FILM

Every Friday and Saturday night at 11:55pm, it's another Midnight Movie Classic at the Landmark River Oaks Theatre.

Friday-Saturday, July 2-3:   Singin' in the Rain

Considered by many to be the greatest Hollywood musical ever made, Singin' in the Rain is also a classic film about cinema itself. Set during the early days of sound pictures, it traces the seismic transition from silence to speech, as a matinee idol (Gene Kelly) and his partner (Donald O'Connor) search for a voice for a shrill co-star. As chorus girl Debbie Reynolds enters the fray, a brilliant all-singing, all-dancing spectacle ensues.

Shot in vibrant Technicolor, Rain is unrivaled in its visual splendor and vigorous humor. #5 on the AFI list of the Best American Films.

Directors: Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly

Cast: Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor, Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Rita Moreno, Douglas Fowley, Cyd Charisse, Madge Blake, King Donovan, Kathleen Freeman, Bobby Watson, Jimmy Thompson, Dan Foster, Margaret Bert, Mae Clarke, John Dodsworth, Stuart Holmes
 

MPAA Rating: G
Run Time: 1hr 42mins
Release Year: 1952
Country Of Origin: USA

"Just about the best Hollywood musical of all time," wrote Pauline Kael about SINGIN' IN THE RAIN.

After years of honing his skills on the vaudeville stage, hoofer Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) has finally reached the top and become a swashbuckling star of the silent silver screen. Then the self-satisfied celebrity has his confidence shattered when ingenue Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) dismisses film actors as "shadows" without substance. After getting over the insult, he falls hard for her--much to the consternation of his costar, the sexy, selfish Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), who wants Don all to herself. But Don has career troubles too.

The wild popularity of THE JAZZ SINGER has studios scrambling to change from silent films to talkies, and Lina's shrill voice and Don's stiff acting left the preview audience roaring with laughter. There's only one way to save the movie and their careers: turn THE DUELLING CAVALIER into a musical, with Kathy secretly dubbing in Lina's lines and songs.

But can they hide the truth from Lina?