Flashback Friday: Singin' in the Rain (Donen and Kelly, 1952)

They just don't make 'em like they used to. The long, continuous shots of real dancing. A 15-minute ballet sequence that serves (at first glance) no purpose. The hilarious, fast-paced punchlines. All is well in this film- this truly is a feel-good movie. And it's what makes it one of the greatest musicals of all time. Today on Flashback Friday, we're Singin' in the Rain (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1952). 

The movie musical was booming in the late 1940's and early 1950's. One of the most successful producers of this specialized genre, Arthur Freed (who produced such mega-hits as The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, and An American in Paris), worked closely with screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green to create a story that could feature songs from older MGM musicals. The result was an inside look behind the glitz and glamour of Hollywood's Golden Age of silent films.

Gene Kelly, who also co-directed and ingeniously provided the choreography of the film, stars as silent movie star Don Lockwood. He and his best friend, Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor) , rise to the top of Monumental Pictures, with the unwanted help of Lockwood's main co-star Lina Lamont (played by Academy Award-nominated actress Jean Hagen).

After the successful premiere of his latest film, a series of circumstances places Lockwood right next to Debbie Reynold's dancing actress Kathy Selden. The two, after a brief fight, begin to care for one another, and Don helps his newfound love develop her film career. But, Don Lockwood still has to contend with Lina Lamont, a babbling, no-talent idiot with a secret agenda of her own.

Power-team (but secret rivals) Lockwood and Lamont suffer a major setback in their latest production of The Dueling Cavalier with the release of Warner Brother's The Jazz Singer- the first "talkie" that featured sound in a movie. After The Jazz Singer's phenomenal success, all the major picture studios decide to end all silent pictures in favor of building up their "talkie" films (based on real-life events, though Monumental Pictures is a fake film studio). Don Lockwood, along with his friends, works with the studio to create a full-sound musical to help their re-named and overhauled film The Dancing Cavalier reach success. But, with Lina Lamont secretly plotting against them, and the studio's recent troubles with sound equipment, all of the trio's hard work may be in vain. 

Singin' in the Rain serves as the modern model for the "perfect" musical- a fairly simple plot mixed with heavy dancing and singing scenes. Every character, while in today's standards are relatively plain and one-dimensional, still manages to entertain the audience. Gene Hagen's Brooklyn-accented Lina is such a nuisance throughout the movie that she remains one of the most memorable villains in film history, though she poses no direct threat to the heroes (minus a few clashes with Kathy). Plus, who can't help but at least smile when she says, "What do they think I am, dumb or something? Why, I make more money than Calvin Coolidge! Put together!"

The famous "Singin' in the Rain" dance number has become one of the most timeless scenes in movie history, with people all around the world still splashing in the puddles to the tune of the song. The songs themselves are miracles in their own right; every one is a former musical hit of MGM from the 1920's. Now, songs like "Good Morning" and "Make 'em Laugh"are remembered for their parts in this particular movie.

And what about the infamous 15-minute "Broadway Melody" sequence? At first viewing, its inclusion is random and completely pointless. Audiences spend the whole scene waiting for it to relate to something, but it never does. So what's the point? Truth is- it's a giant gimmick. Initial advertisements for the film told audiences that Singin' in the Rain featured the first ever 15-minute dance sequence, "The Broadway Melody". Also, it was a chance to include famous ballerina Cyd Charisse in the opening credits and trailers. Still don't get the point? Marketing, marketing, marketing.

Devoured by film scholars in recent years for its subtle yet touching depiction of the movie industry, Singin' in the Rain has passed initial speculations and has grown up to become one of the most studied films in movie history. It broke the top ten in AFI's 100 Greatest Films of All Time at #5, and topped the institution's list of the Greatest Movie Musicals of All Time.

Singin' in the Rain makes viewers feel good from beginning to end. We laugh at all of Cosmo's jokes, cry at the romantic scenes between Don and Kathy, and tap along to the tunes. One of the most fun, innocent, and heartwarming films ever made, Singin' in the Rain remains a highly successful musical that has more to say than most people think.

In the immortal words of Gene Kelly, "I'm singin' in the rain. Just singin' in the rain. What a glorious feeling, I'm happy again!" So are we, Mr. Gene Kelly. So are we.