Author: thehorsesheadblog

#290) The Wind (1928)

OR “Wuthering Plains”

Directed by Victor Sjöström

Written by Frances Marion. Based on the novel by Dorothy Scarborough.

Class of 1993

Not the original trailer, but a nice little snippet.

The Plot: Letty Mason (Lillian Gish) travels from Virginia to the Sweetwater, Texas of the 1880s to live with her cousin Beverly (Edward Earle). Beverly’s wife Cora (Dorothy Cumming) does not warm up to Letty and wants her out. At the same time, cattle buyer Wirt Roddy (Montagu Love), as well as neighbors Lige (Lars Hanson) and Sourdough (William Orlamond) vie for Letty’s affection, despite her protests. But Letty’s main problem isn’t with any of Sweetwater’s citizens, but rather its weather. Upon their first meeting, Wirt warns Letty that the wind has been known to drive women insane. Will Letty survive her new surroundings?

Why It Matters: No superlatives in the NFR write-up, just a rehash of the film’s plot and historical significance. An essay by silent film expert Fritzi Kramer is much more loving.

But Does It Really?: “The Wind” is one of the last silent films produced by MGM, and features Lillian Gish’s final (and perhaps most iconic) silent performance. So historically this movie was going to make the NFR sooner or later. As a film, it’s fine. Gish is a solid lead, and like many of the latter silent films, “The Wind” has an overall higher quality than most silents. The gender politics don’t hold up, but there are still a lot of pros to outweigh the cons. A pass from me for “The Wind”.

Wow, That’s Dated: The aforementioned gender politics. Also, for the love of God, everyone please stop saying “injun”! There aren’t even any Native Americans in this film! You’re making it worse!

Seriously, Oscars?: The 2^nd Academy Awards have no official listing for nominees, and there is no record that “The Wind” was under consideration by the Academy. Despite this, MGM still won Best Picture with one of their talkies, the all-singing “The Broadway Melody”. Lillian Gish would not be nominated for an Oscar until 1946, for her supporting turn in the Selznick Oscar-bait “Duel in the Sun”. The Academy finally gave Gish an Oscar in 1970, an honorary award for lifetime achievement.

Other notes

• This was a passion project for Lillian Gish. She knew that playing Letty would allow her show more range as an actor, and convinced MGM to produce it. She hand-selected Victor Sjöström as her director and Lars Hanson as her co-star, having worked with both of them on the 1926 film version of “The Scarlet Letter”.
• Research has confirmed my suspicion that with this much wind and sand blowing, it could not have been a fun shoot. Shooting on location in the Mojave desert was unbearable, with the cast and crew not only dealing with the constant wind, but also with the heat, with the temperature (according to various sources) ranging from 90 to 110 degrees.
• Nice of them to translate the intertitles into actual old-timey prospector talk. Now if only I had any idea what they were saying…
• Dorothy Cumming looks a lot like Anjelica Huston. Fun Fact: Cumming was also the evil queen in the 1916 silent version of “Snow White”.
• A woman driven insane while living with relatives? What is this, “A Stagecoach Named Desire”?
• I’m enjoying the special effects and model work throughout, especially during the cyclone scene. And this predates “Wizard of Oz” by a decade. Well done, uncredited effects team!
• Must Lige and Sourdough settle every dispute with guns? What if the dispute is over which gun to use?
• Oh crap, Lillian Gish is kind of hot. I’m attracted to a woman 94 years my senior. I’ve been watching too many silent movies.
• Nice staging of the scene between Letty and Lige that focuses solely on their feet. Very Tarantino-esque.
• This is one of the rare movies with singing intertitles. Sourdough croons “Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie” (aka “The Cowboy’s Lament”), and the lyrics are italicized on the cards. This adds to some confusion later when select words in dialogue are italicized for emphasis. Are they singing those words?
• At this point, I’m just going to assume the book is better.
• Gish claimed that the studio forced her to reshoot the original ending after poor test screenings, but all available resources show the “happy” ending was always a part of the script.

Legacy

• Sjöström only directed a handful of films after “The Wind”, but continued work as an actor on the stage in his native Sweden. He eventually acted on film, and is perhaps best remembered for his performance in Ingmar Bergman’s “Wild Strawberries”.

• Sweetwater, Texas is very real and still going strong. Interestingly enough, Sweetwater is one of the leaders in wind energy and wind generators.

• Say what you will about this movie, it’s definitely better than “The Happening”.

#289) Nashville (1975)

OR “Can’t Stop the Music City”

Directed by Robert Altman

Written by Joan Tewkesbury

Class of 1992

The Plot: The country music capital of the world gets the Altman treatment as Nashville is portrayed through his trademark extended zoom shots and overlapping dialogue. 24 separate storylines weave in and out of each other, all centered on the town’s country stars and wannabes gearing up for a performance at a political rally. Among the ensemble are Grand Ole Opry star Haven Hamilton (Henry Gibson), BBC reporter Opal (Geraldine Chaplin), the talented yet extremely vulnerable Barbara Jean (Ronee Blakley), womanizing folk singer Tom Frank (Keith Carradine), lawyer Del Reese (Ned Beatty), his neglected wife Linnea (Lily Tomlin), and aspiring singer Winifred (Barbara Harris). All this, plus Jeff Goldblum as The Tricycle Man.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls the film a “funny and poignant series of vignettes” and praises the film’s “ability to be sarcastic, hopeful, and revelatory all at once”. A handful of performers, as well as the song “I’m Easy”, also get a shoutout. An essay by film critic David Sterritt puts “Nashville” in its contextual place in Altman’s filmography.

But Does It Really?: Having now watched all three of Robert Altman’s NFR entries (and several of his non-entries) I can conclusively say that I respect Altman’s films more than I enjoy them. There’s nothing wrong with his movies, they’ve just never done it for me, yet I keep coming back for more. Altman is truly one of the unique visionaries of film, and even when I wasn’t fully engaged with “Nashville”, I admired its fly-on-the-wall unfolding of the organized chaos that is life. While the meandering pace of “Nashville” is a bit slow by today’s standards, there are enough dynamic characters and performances to hold your interest. Altman is one-of-a-kind, and “Nashville” is the apex of a film career that will never be replicated. I give “Nashville” a pass on the historical and artistic fronts, but I do so more as an admirer than as a fan.

Shout Outs: Quick references to “The Wizard of Oz” and “Easy Rider”.

Everybody Gets One: Writer Joan Tewkesbury (a longtime Altman script collaborator), cinematographer Paul Lohmann, and most of the cast, including: Ronee Blakley, Geraldine Chaplin, Barbara Harris and Lily Tomlin.

Wow, That’s Dated: Many of the characters are inspired by such then-current country or folk singers as Roy Acuff, Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride, Lynn Anderson, and Peter, Paul and Mary. Throw in a Bicentennial reference and the abomination that is white afros and you got yourself 1975.

Seriously, Oscars?: “Nashville” initially received very high critical praise that was immediately followed by backlash (the word “overrated” was thrown around a lot). This, mixed with good-but-not-great box office and Altman’s outsider status in Hollywood, led to “Nashville” only receiving five Oscar nominations, albeit in major categories. The film lost Picture and Director to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, while Ronee Blakely and Lily Tomlin split the Best Supporting Actress vote in favor of overdue veteran Lee Grant for “Shampoo”. “Nashville” did, however, win Best Original Song for Keith Carradine’s “I’m Easy”.

Other notes

• Altman loves his fourth-wall breaking. The opening credits present the movie as a late-night commercial for an album by the cast, which actually sets up the whole movie quite well.

• The lynchpin of the movie is the campaign of Hal Phillip Walker for the Replacement Party. We never see him, but he is voiced by Thomas Hal Phillips; novelist and producer of Altman’s “Thieves Like Us”.
• Just a reminder that this film has two stars from “Laugh-In”. Both Henry Gibson and Lily Tomlin excel at flexing their hereto-unknown dramatic muscles.
• Very interesting that one of the characters is a documentarian, and a potential imposter. Even Altman’s characters blur the line between reality and fiction. Geraldine Chaplin is just perfect in the role, and helped turn the Chaplin family into an acting dynasty.
• So Jeff Goldblum has always been quirky on film? Fun Fact: Goldblum has two movies on the AFI Top 100, and only one line.
• Car crashes! That’s what Altman’s movies are missing! For a second I thought Hal Needham guest directed the car pile-up.
• I love Barbara Harris, but that accent is all over the place. Harris was dissatisfied with her performance and offered to pay for re-shoots. Altman refused.
• Kenny Frasier looks like Stephen King. Unfortunately the ending of his subplot is tipped a little too early.
• Surprise guest stars/former Altman leads Elliott Gould and Julie Christie! Apparently both actors happened to be in Nashville during production.
• In true Altman authenticity, the actors wrote their own songs. Ronee Blakely had contributed several songs before being cast in the film last-minute. Tomlin, Carradine, and Gibson also helped pen a few songs, but special mention to Karen Black, who wrote a country song that sounds like the real thing.

• When Lady Pearl talks about her affection for the Kennedys, she mentions Robert Kennedy taking his presidential campaign to Stockton, California. That’s absolutely true: Robert Kennedy stumped in my hometown by train just six days before his assassination.
• “Since You’ve Gone” (the song performed by Bill, Mary, and Tom) was written by…Gary Busey? How did he get mixed up in all of this?

• I can see why “I’m Easy” is a highlight: it’s the only song that comes from an emotional place for the character and comments on those emotions. You earn that Oscar, Carradine! The song also simultaneously advances the development of five characters, culminating with the slow close-up on Lily Tomlin.

• “It Don’t Worry Me” is a good finale, if Altman movies are allowed to have finales. Another winner from Keith Carradine. Side Note: Did anyone else notice that the final camera move is a bit jerky?

• For the record: Nashville hated “Nashville”. Altman believed that their local talent didn’t appreciate being passed over for the film in favor of Hollywood people.

Legacy

• “Nashville” was Altman at his peak. His immediate follow-up was the somewhat muddled “Buffalo Bill and the Indians”, and while “3 Women” and “A Wedding” are not without their supporters, Altman would have to wait until 1992’s “The Player” to make a comeback.

• In an unfortunate connection, some cited “Nashville” as one of the films that may have inspired Mark David Chapman to assassinate John Lennon.
• Altman’s swan song was a return to country music, as well as many of the same themes from “Nashville”: “A Prairie Home Companion”.

#288) King Kong (1933)

OR “Ape Fear”

Directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack

Written by James Creelman and Ruth Rose. Based on an idea by Cooper and Edgar Wallace.

Class of 1991

No original trailer, but here’s one from a 1938 re-release!

The Plot: Adventurous filmmaker Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) casts young Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) to star in his next picture. They board a ship bound for the mysterious Skull Island, and Ann falls for the ship’s first mate Jack (Bruce Cabot). Once they arrive on the island, the natives choose Ann as a sacrifice to “Kong”, a giant ape that rules the island. Kong appears to take a liking to Ann and protects her throughout a series of attacks from the island’s prehistoric creatures. Denham makes a plan to capture Kong and showcase him on Broadway, but Kong won’t go without a fight, or at the very least scaling the Empire State Building with Ann in tow while fighting off airplanes.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls it “an audience favorite” and praises “Willis O’Brien’s spectacular stop-motion effects”. There’s also an essay by Kong expert Michael Price.

But Does It Really?: I will not argue the legacy of “King Kong” or its status as a classic, but I will argue that it has not aged as well as you’d hope. The dialogue and characterizations are dated, which makes for a slow first half, but once Kong shows up, you’re in for a very fun ride. The special effects are the main highlight here, and are still exciting to watch 85 years later. It’s not one of the untouchables on this list, but “King Kong” is a bona-fide classic.

Everybody Gets One: Robert Armstrong had worked with Cooper and Schoedsack on their previous RKO picture, “The Most Dangerous Game”, and was an early favorite for the role of Carl Denham. Armstrong is one of the few actors to reprise his role in hastily produced sequel “Son of Kong”, which he actually preferred over the original.

Wow, That’s Dated: Soooooo much sexism and racism in this one. In terms of dialogue, the pièce de résistance is Denham’s declaration that there’s “something on that island no white man has ever seen.” More non-verbal stop-motion, please!

Seriously, Oscars?: “Kong” executive producer David O. Selznick unsuccessfully lobbied to get the movie a special Oscar for its visual effects (that category didn’t exist until 1939). The Academy did, however, give out a technical award to Sidney Saunders and Fred Jackman for their development of rear screen projections for several films, including “Kong”.

Other notes

• There is a lot of material out there about the creation of “King Kong”. A good place to start is the film’s original laserdisc commentary by film historian Ronald Haver, notable for being the very first audio commentary.
• Right from the start, this movie hits you over the head with the “beauty and the beast” motif. Fun Fact: The “Old Arabian Proverb” at the beginning is made up.
• Fay Wray kinda looks like if Meryl Streep played Brie Larson. Along the same lines, Bruce Cabot seems like a proto-Charlton Heston we tried out in the ‘30s.
• It takes so long for this movie to get to the island. How much more sexism and coolies do I have to sit through?
• Kong lives at the entrance of Jurassic Park? Hold on to your butts.
• Thank god Kong finally shows up. At this point the only thing that could possibly save this movie is a stop-motion ape.

• The fight sequences can get pretty gruesome in a few spots, and many of these scenes were deleted from subsequent re-releases. That being said, it really isn’t too far-fetched to imagine Kong fighting Godzilla.

• All the men in this movie scream like Slim Pickins in “Dr. Strangelove”.
• Okay, the effects in this movie are awesome. The scene of Kong shaking the men off of the fallen tree is still really impressive to watch. Can we get Willis O’Brien a retroactive Oscar?

• Most historians ignore the movie’s most influential dialogue exchange: “Roar!” “Ahhhhh!”
• And then this movie slips into the moral gray area of Kong removing Ann’s clothing. Naiveté or harassment? You make the call.

• Every time Kong defends Ann from one of the monsters I want him to yell, “That’s my wife, you bastard!”
• I call shenanigans on Jack and Ann surviving a fall that high.
• Why do they keep toting Kong as “the eighth wonder of the world”? The other seven are all man-made, where does a giant ape fit into this?
• Cooper and Schoedsack always denied that the film had any metaphorical implications, but I must say the film historians who make the slavery argument have a solid case.
• One patron complains that tickets to see Kong are $20, roughly $388 today. By comparison, mezzanine tickets for “Hamilton” currently start at $330.
• How many times do I have to tell you people: you get better pictures by turning the flash off!
• The Empire State Building was less than two years old when Kong scaled it. The equivalent today would be if he came to San Francisco and climbed our god-ugly Salesforce Tower.

• “It wasn’t the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast.” No, it was definitely the airplanes.

Legacy

• “Kong” was a runaway hit when released in March 1933. It was so popular that work immediately began on a sequel. “Son of Kong” was rushed to theaters only nine months after the original.

• The character of Kong has been the subject of a few copyright claims over the years, and his current ownership is split between a few companies. The trouble started in 1962 when Merian C. Cooper learned that RKO was licensing Kong to the Japanese studio Toho for “King Kong vs. Godzilla”. Cooper filed suit in a case presumably called “Cooper v. ‘King Kong vs. Godzilla’”.

• The original “King Kong” has been remade twice (so far): The 1976 Dino De Laurentiis version gave us newcomer Jessica Lange, and the 2005 Peter Jackson version proved there was life after “Lord of the Rings” (sort of).

• Kong’s current film incarnation is as part of Legendary Entertainment’s “MonsterVerse”. 2017’s “Kong: Skull Island” was the launching pad for Kong’s rematch with Godzilla in 2020.

• And all of the above are just the official entries. There are countless rip-offs and Kong-esque gorillas throughout film history. Plus a Japanese cartoon show!

• “King Kong Encounter” was a part of the Universal Studios Hollywood tour until a fire destroyed it in 2008. An updated “King Kong: 360 3-D” segment is now in its place.

• At long last, Kong has made it to Broadway. From what I can tell, their opening night went better than Denham’s.

• The pop-culture references to “King Kong” are so numerous they have their own Wikipedia page. So I will leave you, as I often do, with a “Simpsons” reference.

• No wait, “Donkey Kong”. Let’s end with “Donkey Kong”.

#287) Top Hat (1935)

OR “Venice Match”

Directed by Mark Sandrich

Written by Dwight Taylor and Allan Scott. Based on the plays “Scandal in Budapest” by Sandor Farago and “A Girl Who Dares” by Aladar Laszlo. Songs by Irving Berlin.

Class of 1990

The Plot: Celebrated dancer Jerry Travers (Fred Astaire) meets designer model Dale Tremont (Ginger Rogers) at a fancy hotel in London. Despite some initial friction, they find themselves attracted to each other. In a case of mistaken identity, Dale thinks that Jerry is Horace Hardwick (Edward Everett Horton), a theatrical producer known for his skirt-chasing. This all comes to a head in a bridal suite in Venice, where Dale’s Italian designer friend Beddini (Erik Rhodes), Hardwick’s wise-cracking wife Madge (Helen Broderick), and his effete valet Bates (Eric Blore) are thrown into the mix. But all this plot still leaves plenty of room for some classic Irving Berlin standards.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls the film “the quintessential Astaire-Rogers musical”, though admits that “Top Hat” is just a retread the pair’s previous outing, “The Gay Divorcee”. There’s also an essay by film critic Carrie Rickey.

But Does It Really?: If I have to pick one Astaire-Rogers movie for the vault, it’s “Top Hat” (Oh “Swing Time”, if only you didn’t have that Bojangles routine). There aren’t a lot of musical numbers, but the ones they have are among the duo’s best, and in the interim are fun performances by a cast you enjoy spending time with. On top of its expected musical attributes, “Top Hat” is surprisingly funny. I chuckled pretty consistently throughout the film, which speaks to how well “Top Hat” has aged. Do yourself a favor and watch “Top Hat” at least once in your life.

Everybody Gets One: Mark Sandrich directed five of the ten Astaire-Rogers musicals, despite allegedly not getting along with Rogers. Sandrich would go on to direct Astaire in “Holiday Inn”, which gave us the classic song “White Christmas”.

Wow, That’s Dated: Lots of gender politics in this one. Nothing too groan inducing, but it’s definitely there. And as always, I’ll pour one out for the gone-but-not-forgotten RKO Pictures.

Seriously, Oscars?: One of the biggest hits of 1935, “Top Hat” was nominated for four Oscars, winning none. Among its defeats: Best Song entry “Cheek to Cheek” lost to “Lullaby of Broadway” from “Gold Diggers of 1935”, and Best Picture went to the only movie that out-grossed “Top Hat”: “Mutiny on the Bounty”. Side note: How is “Mutiny” not on the NFR yet?

Other notes

• While “Top Hat” was the fourth pairing of Astaire and Rogers at RKO, it was the first of their movies with a screenplay tailored specifically for them.
• Even without dialogue, Astaire’s effortless charm shines through.
• Oh yeah, Hardwicke and Bates are so gay for each other. How did no one at the Hays Office catch that one?
• Speaking of, Bates always refers to himself in first-person plural form (“We are Bates.”). There’s no way America was ready to even conceive of non-binary pronouns.
• The Flower Clerk at the beginning is played by a young RKO contract player named Lucille Ball. And now you know the rest of the story!
• Nice pun involving the word “dam”, as in the mother of a horse. This is followed by a “horse power” joke that…. [Deep exhale].
• There’s nothing I can say about Fred and Ginger dancing that hasn’t already been covered. Both had their own unique star quality, but together they formed a third property. One never upstaged the other when they danced; they became one cohesive unit. It is always a joy to watch.

• I don’t know where I stand with the Jerry/Dale courtship. It’s one of those “he’s a jerk but she’s okay with it” deals, but they’re both so charming. For a black and white movie, this is more shades of gray than I care for.
• Beddini is one spicy Italian stereotype! Apparently this greatly offended Italian Prime Minister/Fascist Benito Mussolini, which led to “Top Hat” being banned in Italy.
• Shoutout to Gertrude Stein, whose 15 minutes of fame were just starting when this film was released.
• “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails” is great, but why does Fred have so many backup dancers? Does he need to shoot all of them?

• Helen Broderick is great as the kind of sardonic supporting character she always played in these movies. Fun Fact: She’s Broderick Crawford’s mother!
• I can see how this film got an Art Direction nomination: the Venice set is huge! It even has a canal going through it!
• Bow down to Edward Everett Horton and his perfect comic timing. He is the Astaire-Rogers of the comic take.
• If you take out the musical numbers, “Top Hat” has the same structure as many of the best “Frasier” episodes.
• And then we get to “Cheek to Cheek”. It’s lovely, although slightly overshadowed by the behind-the-scenes stories involving Ginger Rogers’ problematic feather dress. You can see a bit of molting going on in the final cut.

• This movie’s wardrobe is so elegant. Did the crew have to wear tuxes too?
• Some articles about “Top Hat” mention an excised scene where Bates tells off an Italian police officer. I’m not quite sure when it was cut, but it seems to have been restored in the print I watched (and hilarious).
• Looks like Hermes Pan is going for some Busby Berkeley-esque dance formations in “The Piccolino”. Sadly, he can’t quite pull it off.

• My last note simply reads: “That’s just delightful”. This whole post could have just been those three words. In fact…

Legacy

• Every song in this movie became a standard, and I’m pretty sure Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong recorded all of them.

• The “Feathers” incident inspired a sequence in the Fred Astaire/Judy Garland vehicle “Easter Parade”, as well as Fred’s endearing nickname for Ginger.

• “Top Hat” was adapted for the stage in the early 2010s, with a score filled out by additional Irving Berlin material. The show has toured the UK and Ireland, but I don’t see it coming to the states anytime soon.

#286) Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

OR “The Music of Sound”

Directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly

Written by Betty Comden & Adolph Green. Songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed.

Class of 1989

The Plot: It’s 1927 Hollywood and talkies have exploded onto the scene. Silent film leading man Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) is convinced it’s a fad, but studio head R.F. Simpson (Millard Mitchell) insists on reshooting Don’s latest vehicle, “The Dueling Cavalier”, with sound. The transition is a bumpy one, exasperated by leading lady Lina Lamont’s (Jean Hagen) pronounced Queens accent. After a disastrous preview, Don thinks his career is over, but his best friend Cosmo (Donald O’Connor) and chorus girl Kathy (Debbie Reynolds) convince him to play to his strengths and turn “Cavalier” into a musical. What follows is sheer perfection set to the Brown/Freed song catalog.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls it “one of the greatest musicals ever filmed” and praises Kelly, Donen, the main cast, and the title number.

But Does It Really?: Case closed: “Singin’ in the Rain” is the greatest musical ever made. Many come close, but none can match this movie for its sheer joy (Doctors should start prescribing it as an anti-depressant). You can tell there’s something special going on right from the start. The combination of talent from Donen and Kelly on down makes this the rare grand-slam home run of films. “Singin’ in the Rain” is at the top of my preservation-worthy list, and I hope every future generation has the privilege of watching it.

Shout Outs: A few historical references to “The Jazz Singer” throughout. I’m sure Warner Bros. appreciated the free publicity.

Everybody Gets One: Most of these players appear throughout the other “Freed Unit” musicals on this list, but the main standout is Donald O’Connor, on loan from Universal, running up the walls of film immortality as Cosmo Brown.

Seriously, Oscars?: While successful in its day, “Singin’ in the Rain” faced unavoidable comparisons to “An American in Paris”, which was re-released in 1952 after its Best Picture win. “Singin’ in the Rain” received two Oscar nominations, and lost both. Best Scoring of a Musical Picture went to the Jane Froman biopic “With a Song in My Heart”, and, most conspicuously, Jean Hagen lost Best Supporting Actress to Gloria Grahame’s brief performance in “The Bad and the Beautiful”.

Other notes

• That’s a pretty gutsy move to be the head of your own movie studio unit and then propose a film comprised entirely of your own songs. You got lucky this time, Arthur Freed.
• Future EGOT winner Rita Moreno plays the disappointingly minor role of Zelda Zanders. Don’t worry Rita, “West Side Story” isn’t too far away.
• We’re only at “Fit as a Fiddle” and I’m already exhausted watching this choreography. The precision leaves me speechless.

• The nice thing about Lina Lamont is that she’s allowed to be more dimensional than your traditional comic foil. She’s shrewish, yet shrewd.
• Donald O’Connor is a well-oiled comedy machine. His timing throughout the film is remarkable, and “Make ‘Em Laugh” is a tour-de-force. While we’re on the subject, I hope Cole Porter sued.

• My favorite line in the movie: “Hey Joe, get me a tarantula!”
• Shoutout to costumer Walter Plunkett, who not only had to design ‘20s clothing for everyone, but also wardrobe for a variety of film genres. Where was his Oscar nod?
• The stories of this film’s difficult production are legendary – even Kelly himself said he was too hard on Reynolds and O’Connor – but amazingly, none of that comes through the final film. It looks like everyone’s having the time of their lives.
• Character actor Kathleen Freeman spent most of her seven decade career playing everyone’s sassy maid/mom/secretary, but here she’s wonderfully against-type as unflappable dialect coach Phoebe Dinsmore (“And I cahn’t stahnd him.”)
• Moses supposes his toeses were roses? Man, wandering the desert will mess you up.

• How many people over the years have wrecked their furniture trying to reenact the last shot of “Good Morning”?

• And now the main attraction: the title number is one of those perfect moments captured on film. Unlike the other songs, “Singin’ in the Rain” stems organically from the character. Don is so happy, he can no longer speak, so he sings. The entire scene is powered by Kelly’s infectious energy. I’m getting chills just writing about it.

• You know what tainted Jean Hagen’s performance for me? Judy Holliday in “Born Yesterday”. Holliday was the first choice for Lina (Comden & Green wrote the role for her), but she was unavailable, so her stage understudy Hagen got the part. Don’t get me wrong, Hagen is flawless in the role, but I suspect the Holliday comparison is one of the reasons Hagen didn’t win the Oscar. Holliday won for “Born Yesterday” two years earlier, and a vote for Hagen must have felt like “been there, done that” to the Academy.
• Filmdom’s Greatest Irony: Debbie Reynolds is dubbed when Kathy is looping Lina for “Would You?”.

• Filmdom’s Second Greatest Irony: Jean Hagen dubbed some of Lina’s speaking lines in “The Dancing Cavalier” using her natural voice.
• Most of these numbers are so good you don’t care how lazily shoehorned into the film they are, but “Broadway Melody” really stretches that hospitality. It’s good, but Gene Kelly is clearly trying to out-“American in Paris” himself. That being said, Cyd Charisse is worth the trip out.

• Debbie Reynolds doesn’t get as much screen time as you remember, and the love story is just there because it’s a musical comedy, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t tear up when Don wins Kathy back. Damn you two and your star quality!
• The more I watch this movie, the more I’m disappointed in “La La Land”.

Legacy

• Gene Kelly reached his musical apex with “Singin’ in the Rain”, but a few business conflicts with MGM, mixed with the slow decline of the movie musical, caused Kelly to never again reach those same cinematic heights.
• Stanley Donen went on to direct “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”. They can’t all be winners.

• Debbie Reynolds became a bona fide star thanks to this movie, leading to her Oscar-nominated turn in “The Unsinkable Molly Brown”.

• “Singin’ in the Rain” got its inevitable stage adaptation in the ‘80s. With the right cast it’s charming, but why mess with perfection?

• Countless parodies and allusions over the years, but will anything surpass “A Clockwork Orange”?

• Whenever a Pittsburgh Pirates home game is rained out, the ballpark plays a clip of native son Gene Kelly.

• Oh my god we made him break dance.

• And of course, the Great Movie Ride.

Further Viewing: The earliest performance of “Singin’ in the Rain” from “Hollywood Revue of 1929”, sung by Cliff “Ukulele Ike” Edwards.