There is no movie musical more fun than Singin' in the Rain, and few that remain as fresh over the years. . . . It is a transcendent experience, and no one who loves movies can afford to miss it.-Roger Ebert America's most popular film critic is hardly alone in singing the praises of Singin' in the Rain. This quintessential American film-made in Hollywood's Golden Age, showcasing the genius of Gene Kelly, and featuring what Ebert calls "the most joyous musical sequence ever filmed"-has inspired love and admiration from fellow critics, film scholars, and movie buffs worldwide for more than half a century. Indeed, its reputation continues to the American Film Institute now ranks it number 1 on its list of the Greatest Movie Musicals of All Time and number 5 on its list of the Greatest American Films of All Time. Echoing the enthusiasm of the film's most devoted fans, Earl Hess and Pratibha Dabholkar embrace and illuminate both the film and its reputation. Combining lucid prose with meticulous scholarship, they provide for the first time the complete inside story of how this classic movie was made, marketed, and received. They re-create the actual movie-making experience, on the set and behind the scenes, and chronicle every step in production from original concept through casting, scripting, rehearsals, filming, scoring, and editing. They then trace its distribution, critical reception, and enduring reputation. The book is brimming with human interest, bursting with anecdotes and quotes by and about the film's stars and makers. Here are Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor at the top of their form, along with Debbie Reynolds and Cyd Charisse in their breakthrough roles. Here, too, are fascinating tidbits-about censorship troubles, continuity flaws, stunt doubles for Kelly, voice doubles for cast members, the dubbing of taps, and genealogy of all the songs. Hess and Dabholkar also provide in-depth analyses of each of the major song-and-dance performances, including details of everything from the dynamics of "Gotta Dance!" to the physical challenges of the remarkable title number. Based on exhaustive research in oral histories, studio production records, letters, memoirs, and interviews, their book is factually impeccable, compulsively readable, and indispensable for anyone who loves movies at their absolute best.
Singin' in the Rain has been a favorite movie of mine since, well, forever. Every moment is a delight, it always brings a smile to my face, and I quote "Whaddaya think I yam, dumb or somethin'?" to myself all the time. This book details the conception, production, and release of the movie, and offers details on the lives of the cast and crew. The writing does not sparkle, but it gets the point across. The picture insert leaves a lot to be desired, since all are in black and white (lol) and most are stills from the film. I learned quite a bit about the history of film, especially how film history was envisioned by the makers of Singin', and how this film fit into the careers of its stars. It makes me want to watch the movie again! Now I'll be thinking of how hard Debbie Reynolds worked for her first major role, how Gene Kelly delivered the (titular) performance of his career despite having a fever, and how Donald O'Connor improvised himself into the ground with "Make 'Em Laugh."
Overall, a very good and extremely informative effort in laying out the history of one of the greatest movie musicals ever. (I could have done without the authors writing as if the movie musical died after Singin'. What in The Sound of Music is that hot take? Do the 1960s not exist?) I suppose I wish it was written with a bit more style and panache to serve its subject. Also, I must admit, upon completion I realize that what I want is one of those giant, lush making-of books in full technicolor, which is probably not realistic, but...I can always rewatch the film.
This analysis of the most beloved filmed musical study would appeal primarily to nerds like me who love the film and are more than glancingly familiar with it. However, access to YouTube videos enhances the experience, allowing the reader to view, say, the Moses Supposes number with a greater appreciation for its artistry than before. Bios of the key players and creators provide added info, and just learning about Donald O'Connor's early life is a true revelation. I particularly enjoyed reading about the blocking of dance numbers and the problems encountered during many scenes, the ballet numbers with Kelly and Charisse in particular (oh, that white veil, or rather, those veils, and the difficulties they caused). Lavishly footnoted, illustrated, and Appendixed, this is a scholarly work as well as an entertaining one. The appeal of the title dance number can be summed up in the phrase "There is no better idea for a movie than to dance for joy."
I had hoped that this disappointing 2009 book had received a revision by now, but no such luck. It was compiled by a husband-and-wife team from Tennessee who made the crucial error of digitally importing raw data from the MGM archives without interpreting it or showing its relevance: payroll notes, production skeds, things like that.
Of course, the entire book is not like that but enough to declare it a misfire. In the intervening decade, enough about Gene Kelly & Co. has become common knowledge -- that he had a fever during the filming of the crucial title song-and-dance, for example -- that I can think of no real need for this book.
A well-documented and exhaustive account of the making of a great American movie. The authors have done a first-rate job with their research, preserving for future generations the genesis of this masterpiece of moviemaking. Bravo!
Making Singin' In The Rain was I absolutely loved making Singin in the rain. I wish there was a book like this for all of my favorite classic movies. This was a great book but only super fans would truly appreciate the details of the making of what is arguably the best musical ever made! Last year, I read a biography on Gene Kelly and I was very disappointed that the author spent such a small amount of time discussing Kelly’s involvement in making Singin. Here, I found what I wanted in jelly biography and so much more! I soaked up all the facts about the people both in front of the camera and behind who worked so hard to craft a near perfect movie. Just learning how the story shifted from a hokie comedy to the solid emotionally yet funny movie that was the ultimate result was interesting. Kelly was seen as such a maniac when it came to dancing thatbhis costars donal O’Connor was too fearful to tell him when he was doing a step wrong even when jelly continued to yell at him. I also loved the stories about the making of the title dance number Singin in the rain. (Do do do dodo dodo dodo...) Kelly had a concept for the dance but described it humorously to the writers that it should be raining and he should be singing and dancing with a glorious feeling. The reports that Kelly shot the scene with a high fever were true. The schedule showed that he spent several days preceding the shoot in bed with a very high fever.
A fascinating and remarkably detailed examination of one of the most beloved movies. Many, many of us have the film memorized, and have absorbed a lot of the lore surrounding its making. But this book is still essential for fans. The authors present a really complete—granular, even—history of the inception, creation, marketing, and legacy of the film. The exhaustive research is organized very readably, broken down into detailed but concise sub-chapters on the studio and film personnel, songs, dances, and technical aspects. If you want to know the name, a brief bio, and the day’s salary of the actors who played the policeman and the umbrella recipient at the end of the title sequence…well, you’ll find it here! Really a definitive work, and very enjoyable.
Singin in the Rain is one of my all time favorite movies. this book was so great to read all the behind the scenes information as well as the publicity aspect of the theater release of the movie was incredibly researched. i especially had a good time reading about Jean Hagen who played Lina Lamont, i knew very little of her before this book and after reading about her it made Lina a more interesting character.
How many times can you say you've torn through a non-fiction title in one sitting? I can proudly say that was my experience with this delightful book. If you love the movie, it's a no-brainer (and I do, and yes, I STILL found out at least a half dozen things about it I never knew). If you're at all interested in any of the stars of the film, movie musicals or filmmaking in general, this is a sure-fire winner for you.
Everything you could ever want to know about the classic film - from Debbie Reynold's bleeding feet and Cyd Charisse's costume issues to how much water needed to be in the puddles for the classic title dance sequence. Very detailed information that may put off some people - this book is really researched - with loads of footnotes.
Enjoyable and thorough play-by-play. As a nerd who can more or less quote this movie verbatim I really enjoyed the technical and behind the scenes data. Of particularly pleasing note is the final section where the authors list as many of the cast and crew as can be identified with a birth/death and bio (based on data available). This is a comprehensive text and worth the read.
Might be too much information for those who have only seen the movie once or twice but for the diehard fan, like me, it is full of interesting and fascinating background information about everything related to the making of this musical classic.
This is a superb book on the making of a film classic. It is thoroughly researched using unpublished archival sources across the country as well as published sources wherever applicable. It is filled with analysis and interpretation as well and extremely informative. It is also easy to read and as Jeanine Basinger said in her scholar’s review, “This delightful book delivers almost as much fun as the film itself.” I highly recommend it for people who appreciate good scholarship and good reading!
I had a lot of fun reading this book, Singin' is one of my favorite movie musicals of all time. I really appreciated the detail this book went into from pre-post production and included short bios at the end of everyone involved in the film. As you can imagine there is a lot of time spent on the iconic number of Gene singing and dancing in the rain. What's so interesting about it is how "regular" it's staging and creation was done - no one had any idea that the number would turn into Gene Kelly's most talked about dance scene for the rest of his career. Gene loved it, and yet had trouble understanding why people were so crazy about it throughout much of his life.
The other piece of this story that stood out is the complete love people had for Donald O'Connor in this film. In many of the testing audiences, he actually came ahead of Gene Kelly. I'm not sure I'd say O'Connor stole the picture from Kelly, I mean the iconic number we all remember is Kelly's, however I always felt that this movie would have been far less memorable if O'Connor wasn't in it. His energy brings a lot to the dance numbers - I'd watch Make 'em laugh over and over mesmerized! I confess I have not seen much of O'Connor's work besides this film but the man is quite talented and everyone then and now knows it.
If you're looking for a comprehensive retelling of this musical, all in one place, this is the book to read. However, to me there wasn't a ton of "new" information but that's really because the author has pulled much of the meat of the account from other sources that I am familiar with. There's nothing particularly wrong with this - Hess researched like crazy and it shows - but big movie history buffs might feel like they've heard it all before. But if you're like me you'll still enjoy it!
This was a very well-researched and interesting book on the making of "Singin' in the Rain." The authors had apparently unlimited access to all kinds of documents and personal histories, as well as extensive MGM studio files. Well worth a read if this is your kind of book.
Adore the movie (of course) and was thrilled to find that there was a lot of material in here that I didn't know. Warning, though: you will want to have the movie ready so you can immediately play it and reference certain parts of the book.
For die-hard fans of the movie. If you want to know what time of the day Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds were rehearsing on any particular day in 1951, for example, you will find out. This is one of my favorite movies so I loved it.
Debbie Reynolds was crying and hiding under a piano. She heard a voice ask, “Why are you crying?” She replied, “Because I’ll never learn any of it….I feel like I’m going to die.” The voice responded, “That’s what it is to learn how to dance.” Reynolds looked out and saw Fred Astaire.
Welcome to MGM Studios in 1951. Singin in the Rain: the Making of an American Masterpiece is a captivating peek behind the technicolor curtain of the Freed Unit running at full force. Written by Earl J. Ness and Pratibha Dabholkar, the book is a hybrid of behind the scenes chronicle and critical analysis.
The movie was the brainchild of producer and songwriter Arthur Freed. Fresh off the experience of featuring Gershwin music for An American in Paris, Freed wanted to make a film using his own catalog of songs written with Nacio Herb Brown. Screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green were hired to pen the script. Their instructions from Freed were vague. All he knew is he wanted the movie set in the late 1920s, the era in which the songs were written.
The pair hit on the idea of a satire about the advent of sound in the movie business. They began the first draft with Gene Kelly in mind for the lead. Freed, whose usual great instincts failed him, wanted Oscar Levant for the sidekick role. Fortunately with Kelly’s star status behind them, Comden and Green were able to persuade Freed to drop the idea.
Ness and Dabholkar do brisk and meticulous work laying out the biographies of the movie’s principals. You meet and get to know Freed, Kelly, Donen, Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, and Jean Hagen in short order. The info comes fast but ordered and easy to digest.
You also learn tasty nuggets about the story’s conception. One of the more interesting bits is Hagen’s role of the spoiled, acid-voiced Lina Lamont was modeled as a mean-spirited version of Judy Holiday’s character in Born Yesterday. Holiday was a friend of Hagen’s and the screenwriters. Judy Holiday becomes an attractive character for further study as well. She may have seen her greatest success playing characters that were dim but she was far from it.
The book delves into what has long been a discussion about Singin in the Rain - the casting and treatment of Debbie Reynolds by Gene Kelly. Many points of view are presented and the authors offer a fair interpretation. Basically Kelly didn’t want her but Louis B. Mayer did. Kelly dealt with it but he was hard on her. A teacher at heart but also a sharp taskmaster, Kelly had Reynolds worked until her feet bled. It wasn’t malicious. Reynolds was going to have to dance side-by-side with Kelly and O’Connor and looked like she belonged. She was not a dancer and she was nineteen. This wasn’t a good situation for anyone.
But she pulled it off. Reynolds worked through exhaustion and pain but came out on the other end a star. She didn’t enjoy her time on the film but credited Kelly with showing her the power of work ethic. Somehow she didn’t take it personal. And she came out powerful.
The best parts of the book describe the production process. The writing is vivid as the filming of classic numbers like ‘Make em Laugh,’ ‘Moses Supposes,’ and ‘Good Morning’ are recounted. MGM has been called a moviemaking factory and you truly get that sense. Everything was planned, scheduled, and accounted for. There was no room for auteurs here.
The filming of the classic number gets its own chapter because it damn well should. The song was actually filmed during the day to avoid overtime. Black curtains were placed over the lot to keep the sun out. Remarkable stuff.
What’s even better is Hess and Dabholkar dive deep into what the number means. They quote several critics and their responses to the number. The authors present why these four minutes of screen time will live forever. The title number of Singin in the Rain resonates because the sight of a grown man dancing around as happy as a child is powerful. The sequence, and the movie itself, works so well because pure joy resonates.
Singin’ in the Rain was really the peak for the Freed Unit, Gene Kelly, and the movie musical itself. There were successes after it but nothing quite like it. This book serves as a testament to how the film was made but also why it will be eternal. It’s a fascinating read for a legendary film. Read it twice.
(4-1/2 stars) I love Singin' in the Rain and I love books about the making of movies, so it was predestined that I would love this book. As making-of books go, it's near the top rank. Two things kept me from giving it 5 stars. 1) There are too many instances of the authors digging too deep and telling us exactly what time certain shots were taken or numbers rehearsed on given days. 2) The final section presents the name of everyone involved in the making of the movie with a short paragraph about them, but too often, the info is simply cribbed from IMDb and not expanded on. Otherwise, a fun read.
I liked all the background info on the movie but I found a lot of it repetitive when using direct quotes. But overall a good read if you love this classic film!!
Singin' in the Rain is one of my favorite movies of all time, and there were interesting tidbits in this study of the making and marketing of the film. However, there were WAY too many details for normal human beings to handle. There were multiple pages that detailed the minute-by-minute shooting schedule (seriously) and a whole section that chronicled the one-word changes between the screenplay and the final filmed version. A bit too much!
This book on the conception, production, and reception of "Singin' in the Rain" is enjoyable and informative. A few times, the chapter sections may seem out of place or even unnecessary (i.e., the goofs and mistakes from the produced film), or the narrative leans too hard on the Gene Kelly side. I am one of Kelly's biggest admirers, but the book does not highlight any of his faults and does plenty of fingerpointing for any creative-based anger outbursts during the filming. There is a clear favor for Kelly above Stanley Donen and Debbie Reynolds (the two figures who have any form of antagonism against the alter that Hess and Dabholkar set up for Kelly), a setting of sides that begins to feel clique-ish while reading the book. [return][return]The material and research are very impressive, and this would make a great example of how to historicize and analyze a film of such a high cultural standard. I enjoyed this read, but I am not sure if it is because of my familiarity with the work or with the level of engagement that the authors have with the material.
Mostly good and very readable, though I was given much pause by the introduction's note that IMDb would be used as a source. It's also knocked down a few points by the occasional acceptance of one person's anecdote as gospel and dismissal of someone else's version without justification, and by the more frequent editorialising with a tone of imparting absolute fact. You have an opinion, that's fine, but present it as opinion or speculation because that's what it is.
Obviously has a bit of a slant (insofar as any issue that comes up has 'sides', they're always on Kelly's) but that's fine so long as you're still honest. It's the editorialising authoritatively about things you can't know or which are subjective that bothered me.
eta: I was also annoyed by the near-total neglect of the songs as vocal performances rather than exclusively dance/visual performances. It goes over playback and process and dubbing, but doesn't discuss music for its own sake really at all.
Singing in the Rain is one of my favorite films as well as one of the best films of all time and I looked forward to reading this book. It contains so much information about the film that was fascinating but at times the authors went too far even for a fantastic film student as myself. The book reads very much like an academic paper (not surprising since the authors appear to be professors) and is rather dry at times which seems to do disservice to the joy of the film. However, it was still great to read so much about the film, its production, and its reception.
A meticulous examination of every detail of one of the greatest movies ever made, from going through every draft of the Comden and Green screenplay to providing small biographies of every bit player and technician who worked on it.
Honestly, there isn't much more joy a person can get than reading a book about their favourite movie of all time and whilst this one would have been INCREDIBLY USEFUL in 2018 when I was writing my thesis about this, it still brought me a sorely needed small flash of joy.
Although I appreciated the great detail included in this book,I do feel that they rather deified Gene Kelly.Everything he does was write.Well much as I love the film I hate the ballet. Kelly made a lot of clinkers after this,not least Hello Dolly.So could have done with a bit more objectivity.
A decent, dry, forensic, very academic deconstruction of the classic, "Singin' in the Rain". No new ground...reads like a term paper. 2 and 1/2 jimmys out of five.