White Christmas is often described as being a remake of Holiday Inn, but, in truth, they only have two things in common; both star Bing Crosby and feature the song “White Christmas.” I am a bit perplexed at how White Christmas has been elevated to classic status over the years– it’s an entertaining movie, to be sure, and has two dynamic leads in Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, but it’s also terribly contrived and has an unappealing leading lady in Rosemary Clooney. I don’t know if it’s Clooney’s performance, or if it is just the way her character, Betty Haynes, is written, but she is a complete stick in the mud. Granted, the plot is just a framework to hang all the song and dance numbers on, and Holiday Inn is just as contrived, but here it is just grating. I like the first hour of White Christmas a lot; Crosby and Kaye are a fun team to watch, there are some good song and dance numbers, Vera-Ellen is likable as Judy Haynes, and Dean Jagger gives a nice understat
This is a blog that is devoted entirely to film analysis. I tend to analyze movies in a historical context. What were the cultural trends at the time? Why was the rationale behind the movie? I also tend to write about lesser-known movies, as there really isn't much more that can be said about most mainstream movies. I hope you enjoy!!!