Living in a Big Way (1947) is Gene Kelly’s first picture following his discharge from the Navy after WWII. While enlisted, Kelly's Anchors Aweigh (1945) performance became a smash hit, even garnering the song-and-dance man an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

Upon Gene Kelly's return from duty, the studio took its time finding him a new project. It settled on Living in a Big Way and teamed him with former pinup girl Marie “The Body” McDonald.

​In the film, Gene plays a soldier coming home to a wife (Maggie) he hardly knew, after a hurried war marriage three years before. The union was so rushed, in fact, that Kelly's character, Leo, was taken away by the MPs just after the wedding and prior to the…uh… consummation.
Here are five reasons classic movie fans need to track down the rare gem Living in a Big Way:

1. It contains some of Kelly's most innovative dances

Living in a Big Way was originally planned as a straight romantic comedy, but Gene Kelly was less than enthusiastic about the material and asked to add some musical numbers. The results are some of the most charming numbers he ever created.

Gene prances with “Fido” the dog, romances a statue, plays schoolyard games with a band of children, and treats a construction site like his own personal jungle gym. Honestly, this alone is reason enough to watch the movie at least once.

2. it's A chance to see Kelly in a (mostly) traditional ‘40s romantic Comedy

Most of Gene Kelly’s onscreen rom-com moments take place in film musicals without much depth or storyline. ​While this narrative is also not very complex, it arguably has more depth than An American in Paris (1951), for example.

​Since the numbers in Living in a Big Way are only mildly integrated, the original story plays out and feels more like a traditional rom-com from that era, e.g., rich dysfunctional family, kooky servants, double entendres.

3. It highlights a rarely discussed postwar problem: housing for returning troops

In the movie, Maggie’s grandmother offers her old mansion to Leo and other soldiers so they may turn it into multiple apartments for soldiers’ families. More personally, per his FBI file, Gene Kelly himself was the presiding official for “Operation Housing,” a left-wing rally in New York calling for affordable housing for returning veterans due to the severe shortage.

Also notable, quickie war marriages did lead to a spike in divorce rates after the war.  Men, not knowing if they’d come home, and women, who didn’t know if they’d see them again, rushed into marriage. This, of course, was followed by an extended separation from someone they barely knew, inevitably leading to estrangement and infidelity on both sides. ​

4. It features a charming relationship between Leo and Maggie’s grandmother

Admittedly, Gene Kelly has just as much (or perhaps more?) chemistry with Jean Adair as he has with his leading lady.

​Jean plays the wily grandmother who welcomes Leo into the household while simultaneously trying to warn him about her spoiled and selfish granddaughter. Their banter is one of the most enjoyable parts of the movie.

​Following the conventions of most rom-coms, the grandmother ultimately grows attached to Leo and is terribly disappointed when divorce between him and her granddaughter seems inevitable.

5. It gives you Another chance to watch Kelly play Pied Piper

Onscreen, Gene Kelly has a magical way of interacting with children. And he preferred to play off the kids in a way that seemed natural and unrehearsed. 

​For example, for “I Got Rhythm” (An American in Paris), Kelly requested extras, not actors. ​“It was like sunshine when [Gene] came into the studio,” recalls one child extra from that number.

​Presumed spontaneity is also evident in Living in a Big Way, when his character, Leo, leaves the house he's working on to play with neighborhood kids. He leads them in “Round and Round the Village,” “Here We Go Looby Loo,” and other childhood games. ​Here, you can see why Kelly was such a popular dance instructor in Pittsburgh. 

Bonus reason to check out this movie: 

Watch Gene Kelly serenade McDonald's Maggie with “It Had to Be You.” Sweet, romantic, and, yeah, he did look good in a uniform.

About the Author

An avid fan of musicals and classic movies, SHERRIE LEWIS is a nurse who loves nothing more than to unwind at home with her husband, two dogs, and an old movie. She is a diehard Gene Kelly fan and posts about him regularly on her Tumblr, Mostlydaydreaming.
Image: "Formation of Spitfires." Wikimedia.