ENCORE OPERA FOUNDED BY STEVE SCHWARTZ For January 18, 2019 This Week’s Program SOME SHORT NOTES SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN by Gene Martin NOTES BY STEVE SCHWARTZ Save The Date: February 12, a ————- Tuesday, Bella Vocci will provide a Runtime: 103 minutes • DVD released concert of operatic music for cancer 2002 by Warner Home Video • A digital survivors. For those of us who are transfer from restoration of 1952 MGM cancer survivors, there will be no film • MPAA G • ASIN: B00006DEF9 charge; everyone else, if there be such ————- among us, will buy $10 tickets, proceeds When you think about this iconic film, to the performers. I’ll have more about so widely recognized as one of the this program in weeks to come. greatest Hollywood musical comedies Encore Opera’s 2019 Schedule, of all time, you’d expect its history version 1, is available. If you don’t would be one of unalloyed success have one yet, let me know c/o KC T12. from the get-go. Not so! Steve and I usually make a few changes When released in 1952, it was only a in response to desperate pleas modest hit despite having a can’t-miss As you may have heard, the Encore group of experienced and talented Theater is due for some cosmetic performers and writers. For starters, facelifting as part of the work to be done was paired with an equally this year in Lakeside Commons. That talented but less famous athletic work —both in and around the theater— dancer (Donald O’Connor). The cast will result in its closure for some time. was made up of established “second But we are completely in the dark as to bananas” in comedy films plus sexy when and for how long we will not be dancers Cyd Charisse and Rita able to bring Encore Opera to Encore Moreno. Theater. Nor do we know whether we will have another venue in which to play. Add to that a fresh-faced young As soon as I know anything, you will. ingenue in her first starring role NEXT WEEK () and a book by the legendary writing team, Betty Comden On January 25, we will play Cameron and Adolf Green. And, all this Mackintosh’s production of Les produced by the greatest Misérables, the 10th anniversary concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall with his studio of that or any age (M-G-M) and proudly identified “dream cast.” you have to wonder why it was not a smash hit from the beginning.

Page 1 of 4 Throughout the film, we are treated to Jean Hagen was nominated for an the dancing talents of Gene Kelly, who Oscar for her role as ‘Linda Lamont’, a l s o d i r e c t e d t h e m o v i e . H i s the untalented actress with a raucous performances are always highly voice. Ms Hagen actually had a fine entertaining. You wouldn’t suspect singing voice. that Kelly filmed his famous dance To me, this film is a reminder of sequence holding an umbrella and Hollywood at its best in its post-war singing the title song while he was heyday before television took over as running a high fever. Filming that a family’s chief form of entertainment. scene took several days, after which So I urge you all to sit back and relax he was forced to bed to recuperate. for the next 103 minutes, and to be The extended dance sequence prepared to laugh at the hokey plot, between Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse and especially to be ready to smile at also ran into severe problems. The the even more corny ending. MPA and church censors were still riding high in 1952 and forced parts of PLOT that dance to be excised or edited. The time is the late 1920’s. Talkies Young Debbie Reynolds was a (motion pictures with sound) are still gymnast, not a dancer when she an unproven technology. Our hero, made this film. gave her Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) was a a helping hand to get her past Kelly’s modest stunt man until recently when initial low regard for her dancing he became a popular silent film star skills. Still, she had a hard time with and leading man in stock romantic the dancing in the film. Years later, films where he is paired with Linda she was quoted as saying that this Lamont (Jean Hagen) playing a film and childbirth were the two talentless but hard-nosed dumb hardest things she had ever endured. blonde. You may be surprised to learn that all To hype their popularity the studio’s but one song in the film were reprises publicity paints them in a real-life love from previous films or Broadway affair. Not so. In fact, Don can’t stand shows. Only “Moses Supposes” was her. She, however, is convinced that new and created especially for this he really loves her and she is jealous film in order to highlight the athletic of any woman who even looks at him. talents of these two remarkable The story opens with a then-typical dancers. O’Connor’s ten-minute Hollywood premiere of their latest athletic shtik “Make ‘Em Laugh,” a film. In front of an adoring crowd of remake of Cole Porter’s “Be a Clown” movie fans, Don is telling his radio deserves a note. With innumerable interviewer a history of his life, takes and retakes, it took almost a full especially his supposed motto: week to film after which O’Connor also "Dignity, always dignity." required bed rest. Page 2 of 4 As you can guess, it’s all hokum. We But at this stage, her role cannot be s e e f l a s h b a c k s o f w h a t r e a l l y given to someone else. Things look happened, including a series of comic bleak for our heroes until Cosmo has dance routines with Don’s best friend, a novel solution: the audience will see Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor). Linda’s lips moving on screen while it Don escapes from his overzealous listens to Kathy’s voice, unattributed, fans by jumping into a passing car doing the singing. driven by Kathy Selden, Debbie To avoid Linda’s fury, it’s agreed that Reynolds in her first starring role. she won’t be informed. But, Linda Before dropping him off, she tells him learns that Kathy is still working on she hopes to be a serious stage the film. Even without any inkling of actress and sneers at his popular but Kathy’s larger role, Linda threatens a "undignified" accomplishments as a law suit unless Kathy’s name is movie star. expunged from any mention with the Later that evening he’s at a studio film. The studio reluctantly agrees party where the guests watch a brief and the film is converted to sound. demonstration of a talking picture, at The premiere of Don and Linda’s which everyone scoffs. Then, to Don's musical is shown to a live audience, amusement, Kathy pops out of a mock which goes wild. Linda comes on cake in front of him, revealing herself stage to take bows for her alleged to be a chorus girl. Furious at Don's performance and the audience teasing, she throws a cake at him. clamors for an encore. She can’t Don ducks and Linda gets it right in escape. So Kathy is set up behind the the kisser. She is furious; Kathy runs curtain with a microphone while Linda away. This being movies, Don has goes through her mimed shtik. been smitten with Kathy. He spends Our heroes come to the rescue; they weeks searching for her without reveal the truth by raising the curtain success. He can’t figure out why she’s behind the unknowing Linda while she nowhere to be found at the studio continues to mouth the lyrics. The until Linda tells him she’d had Kathy a u d i e n c e l a u g h s a n d L i n d a i s fired. Don finally finds Kathy, who disgraced. But Kathy is also distressed confesses she’s always been his fan. and tries to run away. Don proudly Now the real world of movie-making announces "she's the real star of the takes over. A rival studio scores an film” and Cosmo runs to bring her enormous hit with its first talking back. On stage, she and Don kiss for picture. Don’s studio decides that to the obligatory happy ending. Hooray! compete, it must convert the still Love conquers all and we know they incomplete Lockwood-Lamont silent be the stars in many more hits to be film into a talkie although Linda's made by their studio. voice is much too grating and her Steve Schwartz✍ diction beyond even minimal fixing. Page 3 of 4 OPERA NOTES FOR : This Friday at 1:00 PM at Encore Theater

Encore Opera is published weekly by email to inform the Riderwood Opera Theater community. It is edited and printed by Gene Martin and distributed by Paula Cook to cubbies of residents without email. • For a free subscription send name and apartment (cubby) address to Paula Cook, KC 211 or email [email protected]. • Riderwood Opera Theater concerts (Encore Opera, Bella Vocci, and Live Opera Highlights) are produced by David Abraham, Mike Beard, Paula Cook, Sally Koenig, Joan Kugler, Gene Martin, Al Morey, Steve Schwartz, and Millie Trimble who invite you to join us.

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