Actor Gene Kelly honored at Frank Sinatra's Twin Palms estates during Modernism Week

The Golden Age of Hollywood brought together many iconic pairings, like the toe-tapping Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and the legendary on- and off-screen couple Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. 

But when it came to two pals who could always get people on their feet, people didn't have to look further than singer Frank Sinatra and actor Gene Kelly. The duo starred in three films together: "Take Me Out To The Ball Game," "Anchors Aweigh" and "On The Town."

Even though they're both gone, their friendship and talents were celebrated during a Modernism Week cocktail party at Sinatra's Twin Palms estate on Saturday. Dancers from the Nickerson-Rossi Dance company performed four pieces to Ol' Blue Eyes' songs, and guests were joined by Patricia Ward Kelly, Kelly's third wife. The pair married in 1990, when he was 77 and she was 31, and were together until his death in 1996.

The Twin Palms estate was designed by architect E. Stewart Williams in 1947 for the singer and his first wife, Nancy Barbato. Sinatra initially requested designs for a Georgian-style mansion, complete with a brick facade and column, but Williams was able to convince him to do a more desert-appropriate home, according to the Twin Palms website.

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The history in the four-bedroom, seven-bathroom, 4,500-square-foot residence can be felt in every corner. Pictures of Sinatra with his famous friends line bedrooms, while a crack is still on display in the basin of a bathroom sink from when he allegedly threw a champagne bottle at actress Ava Gardner, his second wife. 

Outside, a piano-shaped pool serves as the perfect backdrop for social gatherings. When he lived in the desert, the story goes that Sinatra would run a flag up between the two palm trees on the property, signaling to his friends that it was time to party. 

Though no flag was flying high on Saturday, around 150 guests gathered for their own cocktail party. Surrounding the pool were several photos of Kelly and Sinatra together and notes they wrote to each other.  After Kelly's Beverly Hills home burned in a 1983 fire due to a faulty Christmas tree bulb on a dry branch, according to Ward Kelly, Sinatra gave him a photo of the two with the message: "Dear Shanty, fire or no fire — I love you even more! Francis." Sinatra gave Kelly the nickname "Shanty" due to his Irish background.

Ward Kelly said the two were "closer than brothers." One of the first things the actor told her, she recalled, was that there were two people he would call in the middle of the night if he were ever in trouble: director Richard Brooks and Sinatra. 

The duo was meant to work on a fourth film together, called "Robin and the 7 Hoods," with Kelly in the director and producer's seat. But Ward Kelly said that "Frank got entangled in some different events and didn't show up on the set," which upset Kelly. Kelly ended up leaving the project, but Sinatra "paid him the full salary" anyway.

"They were true gentlemen," she said.

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Kelly was known for his energetic dancing style, a highlight in films such as "Singin' in the Rain" and "An American in Paris," while Sinatra's music was a staple in the 1940s and 1950s. The Nickerson-Rossi Dance company honored both men's talents by performing contemporary dances to Sinatra hits including "Something Stupid," "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" and "That's Life." 

Founding Artistic Director Michael Nickerson-Rossi said the goal was to take modern contemporary dance and fuse it with the aesthetics of the mid-century era. Dancers' outfits were inspired by the style of the 1940s and Greta Garbo's bouncy curls.

"The era is in everyone's hearts," Nickerson-Rossi said. "To see the dance and hear the music, it warms people's hearts."

This is the third time the dance company has been a part of a Modernism Week event. One performance explored the relationship between dance and design, while another, taking place in the Butler-Jaffe House in Indian Canyons, honored local Native American land. Nickerson-Rossi said the Twin Palms estate was a "special place" to perform.

Memorabilia from Kelly's films and life were also on display, including a pair of Chuck Taylor All Star shoes he wore while directing the 1969 musical "Hello, Dolly!" and roller skates from the 1980 film "Xanadu."

"Better known as Xana-don't," said Ward Kelly of the poorly reviewed 1980 film, which was met with laughter from attendees.

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.