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Thanks for the memories!

i must have seen a different film!!

Did you people see the same film I saw?

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

This film introduced the world to Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," with Bing Crosby singing it here as he does in the 1954 movie named for the song. Crosby's "White Christmas" has been the standard against which all other versions have been measured. Featuring Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds, and Virginia Dale and directed by Mark Sandrich, this black-and-white classic reflects the mores and styles of the 1940s. All the corny jokes and smug sentimentality serve only to expose the racial divide in apartheid America, especially when the cast dons blackface to sing about Abraham Lincoln. No one seems to have noticed the irony in "dreaming of a white Christmas" while wearing blackface. The inclusion of Louise Beavers and her children singing "Abraham" merely adds salt to the wound. But Astaire's drunken dance scene is worth a watch, and the Irving Berlin tunes, including "Easter Parade," are lovely to hear.

Of course that was after they made a stage version of its remake, "White Christmas", well a partial remake of it. For reasons beyond my understanding, "White Christmas" is more well known and a holiday perennial, even though this film introduced the Oscar winning song by Bing Crosby and has a much better plot. I find "White Christmas" too gimmicky and dated, even in 1950's terms, and highly overrated. The plot line surrounding a country inn open only at the holidays was keeping in touch with the patriotic morale at the time, and in updating the remake with post war ideals it seemed pretentious and colorless in spite of all that garish Technicolor.The Broadway version took out certain elements that cleared up any "politically incorrect" issues, mostly by getting rid of the black housekeeper, Louise Beavers, singing about "happy darkies" in the production number about Abraham Lincoln and turned her into a feisty (white) female "Miss Fix-It". The basic story remained but turned Fred Astaire's character into an even more smooth womanizing playboy while making Crosby's character more of a homebody with the desire of show business still in his heart. The stage version was recently broadcast on PBS so comparisons are inevitable. Having seen the stage version in the front row, I found myself grinning broadly, and in revisiting the film for the first time in many years, realized that I was doing exactly the same thing with the film.The singing and dancing team of Astaire and Crosby (along with Marjorie Reynolds) are happy until Reynolds chooses Astaire over Crosby, leaving Crosby to make his holiday inn plans without her. Like a bad penny, Astaire turns up again, making a play for Crosby's new partner, Virginia Dale, creating issues as he becomes involved in the inn's increasing popularity. It's more of a serious plot than most original movie musicals of the time, but thanks to the intersection send great Berlin standards (and plenty of new material as well), even the blackfaced "Abraham" which really celebrates the end of slavery even with the tactless stereotypes popularized in minstrel shows. The success of this lead to a second Astaire/Crosby pairing ("Blue Skies") but other than more of that great Irving Berlin American songbook, it was quite a disappointment.

I thought this movie was a bit long and slow, and I could not really relate to the intrigues of the show business people, or their love affairs. Although the ending was sweet...Some aspects of it felt very dated, such as the "black face" number, the black, fat mommy with a heart of gold and a lot of common sense, working as a housekeeper, the war-time propaganda, etc. etc.. But of course you can look at it as a period drama - and I love the elegance of the 40:s, when women could still dress like ladies and men like gentlemen! The song and dance numbers are wonderful. Well, they have to be with Bing Crosby as the lead singer and Fred Astaire as the lead dancer! :-) There are also wonderful stage sets and decorations for the various holidays depicted.I think the movie was worth watching once in it's entirety, but in future I will probably just skim it for the best singing and dancing performances.

Singer/composer Jim (Bing Crosby) has the modest ambition of a combination hostelry/show venue, open for just 15 days a year: the public holidays, where there will be a show for each holiday. As the act breaks up, he discovers that his more ambitious partner, dancer Ted (Fred Astaire) has successfully lured away dance partner Lila who Jim had expected to accompany him. After a while starting his establishment alone, Jim finds himself in the company of talented singer/dancer Linda (Marjorie Reynolds) and romance develops. Then Ted arrives back on the scene...Holiday Inn is a slight romantic musical comedy featuring the pairing of Crosby and Astaire, and a bunch of songs by Irving Berlin. What could go wrong? Not much, actually. This monochrome period piece (a nicely colourised version is available) trundles along exactly as expected, with songs, dances, chuckles and music in all the right places, and winning performances from all concerned. It almost seems a shame to raise criticisms.Apart from the picky point of "No wonder he's losing money when you look at the cost of the production value he's putting on stage for a single night," there are two main criticisms. One, the songs (many of which are themed for a particular holiday) come from the weaker end of the Irving Berlin songbook. And, two, the Lincoln number, delivered in blackface, demonstrates the casual and more or less inadvertent racial attitudes of the era fairly embarrassingly.Against this, of course, the film introduces the monumental White Christmas, against which no criticism can stand!