A jubilant musical comedy that showers Hollywood's awkward transition to sound with infectious optimism, capturing the effervescent splash of new love against the backdrop of cinematic evolution.
Singin' in the Rain
"What a Glorious Feeling!"
Director:
Gene Kelly
Stanley Donen
Cast:
Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell
Comedy
Romance
Budget:
$2,540,800
Box Office:
$7,200,000
Singin' in the Rain - Easter Eggs & Hidden Details
Easter Eggs
Zelda Zanders, the flapper friend of Lina Lamont, is played by Rita Moreno. A year after this film, Moreno would go on to have a much more significant career, including winning an Oscar for "West Side Story."
This is a fun early-career appearance for a legendary actress. Her character's name, Zelda, is likely a reference to Zelda Fitzgerald, an icon of the Roaring Twenties, the era in which the film is set.
The exaggerated "I love you, I love you, I love you" scene in "The Dueling Cavalier" is a parody of a similar scene from the early talkie "His Glorious Night" (1929), starring silent film idol John Gilbert.
John Gilbert's career famously declined with the advent of sound, partly due to audiences finding his romantic dialogue unintentionally humorous. This inside joke directly references the real-life career casualties of the era the film depicts.
During the "Broadway Melody" ballet, there is a very brief, almost unnoticeable jump cut during a lift between Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse.
It's widely believed that this cut was made by censors who found a portion of the dance—likely Charisse wrapping her legs around Kelly—too suggestive for 1952 audiences. The original footage is now lost.