"Make 'em laugh."

The "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series hosted by The Film Experience is celebrating the Gene Kelly's Centennial Week with the musical classic Singin' in the Rain. I adore this film. It was the first "old" movie that I loved, even though I didn't find it perfect. I still don't, but few other movies can fill me up with so much pure, unadulterated joy.

Some of the things I love about it-

• I love Debbie Reynold's expressions when she describes/insults movie actors.

• The wide shots.

• The dance between Kelly and the magnificent Cyd Charisse.

• My absolutely favourite part of Singin' in the Rain, however, is the stellar supporting actors, Donald O' Connor and Jean Hagen. I know this post is based on Gene Kelly, and I love him, and Debbie Reynolds too, but Cosmo and Lina are just beautiful in this movie. So funny, so brilliant.

         For example, O' Connor's awe-inspiring screwball humour in "Make 'Em Laugh". Just look at his face, though the best part is when he jumps off the painted wall (the last image). I love how it looks, though I found it impossible to capture perfectly since it happens so fast.

           Then there's Hagen. Now the arguably the best thing about her in the movie is her voice. Just the first time we hear it, we cannot help but me shocked yet amused. And the contrast between her diction and her proper diction coach is hilarious. But her well-deserved Oscar nomination was not only for that. Just see her expressions, and how they change when Kelly's character Don Lockwood doesn't let her character Lina Lamont make a speech at their film's premiere.

           That's why my favourite shot is- but first, a little build up: Lina has just coerced the head of her studio to make Kathy, played by Reynolds, to voice her in all her talkies and after the successful reception of the first one, wants Kathy to sing a song for the audience behind the curtain, while she lip-syncs in front.

           Basically Don, Cosmo and R.F., the studio head, pull the curtain to reveal the true singing star, Kathy Selden, though Lina has no clue yet.

          Then, Cosmo comes and starts singing in Kathy's place and Lina is just beginning to register that-

(The Best Shot)

              This is why I love them so much. Cosmo is a genius- he is always the one who comes up with the ideas, and they are usually really funny. Here he is publicly humiliating Lina in the most humorous way possible. And Lina, well, her face perfectly captures and explains her catchphrase, "Am I dumb or something?" Priceless.

Viddy well, little brother. Viddy well.

      Stanley Kubrick & Malcolm McDowell on the set of A Clockwork Orange

      “Well, as you know, when Singing In The Rain came out, for generations of people, [Gene Kelly] swinging around that lamp post and slapping in that water, and singing…it’s one of the most euphoric moments we’ve ever seen on film. So when I had to come up with something for this sequence, which involved my character in a very brutal situation, that’s when he’s happiest. So Singing In The Rain just popped out. I just started singing it, and [Stanley] Kubrick bought the rights and we redid the whole thing and incorporated it.

       A footnote to that is that a year afterward, when the film had been out and it was a big hit, I was invited to come to Hollywood by Warner Brothers. I came out and it was very nice to meet everybody. I had never been to Hollywood before. And some guy who was my minder said, ‘Hey, there’s a party in Beverly Hills tonight, Malcolm. Do you want to go, there’s going to be lots of stars there?’ And I went, ‘Yeah!’ I would love to!’ I was like a kid in a candy store. And we go and he said, ‘Hey, you won’t believe this. Gene Kelly’s here. Would you like to meet him?’ And I went, ‘Oh yeah!’ (laughs)

      So he had his back to me and he tapped him on the shoulder and said, ‘Gene, I’d like to introduce you to Malcolm McDowell’  and he looked at me…then turned around and walked off.

      But you know, I totally got it. I totally understood. I took his glorious moment and put a different spin on it. I guess I kind of ruined his moment in a way. But of course, it was an homage to him, because it was so amazing. And so indelible in me as a person, that I blurted it out and started singing it [while filming the scene].”

      -Malcolm McDowell (Alex Delarge)




I love Alex Delarge, really do. And Don Lockwood o'course.