Singin' In The Rain Fun Facts

Hello Everyone,
A few weeks ago I found an article online, that talk about 25 things you didn't know about Singin' In The Rain. So I went through to article and picked out my 6 favorite fun facts. If you want to read about the other 19 facts, then you can read the whole article here!

Lets Begin!

source
 1. O'Connor also worked himself to exhaustion on the "Make 'Em Laugh" number, which had him resurrecting bits of acrobatic comedy he'd done back in the days of vaudeville (including, famously, running up a wall and flipping into a somersault). O'Connor was a four-pack-a-day smoker, and after filming the number, he took to bed for several days, only to learn that the footage had been accidentally destroyed. So he did it all again.

2.  Reynolds, however, wasn't so sure. She had no dance training, and she found co-director/choreographer/co-star Kelly a tyrannical taskmaster. One day, she was so despondent that she curled up beneath a piano and started to cry -- only to be found by Fred Astaire, who gave her some dance coaching. By the time she filmed the "Good Morning" number, she was able to keep up with Kelly and O'Connor, but after the 14-hour shot was done, she had to be carried to her dressing room because her feet were bleeding. Years later, she would praise Kelly as the most exciting director she'd ever worked with, while he called her "strong as an ox" and complimented her on her ability to learn complicated routines quickly. Still, she said, "The two hardest things I ever did in my life are childbirth and “Singin' in the Rain'."

3.  . Even Kelly worked himself sick. The title number, filmed on a street set two blocks long on the MGM backlot, took seven days to film, with six hours of fake rain each day. The water was mixed with milk to make it show better on camera, but the mixture made Kelly's wool suit shrink. The perpetually drenched Kelly had a bad cold and fever the whole time. Dancers Gwen Verdon, Jeanne Coyne, and Carol Haney dubbed Kelly's tap sounds and splashing noises in post-production.

4.  Irony alert: Filming the sequence where Kathy dubs Lena's singing and speaking voices in "The Dancing Cavalier," it was decided that Reynolds' voice wasn't working, so Jean Hagen's own speaking voice was used to dub Reynolds. Plus, Betty Noyes dubbed Reynolds' singing voice for the "Would You" number in that scene.

5.  To create the role of Lina Lamont, the silent star with the disastrous voice, Comden and Green thought of Judy Holliday, their old sketch comedy partner, and even revived some bits of business from their old act. But after Holliday won the Oscar for 1950's "Born Yesterday," they realized they'd need someone else. They turned to Jean Hagen, who'd been Holliday's understudy in the Broadway version of "Born Yesterday." For her audition, Hagen did a drop-dead impression of Holliday and won the role.

6.  For female lead Kathy Selden, such stars as Judy Garland and June Allyson were considered, but Kelly was sold on starlet Reynolds. She was a gymnast who'd been discovered in a beauty pageant and landed a couple of small movie roles. She was also still a teenager, but Kelly was certain she had the athleticism and vocal chops the part required.

Enjoy,
 

* All these fact were found in the article Singin' In The Rain: 25 Things You Didn't Know About Hollywood's Greatest Musical by Gary Susman *

5 comments

  1. I simply love that movie. Great story for a rainy day here in TN.

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  2. Wow - I haven't seen the movie in a long time. I guess now I need to watch it again :)

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  3. Interesting! Thanks for sharing!

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  4. that is one of my favorite movies of all times....they don't make them that good anymore. they depend too much on computer graphics.
    Debbi
    -yankeeburrowcreations

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  5. Cool, thanks for sharing!

    Blogging Buddies Team

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