Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

Directed by Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly. Starring Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Douglas Fowley, Madge Blake, Kathleen Freeman.

Deliriously contrived yet sublimely entertaining “original” song-and-dance production is about as good as movie musicals get—lots of quality tunes, all of them performed with aplomb, and the “stuff” in between is a lot of fun, too. That “stuff” concerns an affectionately pointed Hollywood satire that depicts the transition from silent features to “talkies,” and how established star Kelly adjusts to the changing times; along for the ride are his obnoxious frequent screen partner (Hagen), lifelong friend (O’Connor), and a love interest (Reynolds) who’s an aspiring performer herself. Sparkling teamwork and exuberant choreography keep spirits high throughout with only one caveat—the rather interminable “Broadway Melody” suite that seems to go on forever after everything before it had been so nimble and electric (the final act recovers the lost momentum nicely, however). Kelly never had a finer vehicle for his outsized talents, O’Connor steals moments judiciously (and goes impressively wild doing his “Make ‘Em Laugh” showcase), and squeaky-voiced Hagen runs circles around Judy Holliday’s insufferable butchery of refinement from Born Yesterday. “Laugh” and “Moses Supposes” are the only original numbers; the others are recycled from Nacio Herb Brown’s catalog for MGM musicals from around the same era that the movie is set. Cyd Charisse and Rita Moreno make brief appearances.

91/100