The Making of Singin’ In the Rain

Woodcut of Gene Kelly from “Singin’ In the Rain.” (Artwork by author)

In 1949, the writing team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green walked into the MGM offices of Arthur Freed. Freed, a lyricist and renowned film producer, specialized in movie musicals. He told Comden and Green, “Kids, your next movie is going to be Singin’ in the Rain and it’s going to have all my songs in it.” There was no plot. No characters. Just a bunch of unrelated songs and the notion that one scene would have someone singing while it was raining. Somehow this became the greatest movie musical ever made.

The 1952 film offers a comedic depiction of Hollywood’s transition from silents to talkies. Choreographed and directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, the film stars Kelly, Donald O’Connor, and 18-year-old beauty pageant winner Debbie Reynolds. Reynolds was a gymnast with no dance experience. Kelly was a harsh taskmaster and criticized her dancing skills. One day, Fred Astaire visited the set and found Reynolds crying beneath a piano. He agreed to give her dance lessons. By the time she filmed the “Good Morning” scene, she was able to keep up with Kelly and O’Connor. The 14-hour shooting days caused burst blood vessels in Reynolds’ feet. Years later she said, “The two hardest things I ever did in my life are childbirth and Singin’ in the Rain.”

O’Connor also succumbed to the stress of production. During the “Make ’Em Laugh” number, he resurrected an old…