Great to Sing in the Rain ****

Rating: 10/10 (17 January 2006)

Supposedly, the best musical ever made did not win the Golden Globe Award of 1952 for best musical or comedy. That honor went to "With A Song in My Heart," a musical drama based on the life of singer Jane Froman.
Nevertheless, "Singin' in the Rain" deals with the advent of talking pictures and its ramifications on the silent stars of that time. We know that actor John Gilbert, a matinée idol of the silents, had his career ruined when talkies came in.
Such shall be the fate of Lena LaMonte, hilariously played by the late Jean Hagen in a well-deserved performance which landed her a best supporting actress nomination.
Our hero, Gene Kelly, plays opposite. Lena. To say that he despises her is to put it mildly. Gene really loves Debbie Reynolds who he meets in a very funny scene in this film.
Donald O'Connor shines in this film. His rendition of "Make Me Laugh," while he literally walks on walls is memorable and terrific. The guy was a real class act.
The problem is what to do with Lena? Her scratchy voice reminded me so much of Judy Holliday in her award winning "Born Yesterday." The scene where it is shown that Debbie has been singing for Lena is a riot. Humiliated, Lena runs off stage; hopefully, never to be heard from again. Let's make sure that this movie is always heard from again.