6 Little Known Fact About 'Singin' In The Rain'

Vintage

6 Little Known Fact About 'Singin' In The Rain'

"I'm siiiiiingin' in the rain! Just siiiiiiingin' in the rain! What a glooorious feelin', I'm haaaapy again!"

Is there a person on this planet that doesn't know the song? The 1952 movie-musical is still regarded as one of the most incredible singing and dancing showcases of all time.

With a star studded cast of Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly, and Donald O'Connor, the Oscar nominated film is still beloved to this day.

But, as with anything, there are some things that people may not know about the classic movie.

Take a look and see if you knew any of these facts about Singing' In The Rain!

1. It was a movie first.

Unlike most movie musicals from its time, Singin' in the Rain was a movie before it was on Broadway! It featured many songs from old movies, but the script itself was brand new. It would later go on to become a stage musical starting in 1983 in London's West End before hitting Broadway.

2. The movie was an ego trip.

Producer Arthur Freed was an accomplished lyricist through the 1920s and 30s. He was an uncredited producer on The Wizard of Oz and MGM studios decided to give Freed his own unit, where he oversaw the production of 45 big-screen musicals. By the time the 1950s rolled along, Freed wanted a musical that would showcase all the hit songs he'd written, so he came up with the idea for Singin' In The Rain.

Hollywood's Golden Age

3. Debbie Reynolds had no dance experience.

When Reynolds was asked to join the cast, she made it clear to Gene Kelly that she had no dance experience. Kelly wasn't intimated by this, just like he wasn't when he worked with Frank Sinatra on Anchors Aweigh. Kelly taught Reynolds how to dance for the film and she rehearsed day in and day out to keep up with O'Connor and Kelly. At just 19 years old, Reynolds didn't want to embarrass herself. She was quoted as saying, "The two hardest things I ever did in my life are childbirth and Singin' in the Rain."

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4. Gene Kelly was vertically challenged.

When Kelly was choreographing his dance routines with Cyd Charisse, he made sure their height difference was unnoticed. Charisse wore heels during their dance number, which made her taller than Kelly. He made sure to choreograph their routine so that they were never standing upright next to each other.

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5. Gene Kelly was extremely ill.

During the iconic "Singin' In The Rain" number, Kelly had a fever of 103 degrees. The shoot lasted a couple days, and Kelly managed to power through it all.

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6. Part of the movie was censored.

If you really pay attention to Gene Kelly and Cyd Charrise's dance number, you'll notice a quick jump cut. There's no camera movement, but there's clearly a cut in the film (at the 1:22:03 mark.) It's believed that part of the ballet was considered "too suggestive" for cinema and had to be removed. The part in question would have involved Charisse wrapping her legs around Kelly, something ballet dancers do all the time. The cut scene, and all the negatives of the film, were destroyed in a fire.

Lileks

Meagan has an intense love for Netflix, napping, and carbs.