Holiday Inn (1942) - 10/7 (1 Viewer)

[Joel Arndt]

I like both too, but White Christmas is all tied up with my youth. NBC used to broadcast it annually and it sort of became a tradition...like the Wizard of Oz. It was the only time you could see it.

Also, the Blu-ray of White Christmas looks beautiful and after seeing it in black and white for so many years it is a bit of a revelation.

The sound...not so hot.

Put me in the camp who like Rosemary and especially Vera - no doubt either her or Cyd Charisse were the best female dancers of the day.

Whenever I watch it I always wonder how it would have been if Donald O'Connor had, as originally planned, played the Kaye part. He and Vera made a great pair (see Call Me Madam) and then you wouldn't have had to have the character added to dance with Vera in a couple of the numbers since Danny Kaye was not up to it. The guy she dances with, whoever he was, was good, but has zero personality and a "crocodile" grin.

Put me in the camp as one who has always enjoyed both films.

Regarding the sound, I read that all the original elements were destroyed in a fire, so a true stereo soundtrack isn't possible (at least with current technology).
The dancer featured with Vera-Ellen is John Brascia who went on to dance with Cyd Charisse in 1956 in the Frankie and Johnny ballet in Meet Me in Las Vegas.

 

[JoeDoakes]

Also, the Blu-ray of White Christmas looks beautiful and after seeing it in black and white for so many years it is a bit of a revelation.

How long did you have a black and white tv?

 

[Brian McHale]

"I find the criticisms of "Holiday Inn" due to its "deceitful, back-stabbing characters" to be perplexing. Aren't there "unpleasant" characters in most holiday tales? "It's a Wonderful Life", "Christmas Carol", "Grinch" - you name it. Those roles add drama and spice to the proceedings - without them, the stories are just bland."

Valid point. However, in the case of Holiday Inn, the unpleasant characters are the stars. Bing and Fred play characters that are hard to like until the end of the film.

White Christmas is much more of what I'm looking for in a holiday movie.

 

[Mark Collins]

Glenn you are right about NBC airing it every year. I forgot about that. I also liked the annual Wonderful World of Disney Christmas "from all of us to all of you" I still have a VHS tape of the song and some of the spots that aired but now of course are on blu-ray which I have.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

"I find the criticisms of "Holiday Inn" due to its "deceitful, back-stabbing characters" to be perplexing. Aren't there "unpleasant" characters in most holiday tales? "It's a Wonderful Life", "Christmas Carol", "Grinch" - you name it. Those roles add drama and spice to the proceedings - without them, the stories are just bland."

Valid point. However, in the case of Holiday Inn, the unpleasant characters are the stars. Bing and Fred play characters that are hard to like until the end of the film.

White Christmas is much more of what I'm looking for in a holiday movie.

Scrooge isn't the star of "Christmas Carol"? Grinch isn't the star of "Grinch"?

Not sure what makes Bing unlikable in "HI" anyway. Fred's the more ambitious/underhanded of the pair - though I still think he's likable because he's funny and charming despite his willingness to trick Bing at every turn!

 

[David_B_K]

I don't find Bing unlikeable in HI. He's just a bit of a weenie in that he gives up too easily. Astaire is less admirable because he violates the 'guy code' by moving in on his friend's girls.

 

[Mark Collins]

I have been on the bench about this one. I only remember it from TV. I love White Christmas and just watched it this weekend. Chicago is in a deep freeze with snow on the ground. I had put my tree up and I thought why not get White Christmas out.

After reading everything about the film here I think I will wait as I did for Bells of Saint Mary which I love for two buys for next year. I also hope Going My Way will get a release by then in BD.

 

[Rob_Ray]

Scrooge isn't the star of "Christmas Carol"? Grinch isn't the star of "Grinch"?

Not sure what makes Bing unlikable in "HI" anyway. Fred's the more ambitious/underhanded of the pair - though I still think he's likable because he's funny and charming despite his willingness to trick Bing at every turn!

Scrooge and The Grinch are the stars of those stories, but their unlikeableness and their ultimate redemption is what those stories are all about. HOLIDAY INN isn't about any redemption of the characters. Fred's character will continue to be just as underhanded in his future endeavors and will now have a wife just as unlikable as he is.

I think this very civil argument has been somewhat blown out of proportion (perhaps by me), as I do like HOLIDAY INN. However, I always feel defensive when WHITE CHRISTMAS gets dismissed as being some sort of far, far inferior remake. First of all, it's not a remake as I think we all here agree. It merely recycles HOLIDAY INN"s hit song as its title number. And second of all, it has its own strong points (as well as weak ones) that make it a wonderful entertainment in its own right. It's not perfect -- its too long (because it's filled to the brim with too many terrific numbers) and the story is a bland one designed merely to hang tuneful Berlin songs onto, but it can stand proudly next to HOLIDAY INN with no apologies, as HOLIDAY INN isn't without its faults either.

 

[Mark Collins]

Five stars for the best Analogy I have read. I have enjoyed the thread from all sides and learned much about Holiday Inn.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Scrooge and The Grinch are the stars of those stories, but their unlikeableness and their ultimate redemption is what those stories are all about. HOLIDAY INN isn't about any redemption of the characters. Fred's character will continue to be just as underhanded in his future endeavors and will now have a wife just as unlikable as he is.

Well, I still don't think Fred is unlikable, and I think he does learn a lesson by the end. Not a huge Scrooge-like lesson, but a lesson nonetheless!

I think we're gonna continue to view the characters differently...

 

[verneaux]

I love both of these films. Have watched them for ages and been thrilled with each new advancemnet in their restorations (with the exception of colorization which is another matter).

I think Holiday Inn has more energy than White Christmas. Crosby tends to suck the energy from the screen like a black hole but he seems somewhat more energetic with Astaire who is his usual kinetic self. In White Christmas, Crosby seems to drag down Danny Kaye so that we are left with a much more mellow experience.

Do I think White Christmas would have been better with Astaire? I'm not the best person to ask - I think ANY movie would be better with Astaire. Hell, Spartacus would be better with Astaire ("I am da-dum-dum Spartacus").

 

[Ejanss]

I think Holiday Inn has more energy than White Christmas. Crosby tends to suck the energy from the screen like a black hole but he seems somewhat more energetic with Astaire who is his usual kinetic self. In White Christmas, Crosby seems to drag down Danny Kaye so that we are left with a much more mellow experience.

And Kaye doesn't even really feel like the Danny Kaye we know from his solo films, except for the beatnik-choreographer number.
As someone already pointed out, you could put Donald O'Connor in there and it would be pretty interchangeable.

(But only Astaire could do the fireworks dance, as only Crosby could croon White Christmas.)

 

[Keith Cobby]

I'm a big fan of Fred Astaire with Vera-Ellen (where is Three Little Words and The Belle of New York?) but I do think Danny Kaye is wonderful with her in White Christmas.

White Christmas looks glorious in Technicolor and VistaVision. Quite easy to see why it was the top grossing film of 1954. I can happily watch it in July.

 

[rsmithjr]

Astaire passed after he saw the script.

As it was played, Kaye was far better in the role. The pairing with Bing was inspired, and Danny's comic numbers are great. Love the film.

 

[Garysb]

I like both too, but White Christmas is all tied up with my youth. NBC used to broadcast it annually and it sort of became a tradition...like the Wizard of Oz. It was the only time you could see it.

Ah Saturday Night At the Movies on NBC. The first network program to show then relatively recent movies. Back then you had to wait about 7 years for a film to come to TV. Unlike today where the latest Hunger Games film is up for preorder at Amazon the same weekend in opens in theaters. It became NBC Saturday Night At the Movies after CBS and ABC added movie nights.

 

[Garysb]

Holiday Inn 75th Anniversary Edition 2017. In addition to the remastered? movie in Black and White and Colorization plus digital copy, this edition includes a second disc with the full Broadway stage version from last year. Release date Oct 24, 2017.
https://www.amazon.com/Holiday-Inn-...id=1507603656&sr=8-1&keywords=holiday+inn+dvd

 

[Mike Frezon]

That Broadway production disc just might be enough to get me to buy this title again.

Currently $13.39 on Amazon.

 

[Matt Hough]

That Broadway production disc just might be enough to get me to buy this title again.

Currently $13.39 on Amazon.

Same here. If it isn't sent for review, I will definitely be buying it to get that.

 

[Garysb]

FYI The Broadway Musical version of "Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn" as it was called will be broadcast on PBS on November 24. Check your local listings .