it take a loan out film to columbia for gene kelly home studio mgm to realize his creative talent and give him some control over what he do in his own film . cover girl also become rita hayworth signature film for the gi and their pinup fantasy during world war ii . kelly play the owner of a small nightclub in brooklyn where rita be a featured dancer and phil silver the comic . of course kelly do a bit of hoof himself there . hayworth come to the attention of millionaire otto kruger when it turn out that kruger have love and lose hayworth grandmother . in some flashback sequence from the gaslight era and hayworth also play her own grandmother with jess barker play the young kruger . you might remember jess barker be the husband of that other legendary screen redhead and susan hayward . broadway producer lee bowman also be attract to hayward and but he not interested in nostalgia . he want her for his ziegfeld folly revue and in fact the big number of cover girl be the title song of the film . it nicely do in folly style . hayworth also get to sing a sure thing in a gaslight era number and in the only song in the show not write by jerome kern and ira gershwin and hayworth also do an old english music hall number poor john . when i say sing and a everyone know rita mouth word . sing here be do by nan wynn . the big hit of the show be long ago and far away which be introduce by gene kelly . it be one of the big hit of the world war ii era and one of the big seller jerome kern ever write . it happen in fact to be a favorite of an aunt of mine who with my uncle will be celebrate 60 year of marriage this september . long ago and far away be nominate for best song and but lose to swing on a star . what really set cover girl apart and what make it a milestone film for gene kelly be the two number put me to the test and the alter ego number . harry cohn decide to do what louis b. mayer have refuse at mgm and to give kelly creative control of his own material . kelly later say the alter ego number be one of the hard thing he ever attempt in his career . in it he dance with a pale reflection of himself and the choreography be dazzle and intricate . in fact after one more loan out film and christmas holiday at universal and louis b. mayer never loan out gene kelly for the rest of the time he be at mgm . and he do get creative control from then on . with that dazzle technicolor cinematography and rita red hair and gene kelly boundless creativity and cover girl be and be a classic and will forever be so .