10/27/2024
Who knew???
Only one song used in the film Singin’ in the Rain was entirely new. All of the other songs, including “Singin’ in the Rain”, had already been used in previous films in one form or another.
Screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green wrote one entirely new song, “Moses Supposes”, with music director Roger Edens providing the music (see below). Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown also wrote a new song for the movie, “Make ‘Em Laugh”, but it bears a striking resemblance to Cole Porter’s “Be a Clown” from another MGM Freed-produced musical, The Pirate (1948). Choreographer Stanley Donen, who had asked the pair to write a song inspired by “Be a Clown”, considered the result to be “100% plagiarism”. However, Porter never sued for copyright infringement.
Some of the songs, such as “Broadway Rhythm,” “You Are My Lucky Star,” “Should I?”, and especially “Singin’ in the Rain” itself, have been featured in numerous films. For example:
“Fit as a Fiddle (And Ready for Love)”, originally published in 1932 with music by Al Hoffman and Al Goodhart, lyrics by Freed.
“Temptation” (instrumental only) from Going Hollywood (1933).
“All I Do Is Dream of You” from Sadie McKee (1934). The arrangement in “Singin’ in the Rain” is an up tempo, upbeat, “flapper” version of the song with full instrumentation. In contrast, the “Sadie McKee” version is slower tempo, and appears routinely throughout the film as a love ballad accompanied by a solo ukulele. An instrumental only version with full orchestration is also part of the film’s opening and closing theme. An instrumental version was also played on the piano by Chico Marx in the 1935 Marx Brothers film A Night at the Opera.
“Singin’ in the Rain” from The Hollywood R***e of 1929 (1929). Kelly’s performance in the song is now considered iconic.
