A near perfect movie musical comedy.
Despite the fact that this movie has become a Christmas tradition for so many, Christmas is only one of the holidays featured in this film. The storyline revolves around an inn that is open only on holidays and each holiday features a live show with singing and dancing. This allows us to get 14 musical numbers that feature some of the great musical talents of the early 1940's. Though these songs are about holidays all over the calendar, two have become Christmas classics, White Christmas and Happy Holidays. With this in mind is it any wonder this has become considered a Christmas movie.
This is the fourth film in which director Mark Sandrich, songwriter Irving Berlin and star Fred Astaire made together. They had previously all worked on the Astaire-Rogers pictures, Top Hat (1935), Follow the Fleet (1936), and Carefree (1938). The idea for this film had its birth with Irving Berlin. Berlin and playwright Moss Hart had had a major hit with the 1933 Broadway musical, As Thousands Cheer. They to follow this up with a musical play based on various holidays. However, this play never came to be. The idea stayed fresh in Berlin's mind though. When in 1941 he ran into Sandrich (who was now working at Paramount), he pitched this idea to the director as a vehicle for Paramount star, Bing Crosby. Sandrich loved the idea, and a story quickly began to take shape. Sandrich decided that the perfect person to play the second male lead was Fred Astaire. Paramount disagreed feeling that they already had one big star with Bing Crosby and the Astaire would cost too much money, However Sandrich was insistent and would get his way. He would tell the press, "I call this picture the A B C of American musical comedy. Astaire, Berlin, Crosby. Get it?" It is worth noting that the two main male stars of this movie would later star in a film with a song from this film as the title song. Bing Crosby would star in White Christmas (1954) and Fred Astaire would star in Easter Parade (1948). Both of those films would also be Irving Berlin songfests. However, when it came to cast the female leads, the studio would have its way. Big name actresses were discussed for these roles (including Ginger Rogers and Rita Hayworth), but the studio insisted that lesser-known actresses should be used since they were already using Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Marjorie Renyolds had previously been working in B-westerns and when she got this role the Paramount publicity department dubbed her, "Saddle Cinderella." Virginia Dale was a nightclub dancer who had only appeared in very tiny movie roles. However, both of them were perfect in their roles and I can't see how bigger stars could have improved upon their performances.
Everything about this movie works beautifully. The musical numbers are all excellent. As mentioned before Irving Berlin has 14 songs used in this movie and there is not one song that misses the mark. Each musical number is also perfectly suited to the performers. Though White Christmas has been recorded by many artists, none ever come close to what Bing Crosby has done with the song. This song is just so perfectly suited to Bing Crosby's voice that no other singer could ever recapture the magic. Fred Astaire shows his magic in the Let's Say it With Firecrackers dance number. Despite the fact that he required 38 takes to get it just right, it comes off as so effortlessly perfect and natural that you can't help but get caught up in the pure charm of the dance. This is just as much pure magic as Bing Crosby singing White Christmas and something that could never be replicated. Both of their talents come together perfectly for Be Careful, It's My Heart. Bing Crosby is singing the song beautiful and doesn't notice Fred Astaire and Marjorie Renyolds doing an incredible dance behind him. This scene is perfectly choreographed but like the rest of this movie seems effortlessly so. The storyline may be mostly an excuse for the musical numbers, but it is fill of a sense of lighthearted fun that I find irresistible.
The Film Daily, 1942
The movie was not only a smash hit when released but remains just as delightful today.
For more Michael's Christmas Movie Guide click here.
Resources Used
Christmas In the Movies by Jeremy Arnold
https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/78199/holiday-inn/#articles-reviews?articleId=29971
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