NEW ULM – The New Ulm Film Society’s (NUFS) musical series continues Tuesday, despite a 100% chance of rain with a high probability of singing in it.

The screening begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, at the New Ulm Public Library.

“Singin’ in the Rain” was released in 1952 and is a contender for the greatest film musical of all time. The film scene for which the movie is named, where Gene Kelly sings and dances his way through a rainstorm, is one of the most iconic and recognizable images from the movies. That makes it all the more appropriate that the film is about the love of performance.

“Singin’ in the Rain” begins in 1927, the year the first sound pictures were released. Gene Kelly plays the famous silent film star Don Lockwood, who must find a way to transition his career to the world of sound as the silent film era is coming to an end. After Lockwood has a chance meeting with an up and coming stage actress, Kathy Selden, played by Debbie Reynolds,  he and his friend Cosmo Brown, played by Donald O’Connor, realize that Selden has an impressive singing voice and could have a future in sound pictures. The trio works on a plan to dub Selden’s voice into Lockwood’s latest film, which has been reworked into a musical.

“Singin’ in the Rain” is essentially a fictionalized version of how Hollywood created the movie musical.

The idea for “Singin’ in the Rain” began with the songs, most of which had been written decades earlier. Some of the songs featured in the movie, including the titular song, were already used in other films. Since many of the songs were from the period in which film was transitioning into sound, the writers decided to make that the thrust of the story.

Upon its initial release, “Singin’ in the Rain” was not expected to be a hit film. It was literally a musical thrown together using an older back catalogue of songs, but this proved to be the secret to the film’s success. ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ is not remembered for having a strong plot, but rather as a way to deliver some of the most catchy songs accompanied by some of the best choreographed dancing ever seen on the silver screen.

In 2004, the American Film Institute (AFI) released a list of the top 100 best songs from American films. Three songs from “Singin’ in the Rain” made the list; with  ‘Good Morning ‘ranked 72nd, ‘Make ‘Em Laugh’ ranked 49th and ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ ranked third.

“Singin’ in the Rain” has gone on to inspire countless other musicals and films. Nearly every movie set in the film industry can credit this movie, that includes “The Artist,” which won the 2011 Oscar for best picture and “La La Land,” which nearly won the Oscar in 2016.

“Singin’ in the Rain” also has the distinction of being one of the first 25 films inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry.

The New Ulm Film Society’s screening of “Singin’ in the Rain” is free to the public. Before and after the film, there will be a discussion about the movie’s place in film history.