Singing in the Rain 1952

What you need to know or not… Is one of the most-loved and celebrated film musicals of all time from MGM, before a mass exodus to filmed adaptations of Broadway plays emerged as a standard pattern. It was made directly for film, and was not a Broadway adaptation. Co-directed by Stanley Donen and acrobatic dancer-star-choreographer Gene Kelly This was an extraordinary example of the organic, 'integrated musical' in which the story's characters naturally express their emotions in the midst of their lives. Song and dance replace the dialogue, usually during moments of high spirits or passionate romance. And over half of the film is composed of musical numbers.

MGM and Arthur Freed a musical connection This superb film, called "MGM's TECHNICOLOR Musical Treasure," was produced during MGM studios' creative pinnacle. From the late 1930s to the early 1960s, producer Arthur Freed produced more than forty musicals for MGM.

Background Set in 1927, it humorously satirizes and parodies the panic surrounding the troubling transitional period from silents to talkies in the dream factory of Hollywood of the late 1920s as the sound revolution swept through. The plot of the film is actually an autobiography of Hollywood itself at the dawn of the talkies. The story is about a dashing, smug but romantic silent film star and his glamorous blonde screen partner/diva who are expected, by studio heads, to pretend to be romantically involved with each other. They are also pressured by the studio boss R.F. Simpson to change their silent romantic drama and make their first sound picture, renamed as the musical The Dancing Cavalier. There's one serious problem, however - the temperamental, narcissistic star has a shrill, screechy New York accent. The star's ex-song-and-dance partner proposes to turn the doomed film into a musical, and suggests that Don's aspiring actress and ingenue dancer-girlfriend dub in her singing voice behind the scenes for lip-synching Lina. The results of their scheming to expose the jealous Lina and put Kathy in a revealing limelight provide the film's expected happy resolution.

Another film that wasn’t popular when it first came out Shot for a cost of $2.5 million (about $.5 million over-budget), was basically ignored by film critics when released and treated with indifference (with box- office of $7.7 worldwide). It received only two Academy Award nominations - Best Supporting Actress and Best Musical Score and didn't win any awards. Now, after many accolades, television screenings, and its resurgence it is often chosen as one of the all-time top ten American films, and generally considered Hollywood's greatest and finest screen musical. Great care was made to authenticate the costumes, the sound studio set, and other historical details in the film.

Trivia The script was written after the songs, and so the writers had to generate a plot into which the songs would fit. Gene Kelly had a 103-degree fever when he danced to the title song. All it took - one take - and Kelly went home to recuperate. Most of Kelly's performance is ad libbed - they only had time to rough out his motion up and down the street to establish camera shot opportunities; Kelly's health was deteriorating and they had to begin filming quickly. The rain consisted of a mixture of water and milk so it would show up better on film but it caused Gene Kelly's wool suit to shrink. Gene Kelly insulted Debbie Reynolds for not being able to dance. Fred Astaire, who was hanging around the studio, found her crying under a piano and helped her with her dancing. Working days sometimes stretched to 19 hours. Gene KellyGene Kelly Gene KellyDebbie ReynoldsFred Astaire Only 19 when cast to play the film, Debbie Reynolds lived with her parents and commuted to the set. She had to wake up at 4:00 a.m. and ride three different buses to the studio; sometimes, to avoid the commute, she would just sleep on the set.Debbie Reynolds

More Trivia The original negative of this film was destroyed in a fire. A microphone was hidden in Debbie Reynolds' blouse so her lines could be heard more clearly. During one of the dance numbers, her heartbeat can be heard, mirroring what happens to Lina Lamont in the movie itself.Debbie Reynolds Was voted the 10th Greatest Film of all time by Entertainment Weekly, being the highest ranked musical. In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #5 Greatest Movie of All Time. The film's title song, "Singin' In The Rain" is number 3 on the American Film Institute's (AFI) 100 Years Songs list. For the "Make Em Laugh" number, Gene Kelly asked Donald O'Connor to revive a trick he had done as a young dancer, running up a wall and completing a somersault. The number was so physically taxing that O'Connor, who smoked four packs of cigarettes a day at the time, went to bed (or may have been hospitalized, depending on the source) for a week after its completion, suffering from exhaustion and painful carpet burns. Unfortunately, an accident ruined all of the initial footage, so after a brief rest, O'Connor, ever the professional, agreed to do the difficult number all over again. Gene KellyDonald O'Connor

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