What did Debbie Reynolds do for us...?

April 01st – Five favourite musicals…after you…..

OK, mine.

5 – Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

4 – On the Town

3 – Kiss Me, Kate

2 – West Side Story

1 – Singin’ in the Rain

So…similar taste, huh? If I had to choose just one it would be my number one. You? 

I don’t think there’s a more complete musical either before or since 'Singin’ in the Rain' (SITR). It’s perfect to within an inch of its life; storyline, characterisation, dénouement, the whole thing; perfect.

On this day in 1932, Debbie Reynolds was born, one of the trio of stars who made this movie musical so memorable. Along with Donald O’Connor and Gene Kelly she produced some firework displays of dancing that looked a breeze for her, showed a high singing talent and exhibited a level of comic timing way beyond her years…however, as with all things Hollywood, nothing is quite what it seems. 

For a start, Reynolds couldn't really dance and Kelly told her so; take her song, ‘You Are My Lucky Star’.

Overdubbed by someone else;

Contrary to it looking easy, she once said childbirth and Singin’ in the Rain’ were the two hardest things she’d done in her life.

It has to be said that, as a loving, cuddly, supportive, caring and co-operative employer, Hollywood in the 30’s through to the 60’s was none of these. It barely passes muster now, but the star system it ran back then could be and was, at times, brutal with the careers of its stars. Now long gone, it’s hard to work out where the change came but suffice to say that all the power has shifted from the studio to the star. There’s good and bad in this change. In ‘the studio’s in charge’ time the studio heads called the tune and the actors did as they were told or faced being dumped. The machine chewed ’em up and spat ’em out and there were always plenty more young hopefuls to pull on board; one of the Hollywood film industry’s main selling lines was, ‘Anyone can be a star’.

The seismic shift of control to what we have now, the loss of power from studio to star, is just as heinous with stars and their agents now having the final say on finished script, co-stars, amount of screen time per co-performer, final characterisation and director. Always a bad thing to put all the power into one set of hands…I mean, look what it did to Hitler; such a nice boy ’til he got given Poland, then there was no stopping him. 

But SITR was put together before the movie equivalent of ‘the Poland moment’, when the studio held sway and, as was usual there really was nothing that was sacred in the development and production process. 

As far as ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ goes the ride was rocky. I don’t think any of the final film’s major cast was in the original cast, not a one; Mr. O’Connor’s chain smoking apparently put him on respite leave in hospital after he’d cut, ‘Make ‘Em ‘Laugh’; a number of key players mimed their songs…which were sung by others… none of the songs are original to the musical…dances and dancers were cut, swapped, changed…and, at times, tempers flared…hardly surprising given the production process. So, given all the hoop-la surrounding the film, where’s the magic? 

Well, OK, tell you what. Before winter’s gone, buy a bag of popcorn, a box of chocs and a copy of the ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ DVD (if you haven’t already got one on video tape somewhere…and if you haven’t, well, shame on you) light a fire (preferably in the hearth, and don’t just set light to the nearest thing) grab a couple of blankets plus the one you love (or just a good friend…or a dog) put on the movie, sit back and discover where the magic is for yourself...