Singin’ in the Rain is one of the most beloved films of all time—but behind the scenes, it was every actor’s worst nightmare.
The Show Must Go On
The “Make ‘em Laugh” number landed Donald O’Connor in the hospital for a week due to exhaustion and carpet burns. At the time, the actor smoked four packs a day, and running up a wall to complete a backflip was incredibly taxing for him. Even worse? All the footage got destroyed by accident and he had to do the routine all over again.
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Learning To Dance
Debbie Reynolds was not a dancer and had to work hard to prove herself to Gene Kelly, who was a perfectionist and sometimes a tyrant on set. On one occasion, Fred Astaire found the distressed actress weeping underneath a piano. She later confessed, “The two hardest things I ever did in my life are childbirth and Singin’ in the Rain.” Down the road, Gene Kelly felt bad about his behavior and admitted, "I wasn't nice to Debbie. It's a wonder she still speaks to me.”
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Singin’ Through The Pain
The “Good Morning” number seemed so effortless and fluid, but it took 14, grueling hours to film, and Debbie Reynolds—dancing in heels—bloodied her feet in the process. Not even Gene Kelly escaped a little bit of suffering. While filming the title song “Singin’ in the Rain,” the sick actor insisted on dancing through a fever of up to 103.
