Cinema Gadfly

6. Singin' in the Rain

Listen Later

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

    • Rent or buy the film from iTunes
    Rent or buy the film from Amazon

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store
    Cinema GadflyBy Arik Devens
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5

    5

    3 ratings