"Singin' In The Rain"

I love this film, and since the boyfriend fiancee's daughter just got the role of Lina in her company's play, I figured it was time to refresh my memory, and to redeem myself from the lousy Gene film I watched last week.

We meet uber star Don who is attending his latest with rumored gal pal Lina. The walk down the red carpet and say a few words (I wish they still did this today). We learn that Don got his start as a stunt man and worked his way up, while Lina is just a diva.

Don can't stand Lina, and Lina can't take a hint. The fans are too much for Don and he escapes into a car driven by Kathy aka Debbie Reynolds. She is appalled and gets mad when Don gets fresh with her. She drops him off and heads to work. Will they meet again?...

 To the after party Don goes when low and behold the dancing ladies turns out to me lead by Kathy herself! Now Don really can't get her off his mind. Lina gets jealous and has Kathy fired, but the show must go on.

Check out the puff bracelet!

Don finally finds Kathy and then become friends with benefits. Don wants to get Kathy in at the studio and along with pal Cosmo (Donald O'Connor), they brainstorm all night. Cue in cute song and  dance sequence.

The furniture from this scene was once used in the Gilbert/Garbo flick "Flesh and the Devil".

Talkies come in and the studio realizes Lina is a space cadet on film. What to do? They hire Kathy to do her voice overs, and "forget" to tell Lina. Don and Cosmo do some great dance numbers.

Every guy should dress like this. Every day. It doesn't hurt if he can do a little tap either.

The plan is going to work and they films some of the dance scenes with Don. Lina doesn't realize her dubber is Kathy and all is going well. This might actually be a good picture!

Kathy sucks some face with Don and he is smitten...so he dances in the rain. Gene had a 101 degree temperature at the time of this shot. The milk/water combo rain was shrinking his wool suit on set and Los Angeles was in a drought at the time, but Gene pulled through in one take.

Lina wants to ruin Kathy's career and gets some lawyers to help her. Kathy is sad and so is Don. After a screening, they devise a way to get the public to know the truth about Lina and her "voice".

Now that everyone knows the true star, the love birds get to be in their own film together. Ahhh. 

Gene was a tyrant on this film and worked Debbie to the ground. Literally. Fred Astaire found her crying under a piano after a 20 hour rehearsal. Gene was a perfectionist. Donald worked so hard he spent 3 days in the hospital after his "Make em Laugh" number. Debbie was rumored to have bloody feet during this shoot and was quoted as saying the two hardest things in her life were child birth and making this film. But hard work pays off. It cost 2 million to make and earned over 7 million in the end.

Happy Memorial Day!

Aside from acting, some of our favorite fellas served for the grand US of A.

Ronald

Clark

Elvis

Henry

James

Paul

William

Gene

Thanks men!

Picture Of The Day

Charlie Chaplin, resting in a tub in his 1922 film, "Pay Day".

"Take Me Out To The Ball Game"

I love Gene Kelly, I really like Esther Williams, I can tolerate Frank Sinatra, but overall, I was mildly impressed with this film starring all three.

Gene and Frank are on a Vaudeville act when baseball season starts. Being that they are multi talented, they ditch the stage and head for the field.

There is a new manager in town, and everyone thinks it is a male, until Ms. Williams shows up! Gene makes a move on her and disses the boss(little does he know his boss is right in front of him!) They get off on the wrong foot, but Frank is in love.

The boys realize that Esther is a slice when she is swimming in the pool one night. The season begins and Frank gets a cleat chaser named Shirley (Betty Garrett). 

Could Frank's waist be any smaller?

We meet some men who are gambling on Gene's team to loose so they trick Gene by offering him a gig at their new club. Only problem is he will have to sneak out at night and work some dance numbers. He agrees but his performance on the field starts to suffer, right before the pennant race!

Gene and Esther make amends and fall for each other once Frank decides he wants his stalker. 

This film was OK. I love to watch Gene sing and dance, so that was a plus, but overall, the film was bland.

Best Dressed

In Katharine Hepburn's debut film, "Bill of Divorcement", she wears a stunning dress with fabulous sleeves deigned by Josette De Lima. Josette was uncredited for her work and was only a costume designer for three films in her career. But I must say she knew her stuff. So beautiful!

Penny Serenade

The final pairing of Cary and Irene and follows their relationship through records from when they met until the present.

Irene plays Julie and is on her way out. She and hubby Roger are splitting. But what is the harm in listening to some records first?

The story goes back in time where Roger (Grant)  spots Julie in the record shop. He gets her attention and buys tons of records. On the walk home she learns Roger doesn't even have a record player! The romance begins.

During their courting, we get the sense that Julie wants to shack up and pop out some kids, while Roger is not as keen about the idea. Roger is a publisher and on New Years Eve breaks the news to Julie that he is going on assignment in Japan! Just when Julie thinks they are through, Roger asks her to marry him.

While in Japan, the newlyweds get pregnant. Things are swell until an earthquake hits and Julie looses the baby, and learns she may never have one again. I must say, for 1941, the earthquake scene is pretty well done!

They return to the states and Julie is depressed. Roger and her move into a new apartment which has a publishing room downstairs. Buddy Applejack joins the fun. The paper isn't doing so well but they decided to adopt as the still want a child.

After tons of red tape they finally get a little girl and are beyond the moon. Applejack helps out.

They get a one year trial with the little one and are worried they can't provide for her. The orphanage lady is hard on them and after a year they almost loose her because they are too poor. Time goes by and everyone is happy. Daughter Trina grows up well and even participates in a Christmas play.

But the good times don't last forever as Trina dies from an illness. Roger and Julie are so devastated they don't even talk any more. The orphanage lady is sad too.

We are taken back to the present and Roger and Julie are about to call it quits, when just in time, the phone rings. It's the orphanage calling with another child! Still grieving from their loss, the couple must decide if they want to start all over again and if they can be happy.

Irene said this was her favorite film because it reminded her so much of her own adopted daughter Mary with husband Francis Griffin. Cary earned an Oscar nomination in part from a scene where he begs the judge to let them be parents. They never made another film again, partly due to top billing, where both parties wanted to be first. Cary was quoted as saying, "It's ladies first in lifeboats, but not in movies, I'm afraid."