Singin' in the Rain

Shooting period: June 18 — 21 November 1951 26 December 1951 (additional shooting).

First movie of Stanley Donen was written all the songs. Then created a scenario, given that the song has organically entered in it.

The film was originally conceived as a remake of the tape of the "Excess baggage" (1928). And the opening titles refer to "the Hollywood Revue" (1929).

The role of Cosmo brown, the writers wrote with the expectation of Oscar Levant. However, it played the Donald O'connor.

After gene Kelly performed the famous dance in the rain, he caught pneumonia.

The rain was made of water and milk. In the frame it looked perfect, but during filming because of this "rain" got wool suit Gene Kelly.

Most of the costumes, which appears on the screen, gene Kelly, parody his own role in the films "the Three Musketeers" (1948), "the Pirate" (1948), "a Song in your heart" (1948), "an American in Paris" (1951) and others.

Some of the costumes in Stanley Bottom used in the filming of another of his films – "Deep in my heart" (1954).

Gene Kelly insulted Debbie Reynolds, saying that she absolutely can't dance. Fortunately, the set proved to be Fred Astaire, Reynolds caught roaring on the piano. He helped her to learn dancing for the film.

Donald O'connor told me that gene Kelly on the set was far from the image of a sympathetic older friend. He was known for tyrannical manners and during the first weeks O'connor felt what it's like to make a slightest mistake in the presence of Kelly.

For 19-year-old Debbie Reynolds already played in several movie roles, this film was supposed to be a breakthrough in his career. Not to be late for shooting, Debbie, lived with parents, had to get up at 4 am and go to the Studio on three different buses. Sometimes she writes the Hollywood reporter right on set. In addition, she was given the shots during the stage dances she burst blood vessels in the legs. Later Reynolds was told that the shooting in this film and the nurturing of the child – two of the most exhausting things that she had to endure.

Due to his young Debbie Reynolds got the role of Kathy Selden. Studio MGM wanted to ask someone famous like Judy garland, June Allyson or Jane Powell, but they all felt "too old" for the role of Katie.

Studio MGM wanted to invite the lead role of Howard keel.

During the film shooting days, sometimes lasted for 19 hours.

The collapse of Lina Lamont, the silent film star, which failed to adapt to the advent of sound, only on the screen looked Comedy. In fact, the movie ruined many a career. So, gene Kelly held several conversations with Buster Keaton, to better understand how the kick sound was for the stars "dumb Comedy".

It was the advent of sound in film indirectly inspired the writers of the film. The fact that at the time they bought the house one of the Hollywood silent film star, also victim of a new era in film.

In the film, you can find a number of parodies of Hollywood stars of the silent period. So, Zelda Zanders is a parody of Clara bow, Olga Mara – on the Floor Negri. And the Baron de La MA de La Toulon – this is an allusion to the Marquis Henri de La Fales, husband of Gloria Swanson.

Led Cheriss had to learn to smoke – especially for the scenes of the "fatal" dance.

Some of the gags were based on funny memories costumer Walter Plunkett, who began his career in 1929 – during the birth of sound cinema.

One of the scenes between Gene Kelly and Jean Hagen are based on a similar scene between Bebe Daniels and John Boles in "Rio Rita" (1929).

MGM Studio had hoped to keep within a budget of $665 thousand. But only the costumes Walter Plunkett was $157 thousand, and the budget and all grew to $2.5 million. All these investments, however, turned a huge profit at the box office.

The original negatives of the film died in the fire.

The image of Lina Lamont Adolph green and Betty Komden cheated with actress Judy Holliday, with whom they once worked in night clubs as part of the comic Quartet "The Revuers". Even had the idea to invite to the role of Lina herself Halliday, but the actress after the release of the controversial film "Born yesterday" (1950) was in sight of the FBI (because of the plot the filmmakers were accused of sympathizing with communism).

A mute black and white film with Don and Lena in the lead roles, whose premiere shown at the beginning, it's actually a cutting from the actual film "the Three Musketeers" (1948), where gene Kelly played the role of D'artagnan. In reality, this movie color and sound, but for "Singing in the rain" from the illustrated passages removed sound and color, and at the same time in the same scenery was shot a few frames with the participation of Kelly and Jean Hagen. But in some shots instead the viewer sees Lana Turner, who in "the Musketeers" played the role of lady winter.

During the choreography of the song "Make "Em Laugh" to gene Kelly came up with Donald O'connor, several of these heavy dance tricks that when you have finished recording the songs last for a whole week suffering from exhaustion and burns the face (which he received when in one of the scenes the songs tumbled flat on the carpet). The situation was exacerbated by the fact that the original footage take was in an accident and rejected O'connor, after a brief rest, had to do it all over again.

In one of the first versions of the script of the film musical number "Singin" in the Rain" performed by all three main characters — Don, Kathy and Cosmo, as they returned from a disastrous test preview their sound film.

In the film, Katie (Debbie Reynolds) duplicates mediocre actress Lamont Lina (Jean Hagen). However, in reality, almost all the songs in the frame of the performed Reynolds, behind the scenes sang the singer Betty Noyes. Only in one scene, Debbie herself is singing the song "Lucky star".