Celebrating 70 years of Singin’ in the Rain

Among classic Hollywood musicals, Singin’ in the Rain is perhaps the most beloved of its era. Collider reports that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will be releasing the timeless musical on 4k Blu-ray to mark the film’s 70th anniversary. First released in 1952, the film’s appeal and acclaim only grew over time.

The Stars and Story

The film starred Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, and Debbie Reynolds in its three principal roles. Kelly stars as a silent movie star whose career, and Hollywood itself, is about to undergo a major shift from silent to sound. Kelly’s character is one half of a famous onscreen duo along with Jean Hagen’s Lina Lamont, whose talking voice is not exactly music to the ears. Enter Reynolds, who is tapped to dub Hagen, and eventually comes out of the background and into the limelight.

The Music

The musical numbers and dance sequences of Singin’ in the Rain, such as the title number, “Good Morning”, and “Make Em’ Laugh” are iconic. The film itself was crafted around the vast back catalog of songs written for MGM by producer Arthur Freed and his creative partner Nacio Herb Brown. Freed was head of the unit that produced musicals for MGM, and his songwriting credits began during the period the film covers, the late 20s and early 30s transition to films with sound.

With Freed’s music setting the scene, the cast suffered greatly for their art creating the classic. Reynolds, who was not an experienced dancer before the film, was sternly tutored by Kelly for her dance numbers. He sometimes made her cry. After 15 hours spent filming the “Good Morning” sequence, Reynolds was left with bloody feet.

Although he was a tough taskmaster to Reynolds, Kelly also suffered during filming, shooting the title number in pouring (fake) rain while running a fever.

O’Connor didn’t escape the rigors of the shoot. Filming the difficult, slapstick “Make Em’ Laugh” left him sore and winded-but he had to redo the number all over again when the footage of it was ruined.

Despite the difficult shoot, and only modest Academy Awards recognition, Singin’ in the Rain was a hit with audiences.

The Legacy

The film has proved to be one of Hollywood’s most enduring. It was listed in the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1989 and is number one on AFI’s list of greatest movie musicals.

The Blu-ray release gives fans of the film more to love with commentary by several stars of the film,  a documentary, and the theatrical trailer. Throughout April, the restored film is also being shown theatrically in select theaters as part of TCM’s Big Screen Classics.