If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.
How Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly inspired the script for High School Musical 2
One scene from High School Musical 2 was taken from a real-life anecdote involving Frank Sinatra
Popverse's top stories of the day
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps CinemaCon footage teases big reveal: The Invisible Woman is pregnant?
- MEMBERS ONLY: Popversations: James Tynion IV peels back the layers on his creator-owned empire with Department of Truth, Something is Killing the Children, and more
- Somewhere Beyond the Sea author TJ Klune on "the magic of being able to see yourself in the written word" and more
Sometimes real life can seem stranger than fiction.
There’s a scene in the 2007 movie High School Musical 2 where Ryan Evans (Lucas Grabeel) tries to get Chad Danforth (Corbin Bleu) to perform in the country club talent show. Chad proclaims that he can’t dance, so Ryan uses baseball to train him to be a dancer. This all happens during a musical number called ‘I Don’t Dance.’
Seems pretty silly right? First of all, the song slaps, and second, it turns out this was all based on a true story, involving none other than Frank Sinatra.
Speaking to a crowd at Fan Expo Chicago, Corbin Bleu revealed the interesting story behind the musical number. “I loved the origin of ‘I Don’t Dance.’ It’s such a great Kenny nugget,” Bleu said, referring to High School Musical director and choreographer Kenny Ortega.
“He explained to us where this number came from, and it was because Frank Sinatra was starting in his rise to fame, and his agents ended up calling Gene Kelly, and saying, ‘Hey, there’s this new guy. Everyone loves him, he’s got this incredible voice, but he’s got two left feet. We would love it if you could maybe teach him some moves and get him to be a little more comfortable on stage.’ And Gene Kelly said, ‘Sure, does he play any sports?’ And they said, ‘Yeah, he loves baseball.’ So, Gene Kelly actually took him to a baseball field, and through the motion of baseball, and through the motions that he’s comfortable with, taught Frank Sinatra how to dance.”
It worked for Frank Sinatra, and so naturally it worked for Chad Danforth.
Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out Popverse's guides to:
Follow Popverse for upcoming event coverage and news
Find out how we conduct our review by reading our review policy
Let Popverse be your tour guide through the wilderness of pop culture
Sign in and let us help you find your new favorite thing.
Comments
Want to join the discussion? Please activate your account first.
Visit Reedpop ID if you need to resend the confirmation email.