Musical Numbers: Singin In the Rain

The musical numbers in Singin in the Rain have to the be the most joyous things ever caught on film. They also help to advance the plot, and help you relate to characters.  Some of them are frivolous, but most are important to the story line.  (Image heavy post. Sorry!)

The title number truly has me believing that Gene Kelly is in love, and can't contain his happiness. Plus the number shows off his incredible skill as a dancer. Just look at his face! He could have been flying down the street with that level of energy!

This man does not care that it is raining. Not one bit.

Kelly was supposedly very sick the day this number was filmed, which to me makes makes the joy he is able to portray even more impressive.

The first number that Debbie Reynolds performs in, All I Do is Dream of You, is so cute. You really do feel like you are at a Hollywood party, with girls from the floor show at the Copa performing, so they are good, but not perfect, and it really does make me like Debbie's character a little bit more. You fully realize she is just a girl doing what she can to make her dream of being an actress happen.

Make 'Em Laugh shows off the great physical comedy styling of Donald O'Connor. Not only could he sing and dance, but he could be funny as well. O'Connor performed an exhausting routine that to this day people still try to imitate. The routine was featured in an episode of Glee and Joseph Gordon Levitt performed the number as his opening monologue when he hosted Saturday Night Live.  While the attempts were impressive, they did not hold a candle to O'Connor's original number in this film.

Another number that featured O'Connor, with Kelly, was Moses Supposes.  A tongue twister of a song lyrically, and a fast paced tempo for dancing to it is probably my favorite number of the whole film. Plus its just a really fun number, full of energy and life

Look at the height they got! 

Good Morning is a number that is so well known it has been used in orange juice commercials recently. To watch Kelly, O'Connor and Reynolds dance this number is to wonder how they could accomplish this dance without passing out half way through. It is tiring to me just watching them, but all the more impressive that they could get through it, and stay in sync. After filming Debbie Reynolds had to be carried to her dressing room because she burst blood vessels in her feet.  And Gene Kelly apparently went and rerecorded the sound of her taps, because he didn't think they were strong enough. Stories like that really shows you how much goes into making a film.....and the lengths a perfectionist will go to to get precisely what he wants.

She is all leg

And finally we come to the Broadway Melody Ballet, which features the one and only Cyd Charisse. Fred Astaire called Charisse "beautiful dynamite" and I think that is an understatement. The entire time she is on the screen she draws my focus.  When she is the vamp in the green dress I completely forget about the rest of the movie. I forget that I'm watching a what is essentially a dream sequence. 

Look at how clean her lines are.  I'm so impressed

She was a favorite partner of both Astaire and Kelly, and its easy to see why. Girl was an amazing dancer. Also, the dance shows how athletic Gene Kelly was as a dancer.There are other dances that exemplify it better, but this one does a good job of showing his strength.  I'm leaving you with a clip from this number.