This musical depicts the painful change in the motion pictures business when silent films converted to sound. Most in Hollywood, including actor Don Lockwood and his sidekick, Cosmo Brown, proceed to adapt. However, the current great silent star, Lina Lamont, simply doesn’t have the  right voice for the new sound film being produced,  a fate suffered by many silent stars of that era. A few in the film industry consider sound a passing fancy, but  producer R.F. Simpson, after seeing the first sound film, The Jazz Singer, sees it as the future and plows ahead. Trying to escape a horde of his fans, Don is rescued when he hops in a passing car being driven by Kathy. This, of course, is the beginning of their romance. It also becomes a solution to the Lina Lamont problem. Don convinces R.F. Simpson to have Lina’s voice dubbed by Kathy. And, furthermore, why not make this film a musical? This works like a charm, until Don reveals to the cheering opening-night audience that the credit for the success of the film  really belongs to Kathy. Embarrassed, Kathy runs off from the stage in tears.  It all ends well as Don and Kathy hook up and kiss in front of a billboard of their new film, Singin’ in the Rain. Songs by Nacio Herb Brown (music) and Arthur Freed (lyrics). Screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green.

Cast

Gene Kelly (Don Lockwood) / Donald O’Connor (Cosmo Brown) / Debbie Reynolds (Kathy Selden) / Jean Hagen (Lily Lamont) / Millard Mitchell (R.F. Simpson)

Why Stream This Film?

Roger Ebert said it best in his review of the film: “No one who loves movies can afford to miss it.” Bravo!