Singin in the Rain (1952)

 ●  English ● 1 hr 43 mins

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This classic musical, offers a lighthearted depiction of Hollywood in the late '20s, with the three stars portraying performers caught up in the transition from silent films to "talkies." Don Lockwood is a popular silent film star with humble roots as a singer, dancer and stuntman. Don barely tolerates his vapid, shallow leading lady, Lina Lamont, though their studio, Monumental Pictures, links them romantically to increase their popularity. Lina herself is convinced they are in love, despite Don's protestations otherwise. When it becomes certain that the talkies are the new wave of cinema, Don and Lina are forced to convert their next movie into a talkie. When Lina's grating voice becomes an insurmountable hurdle, a new and fresh chorus girl, Kathy is brought in to dub for Lina. With sparks flying between Don and Kathy, Lina has more and more reasons to feel angry and bitter towards Kathy. How will the relationship between Don and Kathy unfold? What will happen to Lina's future in the movie business?
See Storyline (May Contain Spoilers)

Cast: Debbie Reynolds, Donald O Connor, Gene Kelly

Crew: Gene Kelly (Director), Stanley Donen (Director), Harold G Rosson (Director of Photography), Nacio Herb Brown (Music Director)

Genres: Comedy, Musical, Romance

Release Dates: 11 Apr 1952 (India), 30 Jun 1952 (Brazil), 11 Sep 1953 (France), 12 Feb 1953 (Hong Kong), 11 Apr 1952 (United States)

Tagline: Singin' Swingin' Glorious Feelin' Technicolor Musical

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Did you know? Howard Keel was the original choice to play Don Lockwood; however, he was replaced by Gene Kelly as the screenwriters evolved the character from a "Western actor" background to a "song-and-dance vaudeville" background. Read More
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as Kathy Selden
as Cosmo Brown
as Don Lockwood
as Roscoe Dexter
as Lina Lamont
Supporting Actress
as RF Simpson
as Zelda Zanders
Supporting Actress

Direction

Production

Producer
Production Company

Distribution

Writers

Screenplay Writer
Story Writer

Camera and Electrical

Director of Photography

Music

Music Director
Lyricist

Editorial

Film Type:
Feature
Language:
English
Colour Info:
Black & White
Sound Mix:
Mono
Frame Rate:
24 fps
Aspect Ratio:
1.37:1
Stereoscopy:
No
Taglines:
Singin' Swingin' Glorious Feelin' Technicolor Musical
Movie Connection(s):
Referenced in: Happy Together (English)
Goofs:
Revealing Mistakes
The audience at the movie premiere at the beginning of the film is the same as the ones at the premiere of "The Dancing Cavalier" at the end of the film.

Continuity
Cosmo's violin bow breaks and the hairs can be seen flapping about, yet when they finish the piece the bow is fixed.

Character Error
In Don Lockwood's film "The Royal Rascals" his character is seen pushing a man into a moat. Later when he jumps down to the same spot, it has become a cobblestone street.
Trivia:
Previews were held in October, November, and December of 1951, so a number of people got to see the completed film before it went into general release in 1952.

Don and Cosmo were shown as touring through a variety of small towns as part of their vaudeville career. These included Dead Man's Fang, Oatmeal and Coyoteville. These are all fictional although there is a town called Oatmeal in Texas and one called Coyoteville in California.

In the Italian version 'Make'Em Laugh' is sung in Italian and has similar, but a little different lyrics. It's the only song they did this to.

Donald O'Connor smoked 4 packs of cigarettes a day throughout filming.

Howard Keel was the original choice to play Don Lockwood; however, he was replaced by Gene Kelly as the screenwriters evolved the character from a "Western actor" background to a "song-and-dance vaudeville" background.

Like the character of Cosmo Brown, producer Arthur Freed was once employed as a mood-music pianist who played on movie sets during the silent film era.

Debbie Reynolds had to rub her eyes with onions to make herself cry for the penultimate scene in the movie, when Kelly tells the audience that she, and not Lina, is the real star of "The Dancing Cavalier."

Cyd Charisse had to be taught how to smoke for her vampy dance sequence.

The jalopy driven by Debbie Reynolds was the same one driven by Mickey Rooney in the Andy Hardy pictures.

In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #5 Greatest Movie of All Time.

Like Lina Lamont, when sound films arrived, many silent screen actors lost their careers because their voices didn't match their screen personas.

The screenwriters bought a house in Hollywood from a former silent film star who lost his wealth when the innovation of sound film killed his career. This was part of the inspiration for the film.

Donald O'Connor admitted that he did not enjoy working with Gene Kelly, since Kelly was somewhat of a tyrant. O'Connor said that for the first several weeks he was terrified of making a mistake and being yelled at by Kelly.

The original negative of this film was destroyed in a fire.

Debbie Reynolds remarked many years later that making this movie and surviving childbirth were the two hardest things she's ever had to do.

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.

The script was written after the songs, and so the writers had to generate a plot into which the songs would fit.

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.

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.