Last night, my friend Liz and I went to the Comcast Outdoor Film Festival and saw Singin’ in the Rain. Outside. On a giant, inflatable screen. It was awesome.
We’d talked about going to one of the many summer outdoor film festivals in DC, but none were showing anything we wanted to see. (Well, anything I wanted to see, anyway.) Until now.
Singin’ in the Rain is my all-time favorite movie. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know the film and love it. My sister and I grew up watching Gene Kelly dance and fall in love with Debbie Reynolds. I know the film cold. I can recite all the dialogue. I know every beat of every dance.
So you know, I like it just a little bit.
If you ever get a chance to see your favorite movie outdoors on a huge screen, do it. Of course, I’ve seen Singin’ in the Rain a million times. (No exaggeration.) But to see it on a huge screen with a captive audience was something else. We applauded after every number. We laughed when RF yanked Lena’s mic chord and she fell over screaming. We sat in awe at Cyd Charisse’s legs. (Okay, maybe that last one was just me. But seriously, the legs on that woman!)
One of my favorite parts of the evening was observing the two boys who sat in front of us. They couldn’t have been more than 12, and arrived just before the film started. Once they set up camp, I thought, “Oh, no. This is going to be bad.” But they sat, enchanted, throughout the whole film. It was adorable.
In case you haven’t gotten it by now, let me say again how cool it was to see Don Lockwood and Cosmo Brown on the big screen. The best part was watching the dance numbers all blown up. These two, in particular, were amazing to see.
“It’s gotta be a rose, cause it rhymes with Mose.”
When we were walking home, I said to Liz, “I could go watch that again right now. I love it that much.”
In the words of Barney Stinson: “De…wait for it….lightful! Delightful!”
And with that, I say goodbye for a few weeks. I’m going on vacation tomorrow, and will be back in September. I’ll leave you with what was undoubtedly the audience’s favorite from last night: Ladies and gentleman, Mr. Donald O’Conner.
Retrowatching 
Wow!! It’s nice to know there is someone out there as crazy as I am!! I’m pretty much a clone of you with reciting dialogue and knowing what’s going on without even peeking at the screen… a couple years ago at our Film Festival they showed Singin in the Rain outdoors on an inflatable screen too and Stanley Donen was actually there in person to speak a little as a prelude to the film! I have to admit, I actually got teary-eyed…. I was in awe. I mean, not only did this man work with the AMAZING actors on SITR (Gene Kelly… *sigh*…) but just think of all the fantastic classic golden movie stars through the years!!! It was pretty much the BEST time I ever had watching that fantastic movie (and I’ve seen it a million times since I was little, same as you). So, I salute you fellow SITR kindred spirit!! Happy watching :o)