13 Facts About Arthur Freed

Arthur Freed was an American lyricist and a Hollywood film producer.

Arthur Freed won the Academy Award for Best Picture twice, in 1951 for An American in Paris and in 1958 for Gigi.

Arthur Freed was born to a Jewish family in Charleston, South Carolina, and wrote poetry while a high schooler at Phillips Exeter Academy.

Arthur Freed helped shape the careers of stars including Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Red Skelton, Lena Horne, Jane Powell, Esther Williams, Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Cyd Charisse, Ann Miller, Vera-Ellen, and others.

Arthur Freed brought Fred Astaire to MGM after Astaire's tenure at RKO and coaxed him out of semi-retirement to star with Garland in Easter Parade.

Arthur Freed allowed his directors and choreographers free rein, something unheard of in those days of committee-produced film musicals, and is credited for furthering the boundaries of film musicals by allowing such moments in films as the fifteen-minute ballet at the end of An American in Paris, after which the film concludes moments later with no more dialogue or songs, and he allowed the musical team of Lerner and Loewe complete control in their writing of Gigi.

Arthur Freed felt that it made for a lack of drama in the story, and with screenwriter John Lee Mahin, Freed hit upon the idea of having the gambler Gaylord Ravenal leave his wife Magnolia while both are still young and Magnolia is expecting a baby, and then having Julie, the half-black actress who is forced to leave the boat because of her mixed-race background, be the person who brings Ravenal and Magnolia back together again after a separation of only a few years rather than twenty.

The year 1951, in which Arthur Freed won the Academy Award for Best Picture for Paris, was the first year that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated producers by name rather than by studio.

Arthur Freed was the only person nominated for An American in Paris, thus being the first person in the history of the award to win by name rather than by studio.

Arthur Freed was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.

Arthur Freed wrote that during the interview, Freed unzipped his trousers and exposed himself to her.

Arthur Freed served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences until leaving in 1966.

Arthur Freed died of a heart attack on April 3,1973.