Singin' in the Rain: The Making of an American Masterpiece [Hardcover]

Earl J. Hess (Author), Pratibha A. Dabholkar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2009

There is no movie musical more fun than Singin' in the Rain, and few that remain as fresh over the years. . . . It is a transcendent experience, and no one who loves movies can afford to miss it.--Roger Ebert

America's most popular film critic is hardly alone in singing the praises of Singin' in the Rain. This quintessential American film--made in Hollywood's Golden Age, showcasing the genius of Gene Kelly, and featuring what Ebert calls "the most joyous musical sequence ever filmed"--has inspired love and admiration from fellow critics, film scholars, and movie buffs worldwide for more than half a century. Indeed, its reputation continues to grow: the American Film Institute now ranks it number 1 on its list of the Greatest Movie Musicals of All Time and number 5 on its list of the Greatest American Films of All Time.

Echoing the enthusiasm of the film's most devoted fans, Earl Hess and Pratibha Dabholkar embrace and illuminate both the film and its reputation. Combining lucid prose with meticulous scholarship, they provide for the first time the complete inside story of how this classic movie was made, marketed, and received. They re-create the actual movie-making experience, on the set and behind the scenes, and chronicle every step in production from original concept through casting, scripting, rehearsals, filming, scoring, and editing. They then trace its distribution, critical reception, and enduring reputation.

The book is brimming with human interest, bursting with anecdotes and quotes by and about the film's stars and makers. Here are Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor at the top of their form, along with Debbie Reynolds and Cyd Charisse in their breakthrough roles. Here, too, are fascinating tidbits--about censorship troubles, continuity flaws, stunt doubles for Kelly, voice doubles for cast members, the dubbing of taps, and genealogy of all the songs. Hess and Dabholkar also provide in-depth analyses of each of the major song-and-dance performances, including details of everything from the dynamics of "Gotta Dance!" to the physical challenges of the remarkable title number.

Based on exhaustive research in oral histories, studio production records, letters, memoirs, and interviews, their book is factually impeccable, compulsively readable, and indispensable for anyone who loves movies at their absolute best.

This book is part of the CultureAmerica series.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Singin' in the Rain is number one on the American Film Institute's list of greatest movie musicals. Loved for the unique, energetic dance routines, the movie still captivates. In this extensively researched book, Hess (Stewart W. McClelland Chair in History, Lincoln Memorial Univ.) and Dabholkar (marketing, Univ. of Tennessee) describe in detail everything from the original concept to the Hollywood premiere in 1952. Using books, articles, dissertations, studio production notes, and other sources, the authors have painstakingly pieced together the history of this classic film, including short biographies of Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds. The text is informative but not stimulating; the dance routines are much better on-screen than described in print. Most of the material can be found in works such as Peter Wollen's Singin' in the Rain (excerpts from which appear in this book). Hess and Dabholkar's contribution will be useful for film students and perhaps dance students; however, it probably won't appeal to general audiences. Recommended for college film libraries.—Rosalind Dayen, South Regional Lib., Pembroke Pines, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* A great movie deserves a great book, and that’s what readers get in this meticulous, behind-the-scenes look at the movie the American Film Institute calls the “greatest movie musical of all time.” The authors go into an amazing amount of detail, beginning with the film’s origins as a simple vehicle for songs by MGM producer Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown and extending to its long-ranging effects on cinema. As the core of their research, the authors make good use of books written by and about the principals, including Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green. Consequently, the text is never dry; those involved are present through their quotes, commenting on the action. And what action! It’s all here—the relationships, the decisions, the intricacies of how scenes were shot and how dances were choreographed. The one disappointment is the photographs. Although there are 16 nicely chosen photos in an inset, they are not the kind of lavish illustration the subject demands. Well, there’s one solution for that. Go watch the movie, this time with full knowledge of how O’Connor managed that amazing footwork in “Make ’Em Laugh.” --Ilene Cooper

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 331 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Kansas (May 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 070061656X
• ISBN-13: 978-0700616565
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A five-star-plus musical deserves a better book, July 16, 2009

By 

Allen Smalling "Constant Reader," (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Singin' in the Rain: The Making of an American Masterpiece (Hardcover)

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN: THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN MASTERPIECE was a disappointment to me. I had expected something along the lines of Aljean Harmetz's THE MAKING OF THE WIZARD OF OZ or Sam Staggs' ALL ABOUT ALL ABOUT EVE.

This appears to be the first book, or the first book aimed at a general readership, by the co-authors, a husband-and-wife team from Tennessee, and the cracks show. No particular effort seems to have gone into making the prose style entertaining or engrossing. That alone would be OK, but too much of this book consists of redundant or overlapping data about items that proceed from verifiable data, such as MGM's work schedule logs. In that, we hear how long such-and-such a scene or musical number took to film, but not what happened during the filming. What was the human side? We might hear recollections about how the troupe had to work overtime, but when did they "nail it" and get ahead of schedule (which the filming apparently was most of the time)? How did the various personalities interrelate? We hear that Gene Kelly was consistently mean to Debbie Reynolds, whom he considered a cute rookie (which at that time she was), but not about more harmonious interpersonal interactions, save some explanation of why the Gene Kelly - Stanley Donen (co-director) relationship worked well.

The last chapter of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN: THE MAKING consists not of narrative but of an exhaustive list of every employee connected with the production. Well, not exactly exhaustive. They left out Carolyn Jones (perhaps best known to a later generation as "Morticia Addams" on TV's THE ADDAMS FAMILY), who in SINGIN' played "Nilda," a vampish type wearing a spider-web dress and who comments "It's vulgar" about the coming technology of talkies. A pretty tiny role, true, but if everyone behind the camera, every grip and stand-in can be listed, this reviewer must wonder if there were other omissions.

My advice would be to buy the deluxe two-disc set of the movie SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (MGM, 1951) and enjoy not only the film that so many call "the best musical" -- but also the extensive bonus material, much of it reminiscences taped (apparently) in the early 1990s when many of the principals were still alive. Kathleen Freeman ("Phoebe Dinsmore" the diction coach) is especially delightful, as are, as always, the writing team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who penned many, many scripts for MGM both before and after SINGIN', including ON THE TOWN, THE BAND WAGON and IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER.

If after this deluxe treatment you still have questions unanswered, buy the book. But I think few people will consider it to be THE book, in hopes that a more reader-friendly and definitive volume comes along in the future.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Detailed Study of a Film Classic!, March 4, 2011

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Singin' in the Rain: The Making of an American Masterpiece (Paperback)

To my mind, the most magical sequence EVER filmed was Gene Kelly's inspiring dance in the rain from SIGNIN' IN THE RAIN. Though you knew it was "just" a dance sequence by a talented hoofer in a movie, Kelly's joyful, masterful performance convinced you that, here indeed, was a man who had just fallen in love. Every gesture, every step brimmed with seemingly spontaneous exuberance and goodwill. When he swung from the lamppost and that huge smile spread across his face, you just knew magic was in the air. And, later, when you discovered Kelly filmed that while battling the flu and a sinus infection, you realized how truly special that sequence was. Earl Hess and Pratibha Dabholkar examine SINGIN' IN THE RAIN in this exhaustively-researched 2009 University Press of Kansas release.

In many ways, the choice of publisher clues the reader into the type of book you'll be reading. SIGNIN' IN THE RAIN is a THOROUGH dissection of the film, providing information on every aspect of the film from pre-production to release. To a cinema buff like me, most of that info is fascinating because it shows you the whole picture...all the elements, all the individual contributions...that go into, as the sub-title proclaims, THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN MASTERPIECE. Some readers, on the other hand, may find all that detail a bit much.

However, I was really disappointed in the fact that the book didn't do justice to the film visually. As is, the book has a 16-page photo insert that just scratches the surface. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN should have included scads and scads of photographs of the film in progress, behind-the-scenes candids, dance routines being worked on, production clips, etc. I meant it's a singing and DANCING movie, right? Maybe the University Press of Kansas didn't have the budget for all that but they should have found the bucks!

So, depending on your interests, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN may be a fascinating, insider's look at a film classic or a fact-laden slog aimed at college film appreciation classes. I enjoyed it. Now, how 'bout a revised edition with more photos!?! Recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, November 5, 2010

By 

Deborah M. Pelachick "pelachick" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Singin' in the Rain: The Making of an American Masterpiece (Hardcover)

Good book. Very thorough. It had it's slow points but not too many.