Gene Kelly movies." "Anchors Aweigh" became one of the most successful films of 1945 and Kelly was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. In "Ziegfeld Follies" (1946)—which was produced in 1944 but not released until 1946—Kelly collaborated with Fred Astaire, for whom he had the greatest admiration, in the famous "The Babbitt and the Bromide" challenge dance routine. After Kelly returned to Hollywood in 1946, MGM had nothing planned and used him in a routine, black-and-white movie: "Living in a Big Way". The film was considered so weak that the studio asked Kelly to design and insert a series of
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers although her career waned post war. Astaire continued to make musicals including "Holiday Inn" (1942) with Bing Crosby, "Sky's The Limit" (1943) with Joan Leslie and "Blue Skies" (1946), his second and last movie with Crosby. He also partnered with numerous other dancers, including Rita Hayworth, Cyd Charisse and Judy Garland. Fearing his career was failing, "Blue Skies" was due to be Astaire's last film, after which he retired for two years. In 1948 Gene Kelly was due to star in MGM's "Easter Parade" alongside Judy Garland, but he broke his ankle, and MGM convinced Astaire to fill in, ending