How to Write Singin’ In The Rain
by L.A. Zvirbulis
1 – The Inspiration. Be a songwriter at a major studio looking for a way to make your old songs popular again. Put random old songs from multiple other popular movies into one movie. Turns out, nostalgia will always be popular.
2 – The Genre. Musical, obviously. But because those songs you wrote about twenty years ago are kind of old now, let’s make this a period piece about the transition from the silent era to the musical era. Hollywood loves movies about Hollywood.
3 – The Complications. What’s the worst that could happen? Nobody sees (or hears) your movie! The public figures out that your beautiful face doesn’t match your silly voice! The leading man might not get to date the musical ingenue! Worst of all, it is raining while you are singing!
4 – The Fun Stuff. This is about the transition from silent films to sound films. Some people make it, some people don’t. Cast Jean Hagen as the silent star and then use all of her talents in accents. Seriously, Jean Hagen is the unsung hero in this movie, and she gets nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards for her role as shrill-voiced Lina Lamont.
5 – The Device. Singin’. And dancin’. And rain’. The songs exist before the script does, so we have to write the story to suit the song and dance numbers. We don’t know that we can get Gene Kelly when we write this, but it takes about as long to write this as it does for Gene to film An American in Paris so the timing works out for more singin’ and dancin’ work. You won’t have to fight over your differing ideas of opening the movie at a movie premiere, a radio show, or a montage of “how you made it in Hollywood” because you figure you you can do all three!
6 – The Audience. Have you heard the term “meta”? Meta is a thing that recognizes itself. This is a story about Hollywood made in Hollywood. This is just as much about the audience of watching movies as it is the movie. Debbie Reynolds is the unknown aspiring actress who befriends an actor and gets on the same billboard. Isn’t that the dream?
7 – The Jokes. Tell me, studio head, now that we’re making talkies, do we need jokes? No, no, no! Yes, yes, yes! No! No! No! Yes! Yes! Yes! Play with how cinema is recorded, with microphone mishaps and old Hollywood soundstage visual gags. Give Jean Hagen a raise. Yes to jokes.
8 – The Title. Pick one of those songs that you wrote. “Make Em Laugh”, maybe? Or “Fit as a Fiddle (And Ready for Love)”? Or “Singin’ in the Rain”! Yes. Make sure Gene Kelly actually sings in the rain and we’re good.
9 – The Ending. The movie is a success! Gene Kelly is seen as a true talent, and discovers Debbie Reynolds as the next big musical star. Unfortunately, Lina Lamont will never work in Hollywood again. Goodbye silent era, hello triple threats!
10 – The Heart. There is a true love for Hollywood in Singin’ in the Rain. I’m sure they watched those old films they were pulling songs from, and then pieced together a brilliant commentary on a big Hollywood transition. We all just pay tribute to what we love, right?
*L.A. Zvirbulis did not write Singin’ in the Rain. Betty Comden and Adolph Green did using songs written by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed.
**This is a video directed by L.A. Zvirbulis at The Great Movie Ride that features an audio-animatronic of Gene Kelly Singin’ in the Rain…sometimes.
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