Set in the late 1920s, Singin’ In the Rain captures the drastic and very abrupt change that occurred as the ‘talkie’ craze took off after the legendary film The Jazz Singer was released in 1927 – lampooning the transition with a melange of sharp satire, simple gags as well as show-stopping song and dance numbers (and some straight-forward audible dialogue, too).
At CAPE Cornwall 2016, I had the pleasure of speaking with actress BarBara Luna, who has been working in the industry for sixty five years. Over the course of her intriguing career, she has worked with countless icons, including Spencer Tracy/Frank Sinatra (The Devil at 4 O’Clock), Peter Lorre (Five Weeks in a Balloon), Jimmy Stewart/Henry Fonda (Firecreek), to name but a few. She has also worked up quite the impressive set of guest roles on a plethora of iconic television series, with a partial and highly condensed list being: Star Trek, Zorro, The Outer Limits, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Mission: Impossible, Hawaii Five-O, and Fantasy Island. I would be remiss if I did not mention her Broadway past – having worked on South Pacific and The King and I under Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Like a true performer of the stage, she made several returns to the theatre as her career expanded. She was gracious enough to answer many of my questions, including my favourite – with her immediately indicating that her top film is Singin’ In the Rain, mostly because she wanted to be Debbie Reynolds. Make sure to watch the interview below to hear some wonderful stories about Jimmy Stewart, Frank Sinatra, Peter Lorre, Zorro and so much more.
Directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly (and Stanley Donen), the story follows silent film couple Don Lockwood (Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) as they struggle to adapt during the torrid transition away from silent’s and into the world of talkies. Lockwood is a smart, daring chap who has worked his way up from the very bottom (though you would never know it, as his retelling of his past is that of Hollywood legend – supposed vaudeville superstar which then led to a quick ascent to super-stardom). The real hardship that he faced as well as the fortunate break that saw him grab the opportunity of being a stunt double in the movies is kept from the gossip hungry public. His best friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor) has been with him from the very beginning. This other half of the vaudeville duo is a musically inclined, over the top, elastic-faced, vibrant funnyman who goes above and beyond to impress. Lamont, on the other hand, is a rather dim bulb who is convinced that she is in a serious relationship with Lockwood (believing the gossip columns that say they are a hot couple). She is also quite the phony as well as a conceited individual.
We first meet the group at a premiere for their latest movie. Following the event, a stalled car leads to Lockwood being mobbed by a crowd of overzealous fans. By way of stunt-worthy trickery, he escapes, falling into the passenger seat of a driving Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds). The woman plays coy with the actor, claiming to have only ever seen one of his flicks, putting his sky-high ego in its place. She also claims to be a woman of the stage, putting down the lowly profession of film actor along the way. Upon being dropped off at the post-premiere party, Lockwood soon realizes that the lady was lying. . . after she pops out of a fake cake – she is simply part of a group of chorus girls. Following some seemingly lighthearted jabs, the angry woman throws a cake at the actor, accidentally hitting Lamont in the face – which causes the leading lady to have an ever-vengeful grudge on the girl. This whole disastrous event leads Lockwood to become enchanted with the young woman – spending weeks looking for her, but to no avail.
When first discussed, The Jazz Singer is thought to become a box office bust (after all, who would ever want to watch a movie with people speaking?), leading to the studio team reuniting once again for another silent flick. Yet, studio head R.F. Simpson (Millard Mitchell) arrives on set to break the alarming news that the film was a huge hit. . . and that audiences are clambering for more talking motion pictures. The boss man shuts the studio for a few weeks as they adapt to the new technology.
Comedy ensues as the overly sensitive microphones pick up every little sound, yet struggle to pick up the actors’ voices because they are so used to overacting (moving almost continuously while also bouncing their heads around every which way save towards the mike). It doesn’t help that Lamont’s voice sounds like the cacophony of metal grating on metal. Her voice is high pitched, whiny, features poor diction and is an all-slang New York accent. The studio hurriedly gets voice coaches for all of their stars.
At an early screening of their new picture The Duelling Cavalier, their production is ridiculed by the packed audience. With the studio at risk of floundering under the weight of a financial disaster, Lockwood, Brown, and Selden (who Lockwood finally found in a place he least expected – working on the same studio lot he frequents) get together to discuss the catastrophe. They realize that the only way to salvage the picture is to turn it into a rip-roaring musical – thriving on Lockwood and Brown’s early life as musical performers.
With Lamont’s voice still being a gargantuan hurtle to overcome, Selden agrees to dub all of the prima donna’s dialogue – putting her own just-flourishing career on the line. Trying to keep this ruse a secret from Lamont, will the premiere go off without a hitch while Lockwood and Selden attempt to bring their relationship out into the open, or will the diva that is Lamont ruin the entire thing?
For those of you who have not seen Singin’ In the Rain, it is likely that all you will know of the production are the two most well known musical numbers: “Singin’ In the Rain” and the classic “Good Morning” tune. But the film is so much more. Highlighting real issues that occurred during the transition from silent’s to talkies (silent stars’ unflattering voices, to each and every noise being picked up by the microphones – in the early days, they had to wet paper being used on set so that the crumpling would not make the voices inaudible), the story by Adolph Green and Betty Comden captures the absurd comedy in this interesting Hollywood era. If you are well-versed in early film history, you will also see clear odes to characters based on Clara Bow, director Erich von Stroheim, Louis B. Mayer, Gloria Swanson (hint: she married nobility), Louise Brooks and several others.
It also features the awe-inspiring choreography and dancing from Kelly, along with actors O’Connor and Reynolds (she had never danced before – with Kelly using her inexperience to insult her on set – which made her cry during filming). O’Connor’s “Make Em Laugh” routine is a revelation – with it resembling some sort of classical breakdance routine. He does somersaults on walls, falls, spins and does everything in between – a smoker of four packs of cigarettes a day, the man went to bed for nearly a week after the taxing event (some claim he was actually put into a hospital) only to find out that the footage was somehow damaged, forcing him to do it all over again. Take a gander at it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SND3v0i9uhE As for the “Good Morning” number, Reynolds had to be carried to her room after its filming, as blood vessels burst in her feet. Kelly, the perfectionist, followed it up by going into a sound room and dubbing the tap dancing for both Reynolds and himself. I was also impressed by the impeccable timing and comedy that came out of the dance number “Moses Supposes”. It is definitely another one worth watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0DdoYspStE
Singin’ In the Rain is a superb musical that often ranks as number one in its field. It has a bit of everything – strong acting, a wonderful visual presence, snappy dialogue, witty comedy, great music and superb dance routines (with much of the visualized Broadway sequence feeling like the first ever music video). It is amazing to think that nearly sixty-five years later, it still feels fresh, fun, engaging as well as both timelessly classic and a visionary movie that still influences the modern era. So, don’t refrain from seeing this iconic motion picture, it will tap dance its way into your heart.