Stanley Donen’s 1952 film “Singin’ in the Rain,” starring Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, and the obnoxiously chipper Gene Kelly, was once held up in the pages of /Film as the Platonic ideal of movie musicals.
It is a certainly a dance showcase of the highest order, and an unapologetic Hollywood nostalgia piece.
Silent films are on the way out, sound pictures are on the way in, and singing and dancing are all set to be the future of cinema.
“Singin’ on the Rain” is also a jukebox musical.
The songs are all old standards, including the title number, which came from “The Hollywood Revue of 1929” as did “You Were Meant for Me.” “You Are My Lucky Star” was from “The Hollywood Revue of 1936,” and “Good Morning” came from Busby Berkeley’s 1939 film “Babes in Arms.” Kelly and Donen concluded their film with a very, very long — a Very long
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