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      • Incindies (2010)
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      • The Odessa Steps Sequence as Continuing Film History
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      • L'Atalante (1934)
      • Let Us Be Gay
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      • True Confession ('37)
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    • The 1940's >
      • Casablanca (1942)
      • The Story of Citizen Kane
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      • Double indemnity
      • Jean Arthur in A Foreign Affair
      • The Killers 1946 & 1964 Comparison
      • The Maltese Falcon Intro
      • Moonrise (1948)
      • My Gal Sal (1942)
      • Nightmare Alley
      • Notorious Intro ('46)
      • Overlooked Christmas Movies of the 1940's
      • Pursued (1947)
      • Remember the Night ('40)
      • The Red Shoes (1948)
      • The Set-Up ('49)
      • They Won't Believe Me (1947)
      • The Third Man
    • The 1950's >
      • The Asphalt Jungle Secret Cinema Intro
      • Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ('58) Intro
      • The Crimson Kimono (1959)
      • A Face in the Crowd (1957)
      • In a Lonely Place
      • A Kiss Before Dying (1956)
      • Mogambo ('53)
      • Niagara (1953)
      • The Night of The Hunter ('55)
      • Pushover Noir City
      • Rear Window (1954)
      • Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
      • Red Dust ('32 vs Mogambo ('53)
      • The Searchers ('56)
      • Singin' in the Rain Introduction
      • Some Like It Hot ('59) >
        • Some Like it Hot Intro (Beyond the Bay)
    • The 1960's >
      • The April Fools (1969)
      • Bonnie & Clyde (1967)
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      • Cool Hand Luke (1967) Intro
      • Dr Strangelove Intro
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      • Fistful of Dollars (1964)
      • The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1968)
      • The Hustler ('61) Intro
      • The Man With No Name Trilogy
      • The Misfits ('61)
      • The Umbrellas of Cherbourg/La La Land
    • The 1970's >
      • Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)
      • American Graffiti Introduction
      • Chinatown Introduction
      • The Friends of Eddie Coyle ('73)
      • Jaws Intro
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      • Blood Simple ('84)
      • A Christmas Story Intro
      • Scarface (1983)
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      • The General (1998)
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      • Belfast (2021)
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      • Joy Division
      • Mank (2020)
      • No Man's Land (2001)
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      • The Top 10 Films I watched in 2020
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Singin' in the Rain Notes

​Singin’ in the Rain Notes
 
  1. Origins
    1. MGM Freed Unit (Johnny Green MGM musical Director)
      1. Arthur Freed
1.Song writer
2.Fulltime producer beginning in ’39 w/Meet Me in St. Louis
a.Produced 40 Movie Musicals between ’39-‘51
3.Musicals began to advance story, characters & locations.  More ‘Realistic’
4.Title taken from Freed song, but production sued by writer of book from ’36 called Singing in the Rain.  “G” dropped to comply
ii.Betty Comden & Adolph Green-Writers
1.Tasked w/crafting musical using Singin’ in the Rain song
a.Began writing on 6/19/50 & finished 8/10/50
b.Revised into October
2.“BARNYARD MUSICAL:  “kids putting on a show”
3.Script
a.Early thought was to base story on existing film in MGM catalog
i.Bombshell, Platinum Blonde, or Merton of the Movies
ii.John Gilbert Story
b.Characters
i.Lena based on Billy Dawn, played by Judy Holiday on Broadway & in Oscar winning film (Born Yesterday)
1.Hagen replaced Holiday on Broadway
ii.Cathy Selden was Kathy Summers, but real actress was named.  Kathy Burrows & Kathy Norwood considered
iii.Roscoe Dexter= Busby Berkeley
iv.Dancer (Charisse) modeled on Louis Brooks
c.Late drafts were collaboration between writers Kelly & Donen
d.TURNING POINT:  WHEN LENA SPEAKS
4.Other Musicals
a.On the Town
b.Good News
c.Barkley’s of Broadway 
5.Post Singin’ Career
a.Auntie Mame (58)
b.What a Way to Go (64)
c.Bells are Ringing 60
iii.Prior Musicals Based on Songs
1.‘Till the Clouds Roll By ‘46
2.Easter Parade ‘48
3.An American in Paris ‘51
  1. Songs
i.Singin’ in the Rain featured in “Hollywood Revue of 1929”
1.Joan Crawford/Buster Keaton & Marion Davies appeared in song
ii.All songs used in final film are Freed-Brown titles
iii.14 songs were chosen in Spring of ‘51
1.2 New songs added:  Make ‘em Laugh & Moses Supposes
a.Make ‘em laugh blatantly rips off Cole Porter’s Be a Clown
  1. Pre-Production
    1. Casting
i.Early Considerations
1.Howard Keel (singing cowboy)
2.Oscar Levant in Cosmo role
3.Judy Holiday considered for Hagen role (too famous)
4.Kelly wanted dance assistant Carol Haney for dancer, but too earthy
ii.Gene Kelly:  Peak of career. Singer, Dancer, Choreographer, director
1.Early Life
a.Began dancing at 7.  Hated it teased
b.Dancing blossomed in HS as girls took notice
c.Hockey player & gymnast
d.Taught dance in mom’s studio in H.S.
e.1 year at PSU, then to Pitt to help w/finances Econ degree
2.Early Career
a.Went to Broadway in ’38 as choreographer
b.1940 debut in The Time of your Life as Harry the Hoofer
i.Freed noticed him, but Kelly said he wasn’t ready for H’wood
c.Pal joey got him Hollywood contract
d.For Me & My Gal w/ Judy Garland got film career started
3.Pre-Singin’ Career
a.Came to Hollywood on Selznick contract
i.Bought out by MGM
ii.For Me & My Gal w/ Judy Garland (Dir B. Berkeley)
iii. 
b.Donan was Kelly’s assistant on Cover Girl
4.Post-Singin’ Career
a.XXX
5.Impact
a.Bassinger “with Kelly Dance moved away from ‘a 1 & a 2 & a 3…through ‘ta da’ to more natural & emotional”
6.Kelly/Astaire
a.Astaire more introverted, close, tight, while Kelly is wider & more open
b.Kelly: “My style is more proletarian his is more aristocratic”
c.Astaire more ethereal.  Kelly more tangible & held with gravity
d.Bassinger:  “Viewers hearts belonged to Astaire, but their bodies belonged to Kelly”
e.Ziefeld Follies only time on film dancing together
i.Gene deferential to the 45 yr old Astaire
ii.Both perfectionalists/did not compete with each other
iii.Similar upbringings
  1. Jean Hagen
1.Asphalt Jungle
2.College roommate of Patricia Neal
3.Died of cancer in ‘77
  1. Debbie Reynolds
1.Offered WB contract in ’48 after winning Miss Burbank
2.Three Little Words first role:  Singing & lines were dubbed
3.CONTROVERSY:  Reynolds says she was foisted on Donen/Kelly in Mtg w/ LB Mayer.  Donen/Kelly say they say previous role & never considered anyone else
a.Several girls auditioned, so truth may be in-between
4.19 when filming started
a.Only Dances in 3 songs
b.Jean Hagen dubbed her voice in looping section
c.Betty Noyes dubbed her singing
5.Unsinkable Molly Brown
  1. Donald O’Connor
1.Vaudlilian born on the road near Chicago
2.Started performing at 13 months
3.Known for Francis the Talking Mule movies
4.4 pack a day smoker (dancing took its toll)
  1. Cyd Charisse
1.Married Russian dance instructor at 18
  1. Misc
1.Diction Coach (Bobby Watson) played Hitler 11 times on screen
  1. Stanley Donen
i.Kelly’s assistant in early musical
ii.Married Kelly protégé who loved Kelly.  Marriage lasted 2 years (Jeanne Coyne)
iii.Donan was in love w/Kelly’s wife
iv.Kelly Married Donen’s ex-wife 10 years later (Jeanne Coyne)
v.Techinacally proficient with camera movement
 
  1. Kelly/Donen relationship
i.Like a Marriage
1.Gene 12 years older
a.Donen “like a son”
ii.Cover girl for Columbia first collaboration
1.Alter Ego dance (Donen idea)
iii.Anchors Away dance w/Jerry the mouse was Donen’s idea to one up Alter Egonn
  1. Production
    1. 42 days in production.  54 days rehearsal
i.Principal photography ended 11/21/51
  1. Cost:  $1,880,000 budget.  $2,540,000 to shoot
  2. Costumes
i.500 different costumes cost $157,250
ii.Nina’s dress from Dueling Cavelier’s was Norma Shearer’s from Marie Antoinette
  1. Dance Sequences
    1. Cine-Dance:  camera as recorder of enhancer of space
    2. “A number is like a short story, it must have a beginning, a middle & an end”-Gene Kelly
    3. Choreography
1.“Bricolage” style uses everyday props as aids
2.Tap Dance Sequences shot silently to playback, then taps synchronized & added in post production
  1. Singin’ in the rain
a.Puddles strategically placed/new cement
b.6 days to reherse/Kelly had bronchitis/ 3 days to shoot
c.Black tarp hung over 2 block area to simulate night
d.Time of day to mitigate affect in Culver City (b-fore 5)
e.Hot house like set caused suit to shrink on Kelly
f.Inner joy expressed in joyless environment
4.BROADWAY BALLET SEQUENCE
a.13 minute sequence
b.56 Camera Set ups
c.Modeled after Red Shoes Ballet (’49)
d.Charisse had never smoked before shooting scene
e.50 foot veil, blown w/Airplane motors
f.Costume troubles required hand colored negative
g.Shot on ‘Infinity set’ inspired by Dali
h.Cost $605K to shoot
  1. Songs
i.Singin’ in the Rain:  stage musical “Hollywood Music Box Revue ’27)
ii.“Good Morning” used in:  Babes in Arms (’39) & Mr & Mrs North in ‘42
iii.“Make ‘em Laugh”
1.1st take unusable due to tech issues
2.2nd take next day worked.  O’Connor took 3 days to recover
iv.“All I do is Dream of You”:  Sadie McCree (34), Hide Out (34), No More Ladies (35), Broadway Melody of ‘36
v.I’ve got a Feeling your’re foolin:  B’way Melody of ’36, Dancing Co-ed ’39, W/ a song in my heart ’52)
f.Sets/Props
i.Don’s mansion is filled w/props from Flesh & the Devil
ii.Cathy’s car used in Andy Hardy series
iii.Don’s portable dressing room used by Norma Shearer
g.Cinematography
i.John Alton started film, but was fired.  Too Dark
IV.Post-Production
a.12/3 first cut available
b.12/21 first preview in Riverside
i.18 minutes & 2 songs were cut after preview
1.Kathy’s “you are my lucky star & Don’s “All I do is dream of you” in bedroom (reprise)
c.Private MGM Preview on 3/7/52
i.Lowe’s head Nic Shenk knew it was a classic
d.4/11/52 General Release
V.Release
a.An American in Paris released prior November & smash hit, winning Best Picture Oscar.  MGM pulled SitR ad dollars to re-promote An American in Paris re-release
b.2 Oscar Noms.  Lost both
VI.Legacy
VII.Mystique
a.Kelly donated  his original script to Boston Univ in 1960’s, but asked for it back later & it was destroyed in Christmas eve fire at Kelly’s home in 1983.
b.Kelly & Donen had a falling out & spent years running each other down & claiming credit for genius.  Donen later had a change of heart.
Fell out making It’s Always Fair W
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  • Reviews
    • Quick Hits: Short Takes on Recent Viewing >
      • Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache
      • Elevator to the Gallows ('58)
      • Days of Heaven
      • Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
      • Incindies (2010)
      • In the Mood For Love (2000)
      • Last Picture Show Teaser Intro
      • Le Silence De La Mer ('49)
      • The Princess Bride ('87) Intro
      • Pulp Fiction ('94) Intro
    • The 1910's >
      • The Lubitsch German Silents
    • The 1920's >
      • The Odessa Steps Sequence as Continuing Film History
      • Sunrise (1927)
      • Wild Orchids ('29)
    • The 1930's >
      • Becky Sharp (1935)
      • Blonde Crazy
      • Bombshell ('33)
      • The Cheat
      • The Conquerors
      • The Crowd Roars
      • The Divorcee
      • Frank Capra & Barbara Stanwyck: The Evolution of a Romance
      • Heroes for Sale
      • The Invisible Man (1933)
      • L'Atalante (1934)
      • Let Us Be Gay
      • My Man Godfrey
      • No Man of Her Own (1932)
      • Platinum Blonde ('31)
      • Reckless ('35)
      • The Sign of the Cross (1932)
      • The Sin of Nora Moran (1932)
      • True Confession ('37)
      • Virtue ('32)
      • The Women
    • The 1940's >
      • Casablanca (1942)
      • The Story of Citizen Kane
      • Criss Cross (1949)
      • Double indemnity
      • Jean Arthur in A Foreign Affair
      • The Killers 1946 & 1964 Comparison
      • The Maltese Falcon Intro
      • Moonrise (1948)
      • My Gal Sal (1942)
      • Nightmare Alley
      • Notorious Intro ('46)
      • Overlooked Christmas Movies of the 1940's
      • Pursued (1947)
      • Remember the Night ('40)
      • The Red Shoes (1948)
      • The Set-Up ('49)
      • They Won't Believe Me (1947)
      • The Third Man
    • The 1950's >
      • The Asphalt Jungle Secret Cinema Intro
      • Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ('58) Intro
      • The Crimson Kimono (1959)
      • A Face in the Crowd (1957)
      • In a Lonely Place
      • A Kiss Before Dying (1956)
      • Mogambo ('53)
      • Niagara (1953)
      • The Night of The Hunter ('55)
      • Pushover Noir City
      • Rear Window (1954)
      • Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
      • Red Dust ('32 vs Mogambo ('53)
      • The Searchers ('56)
      • Singin' in the Rain Introduction
      • Some Like It Hot ('59) >
        • Some Like it Hot Intro (Beyond the Bay)
    • The 1960's >
      • The April Fools (1969)
      • Bonnie & Clyde (1967)
      • Cape Fear ('62)
      • Cool Hand Luke (1967) Intro
      • Dr Strangelove Intro
      • For a Few Dollars More (1965)
      • Fistful of Dollars (1964)
      • The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1968)
      • The Hustler ('61) Intro
      • The Man With No Name Trilogy
      • The Misfits ('61)
      • The Umbrellas of Cherbourg/La La Land
    • The 1970's >
      • Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)
      • American Graffiti Introduction
      • Chinatown Introduction
      • The Friends of Eddie Coyle ('73)
      • Jaws Intro
    • The 1980's >
      • Blood Simple ('84)
      • A Christmas Story Intro
      • Scarface (1983)
    • The 1990's >
      • The General (1998)
    • 2000's >
      • Belfast (2021)
      • Blonde (2022)
      • Hunger (2008)
      • In Bruges (2008)
      • Joy Division
      • Mank (2020)
      • No Man's Land (2001)
      • Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
      • Wall-E
      • Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)
      • The Top 10 Films I watched in 2020
  • Artists
    • Actors/Actresses >
      • Joan Blondell
      • Faye Dunaway: 1967-1976
      • The Noir Villainy of Dan Duryea
      • Clark Gable Bio
      • Jean Harlow Bio
      • Veronica Lake
      • Norma Shearer
    • Directors/Producers/Cinematographers >
      • Founders Series: Alice Guy-Blache
      • John Alton
      • Joan Harrison-Producer/Writer
      • Hitchcock & Cary Grant
      • William Wellman
    • Books >
      • Book Reviews >
        • Book Review: Clark Gable by D. Bret
      • Pre-Code
      • Actor Bios
      • Film Noir
      • Director Bios
      • Studio Head Bios
      • Hollywood History
    • Studio
  • Resources
    • Sight & Sound Top 100 2022
    • NOTES >
      • American Graffiti Notes
      • Anatomy of a Murder Notes
      • The Asphalt Jungle Outline
      • Breakfast Club Notes
      • Citizen Kane Notes
      • It's A Wonderful Life Notes
      • Rebel Without a Cause Notes
      • Singin' in the Rain Notes
    • CMBA Interview/Profile
    • Bay Cinema Society Press
    • Hollywood History >
      • Production Code
      • Film Noir
  • Video Introductions
    • Video Introductions
  • Last Picture Show Notes
  • Paul Verhoeven