Singin' in the Rain
Release Date: 25th December 1952 - Australia
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Loew's Inc. (produced by)
Genre: Musical/Romance
Rating: G
Budget: $2,500,000
Box Office Gross: $7,241,009 (Worldwide)
Plot Summary

Cast
Gene Kelly - Don Lockwood
Debbie Reynolds - Kathy Selden
Donald O'Connor - Cosmo
Brown
Jean Hagen - Lina Lamont
Millard Mitchell - R.F. Simpson
Douglas Fowley - Roscoe
Dexter
Rita Moreno - Zelda Zanders
King Donovan - Rod (Uncredited)
Judy Landon - Olga Mara (Uncredited)
Kathleen Freeman - Phoebe Dinsmore (Uncredited)
Madge Blake - Dora Bailey (Uncredited)
Crew
Directors/Musical Numbers Staging and Directors - Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen
Story/Screenplay - Betty
Comden and Adolph Green
Producer/Songs: Lyrics -
Arthur Freed
Arthur Freed
Art Directors - Randall Duell
and Cedric Gibbons
and Cedric Gibbons

Set Decorators - Edwin B.
Willis and Jacque Mapes
Costume Designer - Walter Plunkett
Makeup Creator - William Tuttle
Director of Photography -
Harold Rosson
Harold Rosson
Special Effects - Warren Newcombe and Irving G. Ries
Film Editor - Adrienne Fazan
Recording Supervisor - Douglas Shearer
Songs: Music - Nacho Herb Brown
Musical Director - Lennie Hayton
Awards
1953 Academy Awards
Best Supporting Actress - Jean Hagen (Nominated)
Best Music: Score of a Musical Picture - Lennie Hayton (Nominated)
Review
When SINGIN' IN THE RAIN came out in 1952, it was Gene Kelly's finest hour in one of his best musical performances in cinema history. It didn't even get an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. It was a mild showcase in its early years, but it eventually earned its place as a movie classic. However, I managed to watch the film for the second time and revisit it in memory of the late Debbie Reynolds, who passed away two years before I was to complete this review. A triumphant musical comedy from Kelly, co-director Stanley Donen, and producer Arthur Freed, who have much in common in handling this film as Kelly and Freed did with Vincente Minnelli in An American in Paris. It reminisces about the golden years when movies transitioned into the sound era known as the 'talkies' back then.
It would explain how much the producer has been through this experience, where he had his roots as a lyricist co-writing songs for earlier musicals at MGM, which he later borrowed for SINGIN' IN THE RAIN as a homage to that period. The appeal of the film lies in its charm, wit, and infectious energy, which are the reasons why it is such a beloved classic. Kelly's confidence, combined with Donen's co-supervision and Freed's experience, made this movie an all-singing and all-dancing extravaganza. There are bits of slapstick comedy, and the sequences follow a routine that Kelly sang and choreographed, most of them including the famous number that everyone is humming.
The cast is talented, including Kelly, the standout actor in the movie, a highly coordinated dancer, and a prolific director. He did well in his performance, considering it's his movie. The young actress Reynolds was decent as the loveable sweetheart Kathy Selden, and Donald O'Connor brought joy and laughter into his character role of Cosmo Brown. I congratulate the two for the chemistry they share with Kelly. Jean Hagen plays the vain and self-centred actress Lina Lamont, as her bad Brooklyn accent is unsuited for any of the 'talkie' pictures.
There is a lot of singing and dancing in this kind of picture. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN is a golden oldie and a must-see feature for all, and it will attract a new generation of musical-goers. I look forward to seeing more classic musicals. I intend to review a few shortly.
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