The late Stanley Donen was born on April 13, 1924. The legendary filmmaker — the last of the directors from Hollywood’s golden age — passed away on February 21, 2019, leaving behind a legacy of classic movies filled with color, song, and dance. Let’s take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Donen got his start as a dancer. It was in the chorus line for George Abbott‘s production of “Pal Joey” that he met Gene Kelly. The two became quick friends, and Donen started working as Kelly’s assistant, helping him choreograph his intensely acrobatic dance sequences.
The two turned to filmmaking with “On the Town” (1949), a lavish Technicolor musical about three sailors on a 24 hour shore leave in New York City. They teamed up again for perhaps the greatest movie musical of all time: “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952). A satire of Hollywood’s rocky transition from silent cinema to sound, the film features some of the most memorable dance sequences ever, particularly Kelly’s joyous, rain-soaked rendition of the title song. Donen worked with Kelly one more time — for the surprisingly cynical “It’s Always Fair Weather” (1955) — before splitting up for good.
Throughout his career, Donen excelled at brightly colored, sprightly entertainments, including the Hitchcock homage “Charade” (1963) and the romantic comedy “Indiscreet” (1958). Surprisingly, he was never nominated at the Oscars, despite DGA bids for “Singin’ in the Rain” (shared with Kelly), “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” (1954), “Funny Face” (1957), “Damn Yankees!” (1958, shared with Abbott), and “Two for the Road” (1967). He received an honorary award in 1998, famously dancing with his statuette while singing “Cheek to Cheek.”
Tour our photo gallery above of Donen’s 15 greatest films, including a few titles that should’ve brought him Oscar glory.
-
15. THE LITTLE PRINCE (1974)
Image Credit: Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Stanley Donen. Screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner, based on the novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Starring Steven Warner, Richard Kiley, Bob Fosse, Gene Wilder, Donna McKechnie, Joss Ackland, Victor Spinetti.
The last few years of Donen’s directing career were marked by a series of critical and financial failures, ending with the sci-fi oddity “Saturn 3” and the May-December romance “Blame It On Rio.” Although “The Little Prince,” a musical adaptation of the beloved French children’s novel, failed to make a dent when it was first released, it’s since found a second life as a family favorite. Richard Kiley stars as a pilot who crash lands in the desert, where he finds a young boy (Steven Warner) who’s a prince from an alien planet. Bob Fosse steals the show as The Snake with his number “A Snake In the Grass,” which is infused with his trademark choreography.
-
14. ARABESQUE (1966)
Image Credit: Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Stanley Donen. Screenplay by Julian Mitchell, Stanley Price, and Peter Stone, based on the novel ‘The Cypher’ by Alex Gordon. Starring Gregory Peck, Sophia Loren, Alan Badel, Kieron Moore.
“Arabesque” finds Donen returning to the sort of material he excelled at in “Charade,” with Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren stepping into the Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn roles (albeit somewhat reversed). Peck is a hieroglyphics professor who finds himself embroiled in international intrigue when he’s asked to decode a cryptic Arabian message; Loren is the mysterious beauty who helps him crack the code. While it fails to capture the sparkle and wit of the director’s previous Hitchcock homage, the film is a delightful entertainment that makes good use of its leading man and woman’s star personas.
-
13. IT’S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER (1955)
Image Credit: MGM/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. Written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Starring Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Cyd Charisse, Dolores Gray, Michael Kidd, David Burns.
By the time Gene Kelly asked him to collaborate on “It’s Always Fair Weather,” Donen was in no mood to co-direct, having firmly established himself as a filmmaker in his own right. The two clashed during production, and their relationship ended unceremoniously. The film itself, a surprisingly bleak and cynical musical about three WWII veterans (Kelly, Dan Dailey, Michael Kidd) who reconnect after 10 years only to find out they have nothing in common, flopped at the box office despite decent reviews. Yet it’s hard to imagine Bob Fosse’s “Cabaret” without this grim predecessor, which attempts to bring a level of reality to that most fanciful of genres.
-
12. THE GRASS IS GREENER (1960)
Image Credit: Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Stanley Donen. Screenplay by Hugh Williams and Margaret Vyner, based on their play. Starring Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, Jean Simmons, Moray Watson.
In adapting Hugh Williams and Margaret Vyner’s long-running West End hit, Donen creates little more than a filmed stage play. Yet what more would you want from this sparkling drawing room comedy than some charming performances and luxurious set design? Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr star as the Earl and Countess of Rhyall, who are in such dire financial straights that they’ve begun renting out their mansion for guided tours. One such visitor is an oil tycoon (Robert Mitchum) who takes a liking to the Countess. Afraid of losing his wife, the Earl enlists his ex-girlfriend, an American heiress (Jean Simmons), to turn the love triangle into a quadrangle.
-
11. ROYAL WEDDING (1951)
Image Credit: Robert Quirk/Mgm/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Stanley Donen. Story and screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner. Starring Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, Sarah Churchill, Peter Lawford.
“Royal Wedding” was Donen’s first solo outing as a director, and at just 27-years-old, he proved himself more than capable of handling a complicated Hollywood production. Fred Astaire and Jane Powell star as Tom and Ellen Bowen, a brother-sister dance act who travel to London for a gig at the same time the Royal Wedding is occurring. Their relationship is complicated when each sibling finds romance abroad. As always, Astaire’s nimble footwork is the main attraction (including the stunning scene where he dances on the walls and ceiling), and Donen once again displays a unique talent for capturing dance on film.
-
10. DAMN YANKEES! (1958)
Image Credit: Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by George Abbott and Stanley Donen. Screenplay by George Abbott, based on the play by Abbott and Douglass Wallop and the novel by Wallop. Starring Tab Hunter, Gwen Verdon, Ray Walston, Robert Shafer, Bob Fosse.
Donen teamed up with stage director George Abbott for a pair of Broadway adaptations — “The Pajama Game” and “Damn Yankees!” — which faithfully recreate the original productions with a cinematic slant. The latter involves a middle-aged baseball fan who makes a deal with the devil (Ray Walston) to help his beloved Washington Senators beat the Yankees. He’s transformed into a strapping young player (Tab Hunter) in exchange for his soul. Gwen Verdon costars as Lola, who’s enlisted by Walston to seduce Hunter with her signature number, “Whatever Lola Wants.” (Verdon’s husband, Bob Fosse, appears as a mambo dancer.) Donen and Abbott earned a DGA nomination, but were overlooked at the Oscars (where it competed for music).
-
9. BEDAZZLED (1967)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Stanley Donen. Screenplay by Peter Cook, story by Cook and Dudley Moore. Starring Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Eleanor Bron, Raquel Welch.
Not to be confused with the turgid Brendan Fraser/Elizabeth Hurley remake, Donen’s “Bedazzled” is a trippy time capsule of late ’60’s psychedelic fun. Dudley Moore stars as a hapless loser who falls in love with a beautiful waitress (Eleanor Bron) at the restaurant where he serves as a cook. Desperate to win her love, he agrees to sell his soul to the devil (Peter Cook) in exchange for seven wishes. But of course, nothing goes as planned. Raquel Welch steals the show as Lust, one of the seven deadly sins assisting Satan in his mayhem on Earth. The script by Cook and Moore is very much of its time (the swinging London lampooned in “Austin Powers”), providing Donen with some fresh and exciting material.
-
8. THE PAJAMA GAME (1957)
Image Credit: Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by George Abbott and Stanley Donen. Screenplay by George Abbott and Richard Bissell, based on the musical by Abbott and Bissell. Starring Doris Day, John Raitt, Carol Haney, Eddie Foy Jr., Barbara Nichols.
The fight for labor rights has never been so entertainingly presented as it was in “The Pajama Game,” a smart and energetic adaptation of the hit Broadway play. Doris Day plays Katherine “Babe” Williams, a worker in a pajama factory fighting to get a seven-and-a-half cent raise on behalf of her fellow employees. Romantic complications ensue when the company sends in a handsome representative (John Raitt) to swat down her uprising. Director George Abbott and choreographer Bob Fosse both worked on the original stage show, and their talents translate beautifully here thanks to their collaboration with Hollywood master Donen.
-
7. INDISCREET (1958)
Image Credit: Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Stanley Donen. Screenplay by Norman Krasna, based on his play ‘Kind Sir.’ Starring Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Cecil Parker, Phyllis Calvert, David Kossoff, Megs Jenkins.
“Notorious” stars Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman reunited for this sexy and stylish adaptation of Norman Krasna’s hit play. “Indiscreet” centers on a prominent actress (Bergman) who has all but given up on finding true love. That changes when her brother-in-law introduces her to a wealthy businessman (Grant) who sweeps her off her feet. Yet their relationship turns sour when she learns that he’s a bachelor pretending to be married to avoid romantic entanglements. Once again, Donen is able to bring a light touch to sophisticated material, bathing his glamorous stars in glitzy costumes and lavish sets.
-
6. FUNNY FACE (1957)
Image Credit: Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Stanley Donen. Written by Leonard Gershe. Starring Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Kay Thompson, Michel Auclair, Robert Flemyng.
“Funny Face” finds Donen at his most stylish, a film so awash in splendor you can almost drink the visuals. Although it’s based in part on a 1927 Gershwin brothers musical also starring Fred Astaire, Leonard Gershe’s Oscar-nominated screenplay is a total original (aside from using four songs from the original show, including the catchy “S’Wonderful”). Audrey Hepburn is radiant as a bookstore employee who catches the eye of a fashion photographer (Astaire), who transforms her into a star. Kay Thompson is a hoot as Astaire’s eccentric magazine editor. The films striking use of color brought it additional nominations for cinematography, costumes, and art direction. Donen competed at the DGA, yet was once again snubbed at the Oscars.
-
5. TWO FOR THE ROAD (1967)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Stanley Donen. Written by Frederic Raphael. Starring Audrey Hepburn, Albert Finney, Eleanor Bron, William Daniels, Claude Dauphin, Nadia Gray.
As the old Hollywood gave way to the new, filmmakers like Donen suddenly found themselves out of favor with audiences. Yet it was because of this generational change that he was able to make “Two for the Road,” a surprisingly frank and modern romantic comedy about a long-married couple (Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney) reflecting on their relationship while traveling through the south of France. Working from an Oscar-nominated, nonlinear script by Frederic Raphael, Donen delves deep into his character’s lives, infusing his signature style with jump cuts made popular by the French New Wave. Despite competing at the DGA, he was once again snubbed by the Academy, as were Hepburn and Finney (Hepburn did compete in Best Actress for “Wait Until Dark” that year).
-
4. ON THE TOWN (1949)
Image Credit: Mgm/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. Screenplay by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, based on the musical by Green, Comden and Leonard Bernstein. Starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Jules Munshin, Vera-Ellen.
Donen made his directorial debut when he was just 25-years-old with “On the Town,” and from the get-go he established his splashy, colorful, energetic style. Co-directed by Gene Kelly, this musical comedy centers on three sailors (Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin) on shore leave in New York City. They’ve got just 24 hours to see the entire town, finding love with three beauties (Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Vera-Ellen) along the way. The musical numbers — including the signature tune “New York, New York” — are astounding in their technical bravado. The film won an Oscar for its music, adapted from Leonard Bernstein’s original Broadway score.
-
3. SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (1954)
Image Credit: Mgm/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Stanley Donen. Screenplay by Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, and Dorothy Kingsley, based on the short story ‘The Sobbin’ Women’ by Stephen Vincent Benet. Starring Howard Keel, Jane Powell, Jeff Richards, Russ Tamblyn, Tommy Rall.
Though some of its sexual politics are painfully outdated, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” remains one of the most entertaining musicals from Hollywood’s golden age. Set in 1850 Oregon, it centers on a backwoodsman (Howard Keel) who brings home a wife (Jane Powell), inspiring his six brothers to find their own mates. Michael Kidd’s stunning choreography makes dances sequences out of the most mundane of actions — including barn raising — filling the Technicolor, CinemaScope frame with eye-popping action. The film won an Oscar for its music and competed in four more categories, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay. Surprisingly, Donen was snubbed in directing, despite competing at the DGA.
-
2. CHARADE (1963)
Image Credit: Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Stanley Donen. Screenplay by Peter Stone, based on the short story by Stone and Marc Behm. Starring Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn, George Kennedy, Ned Glass.
“Charade” is one of Donen’s great entertainments, a bright, colorful Hitchcock homage that’s equal parts comedy, romance, and suspense. Audrey Hepburn plays an American widow in Paris evading three crooks (James Coburn, George Kennedy, and Ned Glass) who want a fortune stolen by her murdered husband. It’s up to a handsome stranger (Cary Grant) and a C.I.A. agent (Walter Matthau) to save her. But who can she really trust? Donen always manages to strike the perfect tone, thanks to Peter Stone’s crackerjack script and charming performances from the entire cast, not to mention a beautifully photographed European local. Henri Mancini and Johnny Mercer’s title song earned an Oscar nomination, though several other bids were deserved.
-
1. SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)
Image Credit: Eddie Hubbell/Mgm/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. Written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Starring Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Cyd Charisse, Douglas Fowley, Rita Moreno.
“Singin’ in the Rain” started out as a recycling of old songs and sets from other MGM productions. What resulted was the greatest movie musical of all time, a glorious mixture of romance, Hollywood satire, and acrobatic dancing. Co-director Gene Kelly stars as Don Lockwood, a matinee idol whose career is threatened by the transition from silent movies to sound. With the help of his best friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor) and love interest Kathy Seldon (Debbie Reynolds), they might save his turgid love story “The Dueling Cavalier” from disaster. Every musical number is a stunner, particularly Kelly’s gleeful, soaking-wet rendition of the title song. Jean Hagen earned an Oscar nomination for her hilarious supporting turn as Lina Lamont, a bombshell with a screeching voice. The film earned an additional bid for music, but was snubbed in Best Picture and Best Director, despite reaping a DGA bid for Donen and Kelly. Time, however, has proven the Academy wrong.
