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I love your reactions Clariss. Many people have pointed out that Debbie Reynolds is Carrie Fisher's (Princess Leia's) mother. What they have NOT said is that Carrie Fisher wrote a semi-autobiographical novel that was made into a movie, called Postcards From the Edge (1990). It is about growing up as the daughter of a big star and is very funny and insightful, and has a lot of really good actors in it. Nobody, nobody at all, has reacted to it on youtube, and it probably will not register in a patreon poll, so I am asking you to step up and be the first. You won't regret it.
Fun fact: Donald O'Connor was a heavy smoker (4 packs a day) and suffered from exhaustion and severe carpet burns after filming the "Make em Laugh" bit and had to be hospitalized for several days. When he finally made it back to set he found out the aperture had been wrong on the cameras and all the takes were fogged out. He gamely agreed to film the whole thing all over again.
The fact that not only does Gene Kelly sings and dances, he did his own stunts. It always drove the studio heads into a tizzy because they were afraid he'd get himself injured or, worse, killed. The studios back then had insurance policies on all their major stars in case of accidents, but those premiums must have been murder.
@Vinterfrid first of all, look up the word satire. Second it is self described as a satire of the invention of talking pictures by Gene Kelly himself. Look it up. Good lord, such anger at my description. Inane commemt
@@SalGomez I am very much familiar with the meaning of 'satire', thank you. "By definition, a parody is a comedic commentary about a work, that requires an imitation of the work. Satire, on the other hand, even when it uses a creative work as the vehicle for the message, offers commentary and criticism about the world, not that specific creative work". Furthermore, my comment was not anger - just a clarification.
The “make em laugh” dance put the dancer on bed rest for days because he smoked four packs a day. Gene Kelly was such a task master that Debbie Reynolds was found under a piano crying by Fred Astaire. She was worked till her feet bled. She considered this movie and child birth the two hardest things she ever did.
Gene Kelly was a perfectionist. He once guest starred on The Muppet Show and Kermit asked him if he would do his famous rain dance. Gene said no, because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to repeat his perfect performance from Singin' in the Rain and didn't want to ruin the illusion for his fans.
Yeah he was a complete jacka** to Debbie. He was a jerk but an extremely talented jerk that I can't help looking up to being a performer myself. I don't know that I'd be able to sing and dance a musical number with a 103 DEGREE FEVER. He's an inspiration to all of us.
Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed, of MGM's music department, wrote most of the music in the film for previous MGM musicals. Later, they came up with the idea of doing a new musical using these same songs (thus boosting the sales of their music) in the framework of the time of the transition from silent to sound films (which many at the studio still remembered). Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen did the choreography. Fun facts: Jean Hagen (Lina) really had a much deeper voice, but is doing an impression of Judy Holiday's character in "Born Yesterday". In the scene where Cathy has supposedly dubbed Lina's dialog for the film, it is, in fact, Jean Hagen dubbing herself in her natural voice!
Remember, this movie was made in 1952, but the Jazz Singer was released in 1927, only 25 years earlier. So to them, it was very recent history. To us this both years are practically ancient.
I had never thought of it like that! It's the equivalent of making a movie today about the filming of something like Saving Private Ryan or Armageddon.
This is a classic for many reasons. First of all, it's a great musical with impeccable dancing and melodies you go on humming after the credits roll. Unlike many Hollywood musicals of the time, however, Singin' In The Rain tells a wickedly subversive tale of the fantasy world of popular movie-making. I hope it made you feel better, Clariss!
Ironic that ‘Kathy’ dubbing for Lena, was actually dubbed by a singer named Betty Noyes! I’ve watched this a hundred times and I still maintain that the Moses Supposes scene is one of the most enjoyable dance sequences I’ve seen.
And when Debbie Reynolds is dubbing Lena's dialogue, Reynold's voice is actually being dubbed.....by Jean Hagen, who played Lena but actually had that rich, deep voice for "...stars turned cold."
@WVUFootballGoinDeep-km5ur 😢 y h ghh gg GH by g😢etting you h ygggggbgg ygggggbgg gb😢 have. 😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.😢😢😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢😢Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢😢😢Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.55695219😢😢Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.😢😢😢😢😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Welcome to Gboard clipboard, any text you copy will be saved here.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Welcome to Gboard clipboard, any text you copy will be saved here.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Welcome to Gboard clipboard, any text you copy will be saved here.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.❤Use the edit icon to pin, add or delete clips.Welcome to Gboard clipboard, any text you copy will be saved here.lpp😂,
@@SueProst Just seemed like the info belonged here to fill in the cycle. Aside from the whole thing being delightfully weird, I wanted to make sure Hagen was recognized (by those who don't know the story....and I learned it not that long ago) for her "non-Lena" voice....as well as what wonderful work she did to create Lena's voice. Every time I think about it, the whole story and performance impresses me more.
Princess Leia’s mom! 😊 And I was surprised GOOD MORNING was in this movie too. Speaking of, it is SUCH an impressive sequence. The camera holds on these three & it’s up to them to get it right in long takes. You had to be a triple threat back in the day, and these three kill it in this flick!
Technically I'm a...quadruple threat. Singer, classical pianist, actor AND dancer. The problem is that people around me have been calling me ugly for as long as I can remember. I think my face even scares/intrigues children sometimes. This face barely ropes in audiences on stage, it's definitely not meant to be in front of a camera otherwise I would love to be in a movie. If I were to be in one it would be as a voice actor because I'm pretty damn good at impressions to, my voice can do much and not just singing.
12:40 The great Kathleen Freeman in one of her first roles. She was in everything during the last half of the 20th Century, doing TV and movies. One of her last roles was the old woman with Donkey in the first Shrek movie ("Yes, I can talk! I'm the talkingest damn thing you ever saw!") Probably her most famous role today was the Penguin in the 1980s Blues Brothers.
Gene Kelly had the flu and was running a high fever when he filmed the Singin' in the Rain dance sequence. Debbie Reynolds didn't have much experience as a dancer when she made this movie. Gene Kelly trained her, and she said later she never worked so hard in her life.
My gran has a huge library of Classic Movie Musicals. When I was little, every time I would get sick, my parents would drive me up to my grandma's house. She would make chicken noodle soup, wrap me up in blankets & we would watch Movie Musicals together. Needless to say, that jumpstarted my love of Musical Theatre. Now, I direct musicals & plays for my local theatre. Singin' in the Rain & An American in Paris are my 2 favourites from Gene Kelly.
You're likely aware but I'll mention it anyway. Debbie Reynolds was the mother of Carrie Fisher, and tragically died in 2016 just one day after Carrie. RIP two great women of the silver screen.
In the 1920's, women began to "bob" their hair, i.e., cut it short. ("Bob" also shows up in "bobcat" - because the tail is short - "bobtail sleigh" - because the horse's tail is cut short to keep it out of your face because such a sleigh is much closer to the people, unlike in normal carriage - "bobby socks - the socks came up to just above the ankle, usually worn with brown-n-white saddle shoes.) Women also were able to give their hair those distinct curls/waves because due to the application of electricity, there were curling irons available. The rise of the automobile in the 1920's changed a lot of seemingly unrelated things. Victorian woman kept their hair long and under giant ornate hats. Not practical for frequent outings in a convertible due to the stronger breeze of the faster speed (than a horse-drawn vehicle). Instead short hair, small hats. In the '20's, there was the shocking "flapper" style of very short skirts. This was the first time in a thousand years that women's dresses rose above the knee. Up through the Victorian era, horses were the main "engine" for vehicles - ignoring trollies. Horses leave a staggering amount of horse manure. During the warm weather, this bred swarms of horseflies, which are bigger than house flies, and they BITE. So both men and women's clothing was designed to cover and protect every inch of skin. Both sexes wore gloves. The man's collar protected the back of his neck with the tie a way to tighten it and keep it from wilting. The long hair on women did the same. Men wore long pants, women's dresses scraped the ground. Woman often carried fans, obviously to move air when hot but more important, to brush away flies discretely. Not only did the number of horses began to decline as society changed to motorized vehicles, but motorized street sweepers and big water trucks to flush the streets made a big difference in horse fly population. (Not only in the 1920's that women's skirts became short, but the man's short sleeve shirt was invented.) The short skirts made it easier to get in and out of autos and to allow leg movements for operating the gas pedal and clutch as now women could drive. The other thing in the 1920's was Prohibition. Prior to this, people tended to drink beer or wine, but being told they couldn't drink, everyone wanted to. "Bathtub gin" and other hard alcohol, including in cocktails, became common. So morals changed. The greater freedom of movement afforded by autos meant less chaperoning for dates. "Necking parties" became common, wherein in Victorian times, one such occurrence would mean the woman would need to marry the guy to save her reputation.
Fun fact you may have already heard. The "Singin' in the Rain" sequence was done in a single take due to the cost of the water and Gene Kelly had a fever over 100 degrees when filming that. Also, Jean Hagen (Lina Lamont's actress) dubs Debbie Reynolds dubbing Lina with her real voice to make the dubbing sound more natural (All of Debbie's other stuff was her own of course!)
"Good Morning" is a song with music by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Arthur Freed, originally written for the film Babes in Arms (1939) and performed by Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, all of the songs except :Moses" and "Make 'Em Laugh" were used in previous MGM musicals.
The song was written in 1929 for a Broadway show called The Music Box Revue. It was first sung on screen in MGM'S "The Hollywood Revue of 1929". It was sung by Cliff Edwards, who later became the voice of Disney's character, Jiminy Cricket.
Whenever I am sick or feeling down, Singin' In The Rain is one of the movies I tend to watch (and a few other of the great MGM musicals of the time). Watching this, it is easy to see where Carrie Fisher got so much of her spunk, tenacity, and talent. Despite all she went through because of Gene Kelly's perfectionism, Debbie Reynolds was excellent in this film. Along with this, The Unsinkable Molly Brown (about the famous survivor of the Titanic sinking) is my favorite Debbie Reynolds musical. For giggles, Postcards From the Edge with Meryl Streep and Shirley McClaine (as fictional versions of Carrie and Debbie, based on Carrie's book) is a lot of fun. There are so many fun musical sequences and moments in this movie...I love it. The "Singin' In The Rain' sequence took three days to shoot, to make matters worse...Gene Kelly was sick with a temperature of 103 F. Zelda, Lina's friend, and fellow actress, was played by EGOT Rita Moreno, and as of 2023, she is the last surviving cast member of the film. The long-legged dancer in the green dress is Cyd Charisse; she would appear in many MGM musicals and with Gene Kelly in Brigadoon (by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe). Another movie that deals with the same era of Hollywood and does so in a fun and creative way is The Artist (2011). It's a French film, mainly a silent one, and black and white. It won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Jean Dujardin), and it has American stars like James Cromwell, John Goodman, and Penelope Ann Miller in the cast. It is a fun film with fantastic music and a moving story...check it out when you can if you have yet to see it.
Here’s a fact you may not have yet… Lena’s diction coach was the schoolteacher in Hocus Pocus. In between she was in a buttload of films. She also voiced a character in Curse of Monkey Island.
This was Debbie Reynolds’ first big film. She’d done a couple of “teen comedies” with Andy Rooney before, but this was a huge step up. And she was only 18 (if memory serves). The odd thing was that she wasn’t a dancer but a gymnast by training and she had to learn all that choreography. AND the first scene she was scheduled to shoot, the very first time she’d be on camera with Gene and Donald was “Good Morning”! (It was shortly before this that Fred Astaire found her under the piano crying from overwork and fear of not getting the number right.)
Talkies basically ushered in an era of static unmoving cameras. The sound recording devices were so big and the cameras were do loud that the camera often had to be in a fixed soundproof booth.
"We've got to avoid making our star [Lena] look foolish at all cost!" "NO ONE has that much money." FUN FACT: Cyd Charisse (The dark-haired lady in the "Broadway Revue" scene) was a life-long non smoker; she had to learn to smoke for this film. particularly the part where she blows smoke in Gene Kelly's face. Debbie Reynolds (Carrie Fisher's mom!) was not a trained dancer; she was cast here because the studio wanted to groom her to be their next "rising star". She had to learn to dance as she went, which unfortunately put a lot of friction between her and the notoriously perfectionist Kelly. To be fair to Kelly, Reynolds in her later years had nothing but good to say of him, and even said that her time busting her hump on this film taught her a work ethic that stayed with her.
But it was really bad at the time she was 18 only had 3 months teaching in dancing. Kelly didn’t know anything about because he was doing another movie and get in this just for rehearsal and him doing the choreography for the songs. It was a rush job. For All the others who danced it was difficult and tiresome, but for her was hell, specially because her feet bleed. And she cried and cried, everybody only said to her work harder, obviously payed off in the end. She obviously with time got it and forgive everybody, when they ask Kelly he said, if it was I had never forget me. It was brutal but they were on the clock and when he first arrived he didn’t knew she didn’t knew how to dance
Cyd Charisse, in a brief appearance really was the "WOW" in the movie!! She was the most beautiful, graceful, athletic, and talented dancer...a trained ballet dancer before WWII.
I've watched a number of young people reviewing movies who think they can't enjoy a black-n-white movie - until they see one and halfway through, forget there is no color. Ditto for silent movies. I hope you have seen a few silent movies but if not, I strongly suggest Buster Keaton's 1926 comedy masterpiece, The General, which is in the public domain and easy to find full copies for free on UA-cam.
There's those of us who were raised right on the old classics like this one. It makes me sad that most kids of today have never heard of this movie or even the SONG Singin in the Rain.
Debbie Reynolds aka the Mother of Princess Leia Organa (Carrie fisher) and the dancer in the green dress and short dark hair was Cyd Charisse who was a really famous dancer of that era!!
15:15 The boom mic helped alot 20:24 Yellow raincoats were came along right after gasoline powered cars when drivers found out that people disappeared during rainstorms when they all wore grey or black. 23:44 That's Cyd Charisse, a real sensation in film. If you like musicals, see Cyd and Gene Kelly in "Brigadoon"...very graceful dancing numbers, made at about the same time.
2:50 *"Okay, how did they do that?",* you ask. Short answer: A guy was paid to actually drive a motorcycle off a cliff. It represents just how insane the stunts of the silent era were. If you have 50 minutes to spare, look up a YT video called "Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film - 05 Hazards of the Game".
Little late, but here are my comments. It took Gene Kelly one take to do the "Singing in the Rain" dance. He was quite ill (fever of 102) when it was filmed. He said after it was over, he just wanted to go lay down die he felt so awful. Debbie Reynolds (Kathy Seldon) had sung before but had absolutely no dance experience. Gene Kelly wasn't really happy with the casting, he wanted a female lead who had dance experience and he wasn't particularly nice to Debbie Reynolds. Fred Astaire to the rescue--Fred worked with Debbie and taught her to dance. She said it was horrific and she danced until her feet bled (literally). Debbie Reynolds is Carrie Fisher's mother. Donald O'Connor (Cosmo) had to do the "Make 'Em Laugh" dance twice. They filmed it the first time and the film was destroyed, so he had to do it again. To say he wasn't happy was an understatement. They used no padding and when he landed, he landed on a concrete floor. They had to delay filming for a couple of weeks because he had so many bruises and strains and soreness from the dance. I love "Singing in the Rain"! It is a happy movie! May I be so bold as to suggest you react to "The African Queen"? It's one of my favorite movies of all time! Humphrey Bogart won an academy award for best actor; Kathryn Hepburn was nominated for Best Actress (but didn't win--she was robbed). "The African Queen" was the first movie ever filmed "on location" (filmed in Africa). While "The African Queen" isn't as light hearted and fun as "Singing in the Rain", it's well worth watching. Of course, if you're looking for more musicals, "The Sound of Music" and "Fiddler on the Roof" ("old" movies for people your age!!) are fabulous.
Here’s what I know: 1. The Good Morning song and dance sequence was done on the first day of shooting. That was Debbie Reynolds’ debut as a leading lady in the movies. She had to change her shoes a few times because they were turning colors due to the all of the bleeding since there were so few cuts in that sequence. And it “had to be right“. 2. The Singing in the Rain solo by Gene Kelly was done in (I believe) 2-3 takes. Not only did he have 102° fever while having to dance around in the “rain” and a wet wool suit, but the stage didn’t have proper drainage, and it was starting to flood. Which is why the puddle that he was stomping in at the very end of the sequence was so deep. 3. Donald O’Connor smoked several packs of cigarettes a day… I want to say 3-5 packs. So after the day of shooting the Make Them Laugh sequence, he had to be hospitalized due to exhaustion and shortness of breath. But after he was released from the hospital, he came back and did it all again for another take. 4. Jean Hagen, aka Lina, was actually the one who was talking and singing for herself in the “dubbed” portion of the movie. That was not Debbie Reynolds’ voice, but rather Jean’s REAL voice. But Debbie did all of her own singing for herself. 5. This movie was pretty traumatizing for Debbie Reynolds. In the 80s when she was questioned about it (and I think it was in one of her autobiographies), she told her full story about what it was like on set and dealing with the perfectionist and demanding Gene Kelly. She was eventually able to forgive anyone who “needed forgiving“ and did look back on the experience with gratitude, but I think that was the hardest movie she ever did. Besides, she was just 19 at the time while Gene Kelly was turning 40. This is my number one favorite movie of all time. I’m glad you enjoyed it! If you want a recommendation for another great old movie, may I suggest either. It Happened One Night or Guys And Dolls. Feel better and take care! 💙💙💙
I love rewatching some of the old classics, with "Singing in the Rain" and "White Christmas" being my two favorites. Even occasionally rewatch VW commercial that sampled the singing in the rain scene.
Hi Clariss, I`m glad you finally got to enjoy this classic. As it happens, Gene Kelly appeared in at least 2 period films himself, perhaps the idea for the cavalier came from that. They are both in 1948, the Action/Adventure (The Three Musketeers) & the Musical/Romance (The Pirate) both are in colour. The former has a stacked cast, the latter co-stars Judy Garland.
So many people miss RF's "I can't quite visualize it" after Broadway Melody, so I was happy to see you laugh so much. It's my favorite understated joke in the film. I do love this one. I first saw it as an adult, but it's become such a comfort movie for me in the years since, despite the lack of "nostalgia" that it has. Its just so fun and silly. Good Morning is my favorite number from the film. It's again, so joyful and playful. It always makes me smile.
This is honestly one of my mother's absolute favorites. I can never find the DVD around the house anymore because she always takes it to where she works so she can watch it while preparing for her choir classes.
So enjoyed your reaction! This movie is one of my all-time top five! And I am a SciFi / action guy by heart... Gene Kelly just was one awesome dancer and singer.
Hi. Since I have done a stage version of this. I did some research into the movie. Gene Kelly had a 103 degree fever doing the Singing In The Rain scene.
there is a Three Stodges Bio Pic about how they discovered how to use the sound effects to enhance the slaps. another fact I believe the "Rain" is actually Milk as it was more visible on film
I love that you were feeling down and chose to watch this movie. Its something I've done more times than I care to count.Some other great ones to lift you up are Meet Me In St Louis and Presenting Lily Mars. They bring an instant smile to face every time I watch
"I can't stand him" Love it! My one bit of trivia - Gene Kelley had a bad case of the flu and a temperature over 100 when filming the song "Singing In The Rain". Additionally I'm just blown away by the dancing.
When she passed away, Channel 4 News (in the UK) began their report of Charisse's career with this scene as the gangster's moll, calling it one of the most eye catching debuts in screen history. Always a highlight of Singing in the Rain for me.
yay!!!!!!! Was in the stage production at a community theatre a long long time ago Lol . Our director had been in the 50th anniversary national tour. (of the movie since it started off as a movie in case you didn't know Lol) By far the best show I've ever been in. Tiny community theatre and it rained on the stage. Didn't want to turn people away so they put extra seats in front ...and draped something to help with the water that would get on those seats. Kids were usually the ones who went for those seats. And the irony is that Lina was played by the person who rehearsed the music with us . Awesome movie. Glad you're seeing it!!
Cyd Charisse was one of the few girls to have danced with both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. One thing she preferred about Kelly was that he was strong enough to hold her off the floor for a prolonged period.
If you are looking for recommendations then I'd submit the 1968 film _The Lion in Winter_ staring Katharine Hepburn as Eleanore of Aquitaine and Peter O'Toole as King Henry II. It also co-stars a very young and buff Anthony Hopkins as Richard the Lionheart, Timothy Dalton (known for James Bond) as King Phillip II, Nigel Terry (known for King Arthur in _Excalibur)_ as Prince John and John Castle as Prince Geoffrey. Katharine Hepburn's performance was so razor sharp that Anthony Hopkins claimed it his inspiration for the character of Hannibal Lecter in the 1991 film _The Silence of the Lambs._ Once you see Hepburn's performance you will understand why this is. It is the one movie I wish for people from your generation to see whenever I think about Brie Larson's claim that movies prior to her lacked "strong women." From a scene where they discuss the succession and Henry having kept Eleanore imprisoned for over a decade. Henry: Don't fight me, Eleanore. Eleanore: What would you have me do, give up, give out, give in? Henry: Give me a little peace. Eleanore: A little? Why so modest? How about _eternal peace?_ Now there is a thought.
I was in this musical in high school (MANY years ago). I was the guy that yells "All set, Mr. Simpson!"...LOL! We had a piping system above the stage with shower heads attached, and a giant tarp covering the stage for the Singin' in the Rain dance scene. There was an intermission immediately after that to drain the water before the next scene. It was quite impressive!
Thanks for laughing at the "Can't quite visualize it" line. That actually slips right by most people but is a favorite of mine. "On the Town", "The Philadelphia Story", "Harvey" and "Lilies of the Field" are just a few of the classics that reactors are overlooking but pretty sure you would love.
That was my first time watching this. I’d heard of it all my life. Thank you for putting it out there. And Claris’s, I LOVE your hair! It looks amazing.
I think part of what makes old musicals so charming is the length of takes, which requires being married to your character for longer stretches which the audience gets that more intimate connection with the character.
Of course, one of the most famous "voice actresses" was Marnie Nixon. She dubbed the singing voice of the lead actress in "West Side Story", "My Fair Lady", "South Pacific" and many more. I only know of one time she appeared on screen - as a nun in "The Sound of Music"
Arthur Freed music...but who wrote the movie? Writing team of Comden and Green. Beatty Comden 1917-2006 and Adolph Green 1914-2002 had a 60-year writing partnership. They created for both Broadway and film. Two years after 1952 Singing in the Rain they wrote the lyrics for the Peter Pan musical. The following are Comden and Green films: Fred and Gingers last film together was Barkley's of Broadway, On The Town with Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Ann Miller and Vera Ellen, and Gene Kelly in It's Always Fair Weather, and Bells are Ringing. They also created Auntie Mame.
The “Gotta Dance” sequence was part of a very typical formula of 50s musicals. With a few song and dance numbers tied directly into the story throughout the film followed by a BIG dream like sequence near the finale. You’ll find examples of that in films like, On The Town, American in Paris, Daddy Long Legs, etc.
you should really watch the movie Funny Girl with Barbara Streisand! its such a GREAT movie!! it would be the BEST to see your reaction to it. It was one of my moms faves who passed away a while ago :(
Gene Kelly worked with a lot of great choreographers over the years including Luigi (Louis Facciuto), the father of jazz dance technique. My late wife Holly Kimmel-Brooks studied under him at his NYC studio and thus she taught Jazz dance and ballet at various studios. Even during Covid and almost right up until her death two years ago she enjoyed taking virtual dance classes from his longtime friend Francis J. Roach.
The Acting, the characters and the stories and the music was so much better back then, because people had to work their way through the studios starting in theatre and going on the circuits long before they got the chance to be in films.
You talk about your generation could experience all these old movies, but it was the invention of video tapes, dvds, and then the internet which makes it so easy to see these any time you want. Movies way back tended to be released and watched in theaters, and often never seen again (luckily at least most were stored). The 1939 Wizard of Oz was released on the eve of WWII so they lost all the revenues from the European markets. Hence it wasn't considered that great a success. It wasn't until 1955 when it was rerelease again. It was only the fluke of CBS wanting to rent Gone With The Wind and MGM declined but let them rent Oz that it was shown on tv, but only once a year. It became a big tradition that we all waited expectedly for. Now we can watch it any time on so many devices, including seeing clips to see if we want to watch the whole thing. And reaction videos are even more recent, where new audiences can watch it together, along with the comments. (PS - that also means thanks for your reactions.)
Cyd Charisse, the lady in green (and then white) was also a great dancer, but she was several inches taller than Gene Kelly, so they had to disguise that with the choreography.
The motorcycle-over-the-cliff shot was a practical stunt, meaning there was no trick photography 0r CGI, unlike today. It may have been stock footage, and they filmed the lead-in with Gene Kelly dressed to match the original stuntman. Trivia: "Singin' in the Rain' was made 25 years after 'The Jazz Singer'. I believe the dancer in green in the production number is Cyd Charisse. Among other things, she did the film 'Silk Stockings' with Fred Astaire. In it, she does a solo number in which she trades her dull Soviet-era clothes for more chic Paris fashion. The coin-flipping goons in the dance sequence are a nod to George Raft, who made it his trademark in several gangster films. It's also used in the comedy 'Some Like It Hot', in which his character, a 1920s gangster named Spats Colombo, comes across a coin-flipping young gangster played by Edward G. Robinson, Jr., itself another in-joke. I don't know if you've seen Buster Keaton's 'The General', but if you're interested in silent films, i recommend it highly.
Only 2 songs were written for the film - “Make ‘Em Laugh” (which was somewhat based on an earlier song by Cole Porter ‘Be A Clown’) and “Moses Supposes.” All the others had been written in earlier decades and were well-known, popular songs and some had been used in previous films as well.
"Good morning, good morning" brings such a warm and lovely atmosphere. If anyone wakes up with a group of friends, then sing this at the breakfast table. Great mood for the day.
feel better! and this film is one that will probably always hold up :) I have to agree, early musicals have that special charm, I suspect its because at this point its so close to stage performances but with a little extra. These days movies and stage are just so different >< Of course the classic factoid is that Kelly had a fever and was very ill when he did the rain dance >
A year after Singing in the Rain Debbie and Donald starred in I love Melvin. If you want to go back to a teenage Donald, 8 years before Singing in the Rain he was in not a great film, maybe not even a good film but he's filled with tremendous energy with another teen Peggy Ryan in a film called This is The LIfe.
Gene Kelly originally had a low opinion of Debbie Reynolds' dancing but she worked hard and became a good dancer while filming the movie. She became America's Sweetheart and married Eddie Fisher. She gave birth to a daughter and named her Carrie. Yes, Princess Leiah. She filmed Tammy and the Bachelor with Leslie Neilson before he started doing comedy.
And if you liked Cyd Charisse’s brief appearance in this, you might enjoy It’s Always Fair Weather. It’s one of my favourite 50s musicals (and Gene Kelly does a tap number on roller skates).
*Modern Dance gal in green is Cyd Charisse who was A BIG BROADWAY STAR who also did movies..... *_SILK STOCKINGS_* , *_THE BAND WAGON_* , & *_BRIGDOON_*
yes those olds classics are the best !!! and fred and ginger are fantastics and if u really look those scenes ... no pause just one stand.. they were great performers ...next level !!
Enjoyed your reaction. Converting from silent to sound was actually a temporary setback for moviemaking. The silents were at the height of their artform and as you can see, they had to put the camera in shed which made movies static, almost like a stage play. It took a couple of years to upgrade the sound and camera technology and for filmmakers to figure out the new art form.
Having just watched your reaction for a second time, I want to make a slight correction: there are NO extras in the Broadway Melody number. They are all dancers carefully choreographed. As a matter of fact, in the Golden Age Hollywood films it is really not accurate to talk of extras at all. There were actors who had lines and characters that were written in the script and actors whose personalities were not so specified. Cecil B. DeMille used to warn his "extras" that, if he or his assistant asked them who they were and why they were doing the action demanded of them and they could not answer, they would be fired on the spot. DeMille (and he was not the only one) insisted that he had never used a single extra in any of his films. This is, I believe, one of the great differences between films then and films now. You can argue about the relative skill of the lead actors but the bit players and supernumeraries are far more convincing and present in the older movies.
I love that this was a meta commentary in the state of cinema, from a historical perspective of the time, that we now look back at from a historical perspective, from a more modern perspective, and you commenting on it on UA-cam, which makes it more meta... 😲🤪
I hope you'll check out The Artist, another film about the silent movies turning to talkies. I will warn it's not as upbeat as Singin' in the Rain but so very good.
![Songs From The Movies [Part 3] Gene Kelly Singin' in the rain](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tdzGJpeYoF8/mqdefault.jpg)
*THANKS FOR WATCHING EVERYONE AND FOR ALL YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!! CHECK OUT MY FULL LENGTH REACTIONS ON MY PATREON! MORE DISCUSSIONS! EARLY ACCESS AND EVEN MORE FUN!* www.patreon.com/callmeclariss GET EARLY-ACCESS to FANTASTIC MR. FOX, ROBOTS and ROBOCOP
From left field....
Singing in the rain
By Morecambe + Wise. 😀
FUN FACT : When Gene Kelly did that Singing In The Rain routine ..he had a bad fever during the whole routine.
I love your reactions Clariss. Many people have pointed out that Debbie Reynolds is Carrie Fisher's (Princess Leia's) mother. What they have NOT said is that Carrie Fisher wrote a semi-autobiographical novel that was made into a movie, called Postcards From the Edge (1990). It is about growing up as the daughter of a big star and is very funny and insightful, and has a lot of really good actors in it. Nobody, nobody at all, has reacted to it on youtube, and it probably will not register in a patreon poll, so I am asking you to step up and be the first. You won't regret it.
This is my favorite musical. So glad you enjoyed it too!
This is one of my all time favorite movies. The musical numbers are just extra.
Fun fact: Donald O'Connor was a heavy smoker (4 packs a day) and suffered from exhaustion and severe carpet burns after filming the "Make em Laugh" bit and had to be hospitalized for several days. When he finally made it back to set he found out the aperture had been wrong on the cameras and all the takes were fogged out. He gamely agreed to film the whole thing all over again.
A lot of these actors were also on cocaine and other drugs to give them extra energetic performances and allow them to work the long hours demanded.
The fact that not only does Gene Kelly sings and dances, he did his own stunts. It always drove the studio heads into a tizzy because they were afraid he'd get himself injured or, worse, killed. The studios back then had insurance policies on all their major stars in case of accidents, but those premiums must have been murder.
or worse, expelled.
This was a satire of the invention of talking pictures. When you see it in that context, the humor becomes more apparent.
No, it was certainly not a satire! Where on Earth did you get that misconception from? If anything, it's a homage and/or a pastiche over that era.
@Vinterfrid first of all, look up the word satire. Second it is self described as a satire of the invention of talking pictures by Gene Kelly himself. Look it up. Good lord, such anger at my description. Inane commemt
@@SalGomez I am very much familiar with the meaning of 'satire', thank you. "By definition, a parody is a comedic commentary about a work, that requires an imitation of the work. Satire, on the other hand, even when it uses a creative work as the vehicle for the message, offers commentary and criticism about the world, not that specific creative work". Furthermore, my comment was not anger - just a clarification.
The “make em laugh” dance put the dancer on bed rest for days because he smoked four packs a day. Gene Kelly was such a task master that Debbie Reynolds was found under a piano crying by Fred Astaire. She was worked till her feet bled. She considered this movie and child birth the two hardest things she ever did.
Didnt they lose the footage and so he had to do it a 2nd time also? I thought I'd read that somewhere....
they did. I can’t imagine going through that twice!
Exactly. We see the second time he did the whole thing.
The dancer was Donald O`Connor.
Fred Astaire was just as much a perfectionist as Gene Kelly.
Gene Kelly was a perfectionist. He once guest starred on The Muppet Show and Kermit asked him if he would do his famous rain dance. Gene said no, because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to repeat his perfect performance from Singin' in the Rain and didn't want to ruin the illusion for his fans.
At least he was a good enough sport to fold his umbrella and "walk down the (reconstructed) lane" for a bar or two. 😉
Yeah he was a complete jacka** to Debbie. He was a jerk but an extremely talented jerk that I can't help looking up to being a performer myself. I don't know that I'd be able to sing and dance a musical number with a 103 DEGREE FEVER. He's an inspiration to all of us.
Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed, of MGM's music department, wrote most of the music in the film for previous MGM musicals. Later, they came up with the idea of doing a new musical using these same songs (thus boosting the sales of their music) in the framework of the time of the transition from silent to sound films (which many at the studio still remembered). Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen did the choreography. Fun facts: Jean Hagen (Lina) really had a much deeper voice, but is doing an impression of Judy Holiday's character in "Born Yesterday". In the scene where Cathy has supposedly dubbed Lina's dialog for the film, it is, in fact, Jean Hagen dubbing herself in her natural voice!
Wow thanks for the fun facts.
I've seen this so many times in my life, and it still makes me so happy... great reaction.
Remember, this movie was made in 1952, but the Jazz Singer was released in 1927, only 25 years earlier. So to them, it was very recent history. To us this both years are practically ancient.
I had never thought of it like that! It's the equivalent of making a movie today about the filming of something like Saving Private Ryan or Armageddon.
This is a classic for many reasons. First of all, it's a great musical with impeccable dancing and melodies you go on humming after the credits roll. Unlike many Hollywood musicals of the time, however, Singin' In The Rain tells a wickedly subversive tale of the fantasy world of popular movie-making. I hope it made you feel better, Clariss!
A great film that just happens to be a musical.
Ironic that ‘Kathy’ dubbing for Lena, was actually dubbed by a singer named Betty Noyes! I’ve watched this a hundred times and I still maintain that the Moses Supposes scene is one of the most enjoyable dance sequences I’ve seen.
And when Debbie Reynolds is dubbing Lena's dialogue, Reynold's voice is actually being dubbed.....by Jean Hagen, who played Lena but actually had that rich, deep voice for "...stars turned cold."
@WVUFootballGoinDeep-km5ur 😢 y h ghh gg GH by g😢etting you h ygggggbgg ygggggbgg gb😢 have. 😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.😢😢😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢😢Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢😢😢Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.55695219😢😢Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.😢😢😢😢😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.😢😢Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Welcome to Gboard clipboard, any text you copy will be saved here.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Welcome to Gboard clipboard, any text you copy will be saved here.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Welcome to Gboard clipboard, any text you copy will be saved here.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Tap on a clip to paste it in the text box.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.Touch and hold a clip to pin it. Unpinned clips will be deleted after 1 hour.❤Use the edit icon to pin, add or delete clips.Welcome to Gboard clipboard, any text you copy will be saved here.lpp😂,
@WVUFootballGoinDeep-km5ur Yes it was Jean Hagen who dubbedher own voice. That's a very well known fact.
@@SueProst Just seemed like the info belonged here to fill in the cycle. Aside from the whole thing being delightfully weird, I wanted to make sure Hagen was recognized (by those who don't know the story....and I learned it not that long ago) for her "non-Lena" voice....as well as what wonderful work she did to create Lena's voice. Every time I think about it, the whole story and performance impresses me more.
Debbie Reynolds did sing Good Morning.
Princess Leia’s mom! 😊
And I was surprised GOOD MORNING was in this movie too. Speaking of, it is SUCH an impressive sequence. The camera holds on these three & it’s up to them to get it right in long takes. You had to be a triple threat back in the day, and these three kill it in this flick!
her name is Debbie Reynolds ♥😉
Technically I'm a...quadruple threat. Singer, classical pianist, actor AND dancer. The problem is that people around me have been calling me ugly for as long as I can remember. I think my face even scares/intrigues children sometimes. This face barely ropes in audiences on stage, it's definitely not meant to be in front of a camera otherwise I would love to be in a movie. If I were to be in one it would be as a voice actor because I'm pretty damn good at impressions to, my voice can do much and not just singing.
In an interview Gene Kelly said that 'Singin' in the Rain' was probably the most timeless film he ever did.
12:40 The great Kathleen Freeman in one of her first roles. She was in everything during the last half of the 20th Century, doing TV and movies. One of her last roles was the old woman with Donkey in the first Shrek movie ("Yes, I can talk! I'm the talkingest damn thing you ever saw!") Probably her most famous role today was the Penguin in the 1980s Blues Brothers.
I watched her play Miss Hannigan (Annie) in San Francisco back in the 80's. She was great!
Gene Kelly had the flu and was running a high fever when he filmed the Singin' in the Rain dance sequence.
Debbie Reynolds didn't have much experience as a dancer when she made this movie. Gene Kelly trained her, and she said later she never worked so hard in her life.
My gran has a huge library of Classic Movie Musicals. When I was little, every time I would get sick, my parents would drive me up to my grandma's house. She would make chicken noodle soup, wrap me up in blankets & we would watch Movie Musicals together. Needless to say, that jumpstarted my love of Musical Theatre. Now, I direct musicals & plays for my local theatre. Singin' in the Rain & An American in Paris are my 2 favourites from Gene Kelly.
You're likely aware but I'll mention it anyway. Debbie Reynolds was the mother of Carrie Fisher, and tragically died in 2016 just one day after Carrie. RIP two great women of the silver screen.
"Sorrowfully", yes indeed. "Tragically"? With respect, I beg to differ. 🧐
Truly, one of the finest examples of Americana you'll ever see. You can't watch Donald O'Connor's rendition of Make 'Em Laugh without grinning.
A true classic in every sense of the word, and Jean Hagen is amazing as Lina Lamont, she really nailed that part. :)
In the 1920's, women began to "bob" their hair, i.e., cut it short. ("Bob" also shows up in "bobcat" - because the tail is short - "bobtail sleigh" - because the horse's tail is cut short to keep it out of your face because such a sleigh is much closer to the people, unlike in normal carriage - "bobby socks - the socks came up to just above the ankle, usually worn with brown-n-white saddle shoes.)
Women also were able to give their hair those distinct curls/waves because due to the application of electricity, there were curling irons available.
The rise of the automobile in the 1920's changed a lot of seemingly unrelated things. Victorian woman kept their hair long and under giant ornate hats. Not practical for frequent outings in a convertible due to the stronger breeze of the faster speed (than a horse-drawn vehicle). Instead short hair, small hats.
In the '20's, there was the shocking "flapper" style of very short skirts. This was the first time in a thousand years that women's dresses rose above the knee. Up through the Victorian era, horses were the main "engine" for vehicles - ignoring trollies. Horses leave a staggering amount of horse manure. During the warm weather, this bred swarms of horseflies, which are bigger than house flies, and they BITE. So both men and women's clothing was designed to cover and protect every inch of skin.
Both sexes wore gloves. The man's collar protected the back of his neck with the tie a way to tighten it and keep it from wilting. The long hair on women did the same. Men wore long pants, women's dresses scraped the ground. Woman often carried fans, obviously to move air when hot but more important, to brush away flies discretely.
Not only did the number of horses began to decline as society changed to motorized vehicles, but motorized street sweepers and big water trucks to flush the streets made a big difference in horse fly population. (Not only in the 1920's that women's skirts became short, but the man's short sleeve shirt was invented.)
The short skirts made it easier to get in and out of autos and to allow leg movements for operating the gas pedal and clutch as now women could drive.
The other thing in the 1920's was Prohibition. Prior to this, people tended to drink beer or wine, but being told they couldn't drink, everyone wanted to. "Bathtub gin" and other hard alcohol, including in cocktails, became common. So morals changed.
The greater freedom of movement afforded by autos meant less chaperoning for dates. "Necking parties" became common, wherein in Victorian times, one such occurrence would mean the woman would need to marry the guy to save her reputation.
Fun fact you may have already heard. The "Singin' in the Rain" sequence was done in a single take due to the cost of the water and Gene Kelly had a fever over 100 degrees when filming that. Also, Jean Hagen (Lina Lamont's actress) dubs Debbie Reynolds dubbing Lina with her real voice to make the dubbing sound more natural (All of Debbie's other stuff was her own of course!)
Another great Gene Kelly movie is American In Paris...paying tribute to George Gershwin's music.
"Good Morning" is a song with music by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Arthur Freed, originally written for the film Babes in Arms (1939) and performed by Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, all of the songs except :Moses" and "Make 'Em Laugh" were used in previous MGM musicals.
All of the songs except :Moses" and "Make 'Em Laugh" were used in previous MGM musicals.
all of the songs except :Moses" and "Make 'Em Laugh" were used in previous MGM musicals.
The song was written in 1929 for a Broadway show called The Music Box Revue. It was first sung on screen in MGM'S "The Hollywood Revue of 1929". It was sung by Cliff Edwards, who later became the voice of Disney's character, Jiminy Cricket.
Singing in the Rain is just a perfect movie.
As a musical it’s probably the best ever made as a Comedy it holds its own admirably too.
Whenever I am sick or feeling down, Singin' In The Rain is one of the movies I tend to watch (and a few other of the great MGM musicals of the time).
Watching this, it is easy to see where Carrie Fisher got so much of her spunk, tenacity, and talent. Despite all she went through because of Gene Kelly's perfectionism, Debbie Reynolds was excellent in this film. Along with this, The Unsinkable Molly Brown (about the famous survivor of the Titanic sinking) is my favorite Debbie Reynolds musical. For giggles, Postcards From the Edge with Meryl Streep and Shirley McClaine (as fictional versions of Carrie and Debbie, based on Carrie's book) is a lot of fun.
There are so many fun musical sequences and moments in this movie...I love it.
The "Singin' In The Rain' sequence took three days to shoot, to make matters worse...Gene Kelly was sick with a temperature of 103 F.
Zelda, Lina's friend, and fellow actress, was played by EGOT Rita Moreno, and as of 2023, she is the last surviving cast member of the film.
The long-legged dancer in the green dress is Cyd Charisse; she would appear in many MGM musicals and with Gene Kelly in Brigadoon (by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe).
Another movie that deals with the same era of Hollywood and does so in a fun and creative way is The Artist (2011). It's a French film, mainly a silent one, and black and white. It won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Jean Dujardin), and it has American stars like James Cromwell, John Goodman, and Penelope Ann Miller in the cast. It is a fun film with fantastic music and a moving story...check it out when you can if you have yet to see it.
Here’s a fact you may not have yet… Lena’s diction coach was the schoolteacher in Hocus Pocus. In between she was in a buttload of films. She also voiced a character in Curse of Monkey Island.
This was Debbie Reynolds’ first big film. She’d done a couple of “teen comedies” with Andy Rooney before, but this was a huge step up. And she was only 18 (if memory serves). The odd thing was that she wasn’t a dancer but a gymnast by training and she had to learn all that choreography. AND the first scene she was scheduled to shoot, the very first time she’d be on camera with Gene and Donald was “Good Morning”! (It was shortly before this that Fred Astaire found her under the piano crying from overwork and fear of not getting the number right.)
I'm glad that it made you smile. Even without a lot of commentary, it was nice to just watch the movie with you❤
Talkies basically ushered in an era of static unmoving cameras. The sound recording devices were so big and the cameras were do loud that the camera often had to be in a fixed soundproof booth.
"We've got to avoid making our star [Lena] look foolish at all cost!"
"NO ONE has that much money."
FUN FACT: Cyd Charisse (The dark-haired lady in the "Broadway Revue" scene) was a life-long non smoker; she had to learn to smoke for this film. particularly the part where she blows smoke in Gene Kelly's face.
Debbie Reynolds (Carrie Fisher's mom!) was not a trained dancer; she was cast here because the studio wanted to groom her to be their next "rising star". She had to learn to dance as she went, which unfortunately put a lot of friction between her and the notoriously perfectionist Kelly. To be fair to Kelly, Reynolds in her later years had nothing but good to say of him, and even said that her time busting her hump on this film taught her a work ethic that stayed with her.
But it was really bad at the time she was 18 only had 3 months teaching in dancing. Kelly didn’t know anything about because he was doing another movie and get in this just for rehearsal and him doing the choreography for the songs. It was a rush job. For All the others who danced it was difficult and tiresome, but for her was hell, specially because her feet bleed. And she cried and cried, everybody only said to her work harder, obviously payed off in the end. She obviously with time got it and forgive everybody, when they ask Kelly he said, if it was I had never forget me. It was brutal but they were on the clock and when he first arrived he didn’t knew she didn’t knew how to dance
Cyd Charisse, in a brief appearance really was the "WOW" in the movie!! She was the most beautiful, graceful, athletic, and talented dancer...a trained ballet dancer before WWII.
I've watched a number of young people reviewing movies who think they can't enjoy a black-n-white movie - until they see one and halfway through, forget there is no color. Ditto for silent movies. I hope you have seen a few silent movies but if not, I strongly suggest Buster Keaton's 1926 comedy masterpiece, The General, which is in the public domain and easy to find full copies for free on UA-cam.
There's those of us who were raised right on the old classics like this one. It makes me sad that most kids of today have never heard of this movie or even the SONG Singin in the Rain.
Debbie Reynolds aka the Mother of Princess Leia Organa (Carrie fisher) and the dancer in the green dress and short dark hair was Cyd Charisse who was a really famous dancer of that era!!
15:15 The boom mic helped alot 20:24 Yellow raincoats were came along right after gasoline powered cars when drivers found out that people disappeared during rainstorms when they all wore grey or black. 23:44 That's Cyd Charisse, a real sensation in film. If you like musicals, see Cyd and Gene Kelly in "Brigadoon"...very graceful dancing numbers, made at about the same time.
I loved Rita Moreno in her small little role!
2:50
*"Okay, how did they do that?",* you ask.
Short answer: A guy was paid to actually drive a motorcycle off a cliff. It represents just how insane the stunts of the silent era were.
If you have 50 minutes to spare, look up a YT video called "Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film - 05 Hazards of the Game".
Little late, but here are my comments. It took Gene Kelly one take to do the "Singing in the Rain" dance. He was quite ill (fever of 102) when it was filmed. He said after it was over, he just wanted to go lay down die he felt so awful. Debbie Reynolds (Kathy Seldon) had sung before but had absolutely no dance experience. Gene Kelly wasn't really happy with the casting, he wanted a female lead who had dance experience and he wasn't particularly nice to Debbie Reynolds. Fred Astaire to the rescue--Fred worked with Debbie and taught her to dance. She said it was horrific and she danced until her feet bled (literally). Debbie Reynolds is Carrie Fisher's mother. Donald O'Connor (Cosmo) had to do the "Make 'Em Laugh" dance twice. They filmed it the first time and the film was destroyed, so he had to do it again. To say he wasn't happy was an understatement. They used no padding and when he landed, he landed on a concrete floor. They had to delay filming for a couple of weeks because he had so many bruises and strains and soreness from the dance. I love "Singing in the Rain"! It is a happy movie! May I be so bold as to suggest you react to "The African Queen"? It's one of my favorite movies of all time! Humphrey Bogart won an academy award for best actor; Kathryn Hepburn was nominated for Best Actress (but didn't win--she was robbed). "The African Queen" was the first movie ever filmed "on location" (filmed in Africa). While "The African Queen" isn't as light hearted and fun as "Singing in the Rain", it's well worth watching. Of course, if you're looking for more musicals, "The Sound of Music" and "Fiddler on the Roof" ("old" movies for people your age!!) are fabulous.
Here’s what I know:
1. The Good Morning song and dance sequence was done on the first day of shooting. That was Debbie Reynolds’ debut as a leading lady in the movies. She had to change her shoes a few times because they were turning colors due to the all of the bleeding since there were so few cuts in that sequence. And it “had to be right“.
2. The Singing in the Rain solo by Gene Kelly was done in (I believe) 2-3 takes. Not only did he have 102° fever while having to dance around in the “rain” and a wet wool suit, but the stage didn’t have proper drainage, and it was starting to flood. Which is why the puddle that he was stomping in at the very end of the sequence was so deep.
3. Donald O’Connor smoked several packs of cigarettes a day… I want to say 3-5 packs. So after the day of shooting the Make Them Laugh sequence, he had to be hospitalized due to exhaustion and shortness of breath. But after he was released from the hospital, he came back and did it all again for another take.
4. Jean Hagen, aka Lina, was actually the one who was talking and singing for herself in the “dubbed” portion of the movie. That was not Debbie Reynolds’ voice, but rather Jean’s REAL voice. But Debbie did all of her own singing for herself.
5. This movie was pretty traumatizing for Debbie Reynolds. In the 80s when she was questioned about it (and I think it was in one of her autobiographies), she told her full story about what it was like on set and dealing with the perfectionist and demanding Gene Kelly. She was eventually able to forgive anyone who “needed forgiving“ and did look back on the experience with gratitude, but I think that was the hardest movie she ever did. Besides, she was just 19 at the time while Gene Kelly was turning 40.
This is my number one favorite movie of all time. I’m glad you enjoyed it! If you want a recommendation for another great old movie, may I suggest either. It Happened One Night or Guys And Dolls. Feel better and take care! 💙💙💙
I love rewatching some of the old classics, with "Singing in the Rain" and "White Christmas" being my two favorites. Even occasionally rewatch VW commercial that sampled the singing in the rain scene.
Hi Clariss, I`m glad you finally got to enjoy this classic. As it happens, Gene Kelly appeared in at least 2 period films himself, perhaps the idea for the cavalier came from that. They are both in 1948, the Action/Adventure (The Three Musketeers) & the Musical/Romance (The Pirate) both are in colour. The former has a stacked cast, the latter co-stars Judy Garland.
So many people miss RF's "I can't quite visualize it" after Broadway Melody, so I was happy to see you laugh so much. It's my favorite understated joke in the film.
I do love this one. I first saw it as an adult, but it's become such a comfort movie for me in the years since, despite the lack of "nostalgia" that it has. Its just so fun and silly. Good Morning is my favorite number from the film. It's again, so joyful and playful. It always makes me smile.
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You really have to pay attention to the dialogue in these old movies.
How Jean Hagen didn't win an Oscar is beyond me. She's amazing in this.
This is honestly one of my mother's absolute favorites. I can never find the DVD around the house anymore because she always takes it to where she works so she can watch it while preparing for her choir classes.
Remember when movies were supposed to be fun? Yeah, THAT!! 🤘😎
So enjoyed your reaction! This movie is one of my all-time top five! And I am a SciFi / action guy by heart... Gene Kelly just was one awesome dancer and singer.
Hi. Since I have done a stage version of this. I did some research into the movie. Gene Kelly had a 103 degree fever doing the Singing In The Rain scene.
there is a Three Stodges Bio Pic about how they discovered how to use the sound effects to enhance the slaps.
another fact I believe the "Rain" is actually Milk as it was more visible on film
I love that you were feeling down and chose to watch this movie. Its something I've done more times than I care to count.Some other great ones to lift you up are Meet Me In St Louis and Presenting Lily Mars. They bring an instant smile to face every time I watch
"I can't stand him" Love it! My one bit of trivia - Gene Kelley had a bad case of the flu and a temperature over 100 when filming the song "Singing In The Rain". Additionally I'm just blown away by the dancing.
New subscriber, someone actually reacting to one of the great classics. Kudos. The scene with Cyd Charisse is one of the best in film history.
When she passed away, Channel 4 News (in the UK) began their report of Charisse's career with this scene as the gangster's moll, calling it one of the most eye catching debuts in screen history. Always a highlight of Singing in the Rain for me.
yay!!!!!!! Was in the stage production at a community theatre a long long time ago Lol . Our director had been in the 50th anniversary national tour. (of the movie since it started off as a movie in case you didn't know Lol) By far the best show I've ever been in. Tiny community theatre and it rained on the stage. Didn't want to turn people away so they put extra seats in front ...and draped something to help with the water that would get on those seats.
Kids were usually the ones who went for those seats.
And the irony is that Lina was played by the person who rehearsed the music with us .
Awesome movie. Glad you're seeing it!!
I have always loved this movie. It allways makes me in a good mood!
Great reaction! Gene Kelly was just the best, perfection in every move.
Cyd Charisse was one of the few girls to have danced with both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. One thing she preferred about Kelly was that he was strong enough to hold her off the floor for a prolonged period.
I first saw this on pay-tv around the same time that "Xanadu" came out. It was a lovely double shot introduction to the lovely Gene Kelly :)
If you are looking for recommendations then I'd submit the 1968 film _The Lion in Winter_ staring Katharine Hepburn as Eleanore of Aquitaine and Peter O'Toole as King Henry II. It also co-stars a very young and buff Anthony Hopkins as Richard the Lionheart, Timothy Dalton (known for James Bond) as King Phillip II, Nigel Terry (known for King Arthur in _Excalibur)_ as Prince John and John Castle as Prince Geoffrey.
Katharine Hepburn's performance was so razor sharp that Anthony Hopkins claimed it his inspiration for the character of Hannibal Lecter in the 1991 film _The Silence of the Lambs._ Once you see Hepburn's performance you will understand why this is.
It is the one movie I wish for people from your generation to see whenever I think about Brie Larson's claim that movies prior to her lacked "strong women."
From a scene where they discuss the succession and Henry having kept Eleanore imprisoned for over a decade.
Henry: Don't fight me, Eleanore.
Eleanore: What would you have me do, give up, give out, give in?
Henry: Give me a little peace.
Eleanore: A little? Why so modest? How about _eternal peace?_ Now there is a thought.
I was in this musical in high school (MANY years ago). I was the guy that yells "All set, Mr. Simpson!"...LOL! We had a piping system above the stage with shower heads attached, and a giant tarp covering the stage for the Singin' in the Rain dance scene. There was an intermission immediately after that to drain the water before the next scene. It was quite impressive!
Thanks for laughing at the "Can't quite visualize it" line. That actually slips right by most people but is a favorite of mine. "On the Town", "The Philadelphia Story", "Harvey" and "Lilies of the Field" are just a few of the classics that reactors are overlooking but pretty sure you would love.
I'd like to see "On the Town" as well.
The Philadelphia Story is one of my favorite movies of all times.
@@erikagholston6610 The list of great movies reactors are missing is long and often surprising.
If you're interested, Kurt Browning (a Canadian Figure Skater) did the Singin' in the Rain scene on ice and I believe it's on UA-cam somewhere
Anytime you think that the word "talkies" is a silly one, just remember that we watch "movies".
That was my first time watching this. I’d heard of it all my life. Thank you for putting it out there. And Claris’s, I LOVE your hair! It looks amazing.
I think part of what makes old musicals so charming is the length of takes, which requires being married to your character for longer stretches which the audience gets that more intimate connection with the character.
Of course, one of the most famous "voice actresses" was Marnie Nixon. She dubbed the singing voice of the lead actress in "West Side Story", "My Fair Lady", "South Pacific" and many more. I only know of one time she appeared on screen - as a nun in "The Sound of Music"
This is my all-time favorite musical along with An American in Paris and On the Town
American in Paris is my ALL TIME FAV!
@@LeaFsinger74 Agrreed
Arthur Freed music...but who wrote the movie? Writing team of Comden and Green. Beatty Comden 1917-2006 and Adolph Green 1914-2002 had a 60-year writing partnership. They created for both Broadway and film. Two years after 1952 Singing in the Rain they wrote the lyrics for the Peter Pan musical. The following are Comden and Green films: Fred and Gingers last film together was Barkley's of Broadway, On The Town with Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Ann Miller and Vera Ellen, and Gene Kelly in It's Always Fair Weather, and Bells are Ringing. They also created Auntie Mame.
The “Gotta Dance” sequence was part of a very typical formula of 50s musicals. With a few song and dance numbers tied directly into the story throughout the film followed by a BIG dream like sequence near the finale. You’ll find examples of that in films like, On The Town, American in Paris, Daddy Long Legs, etc.
you should really watch the movie Funny Girl with Barbara Streisand! its such a GREAT movie!! it would be the BEST to see your reaction to it. It was one of my moms faves who passed away a while ago :(
Gene Kelly worked with a lot of great choreographers over the years including Luigi (Louis Facciuto), the father of jazz dance technique. My late wife Holly Kimmel-Brooks studied under him at his NYC studio and thus she taught Jazz dance and ballet at various studios. Even during Covid and almost right up until her death two years ago she enjoyed taking virtual dance classes from his longtime friend Francis J. Roach.
The Acting, the characters and the stories and the music was so much better back then, because people had to work their way through the studios starting in theatre and going on the circuits long before they got the chance to be in films.
You talk about your generation could experience all these old movies, but it was the invention of video tapes, dvds, and then the internet which makes it so easy to see these any time you want. Movies way back tended to be released and watched in theaters, and often never seen again (luckily at least most were stored). The 1939 Wizard of Oz was released on the eve of WWII so they lost all the revenues from the European markets. Hence it wasn't considered that great a success. It wasn't until 1955 when it was rerelease again. It was only the fluke of CBS wanting to rent Gone With The Wind and MGM declined but let them rent Oz that it was shown on tv, but only once a year. It became a big tradition that we all waited expectedly for.
Now we can watch it any time on so many devices, including seeing clips to see if we want to watch the whole thing. And reaction videos are even more recent, where new audiences can watch it together, along with the comments. (PS - that also means thanks for your reactions.)
Marni Nixon dubbed the voices of Deborah Kerr in The King and I, Natalie Wood in West Side Story and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.
And probably her most famous on-screen appearance was as one of the nuns in The Sound of Music.
@@katwithattitude5062 That’s right. I grew up on the musicals watching them then doing them at school. They don’t make them like they used to anymore.
Lovely reaction. This movie is and will be forever a masterpiece :)
'Zelda' was played by Rita Moreno-still around
One of the greatest musicals of all time. As well as one of my favorite movies ever. I can’t help but smile every time I watch it
Victor/Victoria is my fave movie and has great film making in it.
I also love An American in Paris, Gigi and Hello Dolly!
ooooh- Victor/Victoria- Julie is Perfection!!
Cyd Charisse, the lady in green (and then white) was also a great dancer, but she was several inches taller than Gene Kelly, so they had to disguise that with the choreography.
Glad to see reactors doing classic musicals. I was worried that copyright strikes would make that impossible.
The motorcycle-over-the-cliff shot was a practical stunt, meaning there was no trick photography 0r CGI, unlike today. It may have been stock footage, and they filmed the lead-in with Gene Kelly dressed to match the original stuntman.
Trivia: "Singin' in the Rain' was made 25 years after 'The Jazz Singer'.
I believe the dancer in green in the production number is Cyd Charisse. Among other things, she did the film 'Silk Stockings' with Fred Astaire. In it, she does a solo number in which she trades her dull Soviet-era clothes for more chic Paris fashion.
The coin-flipping goons in the dance sequence are a nod to George Raft, who made it his trademark in several gangster films. It's also used in the comedy 'Some Like It Hot', in which his character, a 1920s gangster named Spats Colombo, comes across a coin-flipping young gangster played by Edward G. Robinson, Jr., itself another in-joke.
I don't know if you've seen Buster Keaton's 'The General', but if you're interested in silent films, i recommend it highly.
Only 2 songs were written for the film - “Make ‘Em Laugh” (which was somewhat based on an earlier song by Cole Porter ‘Be A Clown’) and “Moses Supposes.” All the others had been written in earlier decades and were well-known, popular songs and some had been used in previous films as well.
Awe. When I was a kid I’d watch this movie when I wasn’t feeling well all the time ❤
"Good morning, good morning" brings such a warm and lovely atmosphere.
If anyone wakes up with a group of friends, then sing this at the breakfast table. Great mood for the day.
feel better! and this film is one that will probably always hold up :) I have to agree, early musicals have that special charm, I suspect its because at this point its so close to stage performances but with a little extra. These days movies and stage are just so different ><
Of course the classic factoid is that Kelly had a fever and was very ill when he did the rain dance >
"Kiss Me Kate" is also an adorable older musical.
A year after Singing in the Rain Debbie and Donald starred in I love Melvin. If you want to go back to a teenage Donald, 8 years before Singing in the Rain he was in not a great film, maybe not even a good film but he's filled with tremendous energy with another teen Peggy Ryan in a film called This is The LIfe.
Gene Kelly originally had a low opinion of Debbie Reynolds' dancing but she worked hard and became a good dancer while filming the movie. She became America's Sweetheart and married Eddie Fisher. She gave birth to a daughter and named her Carrie. Yes, Princess Leiah. She filmed Tammy and the Bachelor with Leslie Neilson before he started doing comedy.
The dancer in the green dress was Cyd Charisse.
The dancer in green is Cyd Charisse. A very famous, sucessful, dancer in her day, her legs were insured for 1 million dollars.
And if you liked Cyd Charisse’s brief appearance in this, you might enjoy It’s Always Fair Weather. It’s one of my favourite 50s musicals (and Gene Kelly does a tap number on roller skates).
Yes please watch more old classics ! There are so many good ones. I would recommend Rear Window, All About Eve, and Casablanca.
*Modern Dance gal in green is Cyd Charisse who was A BIG BROADWAY STAR who also did movies.....
*_SILK STOCKINGS_* , *_THE BAND WAGON_* , & *_BRIGDOON_*
It's also eye opening to realize the film is from 1952 and takes place in 1927 = which sets it a mere 25 years in the past.
yes those olds classics are the best !!! and fred and ginger are fantastics and if u really look those scenes ... no pause just one stand.. they were great performers ...next level !!
Enjoyed your reaction.
Converting from silent to sound was actually a temporary setback for moviemaking. The silents were at the height of their artform and as you can see, they had to put the camera in shed which made movies static, almost like a stage play. It took a couple of years to upgrade the sound and camera technology and for filmmakers to figure out the new art form.
Love this one. Such a fun movie. Thanks for sharing it, Clariss!
I love these movies so much
If you watch High Noon [1952] you will see the great Mexican actress Katy Jurado really strut her stuff.
Having just watched your reaction for a second time, I want to make a slight correction: there are NO extras in the Broadway Melody number. They are all dancers carefully choreographed. As a matter of fact, in the Golden Age Hollywood films it is really not accurate to talk of extras at all. There were actors who had lines and characters that were written in the script and actors whose personalities were not so specified. Cecil B. DeMille used to warn his "extras" that, if he or his assistant asked them who they were and why they were doing the action demanded of them and they could not answer, they would be fired on the spot. DeMille (and he was not the only one) insisted that he had never used a single extra in any of his films. This is, I believe, one of the great differences between films then and films now. You can argue about the relative skill of the lead actors but the bit players and supernumeraries are far more convincing and present in the older movies.
I love that this was a meta commentary in the state of cinema, from a historical perspective of the time, that we now look back at from a historical perspective, from a more modern perspective, and you commenting on it on UA-cam, which makes it more meta... 😲🤪
I hope you'll check out The Artist, another film about the silent movies turning to talkies. I will warn it's not as upbeat as Singin' in the Rain but so very good.