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7->'''R.F Simpson:''' Every studio is jumping on the bandwagon, Dexter. All the theaters are putting in sound equipment and we don't want to be left out of it.\
8'''Don Lockwood:''' Well, we don't know anything ''about'' this gadget!\
9'''R.F. Simpson:''' What do you have to ''know?'' It's a picture. You do what you always did! ''You just add talking to it!''
10
11A classic 1952 {{Musical}} film from Creator/{{M|etroGoldwynMayer}}GM, ''Singin' in the Rain'' happened when the legendary team of Creator/ComdenAndGreen were told to pound out a script based on songs the film's producer, Arthur Freed, had co-written for MGM's early musicals.[[note]]The only totally original song in the film is the novelty number "Moses Supposes". "Make 'em Laugh" is generally considered a rip-off of Cole Porter's "Be a Clown", though he never complained.[[/note]]
12
13The result, co-directed and choreographed by Creator/StanleyDonen and Creator/GeneKelly, is a frothy but [[HorribleHollywood sledgehammer-accurate]] comedy set during the transition from silent film to talkies -- a period of major upheaval in the movie industry, as stars learned to cope with the novel concept of 'talking' and all its attendant requirements. Chief among them being, of course, that now they had to ''act''.
14
15Don Lockwood (Kelly) is the current king of silent Hollywood, one-half (or perhaps [[TheLoad three-quarters]]) of the A-list team [[NameAndName Lockwood & Lamont]]. His "partner" is [[AlliterativeName Lina Lamont]] (Jean Hagen), a bottle-blonde, bubble-brained diva whose ego has long since turned Don off any thought of carrying their romance off-screen... not that he can convince Lina of that.
16
17In the main, however, Don's the Creator/GeorgeClooney of his day: rich, debonair, enjoying the perks of celebrity life to the hilt. Loyally at his side at all times is his lifelong best buddy and current studio musician Cosmo Brown (Creator/DonaldOConnor), who is ''just'' tactful enough to keep quiet about the duo's past as a failed vaudeville act.
18
19Then, fleeing a mob of fans one night, Don's rescued by self-described "serious actress" Kathy Selden (Creator/DebbieReynolds). She not only proves immune to his movie star charms but accuses him of having no artistic substance whatsoever: "just a lot of dumb show!" Don is incensed, but her words prove prophetic with the startling acclaim for ''Film/TheJazzSinger''. The studio abruptly (as in mid-take) [[FollowTheLeader decides to make the current Lockwood & Lamont picture a "talkie" too]].
20
21Cue frantic -- and cringe-worthy -- attempts on everyone's part to come to grips with the new technical requirements. Unfortunately, no technology in the world can remedy Lina's voice, [[CuteButCacophonic a shrill Brooklyn screech]] completely at [[VocalDissonance odds with her silent image as a refined leading lady]].
22
23Faced with utter ruin when the now wildly-anachronistic ''Dueling Cavalier'' is hooted down at a test screening, Don, Cosmo, and Kathy cook up a plan [[CrazyEnoughToWork so stupid it just might work]]: convert the whole mess into a fantasy musical. Of course, Don's co-star can't sing any better than she can speak. Thus, inspired by a synchronization accident during the screening, Cosmo also invents dubbing and arranges for Kathy to secretly record all of Lina's songs and dialogue. Inevitably, Lina discovers the ruse--and is suddenly threatening to ruin ''everyone's'' careers and potentially seize the studio. Maybe she's [[SmarterThanYouLook not as dumb as she looks]]...
24
25Will Kathy be forced to give up her dreams? Or will the power of True Love win out over studio greed? And will Cosmo ever get to "start suffering and write that symphony"?
26
27----
28!!This film provides examples of:
29* FiftiesHair: Much of the cast's hairstyles are almost 50s-style 1920s 'dos. It's Cyd Charisse's sleek bob that felt nigh-accurate.
30* AbhorrentAdmirer: Lina, for Don. Lina herself, however, is undaunted. It doesn't help that Don frequently has to kiss and act romantically towards her, as part of his job.
31* ActorAllusion: Jean Hagen's screeching squeak as Lina is an exaggeration of the voice she used for Billie Dawn while acting as understudy for Creator/JudyHolliday in the original Broadway production of ''Theatre/BornYesterday''.[[note]]Compounding things, Hagen had also already appeared with Holliday in ''Film/AdamsRib'' as the lover of her husband.[[/note]]
32* ActorShipping: InUniverse: The gossip interviewer, the "Fan Magazine", and oh-so-many fans of "Lockwood and Lamont" ship them as actors. The gossip interviewer in the opening sequence asks if wedding bells approach.
33* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: "Well, here comes our lovely leading lady now!"
34* AffectionateParody: Of the early Hollywood musicals, spoofing how sound screwed many things up. And like the best affectionate parodies, it pokes fun by being a great example of an old school Hollywood musical.
35* AlliterativeName: The lovely leading lady herself, Lina Lamont, as well as the team of Lamont and Lockwood. Had they thought to also give Don a name that starts with L, they could have had ComicStrip/TheLockhorns on their hands.
36** There's also Zelda Zanders who gets far less screen time than Lina.
37* AllJustADream: The framing device used to switch ''The Dueling Cavalier'' from accidentally campy to intentionally campy. Although the film ends with the main character apparently not waking up and staying in the dreamworld...
38* AllLoveIsUnrequited: "Broadway Melody" involves the guy not getting the girl, who wasn't interested in him in the first place.
39* TheAllegedCar: Cosmo's.
40-->'''Cosmo:''' I can't understand it. This car hasn't given me a lick of trouble in nearly six hours.
41* AllMusicalsAreAdaptations: TheMusical of the film exists, and has had at least one Broadway run, but ''Singing In The Rain'' is famous for being an ''original'' film musical: one of the few that was not based on a previous film, book, play or Broadway production.
42* AlmostKiss: Between Don and Cyd Charisse in "Broadway Melody". All the mobster has to do is [[GoldDigger offer a diamond necklace to her and Don is rejected]].
43* AnachronismStew: The film takes place in the late 1920s at the very start of the sound era, however the "Beautiful Girl" segment, supposedly being shot for a movie of the era, is technologically too advanced for what was possible at the time (compare the real-life film of the era, ''Film/TheBroadwayMelody''). The closing musical segment is also supposed to theoretically be part of a film within the film; however, it too is far more advanced than would have been possible in the late 1920s. In fairness it is presented as a fantasy sequence, so does not necessarily count as an anachronism.
44* {{Arc Word|s}}: 'Dignity'. Don's claim to it is BlatantLies; Lina has the appearance of it but it quickly vanishes as soon as her fame is in danger; Kathy struggles with it after Don [[WhosLaughingNow catches her at her job]]. Cosmo, who never pretends to have any, is probably the happiest throughout the film, and Kathy and Don are a lot better off when they realize they could lose a bit of dignity every now and then.
45* ArtisticLicenseFilmProduction: It can be largely excused thanks to RuleOfFunny, but the film acts as though sound mixing and editing didn't exist in the 1920s. While editing out sounds that were mixed in with dialogue, like the constant rattling of Lina/Yvonne's pearls, would have been essentially impossible for the time, they ''could'' have edited out other unwanted noises that didn't interfere with dialogue, like Don/Pierre throwing his cane aside and generating a thunderous crash.
46* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Once ''The Jazz Singer'' is a smash hit all the movie theatres are ''instantly'' installing sound equipment, the studios are racing to adapt and actors are struggling to make the transition, all within the span of a few months. In reality -- as is portrayed at the beginning of the film -- sound was first regarded as a fad that wouldn't last, and it wasn't until 1929 that the studios really adopted 'talkies' as a standard feature; the first ''full-length'' talking picture, Film/LightsOfNewYork, was released in 1928. Even until the mid-1930s, most Hollywood films were produced in dual silent and talking versions, and cinemas only gradually adopted the equipment necessary to play 'talkies'.
47* AuthorsSavingThrow: [[invoked]] In-universe; after a disastrous test screening, Monumental manages to save ''The Dueling Cavalier'' by turning it into a musical and having Kathy dub over Lina.
48* AwesomeButImpractical: The studio's decision to turn ''The Duelling Cavalier'' into a "100% all-talkie" might have grabbed the headlines, but the troubled shoot and disastrous end result demonstrates full well why in real-life, studios generally used short films to hone their sound recording techniques before applying them to feature-length films.
49* BadBadActing: Cosmo and Don (Don even admits it to Kathy), both humorously and charmingly; Lina, not so much on either count. Don takes it a little too far in the original version of ''The Dueling Cavalier'', to the point where he actually manages to give an even ''less'' convincing performance than Lina.
50* BananaPeel: Cosmo sings that one of the ways to "Make 'em Laugh" is to slip on a banana peel.
51* TheBeautifulElite: Given this is Hollywood, of course the cast is of good-looking people. The "Beautiful Girl" number is all about this.
52* BeenThereShapedHistory: Cosmo is clearly the greatest technical genius in cinema history. Starting as a lowly pianist for sappy love scenes, Cosmo single-handedly rescues an unreleasable picture in post-production by splicing it into a different movie (paving the way for {{Dub Induced Plotline Change}}s); comes up with the idea of using playback to dub new lines into existing scenes; invents lip-synching on the fly; invents the movie musical; and just generally saves the entire studio from going bankrupt. "[[DudeWheresMyRespect Gimme a raise]]", indeed.
53* BelligerentSexualTension: Inverted. Arguing with Lina only makes her hot under the collar, while Don himself is a block of ice.
54-->'''Lina''': [after a take] Oh, Donnie...you couldn't kiss me like that and not mean it a teensie weensie bit!\
55'''Don''': Meet the greatest actor in the world! ''I'd rather kiss a tarantula!''\
56'''Lina''': Oh, you don't mean that.\
57'''Don''': I don't...? Hey, Joe, bring me a tarantula!
58* BeyondTheImpossible: The "Fit as a Fiddle" sequence. It takes a lot of training to dance and play fiddle at the same time, but the way Don and Cosmo do it is ''way'' beyond anyone's reach.
59* BigApplesauce: There's a combination of this and TheBigRottenApple. In "Broadway Melody", a rube with aspirations of being a Broadway star (Don) arrives in Manhattan and quickly gains fame, at the expense of his innocence. The sequence ends on a hopeful note, with an identical nerd in glasses greeting a tuxedo-clad Don, continuing the cycle.
60* BitchInSheepsClothing: Lina has a nice public persona, but is a prima donna behind the scenes; ignoring Don when he's a stuntman until he's important enough to catch her interest, being extremely rude to Kathy at R.F.'s party, and getting Kathy fired for hitting her with a cake, but ''really'' because she could tell Don liked her. And that's ''before'' she gets wind of her voice being dubbed...
61* BlatantLies: "Dignity. ''Always'' dignity," says Don, while the flashbacks show his highly un-glamorous rise to fame.
62* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The film has a TwoGuysAndAGirl version with brunet Don, blonde Kathy, and redhead Cosmo.
63* BreakTheHaughty: Lina is humiliated at the end when it's shown that [[spoiler:she doesn't do her own voicework after she arranged for extensive press coverage claiming otherwise]].
64* BrokenAesop: InUniverse. Cosmo has a cute moment of this early on when he tries explaining to Don that the pseudo-romance with Lina is the price of fame:
65-->'''Cosmo:''' Now, you've got the ''glory''. You gotta take the little heartaches that go with it. ''(Beams)'' Now look at me.... I got no glory. I got no fame--I got no big ''mansions''! I got no ''money''! ''But I got''--! ''({{Beat}})'' What ''have'' I got?\
66'''Don:''' ''I'' dunno, what ''have'' you got?\
67'''Cosmo:''' ''({{Beat}})'' I got to get outta here.
68* BusbyBerkeleyNumber: WordOfGod is that "Beautiful Girl" and its accompanying montage is a dig on the Busby Numbers which Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen always hated.
69* ButtMonkey: The diction coach during the number "Moses Supposes" gets basically shoved around by Don and Cosmo. Still, he's in a better position than Lina's voice coach, who's stuck with a totally hopeless case. At least Don and Cosmo have decent voices.
70* CaptainObvious: The man in the "talking picture" demonstration. {{Justified|Trope}} as he is trying his best to sell a totally new and unknown concept, and even then the party-goers don't quite get the idea at first.
71-->"Hello. This is a demonstration of a talking picture. Notice: [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment it is a picture of me, and I am talking]]. Note how my lips and the sound issuing from them are synchronized together in perfect unison."
72* CreatorKiller: InUniverse, the preview of ''The Dueling Cavalier'' is disastrous, and has the potential to wreck the studio and the careers of everyone involved.
73* ChandelierSwing: Don's character does one during his climactic fight scene in ''The Royal Rascal'' (which is actually, like much of the footage shown of ''Royal Rascal'', from the real-life 1948 version of ''Film/{{The Three Musketeers|1948}}'').
74* TheCharmer: Cosmo at the party.
75-->'''Girl''': Mr. Brown, can you really get me into the movies?\
76'''Cosmo''': Oh, I should think so...
77* CheerThemUpWithLaughter: Don is depressed because he is smitten with Kathy and can't find her. Cosmo does a comedy routine to cheer him up, leading to the "Make 'Em Laugh" number.
78* ChekhovsSkill:
79** Don's on-the-job training as a Hollywood stuntman comes in handy when escaping [[GroupieBrigade overenthusiastic fans.]] It probably can also be credited for his quick reflexes, shown when he dodges the cake Kathy throws at his face.
80** In a more subtle example, Don's barely-hidden background in vaudeville means that when talkies come in he already has a voice not only trained to theatre performance standards but also for excellent singing (not that it helps with convincing delivery of those lines!), as demonstrated by the "Moses Supposes" number, and he's an expert dancer.
81* ComicalOverreacting: At the premiere of ''The Royal Rascal'', one of the crowd does a {{Fanboy}} {{Squee}}, with bugged-out eyes, over Zelda.
82** This accidentally happens in ''The Dueling Cavalier'', when acting made for silent movies is given sound and poorly done sound at that.
83* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Lina at the ill-fated preview of ''The Dueling Cavalier''. "Sounds good an' loud, doesn't it?"
84* CostumePorn: A movie premiere in the film's opening, gleefully skewering the red carpet fashions of the time; Don himself is dressed like Creator/HumphreyBogart by way of P. Diddy. The "Beautiful Girl" sequence is another tongue-in-cheek example.
85** The black glitter spiderweb dress worn by Olga Mara in the opening sequence and Cyd Charisse's green sparkly outfit certainly qualify.
86* CoveredInGunge: The grunge-covered stuntman Don Lockwood meets the Friendly Corporate Executive.
87* CrazyEnoughToWork: The idea to turn ''The Dueling Cavalier'' into a musical, especially when Cosmo essentially invents dubbing and suggests incorporating the AllJustADream plot so they can include contemporary musical numbers but still use some of the already filmed footage.
88* CrowdSong: The 'Gotta Dance' dancing sequence.
89* CuteButCacophonic: Lina has a face like a model, but a shrill voice with a [[{{Joisey}} New Jersey/New York]] accent.
90* DamnYouMuscleMemory: Part of the reason ''The Dueling Cavalier'' is such a disaster is that Lina and Don continue to act as they would in a silent film, with overly exaggerated movements and gestures -- Lina tosses her head back and forth dramatically as she recites her lines (thus missing the microphone no matter ''where'' it's placed), while Don at one point flings a cane away in an overly theatrical manner, resulting in a loud offscreen clatter, and then addresses most of his dialogue to the camera instead of Lina (something that silent film actors often did for the benefit of audience members who were proficient in lip-reading).
91* DastardlyWhiplash: The villain of ''The Dueling Cavalier'' (at least in the preview cut).
92-->"Pierre is miles away, you wench!"
93* DeadpanSnarker: Don and Cosmo, generally in reference to Lina. Cosmo in general, really:
94-->'''Don:''' I'm no actor. I never was. Just a bunch of dumb show. I know that now.\
95'''Cosmo:''' Well, [[NoSympathy at least you're taking it lying down]].
96** And another one during the after-party:
97--->'''Don:''' A movie? Didn't we just see one?\
98'''Cosmo:''' You have to show a movie at a party. It's a Hollywood law.
99** And when Lina angrily asks R.F. and the head of the publicity department why she can't make her own speeches:
100--->'''Rod:''' Lina, you're a beautiful woman, and audiences think you've got a voice to match! The studio has got to keep their stars from looking ridiculous at any cost!
101--->'''Cosmo:''' No one's got that much money.
102** Kathy has her moments, especially when she's driving Don to his home (at the corner of Camden Drive and Sunset Boulevard):
103--->'''Kathy:''' Oh, no offense. Movies are entertaining enough for the masses but the personalities on the screen just don't impress me. I mean they don't talk, they don't act, they just make a lot of dumb show. Well, you know (she does some ''major league'' ''[[WorldOfHam silent acting]]'' ) -- like that.\
104'''Don:''' You mean -- like what I do?!\
105'''Kathy:''' Well, yes! Here we are, Sunset and Camden!
106* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: This gem from Lina Lamont: "It makes us all feel as though all our hard work ain't been in vain for nothin'."
107* DescriptionCut: Don and Cosmo's flashbacks at the beginning of the movie differ a lot from what Don claims to have happened.
108* DesignatedVictim: Lina's chief occupation is to be rescued by Don's characters.
109* DidNotGetTheGirl: FilmWithinAFilm example. As the AllLoveIsUnrequited example shows, the "Broadway Melody" sequence shows Don being rejected by Cyd Charisse's character, namely because she wasn't interested in him in the first place.
110* DidntThinkThisThrough: After years of keeping silent before audiences (to appear as a refined lady) and bullying the studio into making Kathy continue to dub for her, un-credited, Lina decides that she's tired of other people speaking for her and wants to address her audience directly. [[HoistByHisOwnPetard It goes about as well for her as you'd expect.]]
111* DisneyAcidSequence: The "Broadway Melody" and "Beautiful Girl" numbers, both of which come from waaaaaaay out in left field stylistically. Though set pieces like those were pretty common in movie musicals of that era.
112* DisproportionateRetribution: Lina has Kathy fired from her job as a chorus girl for accidentally hitting her in the face with a cake that was meant for Don, and also because she could tell that Don liked Kathy instead of her. She even warns Kathy ''not to call Don by his name'' out of sheer resentment.
113* DistractedByTheLuxury: During the "Broadway Melody" sequence, Cyd Charisse's character regularly flirts with the hapless lead male, only to be swayed back to her thug boyfriend by some shiny piece of jewelry he dangles in front of her.
114* TheDitz: Lina. Oh, Lina.
115-->"They can't make a fool out of Lina Lamont. They can't make a laughingstock out of Lina Lamont. [[CatchPhrase What do they think I am, dumb or something?]] Why I make more money than... than... than UsefulNotes/CalvinCoolidge! ''Put together!''"
116* TheDogBitesBack: Lina forcing R.F. to drop Kathy's name from the credits of the new musical, and essentially blackmailing him into going along with her further demands, winds up becoming her undoing; [[spoiler:R.F. decides he's had it with her and helps expose her "lip-synching" scheme]].
117* DoomedNewClothes: Don's tux and Lina's dress for ''The Royal Rascal'' premiere. Before the end of the night both are ruined; Don's via rabid fangirls and a car door, Lina's via an ill-aimed cake.
118* DreamBallet: Once Don's character strikes it rich in the "Broadway Melody" sequence, he bumps into Cyd Charisse a second time. In Don's imaginings, the dancer turns into a long-haired [[TheIngenue ingenue]] who flies into his arms; a far cry from the reality, which is a floozy.
119* DreamSequence: ''The Dancing Cavalier'' is retconned into an extended dream sequence by Don's character, a Broadway performer who gets [[TapOnTheHead pasted by a falling sandbag]] and dreams that he's in 18th century France.
120* DrivingADesk: The scenes in Kathy's car when Don first meets her.
121* DrunkOnMilk: Don, Kathy, and Cosmo seem exceptionally giddy after drinking milk together into the wee hours of the morning, as MediaNotes/TheHaysCode prohibited the use of alcohol onscreen.
122* DudeWheresMyRespect: Poor Cosmo. Despite being HeterosexualLifePartners with Don, helping him rise to stardom and playing the piano for the movies, he is frequently (and literally!) pushed aside for Don in terms of fame. He's usually a good sport about it, although he does {{Lampshade|Hanging}} this when he comes up with the plan to have Kathy dub for Lina to save ''The Dueling Cavalier.''
123-->'''Kathy:''' Oh Don, that's a wonderful idea! (kisses him)\
124'''Cosmo:''' (sullenly) Huh, I'm glad he thought of it.\
125'''Kathy:''' Oh, Cosmo! (walks over to him and gives him a kiss on the cheek)
126* DumbBlonde: Lina Lamont. "What do they think I am? Dumb or something?"
127* EndOfAnAge: The film is a sped-up summary of the death of MediaNotes/TheSilentAgeOfHollywood and the massive overhaul that ruined the careers of many silent actors:
128** Lina's image as an elegant leading lady simply can't survive once audiences are actually confronted with her true voice; she goes to desperate and ruthless lengths to safeguard her public persona but ends up exposed and a laughingstock. Plenty of real actors, including some of the biggest stars, suffered this fate; many had bad/weak voices or thick accents that didn't match their screen personas, while others had real trouble remembering their lines since what they said on screen now had to actually ''match'' what the audience was hearing instead of reading.
129** Don's ''voice'' is perfectly fine (albeit he needs a little coaching to improve his enunciation) thanks to his years in vaudeville before he got involved in the movie industry, but his overly-emphasized gestures and expressions that worked so well for silent films now make him look ridiculous even before the sound goes wonky; plus he faces the camera rather than Lina half the time and ad-libs lines that just sound daft when spoken out loud. He gloomily refers to both himself and ''The Dueling Cavalier'' as a museum piece; while he's incredibly lucky that he can return to his vaudeville roots and reinvent himself as a dancer and musical star, a lot of real silent film actors didn't have that option as 'silent acting' was all they knew. Don's arc also charts the career shifts of many vaudeville and radio stars; since their previous mediums couldn't compete with the silver screen now that they'd lost their one advantage of sound, they migrated to the film industry to find work.
130** Cosmo, as a player of BackgroundMusic, explicitly says that he's out of a job when he hears the studio's switching to sound, although R.F. immediately makes him head of the new music department. Again, many thousands of real piano players for movie theatres lost their jobs, unless they could compose film music or play piano on-set.
131* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Lina won't even look at Don when he politely introduces himself because she thinks he's just a stuntman, but the minute she hears he's going to be a star, she's all over him, while Don is repulsed by her behavior. This establishes her as shallow and fame-hungry, and him as someone who hates "Hollywood Fake" people - even if they're rich and gorgeous.
132* EurekaMoment: When Cosmo jokingly suggests that Don could go back into vaudeville after the initial failed screening, Kathy has the idea that Don could do musical films, and she and Cosmo suggest how ''The Dueling Cavalier'' could easily be refitted into a musical. Following on from that, Cosmo realizes they can simply dub over Lina after he and Kathy mock some of the sound issues at the premiere.
133* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Cyd Charisse's role is simply called "The Dancer".
134* EverythingHasRhythm:
135** In "Good Morning", Don, Kathy, and Cosmo dance with their raincoats and hats.
136** In "Make 'Em Laugh", Cosmo dances with a wall and a dummy.
137* ExactWords:
138-->'''Don:''' Call me a cab!\
139'''Cosmo:''' Okay, you're a cab.
140* ExcusePlot: The film was specifically written as a setting for songs from MGM's back catalogues.
141* ExecutiveMeddling:
142** InUniverse, R.F. demands that ''The Dueling Cavalier'' needs to be a talkie after the success of ''The Jazz Singer'', which complicates things for the film, to say the least.
143** The studio also is behind the rumors that Don and Lina have a romantic relationship off-screen. Apparently, the studio has done such a good job circulating that bit of gossip that even Lina is convinced.
144** Lina blackmails R.F., who was more than happy to give Kathy the recognition she deserves, into erasing Kathy's credits. Luckily, R.F. supports Don and Cosmo's impromptu plan to expose Lina.
145* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: Lina's a downplayed example. She does look attractive on-screen [[NiceCharacterMeanActor in her silent films]] and is able to convince audiences she had the personality and voice to match, but in reality, she's fame-hungry, delusional, and not very loving. [[JustifiedTrope Although it ''was'' mean to just dub her voice without telling her.]]
146* FaintInShock: One of the spectators blacks out due to seeing all the celebrities.
147* TheFamilyForTheWholeFamily: Cyd Charisse plays the flirtatious moll of a mute, coin-flipping mobster with a scarred face, a la UsefulNotes/AlCapone. His goons flip coins, too. Later, when Don tries his luck with the dancer again, she answers him with a coin flip. Drat.
148* {{Fangirl}}: A crowd of them ''rip apart Don's clothing'' at the beginning of the movie. The fans at the red carpet are also hilariously overenthusiastic.
149* {{Fanservice}}: The sudden and unexpected appearance of Cyd Charisse's legs in the "Broadway Melody" sequence and the dance number they lead to.
150* FashionShow: The "Beautiful Girl" number has a show of outfits while a narrator rhymes about the clothes.
151* TheFlapper: Most of the women, with the notable exception of Lina.
152* {{Foreshadowing}}: Don keeps Lina from talking during their public appearance at the movie theater, before she actually speaks on-screen.
153** When Cosmo comes up with the idea of having Kathy dub her voice over Lina's singing, Don is hesitant, saying that Kathy would be throwing away her career. When Lina finds out about Kathy's dubbing she tries to lock her into a contract that would force her to dub for Lina and prevent her from taking any roles for herself.
154* ForgottenFramingDevice: InUniverse, ''The Dancing Cavalier'' begins with a modern guy getting bumped on the head and dreaming he's in 18th century France and ends with him ''still'' in 18th century France.
155* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Cosmo Brown (sanguine), Don Lockwood (melancholic), Lina Lamont (choleric), and Kathy Selden (phlegmatic).
156* FranchiseOriginalSin: [[invoked]] A rare in-universe case. Lockwood-Lamont movies were known for their melodramatic, over-the-top writing and broad, overwrought acting. This worked at a time when movies were silent, because it helped compensate for the lack of sound, even if some people thought it was "just a bunch of dumb show". With the advent of sound, however, it just came off as cheesy, and combined with difficulty adapting to sound (and its technical problems) and the reveal of Lina Lamont's [[CuteButCacophonic screechy nails-on-a-chalkboard voice]], early screenings of ''The Dueling Cavalier'' were a goldmine of [[{{Narm}} unintentional comedy]]. However, they manage to salvage the movie by giving it a {{retool}} into an ''intentionally'' campy musical, doing re-shoots to correct the technical problems, and hiring another actress to dub over Lina.
157* FreakierThanFiction: Cosmo says of Lina Lamont: "She can't act, she can't sing, she can't dance. A triple threat." Now, who in RealLife would build a musical around a Hollywood star who couldn't sing, dance, or act? That would be the producers of a musical revue titled ''Two's Company'', which opened on Broadway the same year ''Singin' in the Rain'' was released. What critics had to write about Creator/BetteDavis's leading performance resembled the movie's put-down of its fictional actress.
158* FreezeFrameBonus: As the Criterion Laserdisc edition's commentary points out, Creator/LanaTurner can be briefly spotted by going frame by frame in the footage of ''The Royal Rascal''.
159* FunPersonified: Cosmo loves to make silly jokes, and most of the comedic numbers involve him.
160* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Anytime when Cosmo is on screen. Particularly the man's massive eye roll as Don begins the story of how they got into the movie business with [[BlatantLies "Dignity. Always dignity."]]
161* GetTheeToANunnery: "Lemme guess: you're a dashing aristocrat, and she's a simple girl of the people, and she won't even give you a [[http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tumbril tumbril]]. Hah!"
162%% * Getting Crap Past The Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.
163* GladIThoughtOfIt: After Cosmo comes up with the idea of having Kathy's voice dubbed over Lina's:
164-->'''Kathy:''' Don, you're a genius!\
165'''Cosmo:''' (''sarcastically'') I'm glad you thought of it.
166* GoldDigger: Cyd Charisse loses interest in Don's character when her beau dangles a diamond necklace in front of her. The mobster's bored expression suggests this is becoming routine for him.
167* GoneHorriblyRight: One of these opens the door for Don's stuntman career: whilst filming a BarBrawl scene, one punch lands a little too squarely, knocking the actor out cold, and Don is pinched to take his place.
168* GroupieBrigade: Kathy rescues Don from a textbook example of one of these. Honourable mention to the audiences at the various previews: "She's so refined... I think I'll kill myself."
169* HakunaMatata: "Make 'Em Laugh" is possibly the most obvious example of this trope. "Moses Supposes His Toeses Are Roses" also counts.
170* HappyRain: It's raining when Don is walking home after Cosmo gives him ideas to save their film and he realizes he's falling for Kathy, so he starts [[HappyDance dancing in the rain]].
171* HaveAGayOldTime:
172** When Lina complains of having to speak into a hidden mic during a garden scene: "I can't make love to a '''''BUSH!'''''". "Make love" used to mean having a private, romantic conversation. And bush meant shrubbery.
173** Don also assures Kathy that he isn't going to molest her. "Molest" used to mean something closer to "bother" or "aggravate" than anything sexual.
174* HerrDoktor: The demo for the new sound equipment features narration by a creepy technician with an unplaceable accent.
175* HeterosexualLifePartners: Don and Cosmo have been friends and business associates since they were kids.
176* HiddenWire: While making ''The Dueling Cavalier'', Lina has trouble being heard. First, the microphone is hidden in a plant, and she can't be heard because she "can't make love to a bush!" Then, they put the microphone in a giant brooch on her chest and get a nice background of her heartbeat. Then, it's placed in a poof of her sleeve on her left shoulder. Of course, when she turns her head to say "No, I cannot love you", she fades out and back in, which ends up in the finished version of the film.
177* HighDiveHijinks: Referenced when Don Lockwood laments that after ''The Dueling Cavalier'' comes out, no one would even show up to see him jump off the Woolworth Building into a damp rag.
178* HonestCorporateExecutive: R.F. is actually very supportive of Don and Cosmo's plan for ''The Dueling Cavalier'' and helps however he can, plans to push Kathy into the spotlight once ''The Dueling Cavalier'' is released, and [[spoiler:helps Don and Cosmo reveal Lina as a fraud with visible glee]].
179* HoodHopping: Don does this escaping from his fans after Cosmo's car blows a flat and Don's rushed by the mob.
180%%* HoorayForHollywood: Especially the framing device of a film opening, before delving into the nuts and bolts of movie making (which was still simplified from reality).
181* HypercompetentSidekick: Cosmo not only gives Don advice when he needs it, he comes up with numerous ideas that not only save a film but will likely revolutionize the entire film industry.
182* HypocriticalSinging: See IronicEcho.
183* IdentityDenial: This happens to Don, and he only escapes through a MeetCute.
184* InformedFlaw: Not in the film itself, but in some of the stage productions, Lina's voice may not be as terrible as everyone acts like it is. Or alternatively, it may be terrible in some scenes but normal in others. It depends on how well (and for how long) the actress playing her is able to fake it.
185* InLoveWithTheGangstersGirl: During the "Broadway Melody" scene, Don falls for Cyd Charisse, but ultimately losing her to her mobster boyfriend.
186* IronButtMonkey:
187** Don started off his Hollywood Career by being a stuntman. Stunts included driving off a cliff on a motorcycle and entering an exploding shed. [[invoked]]
188** Cosmo risks life and limb in the name of "Make 'Em Laugh". The sequence exhausted O'Connor to the point of becoming deliriously ill.
189* IronicEcho: At the beginning of the movie, Don claims he always played his roles with the utmost dignity, which his flashbacks immediately disprove. Then, Kathy claims she works in a more dignified profession than Don, which turns out to involve jumping out of cakes.
190* ItWillNeverCatchOn: What the studio executives believe about sound in films when talking about the upcoming release of ''Film/TheJazzSinger''. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d by Cosmo:
191-->'''Cosmo:''' That's what they said about [[MotorVehicleTropes the horseless carriage]].
192* JerkassHasAPoint: Lina is thoroughly obnoxious while complaining about as much as possible, but when told "everybody" in the 18th century wore very heavy wigs, she says, "Then everybody was a dope." She has another good point during filming when she keeps turning her head from Don to the bush where the microphone is hidden, and Roscoe reminds her she needs to talk into the microphone in the bush. Lina points out "Well, I can't make love to a ''bush!!!"''
193* JukeboxMusical: As was the style for original movie musicals at the time, the songs were all written before the movie was made. There are, if you listen to the score, absolutely ''no proper nouns'' in any of the songs (except for "Moses Supposes," a nonsense song, but the only one original to the film).
194* JumpingOutOfACake: Kathy comes out of a cake at a Hollywood party. [[HypocriticalHumor This after she gave Don a lot of grief about how she was a stage actress, as opposed to making "just a lot of dumb show"]] on film, and [[BlatantLies claiming she was "in a more dignified profession"]].
195* LadykillerInLove: Don has numerous fans admiring him, and according to Cosmo is quite the charmer, even if we never see him in action. He falls for Kathy, who at first isn't at all impressed by the moves he attempts to put on her.
196* LameComeback: Lina: "I make more money than... Calvin Coolidge... put together!"
197* LaserGuidedKarma: Lina pretty much sets up her own downfall by a) drumming up a lot of false publicity about her vocal talents and lying her ass off, while blackmailing R.F. into keeping quiet and b) improvising a speech, which reveals that [[spoiler:she wasn't doing the singing in ''The Dancing Cavalier'']].
198* LegFocus: In the "Broadway Ballet" extravaganza, Creator/CydCharisse's entrance is marked by her slowly handing Gene Kelly his hat back after he drops it... using one of her very long, very beautiful legs to do it.
199* LetMeGetThisStraight: Lina, summing up the plan to get her singing dubbed on stage: "You mean, she'll be back of the curtain singing, and I'll be out in front doing .. .. like in the picture?"
200* LiteralAssKicking: In Don's backstory, after he rebuffs Lina for the first time, she retaliates this way.
201* LiteralMetaphor: Don has escaped his adoring fans by [[MeetCute jumping into Kathy Seldon's car]]. After suggestive dialogue, Don must tearfully depart. He inadvertently [[StrippingSnag closes the car door]] on his (already-ruined) suit.
202-->'''Don:''' Farewell, Ethel Barrymore. I must tear myself from your side. ''[exaggerated rip, followed by exasperated expression]''\
203'''Kathy:''' ''[[[LampshadeHanging uncontrollable laughter]]]''
204* LoopholeAbuse: Lina's contract regarding management of her publicity means that R.F. and the studio can't call her out on her claims that Kathy's voice is hers, for fear she'll sue them. [[spoiler:R.F., Don, and Cosmo ''can'', however, manipulate her into making an utter fool out of herself and expose the truth, via a handy curtain raise.]]
205* LoveMakesYouCrazy: In this case, it makes formerly cynical Hollywood stars (currently wearing expensive suits) toss their umbrellas aside to go dancing and swinging and splashing ecstatically through torrential downpours, all the while singing about how they don't care! because they're just that happy to be in love.
206* LoveMakesYouEvil: Lina, thinking she and Don are an item, isn't happy that Kathy is about to take over her career.
207* LoveTriangle: Lina, Don, and Kathy.
208* MatchCut:
209** "The Broadway Melody" transitions back into reality by fading from Gene Kelly smiling to the viewers, to Don (also played by Kelly) talking to RF.
210** During "You Are My Lucky Star", the last number, the film fades from Don singing to Kathy in profile, to a drawing of his profile, then zooms out to reveal a billboard for a movie starring both Don and Kathy, also titled ''Singin' in the Rain''.
211* MeetCute: Don escaping the GroupieBrigade and winding up in the co-driver seat of Kathy's car.
212* MerchandiseDriven: Take MGM's old songs, and make a movie out of them.
213* TheMillstone: Lina, as her voice can't be changed or fixed, unlike the other problems with remaking ''The Dueling Cavalier'' into a musical.
214* MinorCharacterMajorSong: "Beautiful Girl". Jimmy Thompson isn't even credited.
215* ModelingPoses: During the "Beautiful Girl" number, a bunch of contemporary outfits are shown, and the models are each in a pose typical for the garment (such as the sportswear model holding her tennis racquet as though she was in mid-swing).
216* MoodMotif: Cosmo's job is to play these.
217* MsFanservice:
218** Kathy jumping out of a cake at the party, and joining the other ChorusGirls.
219** Cyd Charisse, especially in that slinky green dress that shows off her legs to great advantage.
220* TheMusicalMusical: The film is about the making of a musical motion picture.
221* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: After Kathy accidentally hits Lina with a cake and runs off, Don feels immensely guilty over the fact that his teasing (indirectly) got her in trouble, and tries to find her again so he can apologize and make amends.
222* {{Narm}}: An InUniverse example: ''The Dueling Cavalier'' is supposed to be a serious romantic drama, but the introduction of sound and the technical limitations that it imposes, with no knowledge of how to adapt, unintentionally turn it into a hilarious disaster. This was a lot of TruthInTelevision too, as many films did suffer both commercially and artistically when sound was first introduced.
223* NerdGlasses: Don's character in the "Broadway Melody" sequence.
224* NiceCharacterMeanActor: Lina Lamont. She plays all sorts of glamorous princesses and whatnot (in silent films), but when she actually opens her mouth, you find out she sounds awful and has the personality to match.
225* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Lina has Kathy and the entire studio under her control with her contract, which would set her up as a guaranteed star of the new talking film era on the strength of Kathy's uncredited dub work while preventing Kathy from pursuing any career of her own. But then, DrunkOnPower, she can't resist the chance to address the public directly after years of being talked over. Even then, she might have pulled it off, but the crowd starts clamoring for a song and she panics, seizing on the idea of having Kathy sing for her behind the stage curtain. This sets up a perfect opportunity for Don, Cosmo, and R.F. to not only publicly reveal Lina as a fraud, but also to introduce Kathy to the public as the true star of ''The Dancing Cavalier'' and a new rising talent. [[SarcasmMode Really nice going, Lina.]]
226* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed:
227** R.F. is clearly based on Louis B. Meyer, as well as an AffectionateParody of producer Arthur Freed, right down to his catchphrase "I can't quite visualize it..."
228** In the montage for the new talkies, one of the singers is a Rudy Vallee impersonator.
229** Olga Mara is an amalgam of Pola Negri and Theda Bara; Zelda Zanders is a cross between Creator/ClaraBow and early career Creator/JoanCrawford.
230** Don's an amalgam of the countless silent movie stars who failed to transition to ''talkies'' for a multitude of reasons. His attitude while filming the first version of ''The Dueling Cavalier'' in particular is very not-so-subtly based on real silent film star John Gilbert. Don replacing his romantic speech in favor of just saying "I love you" over and over is directly based on something Gilbert infamously actually did.
231* NoNameGiven: Cyd Charisse's character in the "Broadway Melody" sequence. She's also TheVoiceless and makes virtually no sound at all in both her two appearances.
232* NoSongForTheWicked: Lina has no singing number, just a brief sound test. Justified in that much of the plot of the film revolves around the fact that her singing voice (and actually, her voice in general) is godawful.
233** Averted in the stage version, where she gets "What's Wrong With Me?"
234* NotSoAboveItAll:
235** Shocked at Don just leaping into her car, Kathy claims not to have heard of him. Then she later 'fesses up that she's seen most of his films.
236** Just after Don leaped into her car, she claimed she worked in something more dignified than silent movies. Turns out, she jumps out of cakes [[MsFanservice dressed as a]] {{Chorus Girl|s}}.
237* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Everyone spends the first three-quarters of the film mocking and dismissing Lina for being "dumb or something." In the final act of the film, however, she proves cunning enough to hire a lawyer to ReadTheFinePrint of her contract and [[LoopholeAbuse exploit a loophole]] that says she's allowed to control her own publicity: she gives interviews to multiple major newspapers making big claims about her singing and dancing prowess, smugly pointing out to R.F. that if the studio publicists attempt to contradict her to the media, it would infringe on her right to manage her publicity and she can sue. She uses this to blackmail R.F. into removing Kathy from the credits and force her to keep working as Lina's (uncredited) voice for the rest of ''her'' five-year contract. Thankfully, she [[DidntThinkthisThrough doesn't quite think the whole thing through]].
238* OhCrap:
239** Kathy jumps out of the cake at the party, and her eyes land on Don. Who starts grinning in malicious delight.
240** Everyone's excited about moving into the talking picture business... until they're reminded about Lina's voice.
241** Lina herself is excited to address her audience for the first time after the success of ''The Dancing Cavalier''... until she remembers that none of them have ever heard her speak on account of [[CaptainObvious the silent nature of silent films]] and Kathy's uncredited dub work, and is mortified when the audience doesn't recognize her voice and demands a song.
242* OldShame: InUniverse example. Don would much prefer to forget his days hoofing it as a vaudevillian with Cosmo, as well as his big break as a stuntman.
243* TheOner: "Fit as a Fiddle" is done in about 4 shots max and "Make 'Em Laugh" has a oner where Donald O'Connor does two backflips in a row off two walls.
244* ThePianoPlayer: Lina refers to Cosmo as this, even though he actually has a really big part!
245-->'''Lina Lamont:''' What do you know about it, you ''piano player''? Are you anybody?
246* PieInTheFace: Kathy tries to whack Don with one... and gets Lina instead when Don dodges, unfortunately for her (as Lina gets her fired for it). This is {{Lampshaded}} in Kathy's comment as she does it: "Here's one thing I've learned from the movies!" Of course, in past movies a thrown pie often hit an unintended target, so this is also a case of DramaticIrony.
247** Kathy's firing makes her more amenable to acting with Don, resulting in their falling in love, so this develops into ItBeganWithATwistOfFate. This further magnifies the meaning of Kathy's remark in an unexpected way, since this is a reasonable thing to happen in a romantic movie, but not in real life--which may even make her remark an indirect BreakingTheFourthWall.
248* PimpedOutDress: Quite a few, this being one of the eras where gratuitous dress decorations were popular. One of the dresses in the opening red carpet scene is covered in ermine tails as though it was fringe. Later, we see a montage of the very latest Jazz Age fashions as part of the "Beautiful Girls" production number. Lina's last dress has a skirt [[FluffyFashionFeathers covered in feathers]] (and the rest of it is completely covered in silver sequins). Lina's dress in ''The Dueling Cavalier'' fits the mold of 18th-century dresses, being covered with frills and flowers (which isn't that far off from the real dresses of that time, except they were even more decorated).
249* PluckyComicRelief: At Don's side is his lifelong friend and second banana, Cosmo Brown. He is clearly out of his element in the sleazy showbiz world.
250* PrecisionFStrike: A G-rated one, but has the same impact - after seeing R.F.'s talkie demonstration, one of the reactions: "It's ''vulgar''."
251* PrettyInMink: Several fur wraps and capes are worn by the actresses, especially in the opening scene where Zelda wears an ermine cape paired with a dress trimmed with ermine tails, another actress wears a full-length chinchilla cape, and Lina wears a cape trimmed with white fox including the huge collar (a style common in that decade and the next) to frame her glamorous (but silent) face for the crowd.
252* ThePrimaDonna: Lina, such as getting Kathy fired, ostensibly for nailing her in the face with a cake and ruining her dress, but actually out of jealousy.
253** There's also Zelda, who spills the beans to Lina about the dubbing out of professional jealousy, fearing what Kathy's rising star means for her own career.
254* PrimaDonnaDirector: Roscoe Dexter rapidly turns into this as the challenges of working on a talkie flick materialize.
255* PublicityStuntRelationship: The studio encourages rumors that screen partners Don and Lina are a couple for publicity, although in real life Don can't stand her. Lina, however, is constantly trying to make it real.
256* PungeonMaster: Cosmo. Begged by Don to help him by calling him a cab: "OK -- you're a cab."
257* TheQuietOne: Lina comes across as this to Hollywood in public because of her awful voice, and no one wants to let her speak because of it. Needless to say, she gets pretty fed up with not being allowed to speak in public and it causes her to [[HoistByHisOwnPetard kick-start her own downfall]].
258* QuitYourWhining: Cosmo does this to Don by singing "Make 'Em Laugh."
259* RealFakeDoor: During the "Make 'Em Laugh" number, Cosmo opens a movie prop door, "discovering" a prop brick wall behind it. He pretends to slam into it, then pretends that his face has been messed up by the collision.
260* RapidFireNo: There's a combination of this and RapidFireYes. In ''The Dueling Cavalier'', Lina's character and the villain exchange "No!"'s and "Yes!"'s for a seemingly endless amount of time. The {{Narm}} increases when a syncing error causes Lina's high, shrilly "No!"'s to come out of the villain's mouth, and his low, domineering "Yes!"'s to come out of hers.
261* RecycledScript: InUniverse, ''The Royal Rascal'' and ''The Dueling Cavalier'' are pretty much the same film before the latter's turned into a musical. Several comments from various characters imply that this is in no way unusual for Lockwood and Lamont's films.
262-->"If you've seen one, you've seen them all."
263* RepetitiveAudioGlitch: At the preview showing of ''The Dueling Cavalier'', a mishap causes the film to lose sync with the soundtrack (early sound films had the soundtrack on a phonograph record; they switched to printing the track directly on the film to avoid this very thing), leading to a scene where the villain and the DistressedDamsel speak each other's lines. This becomes a plot point, as it leads to the idea of having Kathy dub over Lina's nails-on-a-chalkboard voice.
264* {{Retool}}: ''The Dueling Cavalier'' gets retooled into a talkie, and then becomes a musical after terrible previews.
265* TheRoaringTwenties: Covering both MediaNotes/TheSilentAgeOfHollywood and the MediaNotes/RiseOfTheTalkies.
266* RomanticRain: The titular song comes when a lovestruck Don goes skipping through a heavy rain after parting from Kathy after they shared their FirstKiss at her doorstep while it was raining.
267* RubberFace: Cosmo makes a lot of goofy faces during "Make 'Em Laugh", and a few others in the rest of the film.
268* RuleOfCool: Why do Don and Cosmo break into dance during "Moses Supposes"? Or ever? Because it's cool and fun to watch, that's why!
269* RuleOfSymbolism:
270** The two [[ShowWithinAShow films within the film]] ''The Dancing (previously, Dueling) Cavalier'' and ''Singin' in the Rain'' function as the "little" movies used to enhance the "big" movie. ''The Dueling/Dancing Cavalier'' is the basis for most of the main film's conflict. When R.F. decides it will be a talkie, everything goes haywire and sets the movie's biggest plot points in motion. ''The Dueling/Dancing Cavalier'' is also used to deepen our understanding of the movie's major characters. In Lina's case, it's used to bolster her role as an antagonist. All of her involvement in the production is tainted: from being unable to remember where the microphone is to demanding Kathy get no credit. It also shows how tempestuous her relationship is with Don; think about when they enact a passionate love scene while simultaneously threatening to ruin each other. For Lina, the movie within a movie brings out the worst in her. But it also brings out the best in Don. Each time the filming of ''The Dueling/Dancing Cavalier'' presents a challenge, Don hikes up his knickers to meet it. It's going to be a talkie? No problem, Don can talk just fine. The screening's awful? Fine, we'll make it a musical. Don sings and dances better than he talks. [[CuteButCacophonic Lina sings like a dying goat?]] No worries, Don's girl Kathy has his back. The movie within the movie highlights Don's willingness and ability to change, and it helps him evolve, in contrast to Lina, who quickly finds herself obsolete. The second film-within-the-film is the self-titled "Singin in the Rain" film Don and Kathy made together. It serves as their first feature film together and cements their happy ending and love for each other.
271** The Broadway Melody Ballet -- despite being a massive BigLippedAlligatorMoment that lasts a whopping 13 minutes -- is surprisingly essential to the film. It's a dance representation of Don's story rather than his made-up beginnings he rattles off to Dora Bailey at the beginning of the movie, but his real story — warts and all. The young hoofer in the yellow vest is a stand-in for Don. Visually, the ballet sequence may be extremely bright, bold and Technicolored, but, narratively, it's pretty dark. The hoofer comes up against menacing mobsters, gets his heart busted by a materialistic mystery woman, and has to wear a vest that makes him look like a banana. In other words, it includes all of the less-than-glamorous sorrows and struggles that Don encountered as he chased his dreams. It's absolutely glorious as it's basically the emotional climax of the movie represents the crucial turning point in Don Lockwood's ability to reveal his emotions and his internal crisis about his dramatic ability. Earlier in the film, Don tells Kathy that he's not good at expressing himself. Then he takes her on to an abandoned film set and tells her how much she means to him through song and dance in an improvised production number complete with fog and wind machines. This earlier sequence suggests that the only way Don can express authentic emotion is through song and dance. So it makes sense that the "Broadway Melody Ballet" is how Don chooses to tell his true story; it's the biggest musical number in the whole movie. It's also no coincidence that the whole sequence looks like a stage production. Remember that Kathy kick-started Don's whole emotional evolution when she proclaimed the theater superior to movies.
272* SameLanguageDub: The entire plot is an in-story example of a combination of this and NonSingingVoice.
273** Gets confusing (and funnier) when you find out that Jean Hagen (who played Lina) actually does some dubbing for Debbie Reynolds (who played Kathy). So Jean Hagen dubs Debbie Reynolds dubbing Jean Hagen.
274** Not only that but in the songs "Would You" and "You Are My Lucky Star", Reynolds (and by extension, Kathy's voice coming out of Lina's mouth) is actually dubbed by Betty Noyes (although not because Reynolds' voice was no good), which is ironic, considering the premise of the movie.
275* SanityBall: The one time Lina is on track about something is during the ''Dueling Cavalier'' filming scenes when she finally gets fed up with Dexter's constant admonitions to talk into the mike and exclaims "WELL, I CAN'T MAKE LOVE TO A ''BUSH!"'' since she obviously has to turn to Don when she speaks to him.
276* ScrewThisImOuttaHere:
277** Kathy bolts from the party after attempting to hit Don in the face with a cake, after it hits Lina instead.
278** Lina at the end after [[spoiler:she is exposed as a fraud]]. And a {{Subverted|Trope}} example right after that, as Kathy [[spoiler:also tries to run away, but Don manages to get the crowd to stop her]].
279* SealedWithAKiss: The film ends with Don and Kathy kissing in front of a billboard for their next movie.
280* SecondFaceSmoke: In the "Broadway Ballet" sequence, done to Don's character by Cyd Charisse's vamp.
281* SelfProclaimedLoveInterest: Don and Lina are rumored to be together -— and Lina goes along with this because she read it in the tabloids. A few scenes are devoted to Don trying to convince her it isn't true.
282* SensationalStaircaseSequence: During the "Good Morning" number, Don, Cosmo and Kathy dance down the stairs at Don's house.
283* SerendipityWritesThePlot: InUniverse, the out of sync sound in the preview gives Cosmo an idea to dub over Lina's role.
284* SetBehindTheScenes: Much of the movie is backstage or around the film studio.
285* ShoutOut: Don's first musical film, ''The Dancing Cavalier'', is about a modern guy who gets knocked out and dreams of being an aristocrat in old-time France. In real life, this was the premise of the 1943 musical film ''[=DuBarry Was A Lady=]'', which was Gene Kelly's first musical film for MGM.
286** Cosmo's "Ridi, Pagliacci, ridi!" before "Make 'Em Laugh". (Translation: "Laugh, clown, laugh!") ''{{Theatre/Pagliacci}}''[[note]]Pronounced "Pal-Yat-Chee"[[/note]] was an {{Opera}} fairly well-known at the time.
287* TheShowMustGoOn: Verbatim from Cosmo, getting Don to stop thinking about Kathy.
288* ShowWithinAShow:
289** The movie starts off at the premiere of Don's and Lina's fictional ''The Royal Rascal''. The footage shown is actually from a real film called ''Film/{{The Three Musketeers|1948}}'' (1948) starring Gene Kelly - which is in color and has sound.
290** The movie depicts the troubles in making the fictional movie ''The Dueling Cavalier'', later changed to ''The Dancing Cavalier''.[[invoked]]
291** Two real-life movies are being referenced. ''Film/TheJazzSinger'' (the first talkie) is mentioned. And in the final shot, we see a billboard advertising Don Lockwood and Kathy Seldon, in a picture called...wait for it...''Film/SinginInTheRain''.
292* SidekickSong: "Make 'em Laugh", Cosmo's attempt to cheer Don up by hurling himself around a living-room set until he resembles a one-man [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Looney Tune]] -- amazingly, all done with almost no camera cuts. (Actor Donald O'Connor, a four-pack-a-day smoker at the time, was bedridden for several days after filming it.)
293* {{Slapstick}}: Done at Lina's expense. She gets a PieInTheFace at R.F.'s party and later gets knocked over when the mic wire up her dress is pulled on.
294* SlowNo: Accidentally done in the premiere for ''The Dueling Cavalier'' when the film gets messed up. Lina's line was even, "No, no, no".
295* SmallRoleBigImpact: Zelda Zanders appears exactly four times, the first three with no lines; once as part of the red carpet procession of stars at the premiere of ''The Royal Rascal'' (accompanied by "J. Cumberland Spendrill III, that well-known eligible bachelor"); once dancing at the after-party with some other rich old guy; once watching the "Beautiful Girl" sequence; and once when she sets the climax in motion, leading Lina to the sound studio where Don and Kathy are celebrating the last dub of Lina's lines with a long, passionate kiss.
296* SmokingIsGlamorous: Lina at the release party. Cyd Charisse's nameless dancer in 'Broadway Melody' later takes it to an even higher level.
297* SoBadItsGood: [[invoked]] The audience's reaction to the sneak preview of ''The Dueling Cavalier''. The actors and executives don't take it half so well.
298* SpinningPaper: Done twice.
299* StrippingSnag: Don's jacket gets stuck when he closes the door of Cathy's car, leading to his sleeve getting ripped off as he walks away.
300* StylisticSuck: The preview for ''The Dueling Cavalier'' was this to a degree. It was still largely based on how silent films fell flat when sound was slapped on them, including adapting real incidents. It's just that all those incidents happened over several films, while the preview scene put them all in one movie.
301* StylishSunhats: One of Lina's outfits is a pink dress and a matching huge sunhat, befitting her characterisation as a RichBitch and a famous actress.
302* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Lina is savagely gloating about her scheme to force Kathy into dubbing for her, and then impulsively goes to make a speech to the audience who've just seen ''The Duelling Cavalier.'' Their confused reaction to hearing her real voice and their demands for her to sing wakes Lina up ''hard'' to the fact that, for her plan to work, Kathy needs to be her voice both on '''''and''''' offscreen. [[spoiler:And Don, Cosmo, and R.F. very quickly ruin her plot by revealing that Kathy was singing for her, showing just how unlikely it would have been for Lina to actually pull her scheme off in the long run.]]
303* TalentDouble: Lina can't sing, so Kathy dubs her. In a particularly confusing occurrence, Debbie Reynolds, who played the fictional talent double, was herself using a talent double in real life — in one scene, the voice dubbed in over Debbie Reynolds' voice is Jean Hagen, who played Lina!
304* ThatRemindsMeOfASong: The film does this with ''the longest song in the movie'': "Broadway Melody" / "Gotta Dance!!!"
305* ThatSyncingFeeling: Lina is forcing Kathy to dub all her performances from now on. When she's asked to sing a song at the movie premiere, she has Kathy behind the curtain singing for her. Don then pulls open the curtain, revealing Kathy to the audience, but Lina is not made aware until Cosmo starts filling in for Kathy.
306* ThreesomeSubtext: There's [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_s440RiiMhzI/SpMC30sBnzI/AAAAAAAAEOU/etuSP4iBOBo/s400/singin+in+rain+exhausted.jpg this picture]] of Don, Kathy, and Cosmo laughing on the couch at the end of "Good Morning".
307* TiredAfterTheSong: "Good Morning" ends with Cosmo, Kathy, and Don collapsing onto a sofa with mock-exhausted expressions.
308* TitledAfterTheSong: Believe it or not, the song "Singin' in the Rain" was written in the 1920s and was prominently featured in ''Film/TheHollywoodRevueOf1929'' a generation before this film was made.
309* TitleDrop: The movie is named after its TitleThemeTune.
310* TongueTwister: The diction coach has a book full of these, leading into the "Moses Supposes" musical number.
311* TraintopBattle: FilmWithinAFilm example. During a scene where Don and Cosmo wander around the studio, one of the events going on around them is the filming of a train-top fight scene (on a train carriage that's fixed in place in front of a WraparoundBackground).
312* TriumphantReprise: "Singin' In The Rain (in A-Flat)"; Notably, Kathy herself is pretty despondent while singing it, thinking [[spoiler: she's doomed to be Lina's singing voice for the foreseeable future, but unbeknownst to her ''or'' Lina, Don, Cosmo, and RF are cheerfully singing along as well, ready to ([[VisualPun literally]]) pull back the curtain on Lina's charade.]]
313* TroubledProduction: InUniverse with ''The Dueling Cavalier''. It starts out fine when it's just following the formula for the previous films Don and Lina have done, but then it's switched from silent to a "talkie" and the production becomes a mess. The one scene we see being filmed with sound turns into a disaster, and the preview shows this happened to the whole film.
314* TrueArtIsAngsty: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by Cosmo: "I'm out of a job! At last I can start suffering and write that symphony."
315** He even flips it around when he's immediately told his job as a composer will still be needed at the studio.
316--->"At last I can ''stop'' suffering and write that symphony!"
317* {{Tsundere}}: Kathy seems like this, but it's an act to cover up that she's a big fangirl of Don's.
318* TutuFancy: There's a fantasy ballet sequence in which Cyd Charisse wears a completely impossible-in-real-life dress with a crepe train that's a mile or so.
319* TwoGuysAndAGirl: Don, Cosmo, and Kathy.
320* UnreliableVoiceover: Don does a combination of this and UnreliableNarrator. The film opens with him and Lina on the red carpet, and he narrates his rise to fame through a flashback, citing such things as his [[BlatantLies elegant, well-heeled parents and the fine arts academies he attended]]. His motto throughout, he claims, was "Dignity... always dignity." Meanwhile, what we're actually seeing is -- for starters -- Cosmo and himself as kids tapdancing in poolhalls for nickels.
321* UrbanLegendLoveLife: Don is becoming obsessed with Kathy. Don's friend and sidekick Cosmo tells him, "She's the first dame who hasn't fallen for your line since you were four." We never actually see Don in action with the other ladies, or any other hint of womanizing.
322* VaudevilleHook: A long hook yanks one of Don and Cosmo's early acts off the stage in the opening flashback.
323* VillainBall: Lina thought that [[spoiler: she could go on fooling audiences and derail Kathy's career by forcing Kathy to be her voice via dubbing. Even if the studio had been behind her in hopes of still being able to use her star power, and Kathy had been willing to forgo her own dreams by settling for the easy dubbing pay check, Lina couldn't have kept up the charade forever as her whole plan hinged on ''no one'' finding out that the voice they were hearing in the films wasn't hers. While R.F. wasn't able to tell all for fear of getting sued, other people lower down in the business such as film crews or extras could still talk anonymously to the papers or spread rumours. And if Lina hadn't shot herself in the foot on opening night by improvising her speech, she would ''still'' have been expected to speak unscripted for interviews or sing live sooner or later (with no excuse to bring Kathy along or keep her behind the scenes anywhere) especially since she played up her vocal talents in the publicity for ''The Dancing Cavalier''. The truth would inevitably have gotten out and Lina's career would have been over regardless. Ironically, Lina probably would have been better off reinventing herself as a comedienne, using her squeaky awkward voice as a source of humor; it may not have been as glamorous as the regal leading lady image she had grown accustomed to, but it would have kept her in the spotlight.]]
324* VirginInAWhiteDress: Variation. Cyd Charrise's dancer swaps her green cocktail dress for a white gown in the casino "Broadway Melody" number. Don's character enters a dream sequence where he imagines her a virginal, ballet-dancing beauty. But she hasn't really changed.
325* VisualPun: "I must tear myself from your side," followed by Don's jacket [[DoomedNewClothes tearing in half]] as he walks away.
326* VocalDissonance: Lina, in the worst way. Despite having the appearance of a beautiful and refined movie star down pat, she has a shrill, screechy voice. This causes a lot of conflict in the plot, especially once Hollywood starts to transition from silent pictures to talkies.
327* TheVoiceless:
328** Implemented (briefly) at the beginning of the film: the viewer doesn't hear Lina speak for the first time until the funniest possible moment.
329** Cyd Charisse's character in the "Broadway Melody" sequence has no lines and barely makes a sound throughout all of her screen time.
330* WaitingForABreak: Don and Cosmo in the opening narration, later mirrored in the "Broadway Melody" number. In both versions, Don ekes out a living in pool halls and Vaudeville before graduating to the big leagues.
331* WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong: The studio boss doesn't see the problem with just adding sound to silent movies, and just asked that it be slapped on a film already in production. The preview of that film is a big wake-up call to the folly of that idea.
332* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: We never find out what happened to Lina after her terrible speaking and singing voice get exposed to the audience. Although it can be suggested she gets fired from Monumental Pictures and possibly arrested.
333* WhenPropsAttack: The "Make 'Em Laugh" sequence has Cosmo "flirting" with a headless prop, which proceeds to slap him and they tussle for a minute or two off-screen.
334* WhoWritesThisCrap: During the disastrous screening for ''The Dueling Cavalier'', someone in the audience asked if someone was paid to write the dialog, which ironically was in response to a line that Don ad-libbed (when he found the scripted line too difficult to say).
335* WorldOfHam: From the opening reel to the end credits. The ''Dueling Cavalier'' director, Roscoe Dexter, probably takes the cake.
336* WouldRatherSuffer: When Don kisses Lina for a film scene after learning that she got Kathy fired from her job because she knew he liked Kathy:
337-->'''Lina:''' Oh Donny! You couldn't kiss me like that and not mean it just a teensy bit!\
338'''Don:''' Meet the greatest actor in the world. I'd rather kiss a tarantula.\
339'''Lina:''' You don't mean that.\
340'''Don:''' I don't— Hey Joe, bring me a tarantula!
341* {{Yandere}}: Lina is this about Don, firmly believing they're in love despite Don protesting otherwise, and resenting Kathy because she can see Don prefers Kathy over her.

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