While watching Singin’ in the Rain (1952), I was very surprised by the amount of comedy (both physical and verbal) within to the film. In fact, I didn’t actually expect “Old Hollywood humor” to still resonate with audiences today. There were many instances during the film where I surprised myself by laughing at a scene (such as when Don flies into Kathy’s car and she believes he is a gangster). In modern times, I feel like audiences always expect humor to be crass and vulgar. Not only are the jokes in Singin’ in the Rain clean and innocent compared to modern films, but they are also timeless. The humor presented in this film will never “get old,” whereas a film like Airplane! (1980) feels very dated in regards to its comedy.
One of my favorite comedic elements of this film was Cosmo’s “Make ‘Em Laugh” song. In fact, I actually enjoyed this routine more than Gene Kelly’s iconic Singin’ in the Rain street lamp sequence. I was completely entertained throughout the whole scene, and couldn’t believe the physicality of Donald O’Connor. His movements were so smooth and he showed no signs of struggle with the routine. Therefore, every time he did a flip or crazy stunt, I watched closely to see if there was a jump cut and a stuntman sneakily subbed in for him. Every time he completed a stunt, his face was shown immediately afterwards, thus proving that all his stunts were performed completely by O’Connor himself. With all the CGI and stunt systems in place for actors nowadays (pulleys, ropes, etc.), it was really cool to see an actor do all his own stunts for once.
Not only was the “Make ‘Em Laugh” sequence physically impressive, but it was also very funny on a physical level (slapstick comedy). I especially enjoyed the part where Cosmo runs into the brick wall and has to “readjust” his face a couple times. The use of the dummy to aid him in his dance routine was also very clever. The way that he moved and manipulated the it throughout the sequence made it seem like the dummy was alive and had a personality of its own (i.e. – when it was “repeatedly pulling Cosmo behind the couch). Prior to watching Singin’ in the Rain, I had never seen anything like this routine in my life before. In fact, I don’t even know if any modern actor would be able to pull it off as seamlessly as O’Connor did.
The inclusion of “Make ‘Em Laugh” raises the question of why the filmmakers decided to add this random slapstick sequence in the middle of the film.
- Were they paying homage to silent slapstick stars of the past (Charlie Chaplin, etc.)?
- Did they hope to cause a resurgence in this “lost” form of performance art?
- Was it simply included to fit the time period of the film?
Hi Ben,
I appreciated your examination of the comic elements of Singin’ in the Rain. My initial reaction to the film was similar– I was pleasantly surprised at how well it aged and found it a genuinely enjoyable watch. One challenge with comedic writing is that what audiences find humorous at the time of a film’s release may not resonate with viewers in the future. This problem does not affect other genres in the same way. Other than advancements in editing, which have caused some older movies to appear cheesy in comparison with their modern counterparts, in general, old movies are able to invoke the same emotions they were attempting to cultivate when they originally premiered. Old horror films are still scary; old dramas are still emotional.
Comedy, on the other hand, can be more difficult to preserve.
Sometimes, what makes jokes funny is their specificity. Writing comedic bits related to external trends, like major global developments or pop culture moments, for example, is an easy way to relate to audiences. A great example of this is the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. Though not a film, the show’s writing relies heavily on current events to create humor, resulting in jokes that are timely but not necessarily enduring. Other times, jokes from the past can be perceived as offensive as societal norms evolve. This is visible in many Adam Sandler films, which utilize characters with intellectual disabilities for humor and have not aged well given current political standards.
While the comedy of Singin’ in the Rain was not laugh-until-you-cry level-funny, the film was wholesome and uplifting. I enjoyed your analysis of Cosmo’s “Make ‘Em Laugh” song and also found Donald O’Connor to be the stand-out talent of the film. One of my favorite moments in the film was the “Fit As A Fiddle,” as I found it to be another well-executed use of physical comedy and found myself impressed by the sharpness of Don and Cosmo’s movements.