Singin' in the Rain - Classic Film - 1952
Interesting Facts About The Best Musical Movie of All Time
Aug 10, 2009
When An American in Paris (1951) grabbed the Best Picture Oscar, the powers at MGM had to all be echoing the same question: How are we going to top it? The answer was Singin’ in the Rain (1952), co-directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly. They decided the only logical way to follow a musical awarded best picture was to create the best musical of all time. And so they did.
A Musical Inspired by Real Life in the Silent Era
When talkies were introduced, Hollywood foreign actors were up in arms. Many silent stars spoke with thick accents, a lisp or other speech impediment and the early sound recordings only sought to enhance these shortcomings. Sound films would not allow the actor to get by on looks alone so, as quickly as the rise to stardom came to some, so did the descent into obscurity.
John Gilbert (1897-1936), one of the highly paid and adored matinee idols of the silent era, is probably the most famous of these. It was rumored, though, that Louis B. Mayer vindictively had the sound department manipulate John’s voice to one that would be ridiculed, a result of a long standing feud.
Regardless of whether or not the public’s decision to dethrone Gilbert was justified, it’s a prime example of how tenuous the hold on stardom was at the time.
Gene Kelly Was Difficult to Dance With and For
Ever the perfectionist, Gene Kelly knew this movie had to be big and he worked very hard at making it so, much to the dismay of his colleagues. Kelly was quoted as saying, “I wasn’t very nice to Debbie (Reynolds). It’s a wonder she still speaks to me.”
Debbie Reynolds had been cast after the likes of Judy Garland, Ann Miller, Jane Powell, June Allyson and Leslie Caron were first considered. Judy, Ann and June were considered too old; Jane and Leslie just didn’t fit Kelly’s ingénue vision.
Reynolds was a young nineteen when she first arrived on the set. She was a lovely, even feisty actress but her singing ability was limited and her dancing skills were not of those she had won the role over.
Had it not been for Fred Astaire’s intervention in helping her to overcome her lack of dance training, it might have been a very different movie in the end. Debbie has been quoted in calling Fred Astaire “the classiest actor I’ve ever worked with”, probably based both in fact and as a thank you for his coming to her aid.
Gene Kelly Had Few Professional Equals During His Time
While Donald O’Connor lacked the innovative signature style of Kelly and the slick glide of Astaire, he was an exceptional dancer as was proven in the number Moses Supposes, one of the only two original songs written specifically for the film.
O’Connor masterfully matches every dance step that Kelly dishes out. Aside from the Make ‘Em Laugh number, an O’Connor solo, Moses Supposes is the most enjoyable number in the picture even though the title song generally gets all the attention. Later, his demonstration of the lip-synching vocals idea is hilarious, making him the intelligent comic relief within the film.
Jean Hagen was a former understudy to Judy Holliday in Broadway’s Born Yesterday. Jean’s character Lina Lamont couldn’t do her own vocals as she possessed a pinched, nasal voice with diction and grammar to match. Jean did actually sing, though and not just badly. Her uncredited effort was in the studio recording scene where Debbie’s character Kathy is supposedly dubbing Lina’s shrill vocals.
Debbie wasn’t dubbing; she was lip-synching to Jean Hagen’s true voice which means that Jean actually dubbed herself. The majority of Debbie’s remaining vocals were dubbed by studio singer Betty Noyes although Debbie did sing a few songs on her own.
The Title Track Proved to be Much More Than Just Singin’ in the Rain
The problems that beset the production schedule were no more deeply felt than when it was time to shoot the film’s signature title piece.
Gene Kelly was spiking a high fever the day they were ready to shoot; Stanley Donen wanted him to go home but Gene would have none of it. The huge undertaking to set the scene would be wasted and he didn’t want to lose extra time and money because of a flu bug.
So, in one single take, Gene danced and sang his way through the milk-infused rain in brown tap shoes. Both of these choices were made so they would better show on camera; first, the “heavier than usual California dew” and, secondly, Gene’s tapping toes.
Many Other Interesting Facts Can be Found in This Musical:
- The screenwriters had previously bought a home from a fallen-from-favor silent film star, inspiring the storyline
- Almost $160,000 of the 2.5 million production price tag went to costumes
- Donald O’Connor’s toiling to get the somersault off the wall took days to get just right; after it was in the can, an accident spoiled the footage and poor Donald had to do the scene all over again
- Singin’ in the Rain launched Cyd Charisse’s career from specialty dancer to bonafide star; her next film was the female lead opposite Fred Astaire in The Bandwagon (1953)
- The final script was written after the songs were chosen and/or written; the screenwriters had to develop their storyline around them
The best musical of all time certainly had its challenges and the road that led up to Gene Kelly’s involvement in it is equally compelling … but, that’s another story.
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