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Stanley Donen

Stanley Donen

Director and producer, also writer · Died February 21, 2019, aged 94 · Columbia, South Carolina, USA

Stanley Donen (April 13, 1924-February 23, 2019) was an American film director and choreographer hailed by David Quinlan as "the King of the Hollywood musicals". His most celebrated work was Singin' in the Rain (1952), which he co-directed with Gene Kelly.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 13, 1924
Died
February 21, 2019 (aged 94)
From
Columbia, South Carolina, USA
Works as
Director and producer, also writer
Titles
32 on MovieCove · 38 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 32% in 30 days

What are Stanley Donen's films like?

Across their 25 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy20 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 32nd percentile
: browse their Adventure movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
43%
Self
23%
Morality
15%
Ideas
8%
Society
6%
Power
4%
Survival
2%
Romantic love14 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception6 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition5 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 25 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 22 · Serious 2 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 5 · Stylized 14 · Heightened 6

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 15 · Charged 9 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 15 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 14 · Funny 10

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 13 · Relentless 2

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 21 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 20 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
16
Romantic
17
Tense
6
Absurd
5
Warm
5
Other
21

How their films linger

Feel-good17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy15
  • Bittersweet10

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Stanley Donen's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 32 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Stanley Donen's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

38 credits, 32 with a MovieCove page; 20 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Truth About Charlie(2002)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Love Letters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • MGM: When the Lion Roars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 3 episodes · Actor

  • Moonlighting(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Blame It on Rio(1984)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Saturn 3(1980)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Movie Movie(1978)

    Director · Producer · as Nightclub Emcee / Cab Driver (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • That's Entertainment, Part II(1976)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Lucky Lady(1975)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • The Little Prince(1974)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Staircase (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Director · Producer

  • Bedazzled(1967)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Two for the Road(1967)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Arabesque(1966)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Charade(1963)

    Director · Producer · as Man in Elevator (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Grass Is Greener(1960)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Surprise Package (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Director · Producer

  • Once More, with Feeling! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Director · Producer

  • Damn Yankees(1958)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Indiscreet(1958)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Kiss Them for Me(1957)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • The Pajama Game(1957)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Funny Face(1957)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • It's Always Fair Weather(1955)

    Director · Choreographer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Kismet(1955)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Deep in My Heart(1954)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Seven Brides for Seven Brothers(1954)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Give a Girl a Break(1953)

    Director · Musical

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Fearless Fagan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Director

  • Singin' in the Rain(1952)

    Director · Choreographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Love Is Better Than Ever(1952)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Royal Wedding(1951)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • On the Town(1949)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Take Me Out to the Ball Game(1949)

    Choreographer · Story

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • A Date with Judy(1948)

    Music Director

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Big City(1948)

    Choreographer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Living in a Big Way(1947)

    Choreographer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Best Foot Forward(1943)

    as Cadet

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 37 titles from 1943 to 2002.

Biggest box office

Lucky Lady (1975)

$24M worldwide

Highest rated

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting4 of 37: 2 only acting, 2 with another roleDirecting29 of 37: 14 only directing, 15 with another role · typical Midcredits score69thWriting2 of 37: 0 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing12 of 37: 0 only producing, 12 with another role · typical Midcredits score58thOther crew8 of 37: 5 only other crew, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score67th

37 titles, 16 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 12 of them.

By decade

1940s6 · 1 acting · 5 crew1950s13 · crew1960s8 · 1 acting · 8 crew1970s4 · 1 acting · 4 crew1980s3 · crew1990s2 · 1 acting · 1 crew2000s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Stanley Donen's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of all 31; across their 25 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 65th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Approval · how many liked their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Reach · how many have seen their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Midcredits score across 32 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th13
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

None of their 32 titles divides audiences: 21 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Crowd Pleaser21
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed5

Most loved · director

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Midcredits 99th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 67/100 and the pacing 48/100 in their films, across 24 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Stanley Donen's work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles4–49 · median 23 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles7–50 · median 18 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles1–29 · median 9 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles16–37 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles5–46 · median 10 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Stanley Donen work with?

People who share at least 2 of Stanley Donen's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Arthur Freed shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers