Rain on my Parade

Donald O’Connor, the last of the great song and dance men, died Saturday at the age of 78. Best known for his classic Make ‘Em Laugh routine in Singin’ in the Rain. That routine, a series of improvised pratfalls, left O’Connor so bruised that he had to be off his legs for 3 days. When he returned to the set, O’Connor found that there had been a problem with the camera, and he had to recreate the entire scene. O’Connor was used to this type of disrespect, having been upstaged by Francis, the Talking Mule in 6 films. When he declined to appear in a 7th, O’Connnor explained, "When you do 6 films and the mule still gets more fan mail than you do…." A consummate entertainer to the end, O’Connor’s final statement read, in part, "I'd like to thank the Academy for my lifetime achievement award that I will eventually get."