To me, there are few films more classic and heartwarming around the holiday season than Irving Berlin’s 1954 masterpiece, White Christmas. Comedy! Drama! Romance! Song and dance routines! Men dressed up as women! This film really has it all.
White Christmas focuses around the vocal stylings of two of the time’s greatest singers: Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. Throw in colorful characters like “Mr. Slapstick” Danny Kaye, and “I’m not really singing but check out my sick dance moves” Vera-Ellen and you have a party just waiting to happen.
Crosby and Kaye play Wallace and Davis, two army vets who are now a somewhat popular traveling song and dance act. Clooney and Ellen are the Haynes sisters, same profession, but slightly less popular. The two pairs meet and in their adventures find a failing inn in Vermont that is owned by Wallace’s and Davis’ former commanding general in the army. Determined to save their hero’s business, the four put on a show at the inn to bring in guests and revenue. They put on the show (with a little relationship drama, of course) and the inn is saved! Hooray!
This film also gave birth to the very popular holiday song of the same name.
There’s just something about movies made from the 40s and 50s. Sometimes I feel like they just don’t make them like they used to. A good song-and-dance routine can really push me over the edge. And men just don’t wear their pants as high as they used to. Ah, those were the days.
4/5.
Grizzly Bomb 