White Christmas (film)

White Christmas is a 1954 movie starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye that featured the songs of Irving Berlin, including the titular White Christmas.

Filming took place between September and November 1953. The movie was the first to be filmed in the new VistaVision process and its lush Technicolor cinematography has ensured that it has had a long shelf life on TV, video and DVD. Released in 1954, it became the top grossing film of that year.

The movie was supposed to reunite Crosby and Fred Astaire for their third Irving Berlin extravaganza of song and dance—the first two being Holiday Inn (1942) and Blue Skies (1946). However, Astaire bowed out after reading the script. Donald O'Connor was selected to replace Astaire, but he, too, had to pass because of a back injury. O'Connor was replaced by Danny Kaye. The choreography was done by Bob Fosse, although he was uncredited.

Vera-Ellen's singing was dubbed by Trudy Stevens.

The title song was first used in Holiday Inn, released in 1942, when it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep garnered this film an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.

Rosemary Clooney was not allowed to record her voice for the soundtrack album because it was being released by a record company other than hers. She was replaced on the soundtrack by Peggy Lee.

Dancer Barrie Chase appears unbilled, as Doris Lynch. Future Academy Award winner George Chakiris also appears unbilled.

Academy Award-winning character actor Dean Jagger wears a toupee in the film.

Both Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye perform in drag in the film.

Plot

The story is based around two World War II U.S. Army buddies, one a former Broadway entertainer, Bob Wallace, and a would-be entertainer, Phil Davis (Crosby and Kaye). Davis saves Wallace's life from a toppling wall, wounding his arm slightly in the process. Using his "wounded" arm and telling Bob he doesn't expect any "special obligation," Phil convinces Bob to join forces when the war is over. Phil using his arm wound as a way to get Bob to do what he wants is a running gag of the movie.

After the war, they make it big in nightclubs and then on Broadway. They become the hottest act around and eventually become producers. While in Florida, they receive a letter from "Freckle-Faced Haynes, the dog-faced boy", a mess sergeant they knew in the war, asking them to audition his two sisters. When they go to the club to audition the act, Betty (Rosemary Clooney) reveals that her sister, Judy (Vera-Ellen) sent the letter. Using "his arm" again, Phil gets Bob to agree to travel with them to Vermont for the holidays. They discover that the Columbia Inn in Pine Tree, Vermont, is run by their former commanding officer, Major-General Tom Waverly (Dean Jagger), and it's about to go bankrupt because of the lack of snow and consequent lack of patrons.

Deciding to help out and bring business in, Wallace and Davis bring their entire Broadway show up and add Betty and Judy where they can. Bob discovers the General's rejected attempt at rejoining the army, and decides to prove to the General that he isn't forgotten.

Bob calls Ed Harrison, an old army friend, now host of a successful variety show (intentionally similar to Ed Sullivan's). When Bob wants to make a pitch on the show to all the men under the command of the General in the war, Harrison suggests they go all out and put the show on television, resulting in lots of free advertising for Wallace and Davis. Overhearing only this, the housekeeper, Emma Allen (Mary Wickes), tells Betty. Bob tells Ed that isn't the idea and that he only wishes to make a pitch to get as many people from their division to Pine Tree for the show on Christmas Eve. The misunderstanding causes Betty to leave for a job in New York, after Phil and Judy fake their engagement in the hope of bringing Betty and Bob closer together.

All is set right when Betty sees Bob's pitch on the Ed Harrison show. She returns to Pine Tree just in time for the show on Christmas Eve. Believing all of his suits had been sent to the cleaners, General Waverly concludes that he'll have to appear in his old uniform. When the General enters the lodge where the show is to take place, he is greeted by his division and moments later is notified that snow is falling.

In a memorable finale, Bob and Betty fall in love, as do Phil and Judy. The background of the set is removed to show the snow falling in Pine Tree. Everyone raises a glass, toasting, "May your days be merry and bright; and may all your Christmases be white."

Songs

All songs were written by Irving Berlin.
White Christmas (Crosby)
The Old Man (Crosby, Kaye, and Men's Chorus)
Medley: Heat Wave/Let Me Sing and I'm Happy/Blue Skies (Crosby & Kaye)
Sisters (Clooney & Stevens)
The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing (Kaye & Stevens)
Snow (Crosby, Kaye, Clooney & Stevens)
Sisters (reprise) (Clooney & Stevens)
Minstrel Number: I'd Rather See a Minstrel Show/Mister Bones/Mandy (Crosby, Kaye, Clooney, Stevens & Chorus)
Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep (Crosby & Clooney)
Choreography (Kaye)
The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing (reprise) (Kaye & Chorus)
Abraham (instrumental)
Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me (Clooney)
What Can You Do with a General? (Crosby)
The Old Man (reprise) (Crosby & Men's Chorus)
Gee, I Wish I Was Back in the Army (Crosby, Kaye, Clooney & Stevens)
White Christmas (finale) (Crosby, Kaye, Clooney, Stevens & Chorus)

There are brief renditions of other Berlin songs ("Heat Wave", "Let Me Sing and I'm Happy" and "Blue Skies").

Berlin wrote "A Crooner - A Comic" for Crosby and his then-costar Donald O'Connor but when O'Connor left the project so did the song.

The song, "What Can You Do with a General?", which Leonard Maltin calls Berlin's least memorable tune, was originally written for an unproduced project called Stars on My Shoulders.

External links

*The Songs of White Christmas: 30 second clips in QuickTime format