Nobody at MGM thought they were making history. When the studio put Singin’ in the Rain into production in 1951, it was treated like a routine assignment, just another musical on the schedule.
The finished film opened in 1952 to modest box office numbers and just two Oscar nominations. Nothing to write home about.
And then something remarkable happened over the next several decades. The film’s reputation didn’t just grow. It completely reversed.
Today, Singin’ in the Rain holds a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. In 2006, a jury of more than 500 film professionals named it the greatest movie musical in American cinema history, number one on the American Film Institute’s list. It also ranks among the AFI’s top five greatest American films of any genre. The British Film Institute’s prestigious Sight and Sound poll has included it in the ten best films ever made, not once, but twice.
From a forgettable assignment to the top of cinema history. Not bad for a routine musical.
The Young Woman Who Nearly Broke Under the Weight of It
Here is the part of the story that might surprise you. The film’s most demanding work fell on a 19-year-old who had never trained as a dancer a day in her life.
Debbie Reynolds was a former gymnast when she was cast opposite Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor: two of the most accomplished dancers Hollywood had ever seen. She trained for hours every single day just to keep up with them.
During one especially brutal rehearsal, the pressure became too much. She broke down crying and hid underneath a piano. The person who found her and offered comfort? Fred Astaire, who happened to be filming in a nearby studio at the time.
The “Good Morning” number alone ran from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., requiring more than 40 takes. By the end of that day, Reynolds’ feet were bleeding.
She later said that making Singin’ in the Rain and giving birth were the two hardest things she ever did in her life.
The Rest of the Cast Paid a Price Too
Reynolds wasn’t alone in what she endured. Donald O’Connor’s wild, acrobatic “Make ‘Em Laugh” number reportedly left him bedridden for days after filming wrapped.
And Gene Kelly, the man splashing through puddles with that unforgettable grin, filmed the movie’s iconic title sequence while running a 103-degree fever. He refused to stop the shoot despite being visibly ill.
What MGM dismissed as routine turned out to be anything but. The joy you see on screen cost everyone in front of the camera something real.
Maybe that is exactly why it has lasted.
