IT was a dry day, and he did not swing around a lamp-post, but Singin’ in the Rain star Gene Kelly still made the most of a visit to Glasgow in April, 1953.

Our own photographers here at the Evening Times captured this amazing shot all those years ago, just outside Central Station.

The famous actor and dancer was in the city scouting for locations for Brigadoon, his forthcoming movie about two Americans stumbling upon a magical village in the Scottish woodlands.

He had driven up from London with producer Arthur Freed and he spent some time talking to Evening Times film critic Tom Goldie before heading up north to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs and on to Edinburgh.

Announcing the star was “On The Town”, our newspaper reported at the time that after a flying visit to Glasgow he left by car to “tour Ayr and Burns Country partly on business and partly for pleasure”.

Asked if it was his first visit to Scotland, Kelly replied: “It is, but it certainly won’t be my last.

“Everyone here has been delightful and most helpful, and even the weather today is doing its best for me.”

Gene did come back to Scotland, when his movie Invitation To The Dance opened the 1956 Edinburgh Film Festival, and one of the last projects he was working on was a musical about Robert Burns.

He loved the literature and poetry of Scotland, and was planning to cast Anthony Perkins in the Burns movie, but he died before plans came to fruition.

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Gene Kelly was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and his big break was in the movie For Me and My Gal in 1942, with Judy Garland.

Famous for a string of wonderful musicals, including Hello Dolly, On the Town and An American in Paris, he is nonetheless probably best known for Singin’ in the Rain, an upbeat spoof of Hollywood during the talkie revolution and now widely regarded as the greatest film musical ever made.

Gene played Don, a studio star cast repeatedly as one half of a romantic couple with screechy-voiced actress Lina.

When their latest film is remade into a musical “talkie”, it turns out that while Don can sing, Lina cannot and no amount of tuition from a voice coach makes any difference.

Kathy, played by Debbie Reynolds, is a bright, young aspiring actress, hired to sing instead and soon Don and Kathy are in love.

The scene where Gene sings and dances along a rain-soaked street, delighted to have fallen in love, is one of the great movie moments of all time.

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Gene died in 1996, at the age of 83, following complications from two strokes.

Many years later, his widow Patricia Ward Kelly, revealed to our sister newspaper The Herald that her late husband had always been a fan of Glasgow.

“He really wanted to do the movie in the city but MGM wouldn’t let him,” she said.

“Glasgow was a fond memory for him.”

Did you know Gene Kelly had visited Glasgow? Were you there?

Share your memories of the Hollywood legend’s visit to the city with us by writing to Ann Fotheringham, Features, Evening Times, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow G2 3QB or by emailing ann.fotheringham@heraldandtimes.co.uk

Which famous faces have you seen in Glasgow over the decades? Plenty of stars of both stage and screen, famous politicians, singers and world leaders have graced the city with their presence - we would love to hear if you spotted them.