Hollywood's Greatest Musical Turns Sixty

The first time I saw Gene Kelly's famous song-and-dance number from Singin' in the Rain it was part of another movie.

That's Entertainment!, distributed in 1974, was a compilation of hits from some of MGM's greatest musicals from the previous half century. That's Entertainment! was a revelation; musicals that were nothing special to look at on a small black-and-white TV set became a glorious viewing experience on a widescreen.

I thought that Gene Kelly's solo, while very accomplished, paled before mega-productions in other movies, like the Broadway Melody or his own An American in Paris. In my youth I was always impressed by spectacle. Then I saw Singin' when it was reissued to theaters on its 25th anniversary. Now I know better.

Per one critic:

"Singin' in the Rain," which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year with a new Blu-ray DVD edition, is the all-time greatest movie musical. Though not a blockbuster or an Oscar winner when first released in 1952, it was a hit, and it has been deemed a classic ever since, ranked by the American Film Institute as the single greatest musical and the fifth-greatest American movie.

A guy dancing alone on the street, just like one guy strumming by himself on his guitar, can be more magical than a cast of thousands.