Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Two Geeks and a GIT Classic Movie Reviews

Episode 180: This episode begins our pairing of musicals made specifically for the silver screen with perhaps THE movie musical of all time, 1952's "Singin' In the Rain!" Directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, the film stars Kelly as silent-film heartthrob Don Lockwood, who is an on-screen couple with Lina Lamont, played amazingly by Jean Hagen. Donald O'Connor plays Cosmo Brown, Don's best friend since childhood and the musician that plays the music to put Lena and Don in the right mood for their on-screen romantic adventure. But when Don meets Kathy Seldone, played by Debbie Reynolds in her first major dancing role, sparks fly (in the wrong direction at first, of course). Set in Hollywood right as the industry was transitioning from silent films to talking pictures, the romance has to keep out of sight of a jealous Lena and navigate the Hollywood system at the same time! Arguably the most famous cinematic musical in film history, it's a classic for a very good reason; it's an amazingly well put-together story in just about every way!