Stanley Donen RIP

[GoogaMooga]

Stanley Donen has died, aged 94. He must be one of the last of the old guard, from the Hollywood Studio System. Imagine, the director of "On the Town" living that long. That was his debut as director, and that was made in 1949. That is a long time ago. He is most famous for his musicals, but my real fave is the romantic comedy, "Two for the Road", starring Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney. He really got the best out of Audrey in that one, even more than in "Funny Face". It really is a timeless film, yet still so 1967. I really like his remark upon receiving the Honorary Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1997. The secret of directing success, he confided, was to get the best writers, songwriters and actors and then, “when filming starts, you stay the hell out of the way." Still cracks me up. RIP Stanley Donen

Audrey Hepburn and Stanley Donen, Two for the Road (1967)

[Charlie O.]

Singin' In The Rain and Bedazzled are both in my personal Top 20, and certainly indicate something of his range.

Thanks, Mr. Donen.

[Sneelock]

I always liked him. I think he seemed like a really upbeat guy and he did sort of allow Kelly to take a lot of credit for what they did together. more than Kelly deserved? who can say?

still, with Kelly & on his own I think he was responsible for a lot of innovation. Once the mighty MGM musical machine was truly up on it's back legs he seemed willing and able to push the envelope on giving people something they hadn't seen before - animated dancing partners, musical numbers on location, there are many memorable scenes that, I'm sure, involved lots of dedication & problem solving to get them on the screen seamless the way we remember them.

also, he just seemed like a really happy guy. we can always use a few more of those in the noble arts.