Some 30 years later, after the film had become a beloved. One of the highest honors a movie can get is the coveted 100% fresh score from rotten tomatoes. Singin in the rain was not, as many think, written for the 1952 movie for which it is the title song. Its called singin in the rain, and it stars don and kathy. Singin in the rain 1952 movie clip wired for sound comedy set piece on the switch to talkies, gene kelly as silentstar don lockwood, jean hagen as his dingbat screen lover lina, with the disastrous voice, douglas fowley the imploding director, millard mitchell the studio boss with the slapstick payoff, in singin in the rain, 1952.
It was codirected by stanley donen, then only 28, and kelly, who supervised the choreography. Singin in the rain was reissued in 1974 and again in 1992 with a fortieth anniversary premiere. A team of editors takes feedback from our visitors to keep trivia as up to date and as accurate as possible. The picture was also ranked first on afis list of the greatest movie musicals. Its so warm and funny and has such visual splendor and creative energy that you just kind of get sucked. In 1952, gene kelly tapdanced his way into cinemas with the beautiful and joyous musical, singin in the rain. Singin in the rain is a 1952 movie musical all about the movies, including musicals.
As a satire, it deconstructs the movie trade and finds. Singin in the rain is another mighty fine mgm technicolor musical comedy produced by arthur freed whose an american in paris copped seven academy awards last week. Donen got an honorary oscar in 1998, and stole the show by singing cheek to cheek while dancing with his statuette. For a film made in the 50s, singing in the rain spared no expense. Singin in the rain 1952 movie mistakes, goofs and bloopers. The internet is clogged with myths about her late husband gene kellys iconic movie singin in the rain and very few of them are true. Released 65 years ago this week, on april 11, 1952, this classic is widely considered the greatest movie musical ever made, with gene kellys. Much of the credit for singin in the rain belongs to mgm producer arthur freed, who, like donald oconnors cosmo brown, rose from silentera moodmusic pianist to head of the studios musical. Her other films included the tender trap 1955, tammy and. Singin in the rain is another one of those films that you just cant help but enjoy. This song eventually became good morning, and singin in the rain became kellys iconic solo. Singin in the rain, 1952 simply the best movie musical of alltime, starring jean hagen superb, debbie reynolds cute, donald oconnor, outstanding and gene kelly, as star codirector simply sublime.
The rain consisted of water plus milk so the rain would show up better on film but it caused kellys wool suit to shrink. Singin in the rain, american musical comedy film, released in 1952, that was a reunion project for the american in paris directorial team of stanley donen and gene kelly, who was also the films star. Ink or milk was added to the water to make it visible in the singin in the rain number. An early draft of singin in the rain had kelly performing the number with oconnor and reynolds in celebration of the trios bright idea to turn the derided dueling cavalier into a musical.
The film is one of the classics it is because of the marvelous direction of gene kelly and stanley donen, two men who knew a lot about musicals. Singin in the rain, american musical comedy film, released in 1952, that. Here are some facts you probably didnt know and some facts you thought you knew. His latest venture is the dueling cavalier in which he stars opposite lina lamont, one of the most glamorous actresses in movies. The film, starring gene kelly and debbie reynolds, was nominated for two oscars at the 25th. But these 11 behind the scenes facts are definitely lesser known. I bet just by reading the familiar movie title, you can see gene dancing.
Singin in the rain 1952 synopsis don lockwood is a famous silent screen star that stars in swashbuckling adventures. And, as he goes left, the rain slants right and vice versa. Her other films included the tender trap 1955, tammy and the bachelor 1957, and divorce american style 1967. In fact, kellys taps during the singin in the rain number were postdubbed by verdon and haney. Of singin in the rain 1952 knows at least three behindthescenes facts. Singin in the rain is a 1952 american musical romantic comedy movie directed and choreographed by gene kelly and stanley donen. Oconnor said that for the first several weeks he was terrified of making a mistake and being yelled at by kelly. Singin in the rain was wellreceived but it wasnt an instant classic. It topped the afis greatest movie musicals list and is ranked as the. Make em laugh in particular has a series of long shots to display the ever increasing physical choreography along with some select full and medium shots to bring focus to donald o. Mar 03, 20 singin in the rain is one of the greatest movie musicals ever made. This film is a rarity a musical that is a joy to watch and extremely funny and what i.
Singin in the rain is a 1952 american musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by gene kelly and stanley donen, starring kelly, donald oconnor, and debbie reynolds. Singin in the rain cast, info, trivia famous birthdays. Its also a history lesson about hollywood in the late 1920s, when silent pictures were giving way to talkies. Moviegoers were still buzzing about kellys popular musical from the year before, an american in paris, that had just taken home the academy award for best picture. May 01, 2012 this clip shows a scene from the movie, singing in the rain, to compare the films quality and the use of lighting and color. Can you id these 100% fresh rotten tomatoes movies from an. When it was added, it was intended to be performed by gene kelly, donald oconnor and debbie reynolds. Singin in the rain 1952 is one of the mostloved and celebrated film musicals of all time from mgm, before a mass exodus to filmed adaptations of broadway plays emerged as a standard pattern. Apr 12, 2019 singin in the rain is a 1952 american musical romantic comedy movie directed and choreographed by gene kelly and stanley donen, starring kelly, donald oconner, and debbie reynolds. Oscarwinner gene kelly singin in the rain, an american in paris stars as one of two american hunters in scotland who discover a mystical village that only materializes once every century. Buster keaton practiced a strict standard of space and movement within an environment and extended that focus to the space and movement within the frame of the camera lens.
Financial analysis of singin in the rain 1952 including budget, domestic and international box office gross, dvd and bluray sales reports, total earnings and profitability. Singin in the rain, about a film companys transition from silent pictures to talkies, was filmed in 1952 but takes place in the 1920s, and thus borrows songs made famous by older movies. The movie offers a lighthearted depiction of hollywood in the late 1920s, with the three stars portraying performers caught up in the transition from silent movies to talkies. For a traditional moviemusical, singin in the rain is refreshingly selfaware. We look back at the movie that forever cemented his status as a hollywood legend. The combination of kellys charm and talent make for a dance in the rain thats still celebrated today. In fact it had been around for over two decades before it was so memorably sung and danced to by gene kelly, debbie reynolds and donald oconnor in that 1952 film. How the fuck could she have been dubbed when the entire movie was about her character being the. Clearly, a major theme of singin in the rain is the movie business, as lockwood is a major film star and much of the film is set on a hollywood soundstage. Their renown as interior designers was wellestablished by 1952, when singin in the rain was released, so the appearance of a lovey mary 1926 poster in the film is both a genuine artifact of the silentfilm era and a contemporary injoke for the hollywood intelligentsia who saw the movie on its first release. For instance, good morning was performed by judy garland. According to empire online, the movie appears ageless through its skyhigh level of film literacy.
Singin in the rain behind the scenes 20 questions average, 20 qns, kirkyt1, dec 09 02 answer true or false to questions about some interesting notes and information that didnt necessarily happen in the movie, but behind the scenes. The ladies had to stand ankledeep in a drum full of water to match the soggy onscreen action. Page 2 this category is for questions and answers related to singin in the rain, as asked by users of. Singin in the rain stands as a supreme example of evolution in this technique as is evident in the selective editing and use of long shots in numbers. Thats why singin in the rain, which wasnt even nominated for an oscar in the 1952 race, remains one of the mostloved films of all time. Judy garland sang this in the 1940 movie musical little nellie kelly. Singin in the rain isnt just an upbeat musical from 1952. It offers a lighthearted depiction of hollywood in the late 1920s, with the three stars portraying performers caught up in the transition from silent films to talkies.
Best supporting actress for jean hagen and best musical score for lennie hayton. The psychical performance by oconnor in the make em laugh scene was incredible, and much of the comedy still works very well today and is quite witty. As a satire, it deconstructs the movie trade and finds humor in the truth about the industrys shortcomings. Dec 29, 2016 on march 27, 1952, mgm hosted the premiere for singin in the rain at radio city music hall in new york. The film follows three stars in the late 1920s transitioning from silent movies into the new movies with sound called talkies. Debbie reynolds, american actress and singer whose vivacious personality and singing talents were showcased in such movies as singin in the rain 1952 and the unsinkable molly brown 1964. It was made directly for film, and was not a broadway adaptation. Gene kelly had also recommended carol haney for the role of kathy selden.
Hence, the singin in the rain sequence with gene kelly literally singing in the rain. Singin in the rains good morning shows debbie reynolds at. Singin in the rain trivia and quizzes movie trivia. Adapted from the 1952 movie of the same name, the plot closely adheres to the original. Singin in the rain, a gay, tuneful spoofing of the picture business in the late 20s, contains everything to make it a solid hit. Singin in the rain 1952 official trailer gene kelly, debbie reynolds movie hd duration. Singin in the rain is a 1952 american movie musical romantic comedy movie starring gene kelly. Regarding the first fact, at age 83, debbie reynolds still tells the story about how.
Aug 23, 2016 its one of cinemas most iconic moments, and for good reason. Singin in the rain 1952 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. The psychical performance by oconnor in the make em laugh scene was incredible, and much of the. At first, it might seem weird and unnecessarily complicated for the film to be so selfreferential, but if you think about it, it makes sense. Gene kellys widow busts the myths about singin in the rain. But seriously, kellys iconic singin in the rain sequence teaches you everything you need to know to make a timeless, enduring movie musical classic for your film studies class at nyu. Trivia debbie reynolds was just 19 when they cast her in singin in the rain.
Debbie reynolds and donald oconnor did not enjoy working with gene kelly, since kelly was somewhat of a tyrant. Did debbie reynolds do her own singing in singin in the rain. In long shots, you can see that the back part of the scene is enjoying clear weather. Dec 29, 2016 making singin in the rain and childbirth were the two hardest things ive ever done, debbie reynolds wrote in her 20 memoir, unsinkable the movie was actually harder, because it. Rotten tomatoes summarizes the critical consensus as, clever, incisive, and funny, singin in the rain is a masterpiece of the classical hollywood musical. Thats the basis of one of the best movies about old hollywood of all times. Singin in the rain 1952, starring debbie reynolds and gene kelly, is one of the 1001 classic movies you should see. Singin in the rain is a stage musical with story by betty comden and adolph green, lyrics by arthur freed, and music by nacio herb brown.
Did you know any of these facts about singin in the rain. Throughout, we see the ins and outs of the movie business, a perspective which at once elevates and demystifies the world of film. Directed by 2 writing credits 2 cast 158 produced by 2 music by 1. The movie offers a lighthearted depiction of hollywood in the late 1920s, with the three stars portraying performers caught up in the tra. The movie represents the pinnacle of studio movie making where every phase of the production was controlled by seasoned experts with great skill and obvious love for the final product. Patricia ward kelly sorts the rumours from the facts. What is singin in the rain about and why should i care. Singin in the rain only received two nominations at the following years ceremony. The films youll find here are the best of the best. Patricia ward kelly wants to set the record straight. With the names and versatile talents of gene kelly, donald o. Set in hollywood in the waning days of the silent screen era.
Americas most popular film critic is hardly alone in singing the praises of singin in the rain. When gene kelly does his classic singin in the rain dance scene, its only raining in the front half of the shot. It is a film of enormous artistic achievement, brilliant on every level. All the trivia you can handle about singin in the rain, 1952, directed by gene kelly, with gene kelly, donald oconnor, debbie reynolds. Singin in the rain emerged as a classic, considered by many to be the greatest hollywood musical ever made. Great movie ride singin in the rain studios central. Rather, it was a new script, written just for the movie, featuring old songs written for previous movies.
After singin in the rain, gene was in a few more movie musicals, including invitation to dance and brigadoon, as well as a few nonmusical pictures. It was also selected as one of the first american films presented in communist china. Here are 100 fun movie trivia questions with answers, covering disney movies, horror films, and even 80s movies trivia. In fact, kellys taps during the singin in the rain number were postdubbed by. Singin in the rain wasnt in the original screenplay. Singin in the rain is a 1952 american musical romantic comedy film directed and. I have to give credit to jim emersons blog post on some of the greatest long takes in cinema history for this weeks observations on a shot inspiration. How many of these splatfree favorites do you recognize.
When she started to learn the dance routines donald oconnor, and gene kelly, who were two of the best dancers in hollywood, ridiculed her relentlessly, and she ran from the set and starting sobbing. It is considered to be among the best movie musicals ever made. That is absolutely not true, patricia says, tackling one of the most popular myths about singin in the rain. The singin in the rain scene was wonderful, i really liked the hollywood satire and the depiction of the troubled transition from silent cinema. Debbie reynolds remarked many years later that making this movie and. There is no movie musical more fun than singin in the rain, and few that remain as fresh over the years. If you havent seen this movie buy the dvd or bluray. Singin in the rain is one of the greatest movie musicals ever made. It gives an amusing look at hollywoods change from silent movies to talkies. It is a transcendent experience, and no one who loves movies can afford to miss it. Singin in the rain was only a modest hit when it was first released. Singin in the rain is such a classic movie, almost everyone has seen it.
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