25 Greatest Christmas Films: #6 — ‘Holiday Inn’ (1942)
by John NolteHoliday Inn isn’t just one of the all-time great Christmas films, it’s also one of the all-time great movie musicals. With an astonishingly good score, even for Irving Berlin, and the perfect star combination of the affable Bing Crosby and perfectionist Fred Astaire, Holiday Inn conjures up the simplest of concepts to craft a compulsively watchable holiday delight.
The plot sets up with head-whipping speed when Jim Hardy (Bing) breaks the bad news to his friend and partner Ted Hanover (Fred) that he’s breaking up their successful act so he can marry part three of their song and dance trio, Lila Dixon (a superbly caustic Virginia Dale). Jim’s plan is to whisk Lila away from the grind of the show-biz rat race and retire to Connecticut where life as a leisurely and lazy gentleman farmer awaits.
As he does with most everything in life, Jim takes the news rather well when Lila changes her mind. More in love with show business than any man, Lila announces that she’s fallen for Ted … and so with little more than a “Sorry, old man. No hard feelings,” Jim flicks his wrist, forgives them both, and heads off to the country where another harsh dose of reality awaits.
Using a very funny montage, veteran musical director Mark Sandrich (he directed five of the ten immortal Astaire-Rogers musicals) crushes every naive notion Jim had that farming’s anything other than damn hard work, which leaves the retired singer in quite the pickle: he owns a farm with an overdue mortgage, but he’s too lazy to work it.
What’s a fella to do?
Jim hatches a brilliant scheme (the story idea that won Irving Berlin an Oscar nomination for Best Story — though the actual screenplay was written by Elmer Rice). He’ll open an inn, but one that won’t require a whole lot of work. Rather than being open year-round, it will be a ”Holiday Inn,” only open on holidays and sure to lure plenty of paying customers with the promise of quality holiday-themed floor shows.
Using this lighter than air concept, the film does dutifully cover all the holidays (even Washington’s Birthday with a memorably funny scene where a jealous Bing screws up Fred’s romantic dance routine), but in its heart and soul Holiday Inn is a Christmas film, and more importantly, the one that introduced the timeless (and Academy Award winning) White Christmas.
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Other highlights include a rousing, militaristic and patriotic 4th of July show topped off with a smashing number [see above] with the incredibly inventive Astaire saying it with firecrackers. Legend has it that in trying to achieve the “improvised” look for this number, Astaire rehearsed himself down to a mere 85 pounds. Look also for Astaire’s lovely version of Easter Parade (a preview of the film of the same name he’d come out of retirement to do years later), and Bing’s tribute to Abraham Lincoln, which manages to be both catchy and refreshingly offensive to the preciously politically correct at the same time.
Thanks to the lost art of perfect pacing and a humorous plot-turn involving the lovely Marjorie Reynolds in the film’s second live triangle, this story hums through its 100 minutes with the great Walter Abel uncharacteristically stealing every scene he’s in as a mercenary put upon agent.
The impact of Holiday Inn is hard to measure. White Christmas would go on to be one of the biggest selling records of all time, Crosby would forever more be identified as Mr. Christmas, a chain of Holiday Inn hotels would spread across America, and just twelve years later an inferior sequel/remake would be one of the biggest hits of 1954.
In 1946, Astaire, Crosby, Berlin and director Mark Sandrich would re-team for Blue Skies, in an attempt to recapture Holiday Inn’s lightening in a bottle that comes a helluva lot closer than the near-awful White Christmas. Sadly, that would be the last time Fred and Bing worked together. Tragically, after nine days of shooting, Sandrich died of a heart attack at the age of 44.
Read the full countdown here.
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30 Comments
I love White Christmas. I adore Rosemary Clooney in this movie. The "Snow" song is especially under-appreciated.
I disagree that it's anywhere close to "near-awful".
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Big Hollywood, Michael Chavez, DNC DUDES, Big Tweeting, Mr. Pink and others. Mr. Pink said: 25 Greatest Christmas Films: #6 — ‘Holiday Inn’ (1942) http://tinyurl.com/yfnjbsh [...]
Just don't let your mind wander into thinking about the plot with White Christmas and you'll be okay. I really want to like it.
This is one of my favorite films, period. I particularly like Walter Abel's line in the florist shop. "Give me a dozen orchids…loose…looking like they don't care."
As much as I enjoyed the road pictures and the inside jokes between Crosby and
Hope that continued from picture to picture and in real life as well, I believe I prefer the Crosby
Astaire pairing better. Any movie with Astaire dancing was a good one
and of course Bing was always fun and the music delightful. Your top 5 favorites better be
sensational as this movie is a top 3 candidate in my estimation. Still, an excellent choice Mr. Nolte
I agree that this is a better film than "White Christmas". And yet, "WC" is the film that I need to watch every year. Odd how certain things (even bad songs and garish decorations), tied to childhood memories, become so important.
PattyAnn, I love White Christmas too. It was a time when songs were sung as written, with clear lyrics. And the choreography sparkled with precision and speed. Loved the banter between Kaye and Crosby. Rosemary Clooney just a great songstress. Love the smaltzy plot and the timed snowfall.
Just wish the inn's snoop had been scolded.
It has become a family tradition to see how soon after Thanksgiving dinner is over we can watch "Holiday Inn". It has become the traditional kick-off to the Christmas season for us, and this is a family of old school W.A.S.Ps who believe in keeping Advent as distinct and separate from Christmas.____A fantastic score, a perfect cast and the most beautiful setting imaginable. I can only hope that, if I live a good life, my Eternal Reward will look something like Holiday Inn on the first Christmas, when just Bing and Marjorie are by the fire in their bathrobes…
I love White Christmas, but then Holiday Inn is wonderful too. I particularly like the Abraham Lincoln song that gets stuck in my head the moment I think of it.
John,
I have been really enjoying your Christmas countdown! I have seen almost all of these movies, thanks to my blessed mother that only let me watch TCM as a child. It made me a HUGE old-movie buff. Holiday Inn is one of my all-time favorites (that song "be careful, it's my heart" is just grand) and I'm glad to see it ranked so high on your list. Can't wait to see your number 1 pick.
Have a Merry Christmas.
Your #6 Greatest Christmas Movie left out commentary on the most controversial scene in that movie. AMC actually telecast the movie a few years ago with the deleted scene restored. The holiday celebrated was Abraham Lincoln's birthday, and all the actors appeared in a minstrel-type show in blackface. It really is a shock to modern sensibilities, especially since it had the willing, eager participation of some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Let's just be kind and say, "It was a different time."
If you are interested, the clip is on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAHSTbD4A5M
It's rather jarring, to say the least. I think TCM leaves it in, as they should, but talk about sucker punches! Even knowing the standards of the era, it's hard to watch.
Oh, I've always seen it with that scene included.
Has Holiday Inn been on tv yet this Christmas season?
I remember seeing for years then it disappeared.
The AMC website has it scheduled for tomorrow at 10:30pm and Tuesday at 3:15pm.
I love Holiday Inn and I'm ticked that TCM isn't showing it. Same goes for Miracle on 34th Street and It's a Wonderful Life.
What gives? Are the rights to show these movies owned by someone or is it just a ploy to get you tp buy them.
The only reason I have extended basic cable is to get TCM and then they celebrate Bogart's birthday by running his movies in the wee hours of the morning while showing Four Weddings and a Funeral at prime-time Friday night. UGH!
The minstrel routine certainly is politically incorrect and it isn't uncommon to find cringe-inducing black portrayals in the old movies.
Patty Ann, John Nolte called it near awful, but it still makes his best Christmas movie list. I also love that movie.
Thanks for the schedule. It is on kinda late for me and most everyone else. Hopefully they will schedule an earlier time. I decided to order today – will get after Christmas but it is good for the whole year. 3 disc set featuring the movie on two cd's. 1 b&w and 1 colored and the songs on the 3rd cd. Just $22.97 with shipping.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DXS4E2/ref=p...
The deleted Jefferson in blackface scene was a howl! Here's a still from the film.
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20091219/capt.ceecf036a7...
From our host-
"Look also for………….Bing’s tribute to Abraham Lincoln, which manages to be both catchy and refreshingly offensive to the preciously politically correct at the same time."
It was cut from the AMC airing that I encountered, so I just don't know.
I thought I was the only person who watched this movie during the Holidays. I bought it years ago on VHS and my kids, now in their twenties, treasure it. We watched it together Thanksgiving night. Love the movie sets…The Inn is my ideal of rural New England and the dinner club is my fantasy of sophisticated New York in that era.
Nolte refers to the Lincoln's Birthday number as "refreshingly offensive to the preciously politically correct;" I hope that's nothing more than a knee-jerk politically-incorrect comment. Viewing scenes like that as a relic of a different time is one thing. Making approving comments about them is something else entirely.
Holiday Inn is a great movie and one of my favorite Christmas movies—much better than White Christmas, I think. But I'm at a loss trying to figure out how Marjorie Reynolds's eye-rolling pickaninny caricature can honestly be called "refreshing," even if it does rile the P.C. crowd. A performance like that was acceptable in 1942 . . . but Nolte should remember that that is its only defense.
Great series so far John. I've really enjoyed your take on a lot of what I've read. This movie is where I jump in to comment on your list because this is the start of my best Christmas movies. And I'll bet that your top of the list is very close to mine.
My Holiday Inn moment, every time, is when he reprises the White Christmas song, … and there she is! (Man, I hope that's the right memory for this movie. Ha!)
It's A Wonderful Life is actually in the public domain. I may be wrong, but NBC has already aired it. TCM is doing, of all things, a Christmas Sherlock Holmes marathon to tie in with the new movie, I guess. An odd choice, but I'm kinda looking forward to some post-holiday time at Baker Street!
Nicely put!
I've discovered to my dismay that few classic Christmas movies, except "It's a Wonderful Life" get played on broadcast TV any more. We used to watch this and many other classics and now it's new CGI junk. Oh yeah, they also have the Peanuts movie (which I love).
Imagine you're a film geek who gets to run a network–I'd run all the obscure stuff I could get my hands on!
TCM has, however, been running most of the more obscure choices on this list; Remeber the Night, Susan Slept Here, A Holiday Affair. They've been running Christmas films every Thursday night this month. They've run Holiday Inn before, but they may have only had the rights to air it for just a limited time. 20th Century Fox owns the broadcast rights to Miracle on 34th Street, but the Fox Movie Channel is only running the dreary 1973 TV movie version. NBC did run It's a Wonderful Life a week ago last Saturday.
That is all.
White Christmas is better.
I don't have the same nostalgic feeling for Holiday Inn as I do for White Christmas, but the 4th of July Firecracker Dance Sequence is nothing short of brilliant!
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