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At a glance, there was nothing remarkable about the device, just as there was nothing remarkable about the man who held it average height, average weight, average build with a friendly smile that people found disarming.

But of course, there was nothing average about the man called Lockwood. And though his smile may have been disarming, the man beneath the disguise was by no means disarmed. Indeed, the device in his right hand was now fully activated, a fact that wasn't lost on the pretty girl with whom he was currently entwined.

Across the street, a big cop who wasn't really a cop stood in the rain and watched the scene unfold.

He had to admit Lockwood was a smooth operator, even dehydrated, sleep deprived and racked with 103 degree fever.

The guy was a master of the craft, calmly deploying the device while exiting the cab, deftly assisting the pretty girl out of the back seat, then whisking her up the steps like it was their honeymoon. Very convincing. For a minute there, it looked like she might invite him up, but of course she didn't because that was not part of the plan. The big cop who wasn't really a cop looked at his watch, Lockwood had exactly four minutes to deactivate the device and deliver it to the man in the trenchcoat two blocks away.

Under normal circumstances, four minutes would be plenty of time, but circumstances were far from normal. For one thing, the rain was coming down in sheets. Downspouts and gutters were overflowing as pedestrians scrambled for cover, running up and down the slippery sidewalks. That was bound to complicate things. But far more worrisome than the weather was Lockwood's physical condition. A 103 degree fever would weaken anybody.

And during the next four minutes, Lockwood would need every ounce of physical strength and mental concentration he possessed.

With the clock ticking, Lockwood disentangled himself from the young woman who pretended to be his girlfriend, stepped out of the doorway, waved off the waiting cab and strolled down the street like a man without a care in the world.

Very smooth. The big cop, who wasn't really a cop, fell in behind him when the time was right. He would intervene, but not until the wetwork was finished. For now, he would remain out of sight just the way they planned it.

Meanwhile, two blocks away, the man in the trench coat waited anxiously. He knew he shouldn't worry. Lockwood was a pro, but still he was only human. And a fever that high could lead to basic mistakes and everyone on the team knew it. What would he do if the device was still activated when he received it? The man in the trench coat couldn't help but wonder if maybe the whole mission should have been postponed. But of course Lockwood wouldn't hear of it at the briefing last night.

He'd been adamant he even from his sickbed. You worry about your job, he said, and I'll worry about mine. Just remember will be watched at every turn. Timing is everything. Stick to the plan. So the man in the trench coat waited for the big cop who wasn't really a cop to make his move, that would be his cue. After that, Lockwood would complete the drop and the device would be in his control.

God willing. If you know your history, you know exactly what happened on that seemingly unremarkable street way back in 1951, moments after an average looking guy kissed a pretty young girl good night on her ranie doorstep. And if you've seen the actual footage, you'll no doubt recall the sight of that same guy coming completely and totally unhinged, stamping and stomping his way down that seemingly unremarkable street, making strange sounds completely inconsistent with those of a man caught in a sudden rainstorm.

And of course, you'll remember his encounter with the big cop who wasn't really a cop right there on that flooded sidewalk in Studio City.

If not, check it out on YouTube. The big cop confronts Lockwood while the device is still activated. The cop doesn't say a word. He just gives him a look, a look that says, Mister, what in the hell are you doing out in weather like this? At which point Lockwood pauses, deactivates the device and says to the officer.

I'm dancing and singing. In the rain. Just the way they planned it.

Technically, that's how the scene ends, but if you keep watching, you'll see the character called Don Lockwood flash his disarming smile one more time and walk slowly away from the cop who isn't really a cop.

Then as the shot widens, you'll see another character enter the frame. The man in the trench coat walking with his head down against the pouring rain.

Lockwood stops him and offers the stranger his seemingly unremarkable device in its deactivated state just the way they rehearsed it.

The man in the trench coat accepts that now famous umbrella opens it and walks out of the shot as the rain continues to fall and we fade to black. Thus concludes one of the most ambitious scenes in the history of American cinema, a scene packed with so much irrepressible joy and optimism, it's impossible not to smile when you watch it.

A scene of mind numbing difficulty brought to life by an uncompromising artist who insisted on singing in the rain when he should have been recovering in the hospital from a 103 degree fever, a smooth operator called Gene Kelly.

Anyway, that's the way I heard it.