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‘An American In Paris’ Today Kicks Off Yearlong Journey Through Film History In Movie Theaters Nationwide

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Fathom Events and TCM today begin their yearlong journey through movie history with the “TCM Big Screen Classics” series in movie theaters nationwide.

The first film in this year's series is An American in Paris.

This film is one of only ten musicals to win best picture in Oscar's 91-year history. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards and received six.

It ranks ninth on the American Film Institute’s list of greatest movie musicals and fourth on Entertainment Weekly’s list of best Oscar-winning musicals.

The film’s final 17-minute ballet sequence was entirely shot on the MGM lot in Culver City, Calif., on 44 different sets. Due to this extravagant ballet, no words are spoken for the film’s last 20 minutes.

Interestingly, two television legends appear in An American in Paris: Noelle Neill, who played Lois Lane in The Adventures of Superman, portrays a snooty art student; while Hayden Rorke, who has an uncredited role, would later play befuddled Dr. Bellows in I Dream of Jeannie.

The same year that An American in Paris won its six Oscars Gene Kelly received his sole Academy Award “in appreciation of his versatility as an actor, singer, director and dancer, and specifically for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film.”

In 2017, Damien Chazelle—the writer-director of La La Land, directly inspired by An American in Paris—said, "An American in Paris is such a stunner. That's a movie we just pillaged. It's an awesome example of how daring some of these old musicals really were. It's incredible that it ever got made, let alone that it won best picture."

La La Land was announced as best picture at the 2017 Academy Awards, but the mistake was quickly corrected and the award went to Moonlight.

Tickets for TCM/Fathom Events American in Paris screenings, which will take place today and on January 22, are available online or at participating theater box offices.

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