Gene Kelly (Donald Lockwood) falls in love with Debbie Reynolds (Kathy Seldon), but his silent movie co-star (Linda Lamont - played by Jean Hagan) is determined to undermine their relationship.

Lamont gets not-famous-yet Seldon fired after accidentally throwing a custard pie in her face... she was aiming for Lockwood who has fallen in love with her.

Lamont whilst being a silent star, has an awful voice and when the talkies begin her screeching makes the audiences laugh.

What are they gonna do?

"Hot diggidy, this movie is great!"

"I feel a dance coming on."

"Whenever I feel the world is getting me down I watch this movie. Pure unadulterated class."

"A feel-good, toe tapping, bravisimo inducing, utterly brilliant moment of movie heaven."

"Too much color. Too much screeching."

Kathy Seldon dubs the voice of Linda Lamont in the movie and saves the day. However, drama queen Linda demands that Kathy work unaccredited for her for the rest of her 5 year contract... Donald and the boss of the studio will have none of it... Linda demands to talk to her audience. It becomes clear that the voice on the screen is not hers at all. Kathy runs crying from the theatre but is called back by Donald who tells the audience she is the real star of the show.

It all ends happily ever after, as Donald and Kathy stand arm in arm canoodling 1950's style in front of a poster for the movie showing Kathy as its star.

This is the greatest comedy musical of all time, and I will defend it against those plebs who say it is Grease to the ends of the earth! It is rare that a movie makes me want to stick my dukes up in ready to punch mode, but this movie does just that.

That it was made in 1952 is testament to how fantastic this movie is. Not only is it colourful, tuneful and the dancing is everything you would hope for in a musical, the comedy is also perfect - rarely has elocution been so memorably parodied.

The sequence in which Gene Kelly sings in the rain, just after Kathy has told him she loves him, is utter movie memory perfection. One to watch over and over and over, and a movie to judge other movies by.

"The greatest comedy musical of all time", and it will probably be able to retain that title for a while longer.

December 24 , 2003 Updated 1st June 2006