pop culture to a greater degree (in my opinion) than Gene Kelly's.
Why was Xanadu a bad movie?
Variety called it “a
stupendously bad film whose only salvage is the music
”. Renowned American film critic Roger Ebert gave the film two stars, saying it was “a mushy and limp musical fantasy” with a “confused story”. Time Out said it was “an experience so vacuous it's almost frightening”.
What killed Gene Kelly?
Gene died, aged 83,
of complications from a stroke
. Patricia inherited his paper archive, and ever since, she has been working on it.
Why do people say Xanadu?
In Xanadu did
Kubla Khan / A stately pleasure-dome decree
. Those lines are from the poem “Kubla Khan” (published in 1816) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. … You might also recognize “Xanadu” as the name of the fantastic estate in Orson Welles's 1941 film Citizen Kane.
Is Xanadu a real place?
Xanadu (aka Shangdu, Shang-tu, and Kaiping) located
in Inner Mongolia, northern China
, was first the capital (1263-73) and then the summer capital (1274-1364) of the Mongol Empire. It came to prominence during the reign of Kublai Khan (r. 1260-1294) and was famous for its palaces, gardens and waterways.
Why is Xanadu so popular?
But Xanadu the album stands out for a number of reasons: 1) it
featured all-original music with no previously released filler
; 2) the album represented Newton-John and ELO at the peak of their popularity; and 3) its encompassed a wide range of musical styles, including rock, pop, New Wave, and even big band.
What was Fred Astaire's net worth when he died?
Fred Astaire net worth: Fred Astaire was an American dancer, choreographer, musician, singer, and actor who had a net worth of
$10 million
at the time of his death. Fred Astaire was born in Omaha, Nebraska in May 1899 and passed away in June 1987.
What was the age gap between Gene Kelly and his wife?
The two fell in love and were a couple for
10 years
— married for six of them — despite their age difference. She was 26 when they met, he was 73. When they married in 1990, Mr. Kelly told the media that his wife was 36, rather than 31, because he was sensitive about the age difference.
Who did Gene Kelly dance with?
Gene Kelly's dance partner in this movie was also a historic pairing:
Fred Astaire
. They only danced together twice in their career, and the second time was 31 years later for That's Entertainment.
