Singin' in the Rain

Question: Before Lina sings "Singin' in the Rain," she keeps backing up to the curtain (to ask Kathy what song she's going to sing, and in what key). Wouldn't that tip off the audience that Lina wasn't using her own voice?

Answer: They might think she's just asking someone backstage, R.F. or something, which song it would be best to sing.

rabid anarchist

Chosen answer: Because Kathy's supposed to be disguising her own voice to sound like Lina would if she could sing. The studio is trying to fool the public into believing that this is Lina's voice, even though she can't sing and sounds terrible when she speaks. Actress Jean Hagen, who played Lina, was a singer in real life, and she actually dubbed her own voice.

raywest

Question: When Don is doing the interview at the beginning of the film, why does Cosmo make a face when Don says that he lives by the motto "Dignity, always dignity"?

Answer: As you can see in the flashback during the interview, Don hasn't always managed to live by his alleged motto - to put it mildly!

Ioreth

Question: When Kathy, Cosmo and Don are sitting in Don's kitchen and are discussing about Don making a musical, Don says "Only problem is after they release 'The Dueling Cavalier', no-one would come and see me jump off the Woolworth Building.". What does he say at the end of this sentence?

Answer: The line is "... no one would come and see me jump off the Woolworth Building into a damp rag."

Myridon

Question: Does anyone know what a "mammy" is? It is said twice during this movie.

Answer: It is the same as a nurse maid or nanny. It tended to be someone who was black and a slave (a long time ago).

shortdanzr

Other mistake: In Gene Kelly's 'Singing in the Rain' sequence, the taps he makes do not match up with the actual movements of his feet - they are much more complicated than the steps he makes. Since one can't tap dance in wet loafers, Kelly had to do the dance in the studio, and the taps were added into the picture. He apparently got a little overzealous.

More mistakes in Singin' in the Rain

Don Lockwood: What's your lofty mission in life that lets you sneer at my humble profession?
Kathy Selden: I'm an actress.
Don Lockwood: What?
Kathy Selden: On the stage.
Don Lockwood: Oh, on the stage. Well, I'd like to see you act. What are you in right now? I could brush up on my English, or bring along an interpreter. That is if they'd let in a movie actor.
Kathy Selden: I'm not in a play right now, but I will be. I'm going to New York...
Don Lockwood: Oh, you're going to New York! And then someday, we'll all hear of you, won't we? Kathy Selden as Juliet, as Lady Macbeth, as King Lear! You'll have to wear a beard for that one, of course.

More quotes from Singin' in the Rain
More trivia for Singin' in the Rain

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