Singin' in the Rain facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Singin' in the Rain |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | |
| Produced by | Arthur Freed |
| Written by | |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
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| Cinematography | Harold Rosson |
| Editing by | Adrienne Fazan |
| Studio | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Distributed by | Loew's Inc. |
| Release date(s) | March 27, 1952 (Radio City Music Hall) April 11, 1952 (United States) |
| Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.54 million |
| Money made | $7.2 million |
Singin' in the Rain is a famous American musical romantic comedy movie from 1952. It was directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. The main stars are Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds. Other important actors include Jean Hagen and Millard Mitchell.
The film shows a fun look at Hollywood in the late 1920s. It tells the story of performers who are dealing with a big change. Movies were moving from being silent (no talking) to "talkies" (with sound and dialogue). The movie uses many popular songs from that time.
When Singin' in the Rain first came out, it was a moderate success. But today, it is seen as one of the greatest musical films ever made. Many people also think it's one of the best movies of all time. It was chosen by the United States Library of Congress in 1989 for special preservation. This means it's considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Contents
What the Movie is About
In 1927, silent movie stars Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are very popular. They attend the premiere of their new film, The Royal Rascal. Don tells everyone how he became famous. He says he grew up educated and cultured. But flashbacks show he actually started as a vaudeville performer and stuntman. His best friend, Cosmo Brown, was with him (singing "Fit as a Fiddle"). Don also pretends to be in love with Lina. This is just for publicity, as he can barely stand her. Lina, however, believes the rumors.
After the premiere, Don tries to escape his fans. He jumps into a car driven by Kathy Selden. Kathy is a theatre actress and doesn't like film acting. She especially dislikes Don's over-the-top performances. Don makes fun of her acting dreams, and they part ways unhappily.
Don goes to an afterparty. The studio boss, R. F. Simpson, shows a new "talking picture." Most guests think it's just a passing trend. Kathy is there as a chorus girl ("All I Do is Dream of You"). Still angry at Don, she tries to throw a cake at him. But it hits Lina instead, and Kathy runs away.
Three weeks later, Don can't find Kathy. Cosmo tries to cheer him up ("Make 'Em Laugh"). Lina then tells Don that she had Kathy fired. Don is furious. Cosmo later finds Kathy working as an extra in another movie ("Beautiful Girl"). Kathy admits she's a fan of Don's. Don tells her he loves her ("You Were Meant for Me").
A rival studio, Warner Bros., releases the first successful talking picture, The Jazz Singer. R. F. Simpson decides their next film, The Dueling Cavalier, must also be a talkie. Lina and Don take voice lessons ("Moses Supposes"). But the movie faces many problems. Lina has a very high-pitched, annoying voice. She also struggles with the new recording equipment. The first showing of the film is a disaster. The sound is bad, and the actors' voices don't match their movements.
Later that night, Kathy and Cosmo suggest turning The Dueling Cavalier into a musical ("Good Morning"). Cosmo then gets an idea from the bad sound. He suggests that Kathy secretly dub Lina's voice. Don loves this idea. He takes Kathy home and dances happily in the rain ("Singin' in the Rain"). Don and Cosmo tell R. F. their plan. They change the movie's name to The Dancing Cavalier and add a modern story part ("Broadway Melody"). R. F. agrees, but tells them not to tell Lina about Kathy.
Don helps Kathy record Lina's lines ("Would You"). But another actress tells Lina what's happening. Lina realizes Don and Kathy are in love. She also learns Kathy will get credit for her voice work. So, Lina gives interviews, pretending she has amazing singing talent. A rule in Lina's contract means she can sue the studio if she gets bad press. So, R. F. has to keep Kathy uncredited. He also agrees that Kathy must keep dubbing Lina's voice secretly.
The premiere of The Dancing Cavalier is a huge success. But the audience wants Lina to sing live. Don, Cosmo, and R. F. tell her to lip sync into a microphone. Kathy is hidden behind the curtain, singing into another microphone. While Lina is "singing" ("Singin' in the Rain Reprise"), the men raise the curtain. This shows everyone the trick. Lina and Kathy both run away. But Don stops Kathy and proudly tells the audience she is "the real star of the picture" ("You Are My Lucky Star"). Later, Kathy and Don kiss in front of a billboard for their new movie, Singin' in the Rain.
Meet the Cast
- Gene Kelly plays Donald "Don" Lockwood.
- Donald O'Connor plays Cosmo Brown, Don's best friend.
- Debbie Reynolds plays Kathy Selden.
- Jean Hagen plays Lina Lamont. She got the role after doing a great impression of another famous character.
- Millard Mitchell plays R. F. Simpson, the head of Monumental Pictures. His initials are a nod to the movie's producer, Arthur Freed.
- Cyd Charisse plays the woman in the green dress in the "Broadway Melody" dance scene.
- Douglas Fowley plays Roscoe Dexter, the director of Don and Lina's movies.
- Rita Moreno plays Zelda Zanders, Lina's friend. As of 2024, Rita Moreno is the last living credited star from the film.
Songs You'll Hear
The movie Singin' in the Rain was created by MGM producer Arthur Freed. He wanted to use many songs he had written with Nacio Herb Brown for earlier movies. Writers Betty Comden and Adolph Green wrote one new song, "Moses Supposes." Freed and Brown also wrote "Make 'Em Laugh" for the movie. Some people think it sounds a lot like "Be a Clown" by Cole Porter.
All the songs have lyrics by Arthur Freed and music by Nacio Herb Brown, unless noted otherwise. Many of these songs, like "Singin' in the Rain" itself, have been in many other films. Here are some of the songs and where they first appeared:
- "Fit as a Fiddle (And Ready for Love)" (1932)
- "Temptation" (instrumental) from Going Hollywood (1933)
- "All I Do Is Dream of You" from Sadie McKee (1934)
- "Singin' in the Rain" from The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929). Gene Kelly's dance in the rain for this song is super famous!
- "Make 'Em Laugh"
- "Beautiful Girl Montage" (a mix of songs like "I've Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'", "The Wedding of the Painted Doll", "Should I?", and "Beautiful Girl")
- "You Were Meant for Me" from The Broadway Melody (1929)
- "You Are My Lucky Star" from Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)
- "Moses Supposes" (music by Roger Edens, lyrics by Comden and Green), based on a tongue-twister.
- "Good Morning" from Babes in Arms (1939)
- "Would You?" from San Francisco (1936)
- "Broadway Melody" (a mix of "The Broadway Melody" and "Broadway Rhythm")
How the Movie Was Made
Arthur Freed, who was in charge of musicals at MGM studio, came up with the idea for the movie. He wanted to use his collection of old songs. He asked writers Betty Comden and Adolph Green to create a story that would connect all the songs.
Since many of the songs were from the time when silent films were becoming "talkies," Comden and Green decided to set the story then. They thought about making the main character a Western movie star. But they kept coming back to a story about a romantic hero who was a song-and-dance man. This kind of character was perfect for Gene Kelly.
Gene Kelly was busy with another movie, An American in Paris, at the time. Comden and Green kept working on the script. They had three ideas for how the movie could start. Betty Comden's husband suggested combining all three ideas into one opening. This new script was approved.
After An American in Paris was finished, Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen read the script. They loved it and helped make changes. Everyone involved was good friends, so the process went smoothly. Besides the old songs, Comden and Green wrote the lyrics for "Moses Supposes."
Just before filming began, a song called "The Wedding of the Painted Doll" was replaced. It was swapped for the new song "Make 'Em Laugh."
Later, Comden and Green were asked to write a new love song scene for Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. They quickly wrote the scene for "You Were Meant for Me."
Awards and Recognition
Singin' in the Rain has won and been nominated for many awards:
- Academy Awards:
* Jean Hagen was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. * The movie was nominated for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture.
- Golden Globe Awards:
* It was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. * Donald O'Connor won Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
- Writers Guild of America Awards:
* Betty Comden and Adolph Green won Best Written American Musical.
The American Film Institute (AFI) has recognized the film many times:
- In 1998, it was ranked #10 on AFI's list of the 100 greatest American movies.
- In 2006, it was ranked #1 on AFI's list of the greatest movie musicals.
- In 2007, it moved up to #5 on AFI's updated list of the greatest American films.
- The song "Singin' in the Rain" was ranked #3 on AFI's list of the greatest film songs.
In 1989, Singin' in the Rain was one of the first 25 films chosen for the National Film Registry. This means the United States Library of Congress will preserve it because it's very important.
Singin' in the Rain has also appeared on Sight & Sound magazine's list of the ten best films of all time three times. In 2008, Empire magazine ranked it as the eighth-best film of all time.
Watching at Home
The 40th Anniversary Edition of the movie on VHS (a type of video tape) came out in 1992. It included a documentary and a song by Debbie Reynolds, "You Are My Lucky Star," which was cut from the final movie.
The original film negative was sadly destroyed in a fire. But the movie was digitally restored for its DVD release. A special Blu-ray version was released in 2012, and an even higher quality Ultra HD Blu-ray came out in 2022.
You can also stream the digital version of the film on HBO Max.
Other Versions
Singin' in the Rain was also made into a stage musical. The story of the stage show is very similar to the movie. It opened in London in 1983 and then on Broadway in New York City in 1985.
There was also a comic book version of the movie published in April 1952.
Images for kids
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The movie poster for Singin' in the Rain.
See also
In Spanish: Cantando bajo la lluvia para niños
- List of films considered the best
- List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a website that collects movie reviews.
