1954 Musical
From Paramount Pictures
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Starring
Bing Crosby
Danny Kaye
Rosemary Clooney
Vera-Ellen
Dean Jagger
Mary Wickes
John Brascia
Anne Whitfield
This is your favorite Christmas movie, some of you may cry out? Others of you will certainly agree with me. That's the way it goes when just one is picked as the favorite. The choices are endless. Critics have always savaged most holiday films while the public loves them and watches them over and over again.
To a degree, I can see the critics' points, too. Cornball? Predictable? Sure. Too sugary, sentimental? Absolutely. The thing is... and it's so simple and so obvious... I don't care. I have loved this Irving Berlin song and dance celebration since it originally came out and I've seen it most years ever since. I may not open as many gifts as I once did and most of the people I shared Christmases with in those years are no longer here, but I can always count on White Christmas for fun, warmth and joy.
I know the film so well that I could tell you what scene follows another, from start to finish... mercifully, I won't... and I am sure I could handle a great deal of the dialogue.
What I especially love is that it is a backstage showbiz story... I am always a sucker for those. Former army buddies have become big-time entertainers who end up with a sister act on their way to Vermont. The sisters are to perform at an inn but all are disappointed when they find no snow. That, of course, means there will be no guests.
As the foursome is about to consider other options, in walks General Waverly, the commander of the two men during the war. They mistake him for the janitor but discover he owns the place. The general makes the decision the sisters will stay and perform because he's certain there will be snow. The boys, who were going to start rehearsals for their new show in New York, decide to bring their entire troop to the inn. Everyone will be happy. They will dance. They will sing. They will fall in love. And it snows. Merry Christmas to one and all. Let's eat.
Paramount was hot to make this film. They had Crosby under contract, Irving Berlin appeared more eager than he usually was and it had been a few years since Hollywood had made a good Christmas movie. What the studio had in mind was one that would become a classic, a perennial favorite. The last item that caused Paramount excitement about making White Christmas is that it would be their first production in VistaVision, a new wide screen look the studio hoped would rival Cinemascope.
Also under contract to the studio was Rosemary Clooney, then at the height of her career as a singer. She had taken up acting two years earlier and had made three films, none of them particularly successful. She has said the main reason she wanted to make this film was to work with Crosby whom she adored.
Fred Astaire was to assume the role of Crosby's partner. This would be their third pairing after Holiday Inn (1942) and Blue Skies (1946). A lot of people, even in the press, thought White Christmas was a sequel to Holiday Inn since both featured the two actors, the song White Christmas and each film took place at an inn. But a sequel it is not.
Clooney's sister needed to be played not only by a dancer (because she would have four dance numbers) but she would need to be blonde so as to resemble her sister. There was really only one person to fit that description so Vera-Ellen was hired. This would also have been her third teaming with Astaire, having made Three Little Words and The Belle of New York together in the early fifties.
Before much got moving on the film at all, Astaire decided to retire (again) and dropped out. Then Donald O'Connor was hired to replace him. He was excited because he had confidence in the film becoming a blockbuster and he wanted to work with Crosby and especially with Vera-Ellen again. They had just completed work on Call Me Madam and he considered her the best female partner he'd ever had. Then, unfortunately, he became ill and had to drop out.
Who's next? Danny Kaye was hired. I have never liked him which is a further tribute to my loving this film, although I have to (begrudgingly) admit that he wasn't so bad. He was a delightful foil for the stodgy Crosby. One of their best moments together was when they reprised the Sisters number, partly dressing up in the sisters' costumes. When Kaye started batting Crosby with the large feathery fans, Crosby cracked up. Any Crosby fan could tell you that one never catches him on film losing it like that. Even though the fan-batting wasn't planned, director Curtiz decided to leave the bit in the film.
The problem that the hiring of Kaye posed was that he was only a serviceable dancer. He would be paired (for the third time) with the athletic Vera-Ellen and Kaye would never be able to keep up with her. He did well in The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing but the skill set needed for that number couldn't touch two others, Mandy and then Abraham. So a pro, John Brascia, was brought in to keep pace with Vera-Ellen.
The odd thing, however, was that Brascia otherwise wasn't fully integrated into the overall story, remaining just another member of a large contingent of background performers. Brascia and Vera-Ellen also danced in the Choreography number, a lame excuse to give Kaye a number where he was the focus... and it turned out to be the worse thing about the movie. When watching the film on DVD, I spin through this atrocious modern dance bit with Kaye galloping all over the stage like a gazelle on poppers.
Mandy features the entire musical cast in a splashy minstrel number that is, for me, one of three segments I dearly love. I can't use enough gushing adjectives to honor Vera-Ellen's extraordinary dancing in Mandy. I usually watch it several times.
Brascia is a boffo dancer and a helpful partner. Often when I watch this number more than once, I will focus entirely on Brascia in one entire viewing. I can attest to his great moves. He is even more prominent in the briefer Abraham. Done in an impromptu fashion, Kaye asks his two dancers to take to the stage and just run through the number for the entire ensemble to watch. Here, treat yourself:
I certainly like dance numbers in quite a few other musicals with a lot of talented folks, but for my money, Vera-Ellen and John Brascia in these two numbers set the bar. One final note about her abilities... she couldn't sing. Her voice was dubbed.
Although White Christmas would be the most famous movie role Vera-Ellen would ever have, it would be her penultimate film. As musicals began to fade, I guess there wasn't a lot for her to do.
This would also be Clooney's penultimate film for many years. (She would have a bit in a movie no one saw in 1994). I always loved her voice and saw the makings of a good dramatic actress but it was never to be.
She and Crosby were great friends. They sang in the same key which made for some memorable duets. This is their only movie appearance together and the film is always a treat for fans of either.
While I never felt about Crosby as I did Kaye, I actually wasn't a huge fan of his either although I have quite liked perhaps a half dozen of his films. His long-suffering wife died during filming which might have been a good reason for him to keep his own company as he usually did on film sets, but this film and these people saw one of his happier film experiences.
Mary Wickes, as the nosy housekeeper with a heart of gold, always said this was her favorite of her many films and it's easy to see why. The character actress had a couple of scenes that were integral to the action at hand and she made the most of her remarkable comical timing.
Dean Jagger has always been an especially watchable character actor to me. The better character actors seemed to have a bag of tricks that were potent and secured them many assignments. Jagger sold kind and authoritarian. His generally easy manner and beautiful speaking voice endeared him to many. Oddly, on that voice, in real life Jagger had a pronounced lisp that he could only shake if he were shooting a film. I have seen him in quite a few roles and his General Waverly here is clearly my favorite. He's also involved in another treasured scene, one that provides an emotional high that touches my old heart. All fans know the scene, too.
That scene begins the film's final quarter. The company is putting on its show, the Christmas show. Unknown to the general is that Crosby has arranged for many in the old outfit to surprise the general as part of the show. Everyone is in on the surprise. He is coerced by his feisty, longtime housekeeper to wear his military outfit to the show, which he resists at first. As his granddaughter meets him at the bottom of the stairs, I start to get a little choked up. When the housekeeper opens the double doors into the auditorium and the general hears the hearty applause, he is at first dumbstruck and then teary-eyed. And so am I.
The last especially pleasing scene, of course, is the finale and I love every minute of it. Of course, it features the title tune and the four stars, all dressed in those now-famous red and white outfits, are all in fine voice. During this number the back walls of the auditorium
open to reveal the hoped-for snow. I believe Crosby's recording of White Christmas is still the highest-selling single of all time.
I have always thought long-time Warner Bros. go-to director of he-man adventure movies, Curtiz, was an odd choice to helm this musical. And really, when it boils down to it, he didn't have a lot to do when one considers all four lead actors pretty much played themselves and all the musical numbers were directed by Robert Alton and a team of choreographers.
White Christmas was the top-selling picture of 1954.
In some ways, I suppose, it isn't so much a Christmas movie at all... until that last quarter. It is a backstage look at putting on a show... a staple for the Hollywood movie musical. Of course I think that last quarter is a heartfelt tribute to the holiday season. Did you know the title tune is the only Christmas song in the film?
If I were to look for a movie that puts over the Christmas spirit in a
big way, and maybe I could call it my second favorite Christmas movie, it would be 1947's Miracle on 34th Street.
If you're so inclined, have a look at Mandy. I am actually not fond of the opening segment with Crosby, Clooney and Kaye but when Vera-Ellen arrives at the top of the staircase, watch out.
Next posting:
Guilty Pleasure
This is your favorite Christmas movie, some of you may cry out? Others of you will certainly agree with me. That's the way it goes when just one is picked as the favorite. The choices are endless. Critics have always savaged most holiday films while the public loves them and watches them over and over again.
To a degree, I can see the critics' points, too. Cornball? Predictable? Sure. Too sugary, sentimental? Absolutely. The thing is... and it's so simple and so obvious... I don't care. I have loved this Irving Berlin song and dance celebration since it originally came out and I've seen it most years ever since. I may not open as many gifts as I once did and most of the people I shared Christmases with in those years are no longer here, but I can always count on White Christmas for fun, warmth and joy.
I know the film so well that I could tell you what scene follows another, from start to finish... mercifully, I won't... and I am sure I could handle a great deal of the dialogue.
What I especially love is that it is a backstage showbiz story... I am always a sucker for those. Former army buddies have become big-time entertainers who end up with a sister act on their way to Vermont. The sisters are to perform at an inn but all are disappointed when they find no snow. That, of course, means there will be no guests.
As the foursome is about to consider other options, in walks General Waverly, the commander of the two men during the war. They mistake him for the janitor but discover he owns the place. The general makes the decision the sisters will stay and perform because he's certain there will be snow. The boys, who were going to start rehearsals for their new show in New York, decide to bring their entire troop to the inn. Everyone will be happy. They will dance. They will sing. They will fall in love. And it snows. Merry Christmas to one and all. Let's eat.
Paramount was hot to make this film. They had Crosby under contract, Irving Berlin appeared more eager than he usually was and it had been a few years since Hollywood had made a good Christmas movie. What the studio had in mind was one that would become a classic, a perennial favorite. The last item that caused Paramount excitement about making White Christmas is that it would be their first production in VistaVision, a new wide screen look the studio hoped would rival Cinemascope.
Also under contract to the studio was Rosemary Clooney, then at the height of her career as a singer. She had taken up acting two years earlier and had made three films, none of them particularly successful. She has said the main reason she wanted to make this film was to work with Crosby whom she adored.
Fred Astaire was to assume the role of Crosby's partner. This would be their third pairing after Holiday Inn (1942) and Blue Skies (1946). A lot of people, even in the press, thought White Christmas was a sequel to Holiday Inn since both featured the two actors, the song White Christmas and each film took place at an inn. But a sequel it is not.
Clooney's sister needed to be played not only by a dancer (because she would have four dance numbers) but she would need to be blonde so as to resemble her sister. There was really only one person to fit that description so Vera-Ellen was hired. This would also have been her third teaming with Astaire, having made Three Little Words and The Belle of New York together in the early fifties.
Before much got moving on the film at all, Astaire decided to retire (again) and dropped out. Then Donald O'Connor was hired to replace him. He was excited because he had confidence in the film becoming a blockbuster and he wanted to work with Crosby and especially with Vera-Ellen again. They had just completed work on Call Me Madam and he considered her the best female partner he'd ever had. Then, unfortunately, he became ill and had to drop out.
Who's next? Danny Kaye was hired. I have never liked him which is a further tribute to my loving this film, although I have to (begrudgingly) admit that he wasn't so bad. He was a delightful foil for the stodgy Crosby. One of their best moments together was when they reprised the Sisters number, partly dressing up in the sisters' costumes. When Kaye started batting Crosby with the large feathery fans, Crosby cracked up. Any Crosby fan could tell you that one never catches him on film losing it like that. Even though the fan-batting wasn't planned, director Curtiz decided to leave the bit in the film.
The problem that the hiring of Kaye posed was that he was only a serviceable dancer. He would be paired (for the third time) with the athletic Vera-Ellen and Kaye would never be able to keep up with her. He did well in The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing but the skill set needed for that number couldn't touch two others, Mandy and then Abraham. So a pro, John Brascia, was brought in to keep pace with Vera-Ellen.
The odd thing, however, was that Brascia otherwise wasn't fully integrated into the overall story, remaining just another member of a large contingent of background performers. Brascia and Vera-Ellen also danced in the Choreography number, a lame excuse to give Kaye a number where he was the focus... and it turned out to be the worse thing about the movie. When watching the film on DVD, I spin through this atrocious modern dance bit with Kaye galloping all over the stage like a gazelle on poppers.
Mandy features the entire musical cast in a splashy minstrel number that is, for me, one of three segments I dearly love. I can't use enough gushing adjectives to honor Vera-Ellen's extraordinary dancing in Mandy. I usually watch it several times.
Brascia is a boffo dancer and a helpful partner. Often when I watch this number more than once, I will focus entirely on Brascia in one entire viewing. I can attest to his great moves. He is even more prominent in the briefer Abraham. Done in an impromptu fashion, Kaye asks his two dancers to take to the stage and just run through the number for the entire ensemble to watch. Here, treat yourself:
I certainly like dance numbers in quite a few other musicals with a lot of talented folks, but for my money, Vera-Ellen and John Brascia in these two numbers set the bar. One final note about her abilities... she couldn't sing. Her voice was dubbed.
Although White Christmas would be the most famous movie role Vera-Ellen would ever have, it would be her penultimate film. As musicals began to fade, I guess there wasn't a lot for her to do.
This would also be Clooney's penultimate film for many years. (She would have a bit in a movie no one saw in 1994). I always loved her voice and saw the makings of a good dramatic actress but it was never to be.
She and Crosby were great friends. They sang in the same key which made for some memorable duets. This is their only movie appearance together and the film is always a treat for fans of either.
While I never felt about Crosby as I did Kaye, I actually wasn't a huge fan of his either although I have quite liked perhaps a half dozen of his films. His long-suffering wife died during filming which might have been a good reason for him to keep his own company as he usually did on film sets, but this film and these people saw one of his happier film experiences.
Mary Wickes, as the nosy housekeeper with a heart of gold, always said this was her favorite of her many films and it's easy to see why. The character actress had a couple of scenes that were integral to the action at hand and she made the most of her remarkable comical timing.
Dean Jagger has always been an especially watchable character actor to me. The better character actors seemed to have a bag of tricks that were potent and secured them many assignments. Jagger sold kind and authoritarian. His generally easy manner and beautiful speaking voice endeared him to many. Oddly, on that voice, in real life Jagger had a pronounced lisp that he could only shake if he were shooting a film. I have seen him in quite a few roles and his General Waverly here is clearly my favorite. He's also involved in another treasured scene, one that provides an emotional high that touches my old heart. All fans know the scene, too.
That scene begins the film's final quarter. The company is putting on its show, the Christmas show. Unknown to the general is that Crosby has arranged for many in the old outfit to surprise the general as part of the show. Everyone is in on the surprise. He is coerced by his feisty, longtime housekeeper to wear his military outfit to the show, which he resists at first. As his granddaughter meets him at the bottom of the stairs, I start to get a little choked up. When the housekeeper opens the double doors into the auditorium and the general hears the hearty applause, he is at first dumbstruck and then teary-eyed. And so am I.
The last especially pleasing scene, of course, is the finale and I love every minute of it. Of course, it features the title tune and the four stars, all dressed in those now-famous red and white outfits, are all in fine voice. During this number the back walls of the auditorium
open to reveal the hoped-for snow. I believe Crosby's recording of White Christmas is still the highest-selling single of all time.
I have always thought long-time Warner Bros. go-to director of he-man adventure movies, Curtiz, was an odd choice to helm this musical. And really, when it boils down to it, he didn't have a lot to do when one considers all four lead actors pretty much played themselves and all the musical numbers were directed by Robert Alton and a team of choreographers.
White Christmas was the top-selling picture of 1954.
In some ways, I suppose, it isn't so much a Christmas movie at all... until that last quarter. It is a backstage look at putting on a show... a staple for the Hollywood movie musical. Of course I think that last quarter is a heartfelt tribute to the holiday season. Did you know the title tune is the only Christmas song in the film?
If I were to look for a movie that puts over the Christmas spirit in a
big way, and maybe I could call it my second favorite Christmas movie, it would be 1947's Miracle on 34th Street.
If you're so inclined, have a look at Mandy. I am actually not fond of the opening segment with Crosby, Clooney and Kaye but when Vera-Ellen arrives at the top of the staircase, watch out.
Next posting:
Guilty Pleasure
For Christmas, I watched the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Actually, I opted for this one because I use the payment services offered by https://www.digitalgp.co.uk/and I saw that it allows me to buy a subscription to a streaming website. The film was available on this site. However, I did not really enjoy it. I expected something more magical.
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