Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

NEUTRAL

Various

98%

1952, Comedy/Musical, 1h 42m

RT Critics’ Score: 100% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 95%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 2 Oscars
7 wins & 9 nominations total

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Critics Consensus

Clever, incisive, and funny, Singin’ in the Rain is a masterpiece of the classical Hollywood musical.

Audience Consensus

Singin’ in the Rain is like a big ol’ bowl of popcorn – you just can’t get enough of it! This movie is a total classic, with all the glitz and glamour of old Hollywood. The songs are catchy, the dance numbers are jaw-dropping, and the humor is on point. It’s like the filmmakers took all the best parts of a musical and crammed them into one epic masterpiece. If you’re looking for a feel-good movie that will have you tapping your toes and grinning from ear to ear, Singin’ in the Rain is the way to go. Trust me, you won’t regret it!

Storyline

1927 Hollywood. Monumental Pictures’ biggest stars, glamorous on-screen couple Lina Lamont and Don Lockwood, are also an off-screen couple if the trade papers and gossip columns are to be believed. Both perpetuate the public perception if only to please their adoring fans and bring people into the movie theaters. In reality, Don barely tolerates her, while Lina, despite thinking Don beneath her, simplemindedly believes what she sees on screen in order to bolster her own stardom and sense of self-importance. R.F. Simpson, Monumental’s head, dismisses what he thinks is a flash in the pan: talking pictures. It isn’t until The Jazz Singer (1927) becomes a bona fide hit which results in all the movie theaters installing sound equipment that R.F. knows Monumental, most specifically in the form of Don and Lina, have to jump on the talking picture bandwagon, despite no one at the studio knowing anything about the technology. Musician Cosmo Brown, Don’s best friend, gets hired as Monumental’s ideas man and musical director. And by this time, Don has secretly started dating Kathy Selden, a chorus girl who is trying to make it big in pictures herself. Don and Kathy’s relationship is despite their less than friendly initial meeting. Cosmo and Kathy help Don, who had worked his way up through the movie ranks to stardom, try make the leap to talking picture stardom, with Kathy following along the way. However, they have to overcome the technological issues. But the bigger problem is Lina, who will do anything to ensure she also makes the successful leap into talking pictures, despite her own inabilities and at anyone and everyone else’s expense if they get in her way, especially Kathy as Don’s off screen girlfriend and possibly his new talking picture leading lady.

Production Company(ies)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,

Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Release Type
Theatrical

Filming Location(s)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios – 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

MPAA / Certificate
Re-Issue from 1952

Year of Release
1952

Technical Specs

Color:

Color
Black and White
Sound mix:

Dolby
Aspect ratio:

1.37 : 1
Runtime:

1h 42m
Language(s):

English
Country of origin:

United States
Release date:

Release Date (Theaters): Apr 10, 1952 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 24, 2002

Genre(s)
Comedy/Musical

Keyword(s)
starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Rita Moreno, directed by Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, written by Betty Comden, Adolph Green, produced by Arthur Freed, comedy, musical, G rating, classical Hollywood musical, box office gross USA $23.9K, reviewed by Sara Michelle Fetters, Jake Cole, Ed Potton, Peter Bradshaw, Ben Flanagan, Anthony Lane, Douglas Davidson, Don Shanahan, Amanda Mazzillo, Brian Eggert, Howard McClay, Hortense Morton, masterpiece, spoof, silent movies, sound, turmoil, movie industry, chorus girl, dubbing, singing, dancing, tap-dancing, Hollywood, 1920s, production design, visual and auditory ravishments, Moses Supposes, Charleston numbers, rain dance, Hollywood premiere, romantic-comedy, ode to Hollywood’s past, joy, artistry, choreography, execution, LaLaLand, inspiration, warm, funny, visual splendor, creative energy, catchy songs, great plot, story, characters, top horror movies, MCU movies, renewed and cancelled TV shows, best Netflix series, freshest reviews, news

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: $1,923,485
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $24,441,035
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,632
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,665,325

US/Canada gross: $1,884,537
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $23,946,136
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,350
US/Canada opening weekend: $13,643
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $173,357
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,717

Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $2,540,800
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $32,285,035
Production budget ranking: 1,113
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $17,385,491
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$25,229,492
ROI to date (est.): -51%
ROI ranking: 1,695

Cast & Crew

Gene Kelly

Don Lockwood

Debbie Reynolds

Kathy Selden

Donald O’Connor

Don Lockwood

Kathy Selden

Cosmo Brown

Lina Lamont

R.F. Simpson

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

Stanley Donen

Betty Comden

Arthur Freed

Director

Writer

Producer

Director(s)
Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly

Writer(s)
Betty Comden, Adolph Green

Producer(s)
Arthur Freed

Film Festivals
Berlin

Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
7 wins & 9 nominations total

Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Sara Michelle Fetters

Jake Cole

Ed Potton

Peter Bradshaw

Ben Flanagan

MovieFreak.com

Slant Magazine

Times (UK)

Guardian

Little White Lies

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
All Critics (72) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (72)
To put it bluntly, this is one of the funniest films ever made.

May 20, 2022 | Rating: 4/4

Sara Michelle Fetters
MovieFreak.com
TOP CRITIC
Warner Bros. gives its greatest musical yet another substantial home-video upgrade with a gorgeous 4K disc that maximizes the films visual and auditory ravishments.

April 26, 2022

Jake Cole
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Is Singin’ in the Rain the finest movie musical of them all? There are none better in my book.

October 20, 2019 | Rating: 5/5

Ed Potton
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The unstoppable joy of the musical numbers, especially with O’Connor, is what never fails to seduce – perhaps especially in Moses Supposes.

October 18, 2019 | Rating: 5/5

Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Effervescent, life-affirming cinema… an antidote to any ailment, illness, or woes about the state of Hollywood.

October 17, 2019 | Rating: 5/5

Ben Flanagan
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Tap-dancing has never looked so unstoppable, nor so liquid: most tappers clench up and hammer away like road-drills, but these two sway their hips and laugh off the effort.

January 4, 2018

Anthony Lane
Independent on Sunday
TOP CRITIC
… it sweeps you off your feet, wrapping you in a warm blanket constructed of song and dance numbers that make you feel like you can run up a wall, jump, and land on your feet.

May 19, 2022

Douglas Davidson
Elements of Madness
That iconic imagery of Gene twirling, tapping, stomping, and splashing around lamp posts, puddles, and sidewalks while crooning is fixed in Hollywood legend, but “Singin in the Rain” has a lot more going on than just that one song-and-dance number.

May 1, 2022 | Rating: 5/5

Don Shanahan
25YL (25 Years Later)
Singin in the Rain makes you feel transported to Hollywood of the 1920s through beautiful production design highlighting the beauty of an era of black and white film with vibrant colors that feel fitting of that period.

March 8, 2022

Amanda Mazzillo
Amanda Mazzillo’s Cinematic Adventures
Long before his arrival in Hollywood, Kelly aspired to blend dance with narrative and, with the technical assistance of Donen to realize his vision, he finally achieved his goal with Singin in the Rain.

February 14, 2022 | Rating: 4/4

Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Bristling with the old Arthur Freed production touch, this MGM Technicolor movie is entertaining in all departments and proves to be a top vehicle for the talents of Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor.

July 7, 2021

Howard McClay
Illustrated Daily News (Los Angeles)
Let’s not overlook the Charleston numbers, Kelly’s rain dance in the street, the fabulous Hollywood premiere, the innumerable ribs Hollywood gives itself… Director Stanley Donen (and Kelly) and Producer Arthur Freed, who has done it again.

July 7, 2021

Hortense Morton (Screen Scout)
San Francisco Examiner…

Plot
1927 Hollywood. Monumental Pictures’ biggest stars, glamorous on-screen couple Lina Lamont and Don Lockwood, are also an off-screen couple if the trade papers and gossip columns are to be believed. Both perpetuate the public perception if only to please their adoring fans and bring people into the movie theaters. In reality, Don barely tolerates her, while Lina, despite thinking Don beneath her, simplemindedly believes what she sees on screen in order to bolster her own stardom and sense of self-importance. R.F. Simpson, Monumental’s head, dismisses what he thinks is a flash in the pan: talking pictures. It isn’t until The Jazz Singer (1927) becomes a bona fide hit which results in all the movie theaters installing sound equipment that R.F. knows Monumental, most specifically in the form of Don and Lina, have to jump on the talking picture bandwagon, despite no one at the studio knowing anything about the technology. Musician Cosmo Brown, Don’s best friend, gets hired as Monumental’s ideas man and musical director. And by this time, Don has secretly started dating Kathy Selden, a chorus girl who is trying to make it big in pictures herself. Don and Kathy’s relationship is despite their less than friendly initial meeting. Cosmo and Kathy help Don, who had worked his way up through the movie ranks to stardom, try make the leap to talking picture stardom, with Kathy following along the way. However, they have to overcome the technological issues. But the bigger problem is Lina, who will do anything to ensure she also makes the successful leap into talking pictures, despite her own inabilities and at anyone and everyone else’s expense if they get in her way, especially Kathy as Don’s off screen girlfriend and possibly his new talking picture leading lady.

Trivia