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For the “Broadway Melody” dream sequence, dancer Carol Haney was replaced with Tula Ellice Finklea, AKA Cyd Charisse From the start, Singin’ in the Rain faced hurdles. Leading man Gene Kelly wasn’t even signed onto the picture, when he was approached for the role. He’d just come off the cinematic tour de force, An American in Paris, a colossal smash, which won 6 Oscars and gave Kelly carte blanche to undertake whatever he desired. There’s no telling who would’ve assumed the part or how Singin’ in the Rain would’ve turned out had the demanding dancer declined. Once convinced and signed on, the show evolved accordingly from what was originally envisioned by Producer Arthur Freed, incorporating more dance and ballet. The role of Cosmo, the music writer chum of Kelly’s Don Lockwood character, was conceived for pianist, composer, actor Oscar Levant, who played opposite Kelly in An American in Paris. Master of the ivories, Levant may have been, but he couldn’t dance a step, so the part went to fledgling singer, dancer and thespian, Donald O’Connor. That early draft with Levant as Cosmo also ended with the character marrying Lockwood’s leading lady, Lina Lamont. Speaking of the self-proclaimed “shimmering start in the cinema firmament,” Lamont was written for Judy Holliday. When she proved unavailable, Jean Hagen got the nod after an extensive search, though not without criticism. “All the actresses we could get who were pretty, weren’t funny enough. We were damned lucky to get her!” Kelly said, defending the decision. Hagen got the last laugh, however, subsequently garnering the film’s only performance Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. As for Lockwood’s off-screen romance, Cathy Seldon, Mayer foisted ingénue Debbie Reynolds onto Kelly for the role. Kelly was not happy. The 18-yearold could not dance and the only experience she had singing onscreen was with Carleton Carpenter in 1950’s Two Weeks in Love, in which the pair sing “Aba Daba Honeymoon.” This was certainly not the first time Hollywood’s biggest Democrat (Kelly) tangled with Tinseltown’s most prominent Republican (Mayer), but being the boss provided the latter with the final say regarding Kelly working with Reynolds. “You’re going to do it, because I told you to do it!” Kenrick said, quoting Mayer. Nor was Kelly shy about making his feelings known to his co-star. The dancing diva browbeat Reynolds mercilessly, hoping the young thespian would buckle and quit, which she very nearly did. Kenrick vividly described the historic moment when she turned her troubles around by virtue of an unexpected savior. During a break in rehearsal, a dejected and defeated Reynolds sat slumped on the curb outside the soundstage, when she was approached by Fred Astaire. The dance impresario brought her to his office, where he treated her to a whirlwind of steps and breathtaking maneuvers, which left the twinkle-toed star breathless and dripping with sweat. Upon the completion of his dancing self-flagellation, he confronted Reynolds. “If I have to go through this to dance like that, you do too. Now, go in there and give Gene everything you got!” From that moment onward, Reynolds did. In a movie brimming with iconic moments, O’Connor’s “Make ’em Laugh” stands out. The versatile and rubbery performer dances, tumbles, flips, whirls, pratfalls and undertakes acrobatic stunts, which would make a seasoned Cirque de Soleil professional blush. According to Kenrick, it also landed the performer in the hospital for three days for contusions and exhaustion. While O’Conner convalesced, the crew taping the scene discovered the camera had malfunctioned and they hadn’t captured a single frame. They would need a retake. The intrepid “Moses Supposes” was one of the two original songs written for the movie by Arthur Freed and Herb Nacio Brown “‘Singin’ in the Rain’ and childbirth were the two hardest things I ever had to do in my life,” Debbie Reynolds said years later about her experience working with Gene Kelly on the iconic MGM musical May 2017  ¢  NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER  13


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