Last night, I was watching, for the tenth time, the award-winning musical, “Singing in the Rain,” starring the late Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor, and the octogenarian Debbie Reynolds. The 1952 film was nominated for 2 Oscars, won the 1953 Golden Globe and 3 other major awards. In fact, I think it should have won several Oscars in 1953 for its immaculate, if not perfect, dance, comedy, and drama choreography. I mean, compared to the talent and precision displayed over a decade later by Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, in the 1965 musical “The Sound of Music,” which I think was considerably less than that displayed by Kelly, Reynolds and O’Connor. , “Singing in the rain” should have won at least 2 Oscars. The two movie musicals were, of course, different in style, length, and talent of the actors; but one cannot fail to notice the most significant difference between the two productions. It was the completely perfect combined effect of dancing, singing, and comedic and dramatic acting, which was achieved by the “Singin’ in the Rain” dancers, actors, and studio staff, while there were quite a few “unmentioned” choreographic errors. in “The Sound of Music”. The film professionals who created “Singing in the Rain” worked together tirelessly to make a musical production like no other. In addition, one can count on the fingers of one hand the number of American musicals produced since 1952 with the same impeccable, natural dancing, singing, and acting from the lead actors. So the question lingers and demands an answer as to why “Singing in the Rain” hasn’t been remade in a modern setting, with different actors, like so many other remakes of the classic movies.
You can use all the sophisticated 21st century computing devices and advanced sound equipment money can buy to attempt to synthetically reproduce the genuine dancing, singing and acting of Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor; but one unquestionable fact remains ultimately true. It would be an expensive but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to make artificial movies. It is impossible to persuasively simulate natural human talent with computers. Furthermore, it is highly unlikely that three versatile artists, such as Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor, would be among all the accomplished dancers and singers in today’s 21st century world, to duplicate what those three unique people did. And that’s a crying shame. Those three stars could act, sing and dance in a wonderful way, something that no actual stage or movie star can remotely do today. Take Robin Williams as an example. He’s a wonderful actor and comedian, but he can’t dance or sing like Gene Kelly or Donald O’Connor. Matt Damon, Tim Robbins, Tom Hanks, Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Meg Ryan, Russell Crowe, Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and many other late 20th century Oscar winners are all really great actors and have done their millions. But none of them can come close to combining acting, singing and dancing the way the cast of “Singing in the Rain” did to perfection. Some film producers think that these higher-rated actors and actresses could persuade theater and television audiences that they really do have that talent, which they don’t, through the use of computer enhancements. I do not think. The use of such technical falsehood would be very obvious.
There is also another reason why I think a genuine remake of “Singin’ in the Rain” hasn’t been produced. People today just don’t like to work as hard as actors and actresses did in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s to produce natural artistic excellence. Now they are eager to settle for less to get their paychecks. For example, in September 1990, while residing in Carlsbad, California, one night I was discussing singing talent with Madonna’s sound manager, who was returning to Los Angeles from a concert at the San Diego Convention Center. She had stopped for a snack at Carlsbad 7-Eleven, where I was the night store manager. The guy seemed completely sober as he spoke very candidly about Madonna and her talent. “It’s all in the sound system,” he said. “Madonna doesn’t have much singing talent, but she has a great sound manager and the best team.” He then he laughed and added. “With the right computer sound equipment, any normal person’s singing voice can sound professional. That’s how Sissy Spacek sounded like Loretta Lynn in ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter.’ I wrote right away. Also, the dramatic plot of “Singing in the Rain” is about what happens when an actress with no singing talent is made to look and sound like she has that ability, at the expense of a naturally talented singer. I think the moral of the movie was simply that actresses and actors without certain talents shouldn’t falsely appear to audiences to have such talents, maybe, however, the film industry in Tinsel Town was sadly moving on that sense less desirable direction when the Oscars were awarded in 1953. Perhaps that is why that year a perfect musical was not given its due.
I was born in 1951 and saw “Singing in the Rain” for the first time in 1969. That was partly because my parents weren’t movie buffs at all; and, also, in part because of my own work priorities during my adolescence. I read my first review of the musical shortly after seeing it, and remember how the cast had continually practiced, day and night, to achieve choreographic perfection, to the point of having blistered and bleeding feet. Eighteen years after the musical’s release, I assumed that the hard work associated with American achievement in dancing, singing, and acting required for award-winning musicals was an indelible standard. You know, in association with the old American adage, “what’s hard we do right away; what’s impossible just takes a little longer.” Well, I don’t want to believe that there aren’t more multi-talented actors and actresses who can sing, dance, and act magnificently like Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor. Furthermore, I do not want to believe that the great dancers, singers and actors can only appear today as products of institutions like Julliard, or as certified prodigies. Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor were not prodigies. They were normal human beings who became great by continually working to improve and hone their artistic talents. And they did it so perfectly on “Singing in the Rain.”
