6. Singin' in the Rain

My guest for this month is Jessie Char, and she’s joined me to discuss the film she chose for me, the 1952 musical comedy Singin' in the Rain. You can follow the show on Twitter @cinemagadfly.

Show notes:

For the record, I haven’t seen Now You See Me or Glitter
Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds are both phenomenal in this film
I’m still in shock that Debbie Reynolds is Carrie Fisher’s mom
Possibly the quintessential example of Hollywood telling their own story is the film A Star is Born, which was released in 1937, and then remade in 1954, and again in 1976
The transition from silent film to talkies was a rough one on the actors who lived through it
The war on female voices is incredibly destructive
Jean Hagan, who played Lina Lamont, does a remarkable job of creating a voice that would have had trouble transitioning to sound
Make ‘Em Laugh by Donald O'Connor is an incredible feat of acrobatics
It’s fair to say that Lupino Lane paved the way for Donald O'Connor’s career
The Love Parade was definitely not Norman Rockwell America
The song Jessie is referring to is called Broadway Melody Ballet, it’s really weird
Cyd Charisse was the lady that Gene Kelly chose so that he’d have a trained dancer to partner with at some point in the film
The age of consent in California has been 18 since 1913
Gene Kelly was super sick when the filmed the title number
I still haven’t watched Andy Samberg host the Emmys
There are a bunch of Technicolor films in my all-time favorites
This film is just a lot happier than something like Chicago
Apple pie, America, and idealism; what this film is all about
Stay tuned for Jessie forcing me to watch The Sound of Music, I can’t wait
Jessie’s website is part of the normal internet

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