How Fred Astaire Helped Debbie Reynolds Get Over Gene Kelly’s Criticisms of Her Dancing
Debbie Reynolds cemented her name in Hollywood thanks to the 1952 musical Singin’ in the Rain. The movie is considered one of the greatest musical films of all time. But director and co-star Gene Kelly’s endless criticisms sullied Reynold’s experience. Here’s how Fred Astaire helped the star get over Kelly’s criticisms of her dancing.
Two studios flipped a coin for Debbie Reynolds
Reynolds is one of the best actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood. The star was discovered in 1948 by talent scouts from two of the largest movie studios at the time, Warner Bros. and MGM. The scouts both wanted Reynolds to sign with them, so they decided to flip a coin.
The Warner Bros. talent scout won the coin toss and signed Reynolds to the studio. The star stuck with the company for two years before moving to MGM, after the former stopped producing musicals. MGM gave Reynolds a chance to shine in movie musicals in the ’50s.
Her performance in Two Weeks with Love impressed MGM so much that she landed Singin’ in the Rain. The 1952 movie became a box office success and earned critical acclaim. Reynolds’ performance received praise and turned her into an overnight star.
After the film, Reynolds became a sought-after star. She appeared in Bundle of Joy, How The West Was Won, The Singing Nun, Divorce American Style, and Charlotte’s Web. Her turn in The Unsinkable Molly Brown earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
Fred Astaire helped Debbie Reynolds on ‘Singin’ in the Rain’
When Reynolds appeared in Singin’ in the Rain, she didn’t have much experience in acting or dancing. While she managed to maintain the same pace as Kelly and Donald O’Connor, the former wasn’t kind.
The director reportedly insulted Kelly for her lack of dance experience every chance he got. Reynolds had a few months to learn what Kelly had perfected his whole life. And while she still showed up to rehearsals, Kelly never offered her a word of encouragement.
One day, Reynolds had enough of the harsh criticisms and hid behind a piano on the studio lot to cry. Astaire found the young actor crying. And when she told him what had happened, he offered to help her work on her dancing.
“I watched in awe as Fred worked on his routines to the point of frustration and anger. I realized that if it was hard for Fred Astaire, dancing was hard for everyone,” Reynolds said. Kelly later acknowledged that he had been unkind to Reynolds and was even surprised she was willing to talk to him.
Debbie Reynolds had to be put on bed rest after finishing a dance number in the movie
Kelly was a triple threat. Not only did he have an illustrious acting career, but he was also an established singer and dancer. For Singin’ in the Rain, Kelly doubled as the director, which understandably put him under a lot of stress as he wanted perfection.
While shooting the “Good Morning” dance number, Kelly demanded that they get the sequence right resulting in them shooting the four-minute scene for 15 hours, revealed Reynolds (via ABC News). By the time they were done, Reynolds had bled into her shoes and had to be carried into her dressing room. Doctors put her on bed rest for two days after that. Kelly eventually went with the first take they’d shot.
