July 25, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, II, III & IV • Page 19 Classic musical, ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’ turns 60 by Dennis Seuling When it comes to great movie musicals, the film that typically makes the top of the list is “Singin’ in the Rain” (Warner Home Video, 1952), which is now making its bow on Blu-ray in two editions and on DVD in a new two-disc special edition. MGM Producer Arthur Freed, also a prolific songwriter, wanted to make a movie using his song catalogue. He hired writers Betty Comden and Adolph Green to write an original screenplay. Initially stymied, Comden and Green eventually decided to set the film in the period most of the songs were written -- the 1920s, which saw the changeover from silent to sound film production. Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) are big stars of the silent era who are working on their latest picture, but when “The Jazz Singer” -- the first “talkie” -- becomes a sensation, Monumental Studios decides to change gears and release the Lockwood/Lamont vehicle as a sound picture. Obstacles quickly multiply: inadequate equipment, exaggerated acting, poor synchronization, and Lina’s horrible speaking voice seem to doom the venture. Depressed, Lockwood, his pal Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor), and chorus girl Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) think all is lost until they get the brainstorm to remake the movie as a musical. Extras on the three-disc “Singin’ in the Rain: The Ultimate Collector’s Edition” include a 48-page hard cover production book with never-before-seen photos and memos; custom 40” diameter umbrella; theatrical poster reproductions; commentary by Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, Cyd Charisse, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Stanley Donen; a brand-new documentary; a making-of featurette; an outtake (“You Are My Lucky Star”); and 12 film clips from earlier films featuring songs by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown. The single-disc Blu-ray edition comes without the book, umbrella, and poster reproductions. “They Made Me a Fugitive” (Kino Lorber), directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, is a gangland film noir about London’s underworld. Set in post-World War II England, where crime is on the upsurge, the movie is a suspenseful thriller that uses the Soho district to dramatic effect. The London (continued on Crossword page) Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) dances through a downpour in ‘Singin’ in the Rain.’ This was the only screen pairing of Kelly and O’Connor, who have a great tap duet (“Moses Supposes”) and are joined by novice Reynolds in the elaborate “Good Morning” dance. There is a lavish “Broadway Ballet” with Cyd Charisse, and a rousing comic solo number -- “Make ‘Em Laugh” -- performed by O’Connor. The title number is one of cinema’s iconic sequences, as Lockwood, realizing he’s in love with Kathy, strolls home late at night as rain pours down. Undeterred, he euphorically sings of his joy and performs an exhilarating dance, splashing about in puddles.