SINGIN' IN THE RAIN captures The Favorite Classic Musical Film Crown

In the final match top seed Singin' in the Rain easily over-powered Meet Me in St. Louis 16-4 to win favorite classic musical film. It was an exciting tournament that I was more than happy to do for my friend Dawn. Thanks to everyone who voted and for my money, I think the right film won.

Donald, Debbie and Gene are all tired after this exciting tournament..but happy!

It's SINGIN' IN THE RAIN vs MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS for all the marbles...

We finally made it to the final match of the favorite classic musical film tournament. What started with 64 films a month ago, has now come down to the final two films to decide the one winner. Overall tournament top seed Singin' in the Rain defeated 30's era champion Swing Time 13-6 while third seed and sentimental favorite Meet Me in St. Louis upset 60's era champion The Sound of Music 10-8. So now Rain will face St. Louis for bragging rights of favorite classic musical film. The match begins immediately and will run thru Saturday 8 pm EST. Good luck to both films.

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

1 SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)

VS

3 MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944)



Happy Birthday: Debbie Reynolds!

Debbie Reynolds (born April 1, 1932), performed in many movie musicals during the 1950s and had several hit records during the same period. Her song "Aba Daba Honeymoon" featured in the 1950 film, Two Weeks with Love(1950) was a top-three hit in 1951. She is best known for her performance in the film, Singin' in the Rain (1952). A comedy musical film starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor and Jean Hagen and directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with Kelly also providing the choreography. It shows a comic view of Hollywood, and its transition from silent films to "talkies."

Next she went on to perform in the film, In Bundle of Joy (1956), with her then-husband, Eddie Fisher. Which, is a musical remake of the comedy film, Bachelor Mother (1939).  The story is about a unmarried salesgirl at a department store, who finds and takes care of an abandoned baby. The fun begins when her co-workers believe the child is hers and that the father is the son of the store owner.

Her recording of the song "Tammy", from her 1957 film Tammy and the Bachelor (1957), was the best-selling single by a female vocalist in 1957.



In 1959, Reynolds recorded her first album, called Debbie, which included her own selection of 12 standards including "S’posin'", "Moonglow", "Mean To Me" and "Time After Time". Reynolds also had two other top-25 Billboard hits with "A Very Special Love" (1958) and "Am I That Easy to Forget" (1960).

Her starring role in the film The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964) led to a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She then portrayed Jeanine Deckers in the film, The Singing Nun (1966).

From 1999 to its 2006 series finale, she played Grace Adler's mother, Bobbi Adler, on the sitcom, Will & Grace (1998–2006), which earned her a Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2000. She also plays a recurring role in the Disney Channel Original Movie Halloweentown film series as Aggie Cromwell. Reynolds made a guest appearance as a presenter at the 69th Academy Awards in 1997.



She is currently performing in her West End show Debbie Reynolds: Alive and Fabulous. In June 2010, her publicist Edward Lozzi secured her a role as a regular columnist for the weekly paper Globe, replacing Ivana Trump in answering reader queries.

She has received various nominations for awards including: an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy for The Debbie Reynolds Show (1970), a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Mother (1996) and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, for her role of Bobbi Adler in the sitcom Will & Grace (2000). In 1996 and 1997, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Comedy, in the American Comedy Awards.

Three Little Words(1950).

Three Little Words(1950). Musical film biography of the Tin Pan Alley songwriting partnership of Kalmar and Ruby. Cast: Fred Astaire, Bert Kalmar, Red Skelton, Vera Ellen and Debbie Reynolds in a small role as singer. Harry Ruby served as a consultant on the project, and appears in a cameo role as a baseball-catcher.


One of Astaire's favourites, because of the vaudeville connection. As Hollywood film biographies it takes fewer liberties with the facts than usual, and Astaire and Skelton's onscreen portrayal of the partnership is complemented by a wonderful chemistry, some quality acting by both, and some fine comedy touches by Skelton. Two of the songs, "Thinking of You"


And "Nevertheless", became major hits.

In recognition of his acting performance here, Fred Astaire was awarded the first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy in 1951.

Fun Facts:

Vocals for Debbie Reynolds were dubbed by Helen Kane.


Vocals for Vera-Ellen were dubbed by Anita Ellis.

The dress worn by Gale Robbins in the "All Alone Monday" number is the same dress worn by Ann Miller in the "Girl on the Magazine Cover" in Easter Parade (1948).

Soundtracks:

"Where Did You Get That Girl?"

Written Harry Puck, Bert Kalmar
Sung and Danced by Fred Astaire, Vera-Ellen (dubbed by Anita Ellis)

"She's Mine, All Mine"
Written by Harry Ruby, Bert Kalmar
Sung by quartet

"Mr. and Mrs. Hoofer at Home"
(uncredited)
Music by André Previn
Danced by Fred Astaire, Vera-Ellen

"My Sunny Tennessee"
Written by Harry Ruby, Herman Ruby, Bert Kalmar
Sung by Fred Astaire, Red Skelton

"So Long! Oo-Long (How Long You Gonna Be Gone?)"
Written by Harry Ruby, Bert Kalmar
Sung by Fred Astaire, Red Skelton

"Who's Sorry Now?"
Written by Harry Ruby, Bert Kalmar, Ted Snyder
Sung by Gloria DeHaven

"Test Dance"
(uncredited)
Music by André Previn
Danced by Fred Astaire

"Come on, Papa"
Written by Harry Ruby, Edgar Leslie, Bert Kalmar
Sung by Vera-Ellen (dubbed by Anita Ellis)
Danced by Vera-Ellen, chorus

"Nevertheless"
Written by Harry Ruby, Bert Kalmar
Sung by Fred Astaire, Vera-Ellen (dubbed by Anita Ellis), and Red Skelton
Danced by Fred Astaire, Vera-Ellen

"All Alone Monday"
Written by Harry Ruby, Bert Kalmar
Sung by Gale Robbins (later by Arlene Dahl)

"You Smiled at Me"
Written by Harry Ruby, Bert Kalmar
Sung by Arlene Dahl

"I Wanna Be Loved by You"
Written by Harry Ruby, Bert Kalmar, Herbert Stothart
Sung by Debbie Reynolds (dubbed by Helen Kane)

"Thinking of You"
Written by Harry Ruby, Bert Kalmar
Sung by Fred Astaire (later by Red Skelton)
Danced by Fred Astaire, Vera-Ellen

"I Love You So Much"
Written by Harry Ruby, Bert Kalmar
Sung by Arlene Dahl

"Three Little Words"
Written by Harry Ruby, Bert Kalmar
Sung by Fred Astaire (later by Red Skelton)

"You are My Lucky Star"
(uncredited)
by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed
Sung by Phil Regan

The Daughter of Rosie O' Grady(1950).

The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady(1950).Cast: June Haver, Gordon MacRae, James Barton, S.Z. Sakall, Gene Nelson, Sean McClory and Debbie Reynolds.



After watching the parade honoring soldiers returning from the Spanish-American War, sisters Patricia and Maureen O'Grady, walk by Tony Pastor's vaudeville theater, on their way to bring lunch to their father Dennis, a streetcar conductor. Tony, who at the time is dressed as a bum, the girls decide that he needs the lunch more than their father.

Dennis' friend, Miklos, tells father to talk his daughters about men before it is too late. Unknown to Dennis, his oldest daughter Katie is already married to James Moore and is pregnant. They have not told anyone about their marriage because the wartime housing shortage they have not found an apartment of their own.

Pat soon learns that the man who ate their father's lunch was not a bum but an actor, heads straight to the theater to find him. Tony apologizes, and after learning that Pat's mother was a well-known vaudeville performer, writes a song about the "Daughter of Rosie O'Grady." He then asks the sisters to play the song and is still there when Dennis comes home. Dennis blames the death of his wife Rosie on the hard life of vaudeville and is opposed to anything to do with the theater. Pat thinks it best to tell her father that Tony is a college student. During a dinner party with Tony and some of is friends, Pat tells Tony that she wants to go on the stage. Tony insists that they tell her father the truth about his profession, which backfires and Dennis bans Tony from his house until he gives up the theater. Pat moves out staying with Miklos and his wife. When Dennis learns that one of his daughters is expecting twins, he decides it must be Pat and immediately gets drunk. The bartender calls a policeman, and Jim, who is now working as a policeman, comes to take him home. Will the family reconcile and go back to performing on stage?

What makes this movie fun, is that it is debut of Debbie Reynolds. She had been in June Bride (1948) previously, but without dialogue.

Gene Nelson (March 24, 1920 - September 16, 1996), was inspired to become a dancer by watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies when he was a child. After serving in the Army during World War II, Nelson landed his first Broadway role in, Lend an Ear, for which he received the Theatre World Award. He also appeared on stage in Follies, which won him a Tony Award nomination, and Good News.

Nelson's film acting credits include: This is the Army (1943), I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now (1947), Gentlemen's Agreement (1947), Apartment for Peggy (1948), The Walls of Jericho (1948), The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady (1950), Tea for Two (1950), The West Point Story (1950), Lullaby of Broadway (1951), Painting the Clouds with Sunshine (1951), Starlift (1951), She's Working Her Way Through College (1952), She's Back on Broadway (1953), Three Sailors and a Girl (1953), Crime Wave(1954), So This is Paris (1954), Oklahoma! (1955), The Atomic Man (1956), The Way Out (1956), The Purple Hills (1961), 20,000 Eyes (1961), Thunder Island (1963), Starred as "Buddy" in the 1971 Broadway musical "Follies", A Brand New Life (1972), Family Flight (1972), and S.O.B. (1981). Nelson directed episodes of the original Star Trek, the first season of I Dream of Jeannie, and Gunsmoke. In 1959, he appeared with Keith Larsen and Buddy Ebsen in the NBC adventure series Northwest Passage as a young man trying to prove his innocence in a murder case. Nelson also directed the 1965 Elvis Presley movie Harum Scarum.

Singin' in the Rain (1952). What a Glorious Feeling !

Singin' in the Rain(1952). Comedy/musical. Cast: Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor, and Jean Hagen. Directed: Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with Kelly also as choreographer. It offers a comic view of Hollywood, and its transition from silent films to "talkies."

There are so many wonderful Singing in the Rain reviews, I thought I would share some of my favorite scenes of the movie..



The film opens with everyone standing in front of Hollywood's Chinese Theater for the premiere of Monumental Picture's, The Royal Rascal, with silent screen couple Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont.



Don shares with radio announcer Dora Bailey that his motto has always been "dignity" and tells a cute story loosely based on his childhood.



The audience loves the swashbuckling film and asks to hear from its stars, who they all think are a couple, but Don, can not stand his bossy screechy-voiced co-star.



Don sneaks away from Lina and drives with his best friend, studio pianist Cosmo Brown, to the premiere party. On Hollywood Blvd., Cosmo's car breaks down, and Don is surrounded by his fans. To escape from being pulled apart, Don jumps onto a passing car driven by Kathy Selden. She is frightened, but when a policeman tells Kathy who Don is, she offers him a ride to his home in Beverly Hills.




Although, Kathy says she has seen only one of Don's films, she is actually a chorus girl at the Coconut Grove nightclub. After dropping Don off, Kathy drives to the party at R. F.'s house, where she will be performing. When Don arrives at the party they are showing a short talking picture. Most of the guests are unimpressed, even when R. F. says that the Warner brothers are about to release a feature-length talking picture. When the entertainment starts, Don is surprised, to see Kathy jump out of a cake and tries to talk with her, but she thinks that he only wants to make fun of her.



Just as a Lina walks up to them, Kathy throws a pie at him, but misses, and hits Lina instead.





Fun Fact:

Debbie Reynolds was not a dancer at the time she made Singin' in the Rain, was as a gymnast. Kelly insulted her for her lack of dance experience. Fred Astaire was at the studio and he found Reynolds crying under a piano. Astaire volunteered to help her with her dancing. After shooting the "Good Morning" routine, Reynolds' feet were bleeding. Years later, she was quoted as saying that "making this film and surviving childbirth were the two most difficult experiences of her life".



In the famous dance routine in which Gene Kelly sings the title song while twirling an umbrella, splashing through puddles he was actually dancing in water with a little bit of milk added, so that the water puddles and raindrops would show up better on film. Kelly was sick with a 103-degree fever at the time. Filming of the sequence took place over 2–3 days



Donald O'Connor as Cosmo Brown. The role was based on, and was initially written for, Oscar Levant. For the "Make Em Laugh" number, Gene Kelly asked Donald O'Connor to revive a trick he had done as a young dancer, running up a wall and completing a somersault. The number was so physically taxing that O'Connor, who smoked four packs of cigarettes a day at the time, went to bed for a week after its completion, suffering from exhaustion and painful carpet burns. Unfortunately, an accident ruined all of the initial footage, so after a brief rest, O'Connor, ever the professional, agreed to do the difficult number all over again.



Before this film, dancer Cyd Charisse had only been in films as a 'dance specialty' or as a co-co star since 1944. Her performance as the Louise Brooks-like vamp in the "Broadway Melody" fantasy number was so successful that MGM finally put her in other films. Her next film was, The Band Wagon (1953), starring Fred Astaire.

Many real-life silent-film personalities are parodied, especially in the opening sequence. Zelda Zanders - the "Zip Girl" - is Clara Bow, the "It Girl". Olga Mara is Pola Negri, and her husband, Baron de la Ma de la Toulon, is a reference to Gloria Swanson's husband, the Marquis Henri de la Falaise de Coudray.

Soundtracks:

"Singin in the Rain"
(1929) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Originally from The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929)
Sung by Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds
Danced by Gene Kelly
Sung by Debbie Reynolds

"Fit as a Fiddle"
(1932) (uncredited)
Music by Al Hoffman and Al Goodhart
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Originally from the 1932 stage revue "George White's Music Hall Varieties"
Sung and Danced by Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor

"All I Do Is Dream of You"
(1934) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Originally from Sadie McKee (1934)
Sung and Danced by Debbie Reynolds and chorus

"Make 'Em Laugh"
(1948) (uncredited)
Music by Cole Porter
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Originally from The Pirate (1948) as "Be a Clown"
Sung and Danced by Donald O'Connor

"I've Got a Feeling You're Foolin'"
(1935) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Originally from Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)
Sung by chorus

"The Wedding of the Painted Doll"
(1929) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Originally from The Broadway Melody (1929)
Sung by chorus

"Should I?"
(1929) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Originally from Lord Byron of Broadway (1930)
Sung by Wilson Wood

"Beautiful Girl"
(1933) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Originally from Stage Mother (1933)
Sung by Jimmy Thompson

"You Were Meant For Me"
(1929) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Originally from The Broadway Melody (1929)
Sung by Gene Kelly
Danced by Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds

"Moses"
(1952) (uncredited)
(Also known as "Moses Supposes")
Music by Roger Edens
Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Sung and Danced by Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor

"Good Morning"
(1939) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Originally from Babes in Arms (1939)
Sung and Danced by Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds

"Would You"
(1936) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Originally from San Francisco (1936)
Sung by Debbie Reynolds (dubbed by Betty Noyes)

"Broadway Rhythm Ballet"
(1952) (uncredited)
Arranged from "Broadway Rhythm" (1935)
Originally from Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935) and from "Broadway Melody" (1929)
Originally from The Broadway Melody (1929)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Sung by Gene Kelly
Danced by Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse

"Singin in the Rain (in A-Flat)"
(1929) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Originally from The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929)
Sung by Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Millard Mitchell

"You Are My Lucky Star"
(1935) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Originally from Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)
Sung by Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and offscreen chorus

"Temptation"
(1933) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Originally from Going Hollywood (1933)

Happy Birthday Debbie Reynolds

To a wonderful actress and entertainer, Debbie celebrates her birthday today....born April 1, 1932 in El Paso, Texas


Debbie Reynolds Photos