When Gene Kelly Filmed a Movie in Williamsport, 1945

A camera crew on a dolly shoots scenes of actor Gene Kelly walking along Second Avenue in Williamsport for the movie “Introduction to Combat Fatigue in February 1945. 

In February of 1945, a young Gene Kelly came to Williamsport, along with a United States Naval Unit to "shoot winter scenes in a typical American city for a naval training film."

At 18:12  into the film,  Kelly is  thrown out of The Old Corner Hotel in Williamsport

It was Lt Hugh McMullan,  who brought the unit to his hometown.  McMullan, a former dialogue director for Warner Brothers, was serving in the Naval reserve photographic division in 1945.  

From The Film, Gene Kelly at the Williamsport Train Station

On Monday  February 5 1945, 22 Navy servicemen  checked into the Lycoming Hotel [today the Genetti], to participate in the filming.  Along the men was apprentice seaman Gene Kelly, who would play the leading role in the training film.

The train station, as shown in the movie.  See the train arrive at 11:47 in the film

"Precision timing is required of actors, directors and cameramen in shots such as the one made at Pennsylvania Railroad station. Kelly alights from a train 'home on leave' purportedly – actually he boarded the train at Muncy and rode into the city for this scene...

The movie set is on Second Avenue, chosen as a residential street in a typical American city. The avenue takes on a distinctly Hollywood atmosphere as tracks are set up for the 'dolly' – moving platform for camera – while actor Kelly stands alone, but the target of a long line of admiring glances. Some onlookers even gave up their lunch so that they could feast their eyes on Gene Kelly." The Williamsport Sun. Friday February 16th 1945

Was this scene filmed inside one of Williamsport's Churches?  I think it is likely, but I cannot tell you for certain.  

One of the "snowy scenes" from the film.

February 6th, 1945

Scenes were shot at the Pennsylvania Railroad Station, On Section Avenue, in the downtown section and in the Nippenose Valley.

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Combat Irritability

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During World War II, Lt. Cmdr. MacMullan served in the U.S. Naval Reserves, where he wrote and directed more than 100 documentaries. The library’s MacMullan Collection

includes several scripts he wrote and directed between 1942 and 1946. Among them are “Introduction to Combat Fatigue” (1944) – which, thanks to MacMullan’s influence, brought the film’s crew and star, a young Gene Kelly, to Williamsport for parts of the filming

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Here's Looking at You

Hollywood, Film & Politics

By Ernest D. Giglio · 2005