For Most Film Buffs, the Quintessential MGM Musical

Rating: 9/10 (27 April 2007)

No movie studio made better musicals than MGM during the 1940's and 1950's but the golden crown in their musical stable was definitely 1952's SINGIN IN THE RAIN, an instant classic that was an affectionate look at a difficult time of transition in Hollywood...the advent of talkie films taking over for silent films. Gene Kelly plays Don Lockwood, a silent film star who has made several films with the glamorous Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), both of whom are thrown for a loop when "The Jazz Singer" is released and is a smash hit. The studio then decides to turn their latest silent feature, "The Dueling Cavalier" into a musical but there is one huge problem: Lina has a speaking and singing voice like nails on a chalkboard. Enter Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), a young chorus girl with lofty theatrical ambitions who agrees to dub Lina's vocals for the film and falls for Don in the process, much to the chagrin of Lina, who believes the fan magazine stories that Don is in love with her. This simple yet clever story provides the backdrop for MGM's greatest triumph which became an instant classic upon release. Kelly is charming and charismatic as Lockwood and works well with Donald O'Connor, who plays his best friend Cosmo Brown. Debbie Reynolds, 18 years old at the time, is completely winning as Kathy and Jean Hagen earned the film's only Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her brilliant comic turn as Lina Lamont, the glamorous, vein glamour queen whose ego far outweighs her talent. Musical highlights include two dance numbers with Kelly and O'Connor, "Fit as a Fiddle" and "Moses" which allow the viewer to compare and contrast the different but equally dazzling dance styles of these two artists; O'Connor's hysterical solo, "Make Em Laugh", Kelly and Reynolds' lovely pas de deux, "You were Meant for Me", and of course, Kelly's title tune, which is practically Hollywood folklore now. And notice must also be taken of "Broadway Ballet" a 20-minute fantasy/production number which features a special appearance by the divinely long-legged Cyd Charisse. No true lover of movie musicals should miss this one...it's simply, sensational.