Musicals and Singin' in the Rain

Vocabulary flashcards covering the history, structure, and mise-en-scène of musicals, with a specific focus on the 1952 film Singin' in the Rain.

Musical

A narrative theatrical or film production designed around visual spectacle that incorporates song and dance into the story.

Vaudeville

A mid-nineteenth-century variety show featuring music, dance, comedy, and tricks that incorporated elements from minstrel shows and remained popular into the 1920s and 1930s.

Integrated Musical

A style of musical rising in the 1940s and 1950s where songs are integrated directly as part of the story rather than confined to an onstage performance.

Metafiction

A narrative approach common in musicals—especially during the 1920s and 1930s—that centers on music or musical theater itself.

Backstage Musical

A musical subgenre featuring fully diegetic songs performed within the world of the production.

Don Lockwood

A successful silent-film star portrayed by Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain.

Kathy Selden

An aspiring actress portrayed by Debbie Reynolds in Singin' in the Rain.

Lina Lamont

Don Lockwood's usual leading lady portrayed by Jean Hagen in Singin' in the Rain.

Cosmo Brown

Don Lockwood's best friend portrayed by Donald O'Connor in Singin' in the Rain.

Arthur Freed

The MGM producer who conceived Singin' in the Rain in order to reuse songs he had written for early sound-era MGM musicals.

Dubbing

The process of taking visuals of someone talking or singing and synchronizing them with separate audio.

Ghost Singers

Performers, frequently uncredited, who provide singing vocals matched to big-name actors who are not exceptional singers.

Betty Noyes

The ghost singer who provided singing vocals for Debbie Reynolds in Singin' in the Rain (1952).

Marni Nixon

The ghost singer who provided the singing voice for Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady (1964).

Bill Lee

The ghost singer who provided the singing vocals for Christopher Plummer in The Sound of Music (1965).

Mise-en-scène

A film term referring to what is visible on screen, how elements are arranged, and how they are seen by the viewer.

Walter Plunkett

The costume designer for Singin' in the Rain who created exaggerated, heightened 1920s-style costumes.

Three-Strip Technicolor

An older color film process used in Singin' in the Rain that created bright, whimsical pops of color contrasting with black-and-white film clips.

Moses Supposes

A musical number in Singin' in the Rain depicting Don Lockwood's diction lessons and his attempt to go back in time.

Broadway Melody

An elaborate musical number in Singin' in the Rain representing a world of the imagination and Gene Kelly's vision of where film could go next.