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!

Happy Birthday : Donald O Connor!

Donald O’Connor's, birthday was on August 28th. He was an dancer, singer, and actor who came to fame in movies in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule. His most famous performance was as Gene Kelly's friend and colleague in Singin' in the Rain (1952).

Donald O' Connor. Was best known for his ability to do somersault against walls.

Donnald O'Connor, began his movie career in 1937. He performed with Bing Crosby in Sing, You Sinners, and at age 12 showed perfect comedic timing. Paramount Pictures used him in Tom Sawyer, Detective and Beau Geste. In 1940, he returned to vaudeville.

In 1942 O'Connor joined Universal Pictures. He played roles in four of the Gloria Jean musicals, and became a star in Mister Big (1943).In 1944, O'Connor was drafted into the Army. Universal Pictures rushed him through three films. After his discharge, Universal (now reorganized as Universal-International) cast him in musicals and comedies.In 1949, he played the lead role in Francis, the story of a soldier befriended by a talking mule. It was because of Francis that O'Connor could not play Bing Crosby's side kick in White Christmas. O'Connor became ill from an illness transmitted by the mule.
O'Connor's role as Cosmo the piano player in Singin' in the Rain earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy or Musical.

Donald O'Connor was a regular host of NBC's popular Colgate Comedy Hour. He hosted a color television special on NBC in 1957. He also had a television series in the late 1960s.His career took off when he hosted the Oscar Awards, which earned him two Prime time Emmy nominations. He performed as a gaslight-era entertainer in the 1981 film Ragtime, known for performances by James Cagney and Pat O'Brien. O'Connor performed in, Bring Back Birdie on Broadway in 1981, and continued to make film and television appearances into the 1990s. Donald O'Connor's last feature film was the Jack Lemmon-Walter Matthau comedy Out to Sea, in which he played a dance host on a cruise ship. O’Connor was still making public appearances well into 2003.
Donald O' Conner performing with Carmen Miranda.
Donald O' Conner performing with Angela Lansbury.

Donald O Connor performed in: There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) . With Marilyn Monroe.

Donald O' Connor, Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. On the Singin' in the Rain set. Fred Astaire helped performers with their dance routines.

The Milkman (1950). With Jimmy Durante.

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)