Singing in the Rain

Musical Magazine Published By Vikki Anderson

Meet The Cast!

Fun Fact! 

There was a twenty year  age gap between Gene Kelly  and Debbie Reynolds.

Don Lockwood- Gene Kelly  Cathy Seldon- Debbie Reynolds Cosmo Brown- Donald O’Connor  Lina Lamont- Jean Hagen R.F Simpson- Millard Mitchell Zelda Zanders- Rita Moreno

 What Is All The Fuss About?!

Synopsis

Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are ‘romantically’ linked to increase their popularity as silent film stars working for  Monumental Pictures. Don can hardly stand Lina and her  selfish, shallow and vain ways but Lina believes that they  are actually in love.  After the massively popular premiere of their latest film Don jumps into a passing car to escaped crazed fans, where he meets the driver, Kathy Seldon. After insulting him and dropping him off at a party, only to pop out of a mock cake in front of all the guests as part of the entertainment. After  Don mocks her she throws a real cake but misses Don and hits Lina right in the face. Lina is furious and has Kathy   fired immediately. Don spends weeks searching for Kathy and when he finds her working on a film at his studios they begin to fall in love.  A bomb shell is dropped on Don and Lina that their latest  silent film is becoming a talking picture to follow the success of a rival company’s first talking picture ‘The Jazz Singer’. The biggest problem they face is Lina’s talking  voice, not even the best diction coach can help her! The test  screening goes down the drain when the sound goes out of  synchronization, resulting in mockery from the audience. Cosmo Brown, Don’s best friend comes up with a plan to dub Lina’s voice with Kathy and Lina is furious when she hears of this and does everything possibly to stop Kathy   from getting a buildup into the business and to sabotage Kathy and Don’s relationship.  At the premiere of their film, ‘The Dancing Cavalier’, the audience demands to hear Lina sing live, Don, Cosmo and R.F tell her to lip sync while Kathy sings into a second mic  behind the curtain. While the song goes on the three men  joyfully raise the curtain and cosmo replaces Kathy over  the mic humiliating Lina.  As Kathy tries to flee Don stops her and introduces the real  voice and star of the film.

Tea with

Ms Lina Lamont 

 We met with Ms Lamont and got the low  down on Don Lockwood, her career and her views on the upcoming star Cathy  Seldon! Lets just say it didn’t quite go according to plan…

Me: So Lina, tell us about day to day life in the studios? Lina: I honestly feel victimised sometimes now that this whole talking business has come in! I don’t understand why I need to

see a diction coach! Me: How are things between you and Don? Lina: Couldn’t be better! Our just keep

getting stronger! Me: My sources told me he was getting close  with one Miss Kathy Seldon?

Lina: Well your sources are wrong! I am the star of the show and our relationship is just  FINE! This Kathy girl is a nobody! She attacked me with a cake you know?! She humiliated me infront of many very  important people…I can’t stand her!!! (Lina stormed out at this point of the interview and did not return)

Gene Kelly  Born- August 23rd 1912 Died- February 2 nd 1996 Occupation- Actor/Dancer/Singer/Director/Producer/Choreography  Career highlights1942: ‘For Me and My Girl’ with Judy Garland 1945: ‘Anchors Aweigh’ with Frank Sinatra and Jerry Mouse 1948: ‘Easter Parade’ with Judy Garland 1950: ‘Summer Stock’ with Judy Garland 1952: ‘Singin’ In The Rain’

Began- 1938 Retired- 1994

Debbie Reynolds Born- April 1 st  1932 Died- Still going strong! Occupation- Actress/Singer/Dancer  Career highlights1952: ‘Singin’ In The Rain’

1957: ‘Tammy and the Bachelor’ 1964: ‘The Unsinkable Molly Brown’ 1966: ‘The Singing Nun’

Began- 1948 Retired- Still going!

Donald O’Connor  Born- August 28th 1925 Died- September 27 th 2003 Occupation- Dancer/Singer/Actor  Career highlights1937: ‘Sing, You Sinners’ with Bing Crosby  1943: ‘Mister Big’

1949-1955: ‘Francis’ 1952: ‘Singin’ In The Rain’ 1981: ‘Ragtime’ 1997: ‘Out To Sea’, this was his last film.

Began- 1937 Retired- 1997

Jean Hagen

Born- August 3rd 1923 Died- August 29 th 1977 Occupation- Actress Career highlights1949: ‘Adam’s Rib’ 1950: ‘The Asphalt Jungle’ with Sterling Hayden 1952: ‘Singin’ In The Rain’ 1953: ‘Make Room For Daddy’ 1977: ‘Alexander, The Other Side Of Dawn’ this was her final film

Began- 1949

Silent Movies Develop  A Voice

Fun Facts!

Silent Movies!  A silent film has no recorded sound



‘The Jazz

other than a piano track layed on top of 

Singer’ was

the film. Everything was over 

the first 

exaggerated and the dialogue was

talking

 written at the bottom of the screen.

picture, released in

In the 1920’s silent films saw a huge

down fall in the movie market.

1927 

The most  memorable actor of the silent  I CA N TALK!

movie era is Charlie Chaplin

Talking Pictures! Synchronized dialogue in a film did not  become practical in the late 1920’s with

the introduction of the vitaphone system and the perfection of the audion amplifier tube.

The Creative Team

Gene Kelly 

Stanley Donen

Director 

Director 

Choreographer 

 Arthur Freed Producer  Lyrics

 Adolf Green  Writer 

Betty Comden  Writer 

Nacio Herb Brown Music 

Dates: 25th-27th August  Age: 8-21  www.westendstage.com

Singin’ In The Rain

Mint Royale released a remix of  the title song of the show in 2005  which flew up the charts.

In 2007 VW Golf released an advert using the Mint Royale remix using the original scene  from the film but using a stunt  double in parts when they  changed the dance into a street  dance to advertise their new  car.

In 2008 George Sampson won Britain’s Got Talent with his

memorable dance to the remix  using the lamp post and rain to ad effect.