Singin' in the Rain

At the Window on America center in Dnipropetrovsk Singin' in the Rain (1952) was presented to all who wish to improve their language skills.
For the 1929 song sung in this film, see Singin' in the Rain (song). For the stage musical, see Singin' in the Rain (musical).
Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American musical comedy film directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, and choreographed by Kelly. It offers a lighthearted depiction of Hollywood in the late '20s, with the three stars portraying performers caught up in the transition from silent films to "talkies."
The film was only a modest hit when first released, with O'Connor's Best Supporting Actor win at the Golden Globes, Comden and Green's win at the Writers Guild of America Awards, and the best supporting actress Oscar nomination for Jean Hagen being the only major recognitions. However, it was accorded its legendary status by contemporary critics. It is now frequently described as one of the best musicals ever made, topping the AFI's 100 Years of Musicals list, and ranking fifth in its updated list of the greatest American films in 2007.
Plot: A silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Writers: Adolph Green (story), Betty Comden (story)
Stars: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds.
 

Floribunda rose 'Singin' in the Rain', McGredy 1994

For her role as Lina Lamont, Jean Hagen was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The film was also nominated for a Best Original Music Score.
Donald O'Connor won a Golden Globe for this film. Betty Comden and Adolph Green received the Writers Guild of America for the best written American musical.

“OKLAHOMA!” musical

Today’s session of the Gabfest speaking club (at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) was dedicated to the introduction of the “OKLAHOMA!” musical to the Gabfest Club members. This year this world famous Broadway play celebrates its 70th anniversary.
The Club members read and translated the Wikipedia article about the musical. The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943. It was a box-office smash and ran for an unprecedented 2,243 performances. Later it enjoyed several award-winning revivals, national tours, foreign productions and an Academy Award-winning 1955 film adaptation.
 “Oklahoma!” was the first fully integrated musical play, using every song and dance to develop the characters or the plot.

We have watched several You Tube videos:
-    about the celebration of the anniversary in the USA and Australia
-    with the most popular songs from the 1955 movie .
The listening of the songs left the majority of the group unaware of the songs’ content. The lyrics of 3 songs were offered for translation. This activity allowed the language learners to improve their auditing and translation skills.
The other topics on the agenda of the Club were:
-     selecting of topics on American-Ukrainian culture exchange, of candidates among the American industry experts and professionals to arrange Skype conversations with (through the US Embassy in Kyiv)
-    preparation for the USA Independence Day  celebration.
The session was educational to all the participants as they were not aware about this cult American musical “Oklahoma!” before.
The number of participants – 17 persons.
Have a look at more pictures, please