"Singing In The Rain"

I was watching "Singing In The Rain" the other night with my boys, and it never fails to amaze me what a good movie it is. The premise is a movie studio must make the transition from silent pictures to talking pictures when their leading lady has a squeaky voice and their leading man is more of song and dance man than a dramatic orator. There are bright colors, catchy tunes, and fun dance scenes my boys love to emulate.

There are also great messages about friendship. Cosmo, the leading man's best friend, sees his boyhood pal make it big, get all the attention, and he's okay with it. He knows their friendship is solid, and he has nothing to worry about. They were street kids together, and that made them brothers. Don was the older, more daring one of the pair, and Cosmo always came along for the ride. If Don made it big, Cosmo had to be there, too. They were a package deal. Don became the studio's big name leading man, Cosmo became the studio's director of music.

One day Don meets the girl of his dreams. She's all he can think about, but she has proven ellusive. Cosmo helps Don find her in the hollywood jumble, and he's happy that his best friend found a nice girl who makes him happy. Cosmo figures someday he'll meet a nice girl and settle down, too. There's no love triangle or jealousy.

It also says a lot about what it means to be a man. There is chivalry, light-hearted humor, selfless acts of kindness (because that's what friends are for!), and faith that the other will have your back if you're in the same tight spot. There is honor and honesty among men, and if a woman's feelings can be spared a heartache, regardless of the behavior of said woman, that is the road to take.

This is the example I want my boys to grow up emulating. They have a great example in their father, and now they can watch television and say, "Don Lockwood is just like Daddy!"