Post by Talissa on May 9, 2003 19:41:09 GMT 11
Something I came across at Theatre People, and thought might interest some of you;
www.theatrepeople.com.au/tp/articles/article.xml?articlename=singinfacts.xml
The Movie:
The script was written after the songs, and so it had to generate a plot into which the songs would fit.
The rain consisted of water plus milk.
Gene Kelly had a 103 degrees fever when he danced to the title song.
Set in 1927 when all films were black and white, Don and Cosmo pass a movie studio with a back-projected chase scene where the back projection is in color.
Jean Hagen's (Lina Lamont's) voice can be heard through the overdubbed Debbie Reynolds.
The set used for the unforgettable "Singin' in the Rain" number was a street on the MGM back-lot which was completely covered by a black tarpaulin in order to give the impression of night. The studio did not want to pay its crew double time by actually shooting at night; as Gene and co-director Stanley Donen preferred not to under-expose the scene, thereby shooting day for night (they also needed more space than the average interior studio provided), the only solution was to devise an exterior daytime set that excluded sunlight. So, using almost as much tarpaulin as ingenuity, the set on the back lot was finally prepared.
Next came the problem of fixing special rain pipes along the length and breadth of the street, and after that there was the further problem of lighting the set. As Technicolor film stock still required a great deal of light, the giant arc lamps made in impossible for the rain to be seen when lit full on, so Harold Rosson, the cameraman, had to light it from behind. However, once all these technical problems were solved, the number itself went smoothly and was completed in one and a half days.
The footage used in the opening effects shot (and in the shot of the later premiere of The Dancing Cavalier) is actually from the final sequence of David O. Selznick's A Star is Born (1937). This Technicolor footage is of an actual Hollywood premiere, that of Garden of Allah (1936). Note the automobiles and you'll see it's definitely not 1927. The theatre interior was replicated for the film on a soundstage at MGM in Culver City, fifteen miles away from the real location.
The Australian Cast Facts:
Sets, costumes, sound, lights & props in the production: more than 60 tons
Costumes changes per show: 318
People employed to make the costumes: 32
Dry-cleaning bills per week: more than S$897
The number of pantyhose the girls in the cast go through per week: 10 pairs
Shoes that need to be cleaned after every performance: 80 pairs
Times Todd McKenney actually gave a nuts: 3
The script was written after the songs, and so it had to generate a plot into which the songs would fit.
The rain consisted of water plus milk.
Gene Kelly had a 103 degrees fever when he danced to the title song.
Set in 1927 when all films were black and white, Don and Cosmo pass a movie studio with a back-projected chase scene where the back projection is in color.
Jean Hagen's (Lina Lamont's) voice can be heard through the overdubbed Debbie Reynolds.
The set used for the unforgettable "Singin' in the Rain" number was a street on the MGM back-lot which was completely covered by a black tarpaulin in order to give the impression of night. The studio did not want to pay its crew double time by actually shooting at night; as Gene and co-director Stanley Donen preferred not to under-expose the scene, thereby shooting day for night (they also needed more space than the average interior studio provided), the only solution was to devise an exterior daytime set that excluded sunlight. So, using almost as much tarpaulin as ingenuity, the set on the back lot was finally prepared.
Next came the problem of fixing special rain pipes along the length and breadth of the street, and after that there was the further problem of lighting the set. As Technicolor film stock still required a great deal of light, the giant arc lamps made in impossible for the rain to be seen when lit full on, so Harold Rosson, the cameraman, had to light it from behind. However, once all these technical problems were solved, the number itself went smoothly and was completed in one and a half days.
The footage used in the opening effects shot (and in the shot of the later premiere of The Dancing Cavalier) is actually from the final sequence of David O. Selznick's A Star is Born (1937). This Technicolor footage is of an actual Hollywood premiere, that of Garden of Allah (1936). Note the automobiles and you'll see it's definitely not 1927. The theatre interior was replicated for the film on a soundstage at MGM in Culver City, fifteen miles away from the real location.
The Australian Cast Facts:
Sets, costumes, sound, lights & props in the production: more than 60 tons
Costumes changes per show: 318
People employed to make the costumes: 32
Dry-cleaning bills per week: more than S$897
The number of pantyhose the girls in the cast go through per week: 10 pairs
Shoes that need to be cleaned after every performance: 80 pairs
Times Todd McKenney actually gave a nuts: 3
www.theatrepeople.com.au/tp/articles/article.xml?articlename=singinfacts.xml
