Great costuming: "Singin' in the Rain"

[Marc Chevalier]

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Here's one that Hollywood really got right. 1951's musical of musicals, Singin' in the Rain, did an excellent job at costuming its leads (and most everyone else) in authentic '20s style. Exaggerated colors and showy fabrics? Sure. But the costumes in those musicals couldn't avoid them. Where it counts -- in styles and cuts -- this film's costume designers hit the bullseye.

Watch it again. Check out the dresses and suits. Check out Jean Hagen's incredible black/white ensemble in the "sneak preview" scene. Check out Gene Kelly's matching newsboy cap, jacket and plus-fours ... in dove grey with a navy blue windowpane pattern. Check out Kelly's belted back suit in the "Singin' in the Rain" song-and-dance number. Check out Donald O'Connor's three-piece suit with the double-breasted waistcoat, in the "Good Morning" number. The tuxedos, wing collars, hairstyles, shoes ... authentic to a "T".

And the songs!!! The epic "Gotta Dance" number is, well, incredible. Cyd Charisse as a Louise Brooks clone ... wow ...

Good stuff. Great movie. Captured the spirit of the '20s like none since.


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[MissQueenie]

I agree! The costumes (heck, and hair!) in Singing in the Rain really are wonderful. It's one of my favorite childhood films, particularly since I grew up literally across the street from the studio lots and sound stages where it was filmed, and I still adore it.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

It's being shown on TCM right now as we speak ... er, type.


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[Lauren]

Ah ha! Yes! I LOVE the clothing in this movie. The women's is much better in terms of 20's than anytime prior to more recent movies, especially when you consider what the silhouette for women was in 1951! The opening Premiere outfits were smashing. I was just thinking about this, and where before I criticized it for lack of period correctness, thinking back now and the difference between 20's real people clothing (and surviving vintage) and 20's Hollywood fashion, it's not that far off from who they were wishing to portray

And if you look closely, there's a scene where girls are singing in little showgirlish outfits with pianos or musical notes or something on it when they do the "talkie" section. If you watch I believe the 2nd in the Thin Man series you will see those EXACT same costumes used in a nightclub scene.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

If you watch I believe the 2nd in the Thin Man series you will see those EXACT same costumes used in a nightclub scene.

Heck, they may have literally been the same outfits, pulled out of storage and reused for Singin' in the Rain.

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[Lauren]

Yes, that's my guess as well. Probably pulled out of Western Costume

 

[MissQueenie]

Ah, recycling costumes. That's one of my love-hate things in theatre...on one hand, it's a HUGE pain in the rear to stand around having people measure you ALL OVER and try to match the body sizes on hand with the costumes available, and on the other, the costumes are almost always fantastic. I'm getting nostalgic in my old age!

I love the little pink coconut grove dancers' outfits, they're adorable.

 

[decodoll]

I love the little pink coconut grove dancers' outfits, they're adorable.

Me too! They are the cutest! Actually, that song they sing, All I do is Dream of You, should be in the Songs Stuck in your Head thread. I'm always humming that.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Let's give credit where credit's due: to Walter Plunkett, the costume designer of Singin' in the Rain.


"By his own admission, American costume designer Walter Plunkett held delusions of movie stardom when he came to Hollywood in 1925. While he enjoyed substantial roles in stock and vaudeville, the best Plunkett could do in the movies was the occasional bit or extra part. Through the kindess of an old friend, costumer Howard Greer, Plunkett received a job at Joseph P. Kennedy's FBO studios. By the time FBO became RKO Radio in 1929, Plunkett had worked his way up to the position of designer, working on such earlier RKO productions as Rio Rita (1929), Morning Glory (1933) and Flying Down to Rio (1933). Freelancing after 1937, Plunkett worked for such independents as Hal Roach, Walter Wanger, Alexander Korda and David O. Selznick. It was for Selznick that Plunkett undertook his most ambitious assigment: designing all costumes and uniforms for the 1939 classic Gone with the Wind. He did not(!!) receive an Oscar for this effort, but twelve years later he shared an Academy Award with Orry-Kelly and Irene for An American in Paris (1951). Walter Plunkett retired in 1966, after having worked in films, on Broadway and for the Metropolitan Opera."


How could Plunkett not have received an Oscar for Singin' in the Rain?


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[LizzieMaine]

A lot of the experiences in the picture relating to the difficulties in adjusting to filming for sound came direct from Plunkett's own memories. The bit with Jean Hagen's noisy fan, for example, was drawn from Plunkett's memory of the problems with Bebe Daniels' very similar fan in "Rio Rita," back in 1929.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Interesting! Thanks! What a nostalgic film it is. And Plunkett had started costuming back in the late '20s, so he came from the era ... as did Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown.

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[Benny Holiday]

"Singin' in the Rain" is Mrs Holiday's favourite musical

We were fortunate to be able to make a screening earlier this year at the Art Deco Hayden Orpheum picture theatre in Cremorne, complete with the Mell-o-tones Swing Orchestra performing the hits of Goodman, Basie etc for an hour
prior to the movie's commencement.

Seeing it on the big screen is amazing, and being able to see the details in the costumes so clearly was great! Mr Plunkett did an exceptional job, and I agree with Marc that he was robbed of an Oscar where "Singin' in the Rain" was concerned, and "Gone with the Wind" too, I'd say.

Four years ago a stage production ran in Sydney to rave reviews. My wife and I were able to see it gratis as a good friend is a movie costumer (she's worked on Star Wars, Farscape, Peter Pan, and House of Wax, to name a few) and one of her movie compatriots did the costuming for the stage show, so she glommed some free tickets. The dancing was spectacular and the production clearly paid homage to the classic movie.

 

[DanielJones]

Such a visually pleasing film of the time.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Marc Chevalier]

And note the norfolk jacket that Gene Kelly wears in the rainy scenes.

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