Singin' in the Rain (G)
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Caution: spoilers.

This was released in 1952 (23 years before I was born), and I must have first seen it on TV sometime in the late '80s or early '90s. But by the time I watched it again in 2024, I only remembered a couple of scenes/songs. I watched it on the night that another musical film, "Wicked", opened in theaters.

It's set in 1927, and begins with silent film stars Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont (who have done many movies together) being interviewed on the red carpet at the premiere of their latest film. Well, really it's just Don who does the talking. We won't hear Lina talk for awhile after this, because her voice is supposed to be a surprise, I guess. She's seen as very classy by her fans, who of course have never heard her speak, but her voice is more low class, or whatever, and not particularly pretty. Anyway, Don tells a story about his rise to fame, and we see scenes that show everything he says is a lie, which is rather amusing. We also see that his start in films was as a stuntman, and when he first met Lina, who was already a star, she disdained him, but suddenly became interested in him as soon as he was offered a starring role, himself. In the present, we learn that she somehow believes he loves her and that they might get married, despite his always telling her there's nothing between them in real life.

Later, Don is mobbed by fans, and he escapes from them. He ends up jumping into a car being driven by an aspiring stage actress named Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), who at first is scared, because she thinks he's some kind of criminal. But once she realizes he's a movie star, they get along a little better... until she ridicules his job as a silent movie star, which she doesn't consider "real" acting. Then, at an afterparty, the CEO of Monumental Pictures, R.F. Simpson, shows a clip of a talking picture, which many people just see as a newfangled gimmick. Then some chorus girls come out to do a song and dance number, and Kathy is among them. After her performance, Don teases her, which angers her, and she runs off. He tries to stop her, but she gets away.

Weeks later, having searched for Kathy and failed to find her, his best friend and longtime collaborator, Cosmo Brown, tries to cheer him up by performing a song and dance of his own. ("Make 'Em Laugh", which is one of the scenes I always remembered from the movie. It's pretty fun.) Don eventually finds that Kathy is an extra in a film being made by Monumental, and they reconcile. And I guess they become a couple, much to Lina's dismay. When Monumental's rival, Warner Bros., has tremendous success with a talking picture, "The Jazz Singer", R.F. becomes determined that his studio should follow suit. We see some of the complications that arise in the filming process, and its eventual preview screening is a disaster, which could ruin the studio.

That night, Cosmo and Kathy come up with the idea of making the new movie into a musical, with Kathy dubbing her voice over Lina's. Don agrees that it's a good idea, and after leaving to walk home in the rain by himself, he performs the movie's signature song and dance, "Singin' in the Rain" (which is the other scene I've always remembered). Don comes up with another number, "Broadway Melody", in which he dances with a lot of people, including Cyd Charisse, to use as a framing device for his and Lina's new film, "The Dancing Cavalier". But when Lina finds out Kathy is dubbing her lines, she makes trouble for everyone.

And I guess I don't want to reveal any more details than that, but of course there's a happy ending. And there are plenty of good songs (not just the ones I've mentioned). And the movie is funny (especially Cosmo). I liked Don and Cosmo as a duo, I liked Don and Kathy as a couple, and I liked all three of them as a trio of friends. It's a decent story, and an interesting look at the transition from silent movies to talkies. And, yeah, I don't really know what else to say. The whole thing is just very good.