Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Directors: Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen
Starring: Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds

Honors:
#10 AFI Top 100 (1998)
#5 AFI Top 100 (2007)
#16 AFI 100 Laughs
#16 AFI 100 Passions
#1 AFI Top Musicals
#3 AFI 100 Songs (“Singin’ in the Rain”)
#49 AFI 100 Songs (‘Make ‘Em Laugh”)
#72 AFI 100 Songs (“Good Morning”)
National Film Registry

Frequently considered one of very finest musicals or even films in Hollywood’s history, Singin’ in the Rain is a celebration of entertainment, performers, and Hollywood itself set as a lighthearted depiction of the movie industry during a very significant transitional from silent into sound pictures. With Gene Kelly at the top of his game in the fields of choreography, performance, filmmaking gravitas, and all-around heart, flanked by the rubbery funnyman of Donald O’Connor and a darling musical newcomer in Debbie Reynolds, the film is the definition of cinematic precision. It is bright and colorful, funny and heartwarming, lavish and intricate. It is a feature that is nearly perfect as it incapsulates the excitement and energy that Hollywood was perceived in the minds of countless millions. It captures the imagination of hearts of audiences as it displayed a Hollywood that never was, yet always will be for those that dream in celluloid.

 

Singin’ in the Rain is a musical romantic comedy about a silent movie star adjusting to sound pictures in the late 1920s and his budding relationship with a small-time chorus girl. Hollywood is thrown into a chaotic frenzy with the advent of sound in movies making swashbuckling silent star Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and his female co-star Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) alter their next picture into a full sound musical. Don’s caveat is Lina’s shrill high tone and talentless vocals that threatens to destroy the production, the studio, and Don’s career. However, with her vain shallowness Lina uses her star power to remain on the picture. With the help of best friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor), Don uses chorus girl Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) as Lina’s voice to assure the film’s success, a process troubled by the budding romance between Kathy and Don. With many high energy melodic moments interweaved throughout, the picture is capped with a lavish musical number as a story-within-a-story as a bright crescendo of dance and imagery as an interlude to the final scene at the premiere where Don reveals the talent of Kathy to the world and the two finally fall in love.

 

A story that pays homage to the roots of modern Hollywood executed with humor, class, and all the extravagance that movie industry could afford. It is a culmination of work and desire by the perfectionist and entertainer that is Gene Kelly as he brings it charm and precision while also allowing co-stars O’Connor and Reynolds to shin in their own rights. Along with co-director Stanley Donen, the feature brings back the visual style of a musicals past complete with meticulousness dancing with bubbly musical numbers, effortless enthusiasm, and color that splash over every inch of the silver screen. It is difficult to put into words a description of this picture as it captures the many aspects of joy that comes from viewing a motion picture. For those that do not typically like musicals it remains a wonderful comedy, a moving painting that stylizes Hollywood, its industry, and the imagination that keep people coming to movies over and over.

 

A picture conceived by Arthur Freed, a producer known for his lavish musical unit at MGM, the idea was to make a feature around a backlog of old songs written by he and composer Nacio Herb Brown from back in the 20s and 30s. Inspired by the period in which the tunes were penned the plot revolved around silent films transitioning into “talkies.” Script developed came from interviewing many individuals who experienced Hollywood during that time, drawing humorous inspiration from the troubles of studios, directors, and actors had while adjusting to the new medium.

 

While working on An American in Paris (1951) Gene Kelly was brought aboard the project along with his co-choreographer Stanley Donen, with whom he had co-directed On the Town back in 1949. Together they would help iron out the kinks the producers were having in development, bringing to the picture the mix of various styles that were successful in musicals since the advent of sound. Kelly brought meticulousness while Donen delivered the visual style within frame as if you had a Busby Berkley as director and Fred Astaire as the star. Together they would help make the musical once again a highlight of Hollywood.

 

Every performer in the picture was at the top of their game in this film. Funnyman Donald O’Connor matches and at time even exceeds Kelly as two old friends of vaudeville that make it to Tinseltown with Lockwood becoming a star and he being given odd jobs. O’Connor uses his lanky frame in a rubbery manner with expressiveness to great success in the time he his given. His most notable moments come in the solo musical number “Make ‘Em Laugh,” a highly physical performance that literally sees him running up walls among other things that would have him in bed rest for days after filming.

 

Debbie Reynold was the 18 year-old Miss Burbank when she was cast alongside the perfectionist that was Gene Kelly in her breakout picture. Her gymnast past set the stage for her physically determined performance, but her lack of dancing skill was a point of contention with Kelly who was a stickler. Even with three months of grueling dances lessons Kelly was rather hard of young Reynolds, bringing her to tears after long days of work. With side help from Fred Astaire, see was able to improve and keep up with Kelly delivering a heartwarming performance as his love interest that could easily stand beside him on screen. It was her determination from this picture that launched her career into becoming a noteworthy member of showbusiness for decades. Despite her emotional breakdowns and working her feet to the point of bleeding you would never know the pain she was in as she transformed herself into Hollywood’s latest sweetheart.

 

Jean Hagen was a gem in her role as the spoiled and talentless silent star that threatens to ruin movie, the studio and the careers of our heroes. Despite the gifted dancing and singing of the stars of the picture, Hagen provides a highly memorable performance of her own, delivering us the butt of many a joke in the picture. Other noteworthy members of the supporting cast include Millard Mitchell as the lightly out of touch studio head, Douglas Fowley as a very frustrated director overcome by the trouble of making his first sound picture, and Cyd Charisse who only appears in the “Broadway Melody” sequence as the long-legged silent seductress that dances with Kelly.

 

Music abounds through the picture, most as noted before were cataloged tunes with a bubbly pep. The titular “Singin’ in the Rain” is used on a scene that allows Kelly to command an entire mood of the picture with his dance in a water-soaked city block. Meanwhile “Good Morning” showcases the talents of our three stars combined in a peppy number throughout a meticulously choreographed number in a house. “Make ‘Em Laugh” was an original tune for the picture that is interestingly similar to “Be a Clown” from another Feed musical The Pirate (1948), but comes away feeling entirely fresh with O’Connor’s performance. All of it is capped off by the extravagant “Broadway Melody” movie-in-a-movie dream-like sequence. MGM had issue about how long it took to rehearse and shoot and while watching costs go up, similar to Kelly’s stylized ending to An American in Paris (1951), but Kelly held out and the scene shines like gold for it.

 

Singin’ in the Rain premiered in March of 1952 with a wide release in April with generally positive critical praise. However, the best and worst thing happened to Gene Kelly simultaneously as that March An American in Paris surprisingly won the Oscar for Best Picture leading theaters to bank on his prior award winning film.  Some theaters shelved Singin’ in the Rain to rerelease An American in Paris, a move is seen to have eaten into the profits of Singin in the Rain. Despite that drawback the film did very well and gained plenty of attention, even experiencing a number of nominations in the following award season where O’Connor won a Golden Globe.

 

Since its release Singin’ in the Rain would grow in admiration among cinema enthusiasts into becoming one of the highest regards motion pictures of all time. The American Film Institute showers paise on the picture as a significant piece of American cinema littering its numerous all-time lists in various categories with the picture. It was amongst the inaugural class of 25 inductees to the National Film Registry in 1989 at the Library of Congress as film considered “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant,” as it remains a near universally loved picture by those that view it. A genuine love letter to entertainment and Hollywood in particular, the film is a joy and earns the right to be considered one of the very best, embodying all the good that makes us fans of film then, now, and for years to come.