Singin' in the Rain (1952)

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952) is the epitome of classic Hollywood MGM movie magic, and is a musical about the birth of the Hollywood musical. The film is set in the 1920s, when silent films were being pushed aside by “talkies.” Gene Kelly plays Don Lockwood, a popular silent film star who is famous for his on-screen romances with Lina Lamont, played by Jean Hagen. Behind the scenes, Lina is a total diva who happens to have a high-pitched, whiny voice that will never work for a film with sound. Enter Debbie Reynolds as Cathy, a young actress who falls for Don and has the perfect voice that can be dubbed in for Lina’s… SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN has a great plot, but the real appeal of this film, in our opinion, is the trio of Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor, plus the memorable songs. In this episode, we talk about how SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN was basically made as an excuse to recycle songs from the twenties and thirties, Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen as co-directors, and the superstar singer, dancer, and actor who was rumored to have helped Debbie Reynolds work on her dancing after he found her crying under a piano after leaving a rehearsal. Grab an umbrella and get ready to jump into what many people consider the greatest movie musical ever made!