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Bing Crosby sings “White Christmas.” Fred Astaire dances with firecrackers. And a couple of dames charm their way in and out of their show-biz lives against a musical backdrop. Irving Berlin originated the idea for this film: to write a song for each holiday (most of them, anyway) and build a movie around them. The result is what I consider a Christmas classic.
Jim (Bing Crosby) is a crooner who’s tired of the nightclub life and dreams of relaxing on a farm. But—surprise!—farming is hard work, so Jim returns to his old profession, if only for a few days a year. He opens his Holiday Inn in the Connecticut countryside and waits for talent to flock in.
The only flocker, however, is a flower shop girl (Marjorie Reynolds) who can sing and dance. Jim takes her on and sings her a new number, the venerable “White Christmas,” against the backdrop of a roaring fire.
Meanwhile, his old partner, Ted (Fred Astaire), is dumped by the girl who once dumped Jim. He arrives at the Inn in a delicate state. Colliding with the flower girl, he does a drunken dance with her and slowly falls in love.
Jim loves her, too, sort of, and tries to keep Ted away. After all, Ted has a way of stealing Jim’s girls. Lots of conniving, plot twists, and good old-fashioned fun take place as Jim fights for his girl. Add songs, dances, dialogue that crackles, and masterful comic timing, and you have a movie that still stands up well after more than 60 years.
Throw another log on the fire, and enjoy this holiday film to the fullest.
