Holiday Inn (Special Edition) [1942] [DVD]

 

 

Create your own review

Just thought I ought to point out that one of the extras - the documentary "A Couple of Song and Dance Men" - features Astaire's otherwise unavailable "Puttin' On The Ritz" from Blue Skies, COMPLETE and UNEDITED. Seeing as it is, in my opinion, the greatest dance number he ever did - which is saying a LOT - it makes the DVD worth buying for that alone. Watch it and weep.

...oh, and Holiday Inn is fantastic too.

Always thought of as a Christmas film, and seen mostly at Christmas, this film stands watching at any time of the year. Watch it when you need a lift, want to watch something you know will end well, or just want that warm fuzzy feeling inside. On a wet Sunday afternoon, with a bar of chocolate, this films is a must!

Few things are as enjoyable as watching the two old smoothies, Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, at the top of their game doing what they do best, and doing it better than anyone else. With Holiday Inn, make it three old smoothies: Crosby, Astaire and Irving Berlin. In fact, the only thing to get in the way of the movie is the plot. It's boy meets girl, boy loses girl to his best friend and partner. Repeat with another girl. Then bring back the first girl. Do another roundelay until boy and second girl and partner and first girl all have a happy ending.

What makes the movie work so well and is such a pleasure to watch, of course, is Crosby singing, Astaire dancing, and both doing their charming best with songs, some new, some old, by Irving Berlin. Berlin was one of the great American song writers who hit their peak from the late Twenties through the late Forties. Many of the cognoscenti sniff their noses at him as corny or just too popular. Berlin was, in fact, a highly skilled and immensely talented song writer. He wrote songs which were original, catchy, varied and inevitable...that rare quality in a song that hits a listener with a melody never heard before yet which seems as if each note could never have been placed in any other way. He also was a shrewd businessman. Holiday Inn is one of several movies Berlin personally pitched to Hollywood. The stories were never much, but Berlin would mix hits from his catalogue and write new songs. In addition to Holiday Inn, think of There's No Business Like Show Business, Blue Skies, Alexander's Ragtime Band, This Is the Army and White Christmas. The genesis in each case was Berlin. They worked so well because Berlin could write hits in so many styles, lush and romantic, sad and romantic, waltzes, comedy numbers, ballads, syncopated struts, jazzy, patriotic, sentimental or bawdy. It's not for nothing that Cole Porter and Fred Astaire were close friends of his. Personally, I think he could write in more styles and yet keep his own personality intact than any of the great American songwriters except Richard Rodgers. Considering his competition included Gershwin, Porter, Kern and Rodgers, I realize that's quite a statement. If I were stranded on a desert island and could only listen -- over and over -- to the songs of one Broadway composer, Rodgers would be first choice. Berlin would be second.

In Holiday Inn, the idea is simple. Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby) leaves the team of Hardy and Hanover (Fred Astaire as Ted Hanover) to lead a lazy, country life on a Connecticut farm, far away from the incessant work of show business. He thinks he's going to marry the third member of the team, Lila Dixon (Virginia Dale). For those keeping score, she's girl number one. But Ted wins Lila, who is good natured up to the point where her ambition takes over, with promises of a bright dancing career. Later, Jim mets Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds) and gets the idea of turning his farm into Holiday Inn, a cozy, bucolic supper-club which will open only on holidays. But Lila has left Ted, Ted meets Linda, and...you get the idea.

From his catalogue, Berlin provided major hits such as "Lazy" and "Easter Parade." Among the lesser known songs or songs written specifically for the movie are "You're Easy to Dance With," "Be Careful, It's My Heart" and a song that got off to a slow start but which turned into one of Berlin's powerhouse hits, "White Christmas." Notable numbers include...

--"I'll Capture Her Heart Singing" - This starts the movie and introduces us to the team of Hardy and Hanover. It's jaunty, funny and perfectly matches, with tongue in cheek, the singing skills of Crosby and the dancing skills of Astaire.

--"You're Easy to Dance With" - Astaire and Virginia Dale do this number as a star supper-club number from their act. It's a smooth, fluid routine, part swing, part tap, that's sophisticated and perfectly executed.

--"White Christmas" - It's sung with few embellishments by Crosby. The song is such a perennial and is heard so incessantly over the Christmas holidays that it's almost impossible to listen to it objectively. What strikes me about it is how carefully Berlin paired a deceptively simple melody with such evocative and concrete imagery.

--"Abraham" - For contemporary audiences, this song probably reaches new heights (or lows) in political incorrectness. The song is sung by Crosby as a celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday and Lincoln's freeing of the slaves. So far, so good. But Crosby, the singers and dancers, even the members of the band, are all in blackface. It's like watching a reverential minstrel show. This sort of thing was acceptable a generation ago. Now, we can only remember history, try to understand, then flinch and move on.

--"Be Careful, It's My Heart" - The number starts out being sung by Crosby, then turns into one of those great, romantic wooing numbers by Astaire with Marjorie Reynolds. The conclusion is a knock out. Astaire and Reynolds sweep around behind a large valentine and, backlit so only their shadows show, pause and hold a classic pose in silhouette, then continue back to the dance floor. They sweep around again behind the valentine, but this time they leap through it toward us, tearing what had seemed a solid backdrop into paper shreds. It's highly dramatic and unexpected.

--"Say It With Firecrackers" - This turned out to be one of Astaire's most complicated dance numbers; it took 38 takes to get it right. He starts out with fast tapping and never lets up...then takes it higher by incorporating firecrackers and exploding torpedoes into the dance, pulling them from his pockets and hurling them on the polished dance floor, matching the explosions in perfect rhythm to his taps. It's quite a sight.

Holiday Inn has charm, first-class performances by Crosby and Astaire and memorable songs by Berlin. The picture transfer is very good; so is the audio. Extras include a commentary track by Ken Barnes, identified as a film historian, and two extras, one of which features an interview with Astaire's daughter. For those interested in the composer, I recommend As Thousands Cheer: The Life of Irving Berlin by Laurence Bergreen and The Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin by Robert Kimball.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 17 customer reviews on Amazon.co.uk

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Bing and Fred - who could ask for anything else?
The original and far superior film to White Christmas. Have been intending to purchase this for yonks and this is superb. Read more

Published 7 days ago by deppstar

5.0 out of 5 stars Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is the classic musical from 1942 starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire which debuted the song White Christmas. Read more

Published 20 months ago by underthethumb

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic christmas movie
i bought this movie because i like white christmas,this is the original and best version by far and when bing crosby sings white christmas its absolutly fab
I would highly... Read more

Published 24 months ago by Mrs. V. Overal

5.0 out of 5 stars not pleased
The product itself is just fine - but we rec'd this item many days later than wanted....took way too long for this to arrive. Read more

Published on 30 Jan 2010 by Victoria M. Nicholson

4.0 out of 5 stars great old movie
It was great! Love Bing Crosby, and the white Christmas song. But our tradition of watching White Christmas on Christmas eve as a family is still our favorite!

Published on 12 Jan 2010 by traditional

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining
Jim (Bing Crosby) retires from his act with Ted (Fred Astaire) and Lila (Virginia Dale) to set up "Holiday Inn" where he can laze around for the year and only put on a show when... Read more

Published on 27 Dec 2009 by Alex da Silva

4.0 out of 5 stars Holiday Inn film review
This black-and-white musical (Paramount, 1942) was the first to pain Bing Crosby with Fred Astaire. They play a song-and-dance duo that split up when Crosby decides that it is... Read more

Published on 22 Oct 2009 by Dr. H. A. Jones

3.0 out of 5 stars white xmas
This isnt as good as White Xmas, bit dated now. The dancing is great and obviously it has White Xmas being sung on film for the first time... Read more

Published on 14 July 2009 by Mrs. C. Churcher

5.0 out of 5 stars Holiday Inn Dvd
Lovely feel-good old film in black and white, Bing Crosby sings "White Christmas" in it and it is a lovely story, don't want to give too much away!

Published on 29 Jan 2009 by K. Challis

4.0 out of 5 stars The classic Xmas film of our youth
Sentimental warm fire weekend in stuff! If its not on the BBC any more then this is the next best thing! Read more

Published on 31 Oct 2008 by Mr. DAVID Geer

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 17 customer reviews on Amazon.co.uk

Search Listmania!