Fun for Winter: Watch Singin' In the Rain

Singin’ In the Rain (1952)

Directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Dolan

MGM, 103 minutes, G

★★★★

The American film Institute declared 1952’s Singin’ in the Rain (SITR) the greatest American musical of all time. I would dispute that – think American in Paris, All That Jazz, Cabaret, Chicago, and Moulin Rouge–but SITR is such corny fun that I understand AFI’s over-exuberance. This Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds vehicle leaves you grinning from ear to ear, even if you’ve seen it numerous times.

It bears another distinction in that it is one of the few film scripts written long after its titular song was published. Yes, you read that correctly. You will see music credits for Arthur Freed and now Nacio Herbert Brown. Both ended up in Hollywood, but lyricist Freed wrote “Singin’ in the Rain” when he was a shopkeeper in the 1920s and observed rain falling beyond his store window. In 1929, Brown scored it as he and Freed were doing the music for a stage show called “Broadway Melody.”

SITR has several other notable songs, especially “Fit as a Fiddle,” “You Were Meant for Me,” and “Make ‘em Laugh,” the last of which spotlights O’Connor in a slapstick song and dance. SITR has come down to us as Gene Kelly’s film– after all, he directed, choreographed, and starred in it–but it’s a shame Donald O’Connor’s reputation has dimmed over time. He was a great dancer, good enough to rival Kelly.

The film is a rom com/ musical/ satire hybrid. Although it appeared in 1952, its setting is 1920s Hollywood, when the industry was on the cusp of the sound era. Don Lockwood (Kelly) is an idol of the silent screen, famed for playing a romantic French nobleman. (Think a powdered wig version of Rudolph Valentino’s sheik.) He is so dashing that the public assumes that he and screen flame Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) will soon tie the knot. She’d like that, but Don can’t stand her, her vanity, or her high-pitched New York accent. He would much rather hang out with his piano-playing sidekick Cosmo Brown (O’Connor). The public also doesn’t know that Don and Cosmo were once two-bit vaudeville hoofers.

Circumstances will literally throw Kathy Selden (Reynolds) into Don’s path. The film’s various misdirection, misunderstandings, threats, and triumphs are expertly written into the script by the formidable pair of Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Marvel over their timing, not the situations, as much of the plot is pretty silly. Appreciate the way that the story thread doesn’t fray even though Comden and Green have to balance romance, comedy, satire music, and dance.

Dance, of course, is the primary reason for all the fuss. If all you know are clips of Gene Kelly swinging from lampposts, splashing in the gutter and crooning the title song, you really need to see the film. The aforementioned sequence isn’t even the film’s biggest eyecatcher. When sound comes to Monumental Pictures–the fictitious production company for Lockwood/Lamont films–Don and Kathy have to rescue a film rush ruined by Lina’s horrible voice and inability to follow simple directions. Never mind the how, why, or wherefore, but Don and Cosmo assemble a very long “modern” dance interlude titled (yep!) “Broadway Melody!” It is a very cool piece of spectacle. Kelly showcases his athleticism and grace, and it often seems as if he had a layer of air at his feet; his jumps are as if he is propelled across the stage by a breeze. Yet he’s almost outclassed by the amazing Cyd Charisse. Her role is that of a vampish gun moll, and in a particular modern dance/tango meld, she slinks her body into Kelly’s and intertwines him in her long legs. It is as close to sex as two clothed people can get without being arrested! You should also appreciate Howard Rosen’s cinematography for keeping up in this high-energy story within a story.

You get the picture, now you should see the picture. A few tidbits to take you out. Singin’ in the Rain attracted scant notice upon release. Jean Hagen was the only principal nominated for an Oscar (best supporting actress). She did not win and today her performance seems histrionic. But the movie built small following among GIs and TV audiences watching on screens that could not render the film’s color. Today we might call it an underground hit. By the way, if Reynolds seems to struggle to keep a bit with Kelly and O’Connor, she was just 20 at the time of filming–many years her costars’ junior. If you are a dance historian, another thing to look for Rita Moreno in a small role as Zelda.

The best way to enjoy Singin’ In the Rain is just surrender to it. Yes, it’s often cheesy, but it’s so much fun that it puts a smile on the sourest of pusses.

Rob Weir