open/close all folders
Don Lockwood
- Played by: Gene Kelly
"I've had one motto, which I've always lived by: 'Dignity. Always dignity'.'"
The film's main protagonist, a silent movie actor who used to perform on stage (but was unpopular, so won't admit it).- Always Camp: Is pretty hammy, and he's an actor.
- Ambiguous Situation: It's unclear whether his parents really did give him the "dignity, always dignity" motto or if that was just a lie as part of his covering up his less-than-dignified past.
- Deadpan Snarker: Downplayed. He's not usually rude, but he gets in some good quips like "I'd rather kiss a tarantula" and "If it isn't Ethel Barrymore".
- Embarrassing Nickname: Doesn't like being called "Donny".
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: He and Cosmo have been best friends since they were kids.
- Large Ham: Is rather dramatic, particularly when acting (part of the reason his first talking movie flopped is because he acted too hammy) and teasing. He also is responsible for a lot of the musical numbers.Don: Kathy, I want to say something to you, but...I'm such a ham. I can't do it without the proper setting.
- Mistaken for Romance: Due to playing the love interests of Lina's characters in the movies, many fans believe the two are in love, or even engaged. In reality, she has an unrequited crush on him, with the emphasis being on "unrequited".
- Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is Donald, and while his friends apparently called him that when he was younger, now he's always known as "Don", or occasionally "Donny".
- Uptown Guy: Is a big Hollywood star who is in love with Kathy Selden, a chorus girl who is implied to be below his station.
- Would Rather Suffer: After he and Lina finish a romantic scene while Don is furious with Lina for getting Kathy fired:Lina: Oh, Donny, you couldn't kiss me like that and not mean it just a teensy-weensy bit.
Don: Meet the greatest actor in the world. I'd rather kiss a tarantula!
Lina: Oh, you don't mean that.
Don: I don't? [turns to a crew member] Hey, Joe, bring me a tarantula.
Cosmo Brown
- Played by: Donald O'Connor
"[Don,] you've got the glory. You gotta take the little heartaches that go with it. Look at me. I got no glory. I got no fame. I got no big mansions, I got no money! But I've got...what have I got?"
Don's best friend, who plays the piano. He's a goofball, often clowning around and making jokes. Has known Don since they were kids.- Ambiguous Situation: Much like Don and his so-called "motto", he claims that it was his father and grandfather who encouraged him to tell jokes. However, it's unknown if this is actually true since it was said during a song.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: Downplayed. He's on the same plane of reality as the other characters, but is still a real goofball and sometimes makes jokes even during serious moments.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: He and Don have known each other since childhood and both are very close friends.
- Keet: He's very bubbly and cheerful, and, like most of the characters, is active and dances a lot.
- Large Ham: Like Don, he often overacts, though when Cosmo does it, it's usually intentional as a joke.
- "I Am" Song: His "Make 'em Laugh" number is about how he loves making people laugh.
- In-Series Nickname: Sometimes gets called "Cos".
- Phrase Catcher: When he makes a joke at an inappropriate time, Don will often say, "No kidding, Cosmo".
- The Pollyanna: Downplayed. He does get sad occasionally, but he is notably less likely to be discouraged than other characters and continues to make jokes even in serious situations.Cosmo: Come rain, come shine, come snow, come sleet, the show must go on.
Kathy Selden
- Played by: Debbie Reynolds
"The important thing now is to save The Dueling Cavalier, save Lockwood and Lamont!"
A woman whom Don meets while escaping from some admirers. She was initially rude to Don, but is actually quite a nice woman and they end up dating.- Genki Girl: Downplayed. She's very energetic and dances a lot, but isn't an enthusiasm machine like Cosmo.
- Jumping Out of a Cake: She jumps out of a cake to sing "All I Do is Dream of You".
- Theatre Is True Acting: The first meeting between famous silent film star Don Lockwood and self-proclaimed stage actress Kathy Selden has her claiming to have never heard of him and dismissing his profession as "not real acting", then calling him "nothing but a shadow on film" after their conversation turns into an argument. Her attitude doesn't last very long past Don discovering that her "stage acting" is as one of a nightclub's rentable dance troupe, though.
Lina Lamont
- Played by: Jean Hagen
"What do they think I am, dumb or something? Why, I make more money than—than—than Calvin Coolidge! PUT TOGETHER."
An actress who played Don's love interests in silent films and believes he really is in love with her. She's vain, loud, and has a high, shrill voice which the other characters don't want the public to hear.- Alliterative Name: Lina Lamont.
- Alpha Bitch: A 1920s variation.
- Always Camp: Downplayed. She's an actress, and very loud, though not as hammy as Don.
- Anti-Villain: She's the antagonist because she gets Kathy fired and threatens to sue the protagonists, but isn't really straight-up evil so much as utterly determined to keep her role in the spotlight and not turn into a laughing stock/has been.
- Brooklyn Rage: Has a Brooklyn accent and a short temper.
- Cute, but Cacophonic: One of her central problems and a major plot point in the story is her terribly screechy voice and the fact that she's been able to hide it for so long due to being a silent film star.
- Didn't Think This Through: When Lina plots to force Kathy to dub for her over at least the next five years, she clearly didn't consider that Kathy would have to be her voice offscreen as well. There's any number of ways this could have wound up ruining her in the long run, even if she hadn't provided Don, Cosmo and R.F. with a golden opportunity to expose her.
- Dumbass Has a Point: During the microphone scene, where the slightest moving of her head and the sound fades away from the microphone that's hidden in a bush in front of her. But it's not her fault that the technical limitations at the time prevented her from doing the suitable movements and thus the proper acting, and Lina herself points out that she can't just talk towards a bush all the time.
- Dumb Blonde: Zig-zagged. She may look like one, but she's actually very cunning.
- Large Ham: While not as animated as Don, she certainly shouts a lot.
- Mad Libs Catchphrase: Her catchphrase varies between "Am I dumb or something?", "What am I, dumb or something?", and "What do you think I am, dumb or something?".
- Mistaken for Romance: Because she plays Don's love interests, people (sometimes, even Lina herself) believe she and Don are in love or even engaged.
- No Indoor Voice: Talks very loudly.
- No Song for the Wicked: Downplayed; she's an antagonist but not a straight-up villain, and she's heard singing part of "Would You?" but doesn't really get a song to herself. She does get one in the stage musical.
- Rich Bitch: Is snippy and vain, and it's implied she's very wealthy.
- Smug Snake: Lina isn't nearly as clever as she fancies herself as being. Her plan on taking over Kathy's life and becoming a famous star and singer has its own Villain Ball entry for a reason.
- Vocal Dissonance: The main conflict of the movie is that she doesn't sound as "refined" as she looks; her voice is a shrill Brooklyn screech that clashes with her glamorous Hollywood image. This becomes a problem when movies start to make the transition from silent films to talkies.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: What became of Lina after her true voice is exposed to the audience is left as an exercise for the viewer, but it's safe to assume that she decided to quit Hollywood for good.
R. F.
- Played By: Millard Mitchell
The main characters' boss.
- Catchphrase: "I can't quite visualize it..."
- Not So Above It All: A bit more straight-laced than Don and Cosmo, but when the chance to expose Lina's lies is presented to him he's right there alongside the boys singing and pulling back the curtain with gusto.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He's pretty open to any bright ideas his stars have, but he also won't take any crap from them either - he was prepared to fire his leading starlet Lina on the spot for demanding he make Kathy into her personal dubber permanently for her own benefit, and in the end even her threats over the stipulations of her contract didn't stop him.
- Straight Man: At least, to Don and Cosmo.
Zelda
- Played by: Rita Moreno
Another actress, and Lina's friend.
- Beta Bitch: She leaks to Lina that Kathy is the one who is to dub her voice, likely knowing Lina would try to get Kathy fired.
- The Dragon: To Lina.
Dora Bailey
- Played by: Madge Blake
The woman who interviews Don at the beginning of the movie.
- Phrase Catcher: Don occasionally tells people "not to listen to what Dora Bailey and the columnists dish out."
- Shipper on Deck: She's one of the columnists who wants Don and Lina to be a couple.
