THE LASER BIN : ‘Singin’ in the Rain’: Behind-the-Scenes Disc

***** “Singin’ in the Rain.” MGM/UA, tape, $19.95; Criterion Collection CAV Standard Play laser video disc, $89.95 .

Both tape and disc remind us that this 1952 film is one of the great musicals. The sharper picture and digitally processed sound on the laser video disc are enough to justify the added cost, but the supplementary material included only on the disc makes it a real collector’s edition.

On the second audio track, historian Ronald Haver provides a scene-by-scene essay with wonderful insights into the making of the film. Among the hilarious tidbits: Debbie Reynolds’ voice being dubbed for her on some of the singing numbers in a plot that emphasizes Reynolds’ voice being used to substitute for Jean Hagen’s voice. (Confused? Get the disc.) Also included are the original film versions of the songs (from early talkies, etc.), a behind-the-scenes sequence in which a stunt man jumps from a trolley and misses the car beneath, and a vintage instructional film called “The Voice From the Screen,” an early demonstration of how to talk in the movies, a key plot element in this marvelous musical.