NFR Project: 'Singin' in the Rain' (1952)

 

NFR Project: “Singin’ in the Rain”

Dir: Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen

Scr: Betty Comden, Adolph Green

Pho: Harold Rosson

Ed: Adrienne Fazan

Premiere: March 27, 1952

103 min.

It’s a perfect picture.

The stars aligned for this project, but a key element in the success of the film was the presence of Stanley Donen as co-director.

Donen started his career as a dancer, and moved on to the role of a choreographer. He paired up with Gene Kelly, and helped to choreograph many of Kelly’s dance numbers in pictures from 1943 on. He worked on Cover Girl, Anchors Aweigh, Living in a Big Way, and Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Finally, in 1949 he and Kelly co-directed On the Town.

Now that his reputation was established, Donen was able to helm other movies. He directed Fred Astaire in Royal Wedding (1951) – and then came Singin’ in the Rain.

The brilliant team of Betty Comden and Adolf Green, lyricists and screenwriters, conjured up a hilarious scenario. The movie is set in Hollywood, during the period of transition from silent film to sound. Its hero is Don Lockwood (Kelly), a silent matinee idol, who has been paired with the squeaky-voiced, egomaniacal actress Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen).

As Don and Lina attend the opening of their new film, The Royal Rascal, Don describes his rise in show business to a radio audience. As he goes on and on about the dignity of the profession, we see in flashback him starting out as a baggy-pants comic, then as a vaudeville hoofer with his pal Cosmo (Donald O’Connor). Eventually, Don breaks in to on-screen work as a humble stuntman and graduates to leading roles. The contrast between Hollywood hype and the real facts of the case are emphasized here.

While all of this happens, Don meets the lovely young singer and dancer, Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) who at first spurns him but then falls for him as he pursues her passionately.

Sound comes in, and the entire industry is turned upside down. Suddenly, actors must be able to speak well. Voice coaches are called in, but nobody can do anything with Lina’s shrill Brooklynese. Lockwood and Lamont’s new costume drama, The Dueling Cavalier, is revamped as a sound film. But the preview of the film is disastrous. Stumped, Don, Cosmo, and Kathy try to think of some way to save the picture. Finally, they decide – let’s change the movie into a musical!

But what to do about Lina’s voice? Cosmo comes up with the answer – have Kathy dub Lina’s lines and songs. However, Lina is displeased. She hates Kathy, and demands that her role in covering Lina’s voice be covered up.

The movie is a huge hit. Lina declares that she will never let Kathy get credit, and even dismisses Don as unnecessary to her success. She goes out to take a bow after the premiere. She tries to speak, but is laughed at by the crowd. They urge her to sing instead. Don, Cosmo, and producer R.F. Simpson (Millard Mitchell) force Kathy to set up behind the curtain and sing so that Lina can lip-sync along. Then they haul up the curtain, exposing the fraud. Lina flees and Don identifies Kathy as the beautiful voice behind Lina. At film’s end, Don and Kathy kiss in afront of a billboard advertising their new film together – Singin’ in the Rain.

The dialogue sparkles, and the comedy is perfectly pitched. The art direction is flawless – the settings are bright, candy-colored, and extravagantly beautiful. Donen uses the crane extensively, swooping effortlessly in and out of the action.

However, it’s the musical numbers that are truly extraordinary. The songs are all taken from the period, most of them written by the film’s producer Arthur Freed, and Nacio Herb Brown. “All I Do Is Dream of You,” “Make ‘em Laugh,” “I’ve Got a Feeling You’re Fooling,” “Beautiful Girl,” “You Were Meant for Me,” “Good Morning,” and the title song are all sure-fire hit material. The one song not by them, “Moses Supposes,” features lyrics by Comden and Green.

All of the resources of MGM were put into play to create this vibrant film. Costumes, sets, and lighting are impeccable. They serve as a backdrop for the superior clowning of Donald O’Connor, the dash and dynamic verve of Gene Kelly – and the winsomeness of Debbie Reynolds, only 19 at the time of filming.

O'Connor's comic dance, "Make 'em Laugh," is a whirlwind of fun. Another top sequence is the unfailingly funny scene of Don and Lina trying to deal with the vagaries of early sound filming. The spectacular heart of the film is Kelly singing and dancing in the rain outside Kathy’s apartment. This has become the representative number that symbolizes the film musical. It deserves it!

The NFR is one writer’s attempt to review all the films listed in the National Film Registry in chronological order. Next time: This Is Cinerama.