The Warner Archive Collection has packaged For Me and My Gal, The Pirate, An American in Paris, and Singin’ in the Rain together in the Gene Kelly 4-Film Collection. Only For Me and My Gal is presented in black and white.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment previously released Singin’ in the Rain on 4K Ultra HD. But aside from that, you really can’t go wrong with this set of classics, featuring his debut opposite Judy Garland and their reteaming a few years later. While I’ll be curious to see if An American in Paris ever gets upgraded to 4K UHD, it received the Oscar for Best Picture. And of course, Singin’ in the Rain is the greatest movie musical of all-time. All of the packaged films have previously been released on Blu-ray.

While I haven’t picked up all of them, Warner Archive has been busy releasing Blu-ray collections with some of the stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. In addition to Gene Kelly, they’ve packaged sets for Errol Flynn, Greta Garbo, Gary Cooper, Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable, James Cagney, and Doris Day. Upcoming collections include Robert Taylor and James Stewart. Many of the included films have been previously released on Blu-ray, but it’s nice to have them all together in one set.

If you’re into bonus features, I wouldn’t get rid of my Singin’ in the Rain 4K UHD anytime soon. But let me say this, An American in Paris is stacked with extras. The whole collection is worth it for the wealth of bonus features included with that film alone!

For Me and My Gal

Synopsis

Judy Garland and Gene Kelly star in the classic musical directed by Busby Berkeley. Young vaudeville performers Harry Palmer and Jo Hayden (Kelly and Garland) dream of stardom, but the United States enters World War I and Harry receives his draft notice–trapping the two between their obligation to each other’s dreams and their duty to their country.

Bonus Features

• Audio Commentary by historian John Fricke
• MGM Short: La Fiesta de Santa Barbara
• MGM Short: Every Sunday
• Outtake Musical Numbers
  • Three Cheers for the Yanks
  • For Me and My Gal Deleted Finale
• Screen Guild Players Radio Broadcast with Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, and Dick Powell
• Leo is On the Air Radio Promo
• Theatrical Trailer
• Song Selection

DIRECTOR: Busby Berkeley
SCREENWRITERS: Richard Sherman, Fred F. Finklehoffe, and Sid Silvers
CAST: Judy Garland, with George Murphy, Gene Kelly, Marta Eccerth, Ben Blue, Horace McNally

The Pirate

Synopsis

Newly remastered from the original Technicolor negatives! A treasure trove of fun awaits when a Caribbean beauty (Judy Garland) with a mad crush on a legendary pirate meets a vagabond actor (Gene Kelly) who poses as the scoundrel. Vincente Minnelli directs, bringing his uncanny skill with color and design to this joyous romp set to Cole Porter tunes. Mixing tremulous girlishness with hellcat hilarity, Garland was never better as a comedienne. Parodying the rakish style of Fairbanks and Barrymore, Kelly duels, dupes and dances with buccaneer bravado. All by itself, his “Be a Clown” (danced with the Nicholas Brothers and reprised with Garland) is enough to convince all to be a fan of The Pirate.

Bonus Features

• Audio Commentary by historian John Fricke
• The Pirate: A Musical Treasure Chest
• Pete Smith’s “You Can’t Win”
• Vintage Cartoon: Cat Fishin’
• “Mack the Black” Stereo Remix Version
• Audio Outtakes – Three short excised bits presented in DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio (mono).
  • “Love of My Life” (Original Long Version)
  • “Mack the Black” – Unused Versions
  • “Voodoo” (Judy Garland)
• Roger Edens’ Guide Tracks – Versions
  • Be A Clown
  • “Manuela”
  • “Nina
  • “Voodoo”
  • “You Can Do No Wrong”
• Radio Interviews
  • Gene Kelly for On the Town
  • Judy Garland for The Pirate
• Trailer
• Song Selection

DIRECTOR: Vincente Minnelli
SCREENWRITERS: Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich
CAST: Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Walter Slezak, Gladys Cooper, Reginald Owen, The Nicholas Brothers

An American in Paris

Synopsis

When ex-GI Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly) remains in Paris to pursue life as an artist, he is discovered by a wealthy patroness interested in more than his art. But Mulligan falls in love with a French shop girl, Lise Bouvier (Leslie Caron), who is engaged to his best friend.

Bonus Features

• Behind the Story
  • Audio Commentary by Patricia Ward Kelly with Arthur Freed, Gene Kelly, Vincente Minnelli, Alan Jay Lerner, Saul Chaplin, Leslie Caron, Nina Foch, Michael Feinstein, Johnny Green, Preston Ames, and Irene Sharaff – Some of the most legendary figures in movie musical history “reunite” thanks to rare, often previously unheard interviews.
  • ‘S Wonderful: The Making of An American in Paris – A dynamic history of the making of this multiple-award winner.
  • Love Walked In Outtake
• Audio
  • Audio Outtakes
    • Alternate Main Title
    • But Not for Me Guetary
    • But Not for Me Levant Piano Solo
    • Gershwin Prelude #3
    • I’ve Got a Crush on You
    • Nice Work if You Can Get It
    • ‘S Wonderful
  • Radio Interviews
    • Gene Kelly
    • Johnny Green
    • Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron
• Extras
  • Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer – 2002 PBS American Masters documentary
  • Paris on Parade – 1938 MGM Short
  • Symphony in Slang – 1951 MGM cartoon
• Trailers
  • Theatrical Trailer

DIRECTOR: Vincente Minnelli
SCREENWRITER: Alan Jay Lerner
CAST: Gene Kelly, introducing Leslie Caron, with Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary, Nina Foch, and presenting The American in Paris Ballet

Singin’ in the Rain

Synopsis

Musician Don Lockwood (Kelly) rises to stardom during Hollywood’s silent-movie era–paired with the beautiful, jealous and dumb Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen). When Lockwood becomes attracted to young studio singer Kathy Selden (Reynolds), Lamont has her fired. But with the introduction of talking pictures, audiences laugh when they hear Lockwood speak for the first time–and the studio uses Selden to dub her voice. Set during the advent of “talkies,” this film’s classic song-and-dance numbers celebrate the beginning of movie musicals.

Bonus Features

• Commentary by Debbie Reynold, Donald O’Connor, Cyd Charisse, Kathleen Freeman, Stanley Donen, Betty Camden, Adolph Green, Baz Luhrmann and Rudy Behlmer
• Singin’ in the Rain: Raining on a New Generation Documentary
• Theatrical Trailer

DIRECTORS: Gene Kelly and Staney Donen
SCREENWRITERS: Betty Comden and Adolph Green
CAST: Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, with Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell and Cyd Charisse, Douglas Fowley, Rita Moreno

The Gene Kelly 4-Film Collection is available on Blu-ray.

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