Last night, I was unwinding by playing through the Pyramid Scheme archive and watching old musicals. Every time I turn on an old MGM film, I’m floored by the talent of the Golden Age of Hollywood, so here are 16 really interesting facts about Singin’ in the Rain.
1.
Gene Kelly performed the titular dance number with a 103º fever. The director wanted to send him home, but Gene insisted on one take to avoid wasted preparations.
2.
They had to reschedule filming the scene to achieve the water pressure they needed. When they first attempted to film in the afternoon, everyone was coming home from work and watering their lawn, so their artificial rain was just a drip. They had to revisit in the morning when everyone was at work so they could get sufficient water pressure.
3.
It was Debbie Reynolds’s first movie. She was 17 years old and had no dancing experience beforehand.
4.
She also only made $75 a week for the film.
5.
In the “Broadway Melody” sequence, there is a cut during the dance sequence because Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse’s moves were a little too risqué.
6.
“Singin’ in the Rain” is not an original song. It was actually performed as early as 1928. Most of the songs in the movie are covers, making it a jukebox musical akin to Moulin Rouge!.
7.
One of two “original” songs for the film, “Make ’em Laugh,” is actually, the director admitted, a ripoff of “Be A Clown” from The Pirate.
8.
Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor ended up doing a lot of their own stunts. In an interview with Roger Ebert, O’Connor said, “[Russ Saunders] was the stuntman. If a stunt was too difficult, they thought I would get hurt, or Gene would get hurt, so they would call in Russ. And 90 times out of 100, he would get hurt, and we’d have to go in and do it. “
9.
Two blocks of outdoor sets were covered in tarps to make it dark enough for the “Singin’ in the Rain” number.
10.
Real-life Hollywood personalities inspired characters in the movie. Real-life gossip columnist Louella Parsons inspired Dora Bailey; Cyd Charisse is dressed up like ’20s film star Louise Brooks; and the Dueling Cavaliers director Roscoe Dexter is modeled after Busby Berkeley.
11.
Costume designer Walter Plunkett made more than 500 costumes for the film.
12.
Rita Moreno, who plays Zelda in the film, is the last surviving member of the main cast.
13.
The premier of “The Royal Rascal” in the film is actually footage taken from MGM’s The Three Musketeers with Gene Kelly, which came out four years prior. You can briefly see Lana Turner from the original Three Musketeers film before it cuts to Lina Lamont.
14.
For the “Broadway Ballet” number, Cyd Charisse’s scarf is 40 feet long and made of China silk.
15.
Jean Hagen was the only actor from the film nominated for an Oscar.
Do you have a favorite movie from the golden age of Hollywood? Tell us in the comments below!
