Though An American in Paris is not the definitive Arthur Freed/MGM musical that it was cracked up to be back in 1951 (that honor should rightly go to the brilliant Singin' in the Rain), it is difficult to begrudge the film its seven Academy Awards. Gene Kelly does his patented Pal Joey bit as Jerry Mulligan, an opportunistic American painter living in Paris' "starving artists" colony. He is discovered by wealthy Milo Roberts (Nina Foch), who becomes Jerry's patroness in more ways than one. Meanwhile, Jerry plays hookey on this setup by romancing waif-like Lise Bouvier (Leslie Caron)--who, unbeknownst to him, is the object of the affections of his close friend Henri (Georges Guetary), a popular nightclub performer (the film was supposed to make Guetary into "the New Chevalier." It didn't). The thinnish plot is held together by the superlative production numbers and by the recycling of several vintage George Gershwin tunes, including "I Got Rhythm," "S'wonderful," and "Our Love is Here to Stay." Highlights include Guetary's rendition of "Stairway to Paradise"; Oscar Levant's fantasy of conducting and performing Gershwin's "Concerto in F" (Levant also appears as every member of the orchestra); and the closing 17-minute "American in Paris" ballet, in which Kelly and Caron dance before lavish backgrounds based on the works of famed French artists. If you can deflect your attention from the stars, keep an eye out for Noel Neill, the future Lois Lane on Superman, as an American tourist, and Hayden Rorke, who later played Dr. Bellows on I Dream of Jeannie, as a wealthy reveller.