Almanac: The 1952 premiere of "Singin' in the Rain"

And now, a page from our "Sunday Morning" Almanac: March 27, 1952, 70 years ago today…

… the day "Singin' in the Rain" sang and danced its way onto the big screen, and into our hearts. 

A love story set at the dawn of talking pictures, the film is regarded as perhaps the greatest Hollywood musical ever. 

Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds perform "Good Morning":

For 19-year-old newcomer Debbie Reynolds, that acclaim didn't come easy. She told "Sunday Morning" in 2013, "We danced 10, 12 hours every day. My feet were bleeding, and I had fainted, and I was just exhausted."

She wasn't alone!

Donald O'Connor required three days of bed rest after filming the "Make 'Em Laugh" sequence:

... and Gene Kelly shot the movie's joyous title number with a 103-degree fever:

All the same, seven decades on, "Singin' in the Rain" remains as vivid a depiction as any of the delirious bliss of falling in love.

     
For more info:

• "Singin' in the Rain" available on Warner Brothers Blu-ray/DVD via Amazon, or streaming on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, HBO Max, Vudu and YouTube

     
Story produced by Robert Marston. Editor: Kevin McLaughlin.

     
See also: 

• Gallery: Debbie Reynolds 1932-2016
• Mother & daughter: Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher ("Sunday Morning")
• Rescuing scenic backdrops from Hollywood's Golden Age ("Sunday Morning")