STACK #167 Sept 2018

EXTRAS

FEATURE

(Top left) Donald O’Connor performs his Make ‘Em Laugh routine in front of Gene Kelly. (Left) Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds and Gene Kelly perform the Good Morning number from the film. (Above) Gene Kelly performing the classic number Singin’ and Dancin’ in the Rain .

fractured vocals sound as if they could scrape paint off the walls – plus, she cannot read lines. At the sneak

been employed by the studio – dub Lina’s voice. They go ahead with the plan, but Kathy isn't given a screen credit after Lina threatens to sue Simpson. Following the hugely successful premiere of the now re-named “The Dancing Cavalier”, the live audience requests Lina sing one of the songs from the film. Knowing that Kathy is behind a screen with a microphone, Lina agrees. But as she mouths the words, Don, Cosmo and Simpson raise the curtain to reveal the real vocalist. Singin’ in the Rain simply floats on music throughout its run time. As well as using 10 of their existing songs, Freed and Brown wrote a new number for Donald O’Connor – Make ‘Em

preview of the film, the audience is convulsed with laughter at the movie’s catalogue of sound errors. Microphones hidden around the set and pinned onto costumes pick up loud extraneous noises with every movement the actors make, and when the lip synchronisation goes haywire, it brings howls of derision from the audience. (It is worth noting that these tribulations have their origins in fact, and are drawn from a variety of real-life sources and personalities. Giants of the silent screen such as John Gilbert, Norma

His co-star Lina Lamont, who it soon becomes clear is neither very bright nor very talented when we hear her atrocious speaking voice, allows the media to believe her and Don are in a romantic relationship. Having appeared in several films together, their fans also assume they are lovers, but Don deftly sidesteps the issue when asked. In fact, the egocentric Lockwood and the unlikable Lamont are using each other to further their film careers. Later that evening Lockwood meets young movie At the post-premiere party at the house of the studio’s boss, R.F. Simpson (Millard Mitchell), a demonstration of a talking picture is presented. Simpson believes it to be just a gimmick, and further states, “Warner Brothers are making a talking picture, The Jazz Singer . They’ll lose their shirts...” However, whilst Lockwood and Lamont are making their next movie “The Duelling Cavalier”, the amazing success of The Jazz Singer forces Simpson to halt production and re-shoot it with sound. This proves disastrous, because Lina’s hopeful Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), with whom he will eventually fall in love, even though she initially spurns him.

Laugh . Although it sounds very much like Cole Porter’s Be A Clown from The Pirate (1948), the song perfectly lent itself to O’Connor’s incredible, acrobatic dancing skills. But the most famous dance routine from the movie, which has now passed into cinematic history, is of course Gene Kelly’s brilliantly conceived and executed Singin’ and Dancin’ in the Rain . The sight of Kelly with an

Singin' in the Rain is arguably the greatest Hollywood musical of all time

Talmadge, Vilma Banky and Mae Murray all suffered such traumas with the coming of sound, which promptly ended their film careers.) When the studio decides to scrap the picture, Lockwood’s ex-vaudeville pal, Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor), has the idea of turning it into a musical and having Kathy – who has now

umbrella in the pouring rain, happily splashing in puddles, skipping on the sidewalk, and letting a drainpipe of rainwater cascade down his face until he is spotted by a policeman – which snaps Kelly out of his rapture – can only be described as classic movie magic.  Singin’ in the Rain is arguably the greatest Hollywood musical of all time. And, 66 years after its initial release, the premise, the music, the dances, the comedy and the characters continue to make it an absolute joy to watch.

Join STACK ’s resident filmhistorian Bob J and our community of cinema buffs to have your say eachmonth in ' Bob J’s Classic Movie Club ' Facebook group.

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