Although he is known today for his performances in Singin ' in the Rain and An American in Paris, he was a dominant force in Hollywood musical films from the mid 1940s until this art form fell out of fashion in the late 1950s.

Singin ' in the Rain ( 1952 )

There followed in quick succession two musicals which have secured Kelly's reputation as a major figure in the American musical film, An American in Paris ( 1951 ) and – probably the most popular and admired of all film musicals – Singin ' in the Rain ( 1952 ).

" Singin ' in the Rain featured Kelly's celebrated and much imitated solo dance routine to the title song, along with the " Moses Supposes " routine with Donald O ' Connor and the " Broadway Melody " finale with Cyd Charisse.

Generally speaking, he tended to use tap and other popular dance idioms to express joy and exuberance – as in the title song from Singin ' in the Rain or " I Got Rhythm " from An American in Paris, whereas pensive or romantic feelings were more often expressed via ballet or modern dance, as in " Heather on the Hill " from Brigadoon or " Our Love Is Here to Stay " from An American in Paris.

* 1994 – The Three Tenors performed Singin ' in the Rain in his presence during a concert at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* 1996 – At the Academy Awards ceremony, director Quincy Jones organised a tribute to the just-deceased Kelly, in which Savion Glover performed the dance to " Singin ' in the Rain ".

The products of this unit include Easter Parade ( 1948 ), On the Town ( 1949 ), An American in Paris ( 1951 ), Singin ' in the Rain ( 1952 ) and The Band Wagon ( 1953 ).

* 1912 – Betty Noyes, singer who dubbed Debbie Reynolds ' singing voice in Singin ' in the Rain ( d. 1987 )

An avid dancer, Abdul was inspired towards a show business career by Gene Kelly in the classic film Singin ' in the Rain as well as Debbie Allen, Fred Astaire, and Bob Fosse.

Sunset Boulevard shows the disconnect between the two eras in the character of Norma Desmond, played by silent film star Gloria Swanson, and Singin ' in the Rain deals with the period where the people of Hollywood had to face changing from making silents to talkies.

# REDIRECT Singin ' in the Rain

In 1985, her staging of Singin ' in the Rain, played at the Gershwin for 367 performances.

She received a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Choreography for the musical Singin ' in the Rain.

At the 25th Academy Awards, the movie won Oscars for Best Picture ( earning that recognition over films such as High Noon and The Quiet Man and the classic Singin ' in the Rain ) and for Best Story.

It may be that the members of the Academy ( which included many veterans of the silent era ) felt that as an elder statesman of Hollywood, he deserved the honor even if films like The Quiet Man, High Noon, Singin ' in the Rain, and Ivanhoe were seen as better than The Greatest Show On Earth.

One of these is the debut of " Singin ' in the Rain ," performed initially by Cliff Edwards as " Ukelele Ike ,'" and later performed at the end of the film by the entire cast.

The film is sometimes cited, as on the DVD release of the 1952 Singin ' in the Rain, as the movie that led to the downfall of Gilbert's career.

*" Singin ' in the Rain " introduced by Cliff Edwards, with The Brox Sisters

*" Singin ' in the Rain " ( finale ) ( in two-strip Technicolor ), sung by entire cast

# Musical film soundtracks which concentrate primarily on the songs ( Examples: Grease, Singin ' in the Rain )

Among MGM's most notable soundtrack albums were those of the films Good News, Easter Parade, Annie Get Your Gun, Singin ' in the Rain, Show Boat, The Band Wagon, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Gigi.

However, it was her first leading role, in Singin ' in the Rain ( 1952 ), that set her on the path to fame.

" Another basic problem — famously spoofed in the 1952 film Singin ' in the Rain — was that some silent-era actors simply did not have attractive voices ; though this issue was frequently overstated, there were related concerns about general vocal quality and the casting of performers for their dramatic skills in roles also requiring singing talent beyond their own.

In the scene, the song " Singin ' in the Rain " is heard also.

Maxin, who won a BAFTA for the Best Light Entertainment Show for the Morecambe and Wise 1977 Christmas Show, was also responsible for devising and choreographing many of their great musical comedy routines including " The Breakfast Sketch ", " Singin ' in the Rain ", and the homage to South Pacific, " There is nothing like a dame " featuring BBC newsreaders in an acrobatic dance routine.

Trompe-l ' œil is employed in Donald O ' Connor's famous " Running up the wall " scene in the film Singin ' in the Rain ( 1954 ).

He is best known today for his role as Gene Kelly's friend and colleague Cosmo Brown in Singin ' in the Rain ( 1952 ).

Her nickname is The Singin ' Rage ( a phrase commonly followed by " Miss Patti Page ").

He is a retired member of the merchant marine, and his signature song is " Singin ' Yo Hee Ho ".

Notable Hollywood performances include Marni Nixon in West Side Story for Natalie Wood's character ( she also did dubbings in The King and I ( 1956 film ) and My Fair Lady ), Bill Lee voicing the Christopher Plummer character in The Sound of Music ,, Lindsay Ridgeway for Ashley Peldon's character as Darla Dimple in the animated film Cats Don't Dance, Claudia Brücken providing the singing voice for Erika Heynatz's character as Elsa Lichtmann in L. A. Noire, and Betty Noyes singing for Debbie Reynolds in Singin ' in the Rain, a movie in which playback singing is a major plot point.

In the 1950s MGM classic Singin ' in the Rain, lip synching is a major plot point.

Stratton has cited on numerous occasions that his favourite film of all time is Singin ' in the Rain.

This speech style was also the influence for Julianne Moore's character's ( Maude Lebowski ) accent in the 1998 film The Big Lebowski and is parodied by the speech teacher played by Kathleen Freeman in the film Singin ' in the Rain.

Good Singin ', Good Playin is the final 1970s album by Grand Funk Railroad, released by MCA Records ( MCA 2216 ) in 1976.

His landmark recording of " Singin ' the Blues ," with Bix Beiderbecke and Eddie Lang in 1927, is regarded as one of the greatest jazz performances ever recorded.

In Singin ' in the Rain ( 1952 ), she is parodied as Lina Lamont ... More malignantly, Billy Wilder used Norma Talmadge as the obvious if unacknowledged source of Norma Desmond, the grotesque, predatory silent movie queen of his 1950 film Sunset Boulevard.

He also is the commentator for the Casablanca ( 1942 ), Here Comes Mr. Jordan ( 1941 ), Singin ' in the Rain ( 1952 ), and The Wizard of Oz ( 1939 ) laserdiscs.

Mitchell is also known for his role as Col. Rufus Plummer in Billy Wilder's A Foreign Affair ( 1948 ), as Gregory Peck's commanding officer in the war drama Twelve O ' Clock High ( 1949 ), and as movie mogul " R. F. Simpson " in the musical comedy Singin ' in the Rain ( 1952 ).

She is arguably best remembered for her comic performance in Singin ' in the Rain as the vain and talentless silent movie star Lina Lamont ; Hagen received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Plunkett's best-known work is featured in two films, Gone with the Wind and Singin ' in the Rain, in which he lampooned his initial style of the Roaring Twenties.

Brandon is also known for his involvement in the musicals, Ain't Doin ' Nothin ' But Singin ' My Song ( 1982 ) and Oh, Diahne!

" Singin ' In the Rain " is a song with lyrics by Arthur Freed and music by Nacio Herb Brown, published in 1929.

* The song is probably best known today as the centerpiece of the musical film Singin ' in the Rain ( 1952 ), in which Gene Kelly memorably danced to the song while splashing through puddles during a rainstorm.