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AT THE GALA PREMIERE of a 1927 silent film, adoring fans clamor for a glimpse of The Royal Rascal's illustrious stars: Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen). The heartthrob and bombshell woo the crowd but play down a tabloid-reported off-screen romance, before escaping the mob and making their way to a party hosted by Monumental Pictures. Here the guests are treated to a most curious novelty--a talking picture demonstration.

Convinced the idea will be a flop, the movie studio forges full steam ahead with The Dueling Cavalier, Lockwood and Lamont's next audio-less blockbuster. But production is abruptly halted when a rival studio launches The Jazz Singer, Hollywood's first talking picture, and it surprisingly sails to the top of the charts. Changing course midstream, the Monumental team attempts to get on board the industry's revolution by converting their film.

The exasperating technical difficulties prove to be just the beginning of their hilarious problems. When a test screening reveals Lina's high-pitched squeaky voice (think of chewing on Styrofoam) makes audiences everywhere cringe, their movie is in danger of becoming The Dueling Dud. To keep the project afloat, Don's true off-screen leading lady, Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), secretly dubs over Lina's squeal, while his best friend and musical genius Cosmo Brown (Donald O' Connor) lends a hand by renovating the script into The Dancing Cavalier.

Witty antics and catchy tunes are never ending in this melodious masterpiece. Made during the pinnacle of musical productions, MGM pulled out all the stops to poke fun at Hollywood's sound transformation. Remarkable dance numbers include Donald O'Connor's self-inflicted slapstick, Make 'Em Laugh, Gene Kelly's saturated classic, Singin' In The Rain, and a stunning modern number featuring Cyd Charisse.

One of the things that make this song and dance epic so enduring is the license it gives every man, woman and child to sing and jump through puddles on a rainy day, balking at tomorrow's imminent fever. Singin' In The Rain's infectious optimism makes you believe some lighthearted humor and fancy footwork are the best prescription for weathering life's storms.

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Talk about the movie with your family...

Many of the characters in this film express their emotions through song and dance. If Lina were given a musical number, what might it be like?

Don hints that the tabloid magazines were fed rumors building up the romance between Lockwood and Lamont directly from Monumental Pictures, an obvious ploy to boost fan popularity and hopefully ticket sales. Do you think that media manipulation is used as a marketing tool in reality?

MGM has been an incredible song and dance movie machine, churning out classic after classic. For information about each of their musicals, go to hometown.aol.com/mgmfanatic/index.html

Video alternatives...

Looking for other musicals? Try White Christmas, The Sound Of Music, South Pacific, or Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Melanie Law

©2002 One Voice Communications. All Rights Reserved

Follow the link to Making The Grades for additional information on this film's content.

DVD notes...

Although we were unable to acquire a DVD copy of Singin' In The Rain, the following is provided for your convenience...