Featured In: Singin' In the RainComposer/Lyricist: Arthur Freed & Nacio Herb Brown
Performer: Gene Kelly
Description:"Singin' In the Rain" is a song with lyrics by Arthur Freed and music by Nacio Herb Brown, published in 1929. However, it is unclear exactly when the song was written with some claiming that the song was written and performed as early as 1927. The song was listed as Number 3 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs.
"Singing in the Rain" was first performed by Doris Eaton Travis in the 1929 revue
The Hollywood Music Box Revue. The song became a hit and was recorded by a number of artists, notably Cliff Edwards, who also performed the number with the Brox Sisters in the early MGM musical
The Hollywood Revue of 1929. It was also performed by Annette Hanshaw in her album Volume 6. It was also performed on film by Jimmy Durante (in 1932's
Speak Easily) and Judy Garland (in 1940's
Little Nellie Kelly). An instrumental version was used as background music at the beginning of MGM's 1930
The Divorcee starring Norma Shearer.
The song is probably best known today as the centerpiece of the musical film
Singin' in the Rain, in which Gene Kelly memorably danced to the song while splashing through puddles during a rainstorm. The song is also performed during the opening credits of the film.
Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American musical comedy film starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds and directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with Kelly also providing the choreography. It offers a lighthearted depiction of Hollywood, with the three stars portraying performers caught up in the transition from silent films to "talkies."
The film was only a modest hit when first released, with O'Connor's Best Actor win at the Golden Globes and Comden and Green's win at the Writers Guild of America Awards being the only major recognitions. However, it was accorded its legendary status by contemporary critics. It is now frequently described as one of the best musicals ever made, topping the AFI's 100 Years of Musicals list, and ranking fifth in its updated list of the greatest American films in 2007.
In an early draft of the script, the musical number "Singin' in the Rain" was to be sung by Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor, and Gene Kelly on their way back from the flop preview of
The Dueling Cavalier. The footage of this scene has been lost.
In the famous dance routine in which Gene Kelly sings the title song while twirling an umbrella, splashing through puddles and getting soaked to the skin, Kelly was sick with a 103 °F (39 °C) fever. The rain in the scene caused Kelly's wool suit to shrink during filming. A common myth is that Kelly managed to perform the entire song in one take, thanks to cameras placed at predetermined locations. However this was not the case as the filming of the sequence took place over 2–3 days. Another myth is that the rain was mixed with milk in order for the drops to show up on camera, but the shots were simply lit from the front.