Singin' in the Rain


Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, in addition to Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Rita Moreno and Cyd Charisse in supporting roles. 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".
Arthur Freed conceived the idea of the film based on the back catalogs of songs written by himself and Nacio Herb Brown. Because many of the songs had been written during the transition from silent films to "talkies", writers Betty Comden and Adolph Green decided that was when the story should be set. When the story morphed into that of a romantic hero with a vaudevillian background surviving the transition period in Hollywood and falling back onto his old song-and-dance habits, Kelly, who was chosen for the lead along with Donen, responded enthusiastically to it. After a premiere at the Radio City Music Hall, the film was released nationwide on April 11, 1952. Film historians note that Singin' in the Rain was not initially expected to become a classic, as MGM treated it as a routine musical project during production.
The film was only a modest hit when it was first released. Today it is frequently cited as the greatest musical film and one of the greatest films ever made. It topped the AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals list, ranked as the fifth-greatest American motion picture of all time in its updated list of the greatest American films in 2007, having ranked as the tenth greatest in the original 1998 list, and Kelly's rendition of "Singin' in the Rain" ranked third in their list of the greatest film songs. Although the film received positive reviews upon release, its reputation grew substantially in the decades that followed, especially after the recurring television broadcasts in the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1989, Singin' in the Rain was one of the first 25 films selected by the United States Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Gene Kelly's iconic performance of the title number has been widely analyzed for its symbolism, particularly its expression of romantic elation through physical movement
In 2005, the British Film Institute included it in its list of the 50 films to be seen by the age of 14. In 2008, Empire magazine ranked it as the eighth-best film of all time. In Sight & Sound magazine's 2022 list of the greatest films of all time, Singin' in the Rain placed 10th. Previously, it had ranked third in their 1982 list and tenth in their 2002 list.

Plot

In 1927, silent film stars Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont attend the premiere of their latest film, The Royal Rascal, produced by Hollywood studio Monumental Pictures. On the red carpet, Don tells the story of his rise to stardom, claiming to have grown up cultured and highly educated. His words are contradicted by flashbacks showing his humble roots as a hoofer, vaudeville musician and stuntman alongside his childhood best friend and longtime collaborator Cosmo Brown, accompanied by the song "Fit as a Fiddle". Don also expresses his admiration for Lina, feeding rumors of a secret romance between them. In reality, the rumors are a publicity stunt and Don barely tolerates Lina, although she believes that he loves her.
After the premiere, Don is mobbed by fans and escapes by jumping into a passing car driven by Kathy Selden. Kathy reluctantly gives Don a lift. She claims to be a theatre actress and expresses disdain for film acting, particularly Don's hammy performances. Don responds by mocking her acting aspirations, and they part on bad terms.
Don arrives at the afterparty, where Monumental Pictures' CEO R. F. Simpson shows a demonstration of a talking picture, though his guests dismiss it as a fad. A group of chorus girls then performs, Kathy among them. Furious at Don's teasing, Kathy attempts to throw a cake at him, but he dodges it and hits Lina instead. In the confusion, Kathy runs away.
Three weeks later, Don has searched unsuccessfully for Kathy. Cosmo tries to cheer Don up. Lina reveals that she had Kathy fired, infuriating Don. Cosmo finds Kathy working as an extra in another Monumental Pictures film. Kathy admits to actually being a fan of Don's, while Don professes his love for her.
When Warner Bros. releases its first talking picture, The Jazz Singer, and it is an enormous hit, R. F. decides he has to convert the next Lockwood and Lamont film, The Dueling Cavalier, into a talkie. Lina and Don take elocution lessons, but the production is beset with difficulties, most notably Lina's grating, high-pitched voice and unfamiliarity with the new recording technology. The film's preview screening is a failure due to multiple complications, including awkward microphone placements, Don's uninspired improvising and the audio going out of synchronization.
Later that night, Kathy and Cosmo suggest The Dueling Cavalier be turned into a musical, and Cosmo, inspired by the films synchronization error, suggests that Kathy dub Lina's voice. Don happily agrees, then takes Kathy home and dances through her neighborhood in the rain. Don and Cosmo pitch their idea to R. F., changing the title of the film to The Dancing Cavalier and adding a modern framing device. R. F. approves but tells them not to inform Lina of Kathy's involvement.
Don helps Kathy dub Lina's lines, but Lina is tipped off by another actress. When Lina realizes that Don and Kathy are in love and learns that R. F. intends to give Kathy a screen credit for her dubbing, she gives interviews across Hollywood promoting her vocal talent. A clause in Lina's contract allows her to sue the studio for negative press, so R. F. is forced to leave Kathy uncredited and agree to Lina's demand that Kathy continue anonymously dubbing for her.
The premiere of The Dancing Cavalier is a success, but when the audience clamors for Lina to sing live, Don, Cosmo, and R. F. tell her to lip sync into a microphone while Kathy, concealed behind the curtain, sings into a second microphone. While Lina is "singing", the men raise the curtain, revealing the ruse. Lina and Kathy both flee, but Don has the audience stop Kathy and proudly announces that she is "the real star of the picture". Some time later, Kathy and Don kiss in front of a billboard for their new film, Singin' in the Rain.

Cast

  • Gene Kelly as Donald "Don" Lockwood
  • Donald O'Connor as Cosmo Brown
  • Debbie Reynolds as Kathy Selden
  • Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont. Fresh from her role in The Asphalt Jungle, Hagen won the role reading for the part for producer Arthur Freed, doing a dead-on impression of Billie Dawn, Judy Holliday's character from Born Yesterday.
  • Millard Mitchell as R. F. Simpson. The initials of the fictional head of Monumental Pictures are a reference to producer Arthur Freed, who is further emulated by the use of one of his favorite expressions when R. F. says of the "Broadway Melody" sequence that he "cannot quite visualize it”.
  • Cyd Charisse as the woman in the green sequined dress and hair in the style of Louise Brooks as well as in a white dress and long wind-blown train, who vamps Gene Kelly in the "Broadway Melody" sequence
  • Douglas Fowley as Roscoe Dexter, the director of Don and Lina's films
  • Rita Moreno as Zelda Zanders, the "Zip Girl" and Lina's friend. As of January 2026, Moreno is the last surviving credited star from the film.
Uncredited
Singin' in the Rain was originally conceived by MGM producer Arthur Freed, the head of the "Freed Unit" responsible for turning out MGM's lavish musicals, as a vehicle for his catalog of songs written with Nacio Herb Brown for previous MGM musical films of the 1929–39 period. Screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green wrote one entirely new song, "Moses Supposes", with music director Roger Edens providing the music. Freed and Brown wrote a new song for the movie, "Make 'Em Laugh", though it bears a striking resemblance to Cole Porter's "Be a Clown" from another MGM Freed-produced musical, The Pirate. Donen, who had asked the pair to write a song inspired by "Be a Clown", considered the result to be "100% plagiarism". However, Porter never sued for copyright infringement.
All songs have lyrics by Freed and music by Brown unless otherwise indicated. Some of the songs, such as "Broadway Rhythm", "You Are My Lucky Star", "Should I?", and especially "Singin' in the Rain" itself, had been featured in prior films. The films listed below mark the first time each song was presented on screen.
  • "Fit as a Fiddle ", originally published in 1932 with music by Al Hoffman and Al Goodhart, lyrics by Freed.
  • "Temptation" from Going Hollywood.
  • "All I Do Is Dream of You" from Sadie McKee. The arrangement in "Singin' in the Rain" is an uptempo, upbeat, "flapper" version of the song with full instrumentation. In contrast, the "Sadie McKee" version is slower tempo, and appears routinely throughout the film as a love ballad accompanied by a solo ukulele. An instrumental only version with full orchestration is also part of the film's opening and closing theme. An instrumental version was also played on the piano by Chico Marx in the 1935 Marx Brothers film A Night at the Opera.
  • "Singin' in the Rain" from The Hollywood Revue of 1929. Kelly's performance in the song is now considered iconic.
  • "Make 'Em Laugh"
  • "Beautiful Girl Montage" comprising "I've Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'" from Broadway Melody of 1936, "The Wedding of the Painted Doll" from The Broadway Melody, "Should I?" from Lord Byron of Broadway and "Beautiful Girl" from Stage Mother
  • "You Were Meant for Me" from The Broadway Melody
  • "You Are My Lucky Star" from Broadway Melody of 1936
  • "Moses Supposes", from a 1944 version based on the tongue-twister with the same title.
  • "Good Morning" from Babes in Arms
  • "Would You?" from San Francisco
  • "Broadway Melody" composed of "The Broadway Melody" from The Broadway Melody and "Broadway Rhythm" from Broadway Melody of 1936. The music for the "Broadway Ballet" section is by Nacio Herb Brown.