Who co-directed the 1952 film Singin' in the Rain with Gene Kelly?

Stanley Donen co-directed Singin’ in the Rain with Gene Kelly. Released in 1952, the film is a musical romantic comedy set in Hollywood during the difficult transition from silent movies to talking pictures. Kelly plays silent-film star Don Lockwood, whose career is threatened when audiences hear his co-star’s unsuitable speaking voice.

Donen was both a director and choreographer, and his partnership with Kelly helped define the polished MGM musical style of the era. The pair had already co-directed On the Town in 1949, and they later collaborated on It’s Always Fair Weather. Singin’ in the Rain was produced by Arthur Freed, with songs largely drawn from earlier MGM productions.

The film is often remembered primarily as a Gene Kelly vehicle, which can obscure Donen’s contribution. Kelly also choreographed the movie, but Donen was not merely an assistant: he shared the directing credit. Donald O’Connor played Cosmo Brown, Debbie Reynolds played Kathy Selden, and Jean Hagen portrayed Lina Lamont.