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{{short description|1954 film directed by Michael Curtiz}} | |||
{{Infobox_Film | | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}} | |||
name = White Christmas | | |||
{{Infobox film | |||
image = White Chrismas film.JPG | | |||
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| name = White Christmas | ||
| image = White Christmas film.jpg | |||
writer = ], <br> ], <br> ] | | |||
| alt = | |||
starring = ], <br> ], <br> ], <br> ], <br> ], <br> ] | | |||
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| caption = Theatrical release poster | ||
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| director = ] | ||
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| producer = ] | ||
| writer = {{plainlist| | |||
released = ], ] | | |||
* ] | |||
runtime = 120 min. | | |||
* ] | |||
language = English | | |||
* ] | |||
music = ]| | |||
}} | |||
awards = | | |||
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| starring = {{plainlist| | ||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
}} | |||
| music = ]<br />]<br />] | |||
| cinematography = ] | |||
| editing = ] | |||
| studio = ] | |||
| distributor = Paramount Pictures | |||
| released = {{Film date|1954|10|14|}} | |||
| runtime = 120 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 120:00--><ref>{{cite web |url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/white-christmas-2 |title=''WHITE CHRISTMAS'' (U) |work=] |date=September 13, 1954 |access-date=December 4, 2014}}</ref> | |||
| country = United States | |||
| language = English | |||
| budget = $2 million<ref name="new">{{cite news |last=Hood |first=Thomas |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/10/18/archives/-white-christmas-from-pop-tune-to-picture.html |title='White Christmas': From Pop Tune to Picture |work=] |date=October 18, 1953 |page=X5}}</ref> | |||
| gross = $30 million<ref name="numbers">{{cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/White-Christmas#tab=summary |title=Box Office Information for ''White Christmas'' |website=] |access-date=April 15, 2013}}</ref> | |||
}} | }} | ||
'''''White Christmas''''' is a ] |
'''''White Christmas''''' is a 1954 American ] directed by ] and starring ], ], ], and ]. Filmed in ], it features the songs of ], including a new version of the title song, "]", introduced by Crosby in the 1942 film '']''. | ||
Produced and distributed by ], the film is notable for being the first to be released in ], a widescreen process developed by Paramount that entailed using twice the surface area of standard 35mm film; this large-area negative was also used to yield finer-grained standard-sized 35mm prints.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hart |first=Martin |url=http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/vvstory.htm |title=The Development of VistaVision: Paramount Marches to a Different Drummer |website=Widescreen Museum |date=1996 |access-date=2016-05-07}}</ref> | |||
Filming took place between September and November ]. The movie was the first to be filmed in the new ] process and its lush ] cinematography has ensured that it has had a long shelf life on TV, video and DVD. Released in ], it became the top grossing film of that year. | |||
==Plot== | |||
The movie was supposed to reunite Crosby and ] for their third ] extravaganza of song and dance—the first two being '']'' (]) and '']'' (]). However, Astaire bowed out after reading the script. ] was selected to replace Astaire, but he, too, had to pass because of a back injury. O'Connor was replaced by ]. The choreography was done by ], although he was uncredited. | |||
<!-- ] advises plot summaries for feature films should be between 400 and 700 words. Please do not expand this section any further. Please do not remove this message. --> | |||
In Europe in 1944, at the height of ], ] star Captain Bob Wallace and aspiring performer Private Phil Davis entertain the 151st division with a Christmas Eve ]. Major General Thomas F. Waverly, who has been reassigned, delivers an emotional farewell. Shortly after Waverly departs, enemy bombers attack. Phil is slightly wounded when he pulls Bob away from a collapsing wall. While recuperating in the camp infirmary, Phil suggests he and Bob form a double act; Bob dislikes the idea but feels obliged to try. | |||
]'s singing was dubbed by Trudy Stevens. | |||
After the war, the two become famous as song-and-dance team Wallace & Davis. Success follows in nightclubs and radio, prompting Phil to pursue their producing musical shows for the Broadway stage. While the team performs in Florida, Bob receives a letter from an army buddy asking them to review his sisters' singing act at a nightclub there. The two watch the Haynes Sisters' act and meet elder sister Betty and younger sister Judy after the performance. Phil, wanting to marry off Bob, hopes he and Betty are mutually attracted. While Phil and Judy are dancing, Betty apologetically confesses to Bob that Judy actually wrote the letter. Bob humorously admires Judy's resourcefulness though Betty thinks he is being cynical. ] | |||
The title song was first used in '']'', released in 1942, when it won the ] for Best Original Song. The song '']'' garnered this film an ] nomination for Best Original Song. | |||
Learning the sisters' landlord is falsely suing them for damages and has called the cops, Phil gives them his and Bob's train tickets to New York City. The group flees to the train station. The girls get Phil and Bob's sleeping compartment while the guys sit up all night in the ], much to Bob's chagrin. | |||
Rosemary Clooney was not allowed to record her voice for the soundtrack album because it was being released by a record company other than hers. She was replaced on the soundtrack by ]. | |||
The girls persuade Phil and Bob to forgo New York and spend Christmas in Pine Tree, ] where they are booked as performers. In Vermont, they discover that the lack of snow is keeping tourists away. Arriving at the empty Columbia Inn, Bob and Phil are aghast to discover that General Waverly is the nearly bankrupt owner, having invested his pension and life savings. Phil and Bob decide to stage a large musical at the inn, hoping to attract guests. Betty and Judy are included with the other performers. Meanwhile, Betty and Bob's romance starts to bloom. | |||
Dancer ] appears unbilled, as Doris Lynch. Future ] winner ] also appears, and is listed in the credits and has a notable appearance in two musical numbers, but is otherwise unbilled. ] is the lead dancer who appears opposite Vera-Ellen throughout the movie, particularly in the ''Mandy'' numbers. | |||
Later, Waverly tries to rejoin the army but is rejected. To cheer up the crestfallen general, Bob hatches a secret plan to reunite their old army regiment. He calls TV personality Ed Harrison (suggested by actual columnist and TV host ] to ask his help. Ed's idea would exploit the general's misfortune on national television and give free publicity for Wallace & Davis. Bob strongly rejects his suggestion, insisting there is to be no personal advantage. Unfortunately, housekeeper Emma overhears only Harrison's end of the phone conversation and believes Bob is indeed exploiting the general's misfortune. She tells Betty, who rebuffs Bob. Her sudden distant coolness baffles him. | |||
]-winning character actor ] reportedly wore a ] in the film. | |||
Phil and Judy stage a phony engagement, hoping it will release Betty from looking after Judy and thus reunite Betty and Bob. However, this backfires when Betty leaves for a solo singing gig in New York. When Phil and Judy confess the truth to Bob, he rushes to New York to tell Betty. They partially reconcile, but Bob runs into Harrison before he can fully explain everything to Betty. When Bob appears on Harrison's TV show to request the entire 151st division join him at Pine Tree to honor General Waverly, Betty realizes she misunderstood and behaved foolishly. She returns to Vermont to make amends and in time to join the show. | |||
Also appearing were Tony Butala, Bea Allen, Johnny Grant, and a large supporting cast. | |||
On Christmas Eve, the soldiers surprise General Waverly. During the performance, Betty and Bob reconcile, and Judy and Phil realize they are in love. As everyone sings "White Christmas", a thick snowfall at last blankets Vermont. | |||
==Plot== | |||
{{spoiler}} | |||
The story is based around two World War II U.S. Army buddies, one a former ] entertainer, Bob Wallace, and a would-be entertainer, Phil Davis (Crosby and Kaye). Christmas Eve ], Somewhere in Europe. In a forward area, Bob Wallace is giving a show to the men with the help of Davis. ] Thomas F. Waverly (]) arrives for the end of the show and has a field inspection prior to being relieved of command by ] Harold G. Carlton (Gavin Gordon). During an enemy artillery barrage, Davis saves Wallace's life from a toppling wall, wounding his arm slightly in the process. Using his "wounded" arm and telling Bob he doesn't expect any "special obligation," Phil convinces Bob to join forces when the war is over. Phil using his arm wound as a way to get Bob to do what he wants is a ] of the movie. | |||
==Cast== | |||
After the war, they make it big in nightclubs, radio and then on Broadway. They become the hottest act around and eventually become producers. While in ], they receive a letter from "Freckle-Faced Haynes, the dog-faced boy", a mess sergeant they knew in the war, asking them to audition his two sisters. When they go to the club to audition the act, Betty (]) reveals that her sister, Judy (]) sent the letter. Their brother is in Alaska. Using "his arm" again, Phil gets Bob to agree to travel with them to Vermont for the holidays. They discover that the Columbia Inn in Pine Tree, ], is run by their former commanding officer, Major General Tom Waverly, and it's about to go bankrupt because of the lack of snow and consequent lack of patrons. The general has put all his money into the lodge. | |||
] | |||
{{cast list| | |||
* ] as Bob Wallace | |||
* ] as Phil Davis | |||
* ] as Betty Haynes | |||
* ] as Judy Haynes | |||
* ] as Major General Tom Waverly | |||
* ] as Emma Allen | |||
* ] as John/Johnny, Judy Haynes' dance partner | |||
* ] as Susan Waverly, granddaughter | |||
* ] as Ed Harrison | |||
* ] as train conductor | |||
* ] as railroad stationmaster | |||
* ] as Doris Lenz, showgirl | |||
* ] as Betty Haynes' background dancer | |||
* ] as hotel landlord | |||
* ] as hopeful dancing partner | |||
* ] as Novello | |||
* ] as Novello's (Florida) bandleader (uncredited) | |||
* ] as Carousel Club bandleader (uncredited) | |||
}} | |||
==Production== | |||
Deciding to help out and bring business in, Wallace and Davis bring their entire Broadway show up and add Betty and Judy where they can. Bob discovers the General's rejected attempt at rejoining the army, and decides to prove to the General that he isn't forgotten. | |||
Irving Berlin suggested a movie based on his song in 1948. Paramount put up the $2 million budget and only took 30% of the proceeds.<ref name="new"/> | |||
] had written the original story, which was intended for Bing Crosby and ] When Astaire was ultimately replaced by Danny Kaye, comedy writers ] and ] were hired to add special material for Kaye. Panama and Frank felt that Krasna's entire script needed rewriting, and director Michael Curtiz agreed. "It was a torturous eight weeks of rewriting", said Panama. Frank said that "writing that movie was the worst experience of my life. Norman Krasna was a talented man but ... it was the lousiest story I'd ever heard. It needed a brand new story, one that made sense." They rewrote the screenplay themselves at $5,000 a week.<ref>HOLIDAY FILMS A GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PASTWilson, John M. Los Angeles Times 25 Dec 1984: h1.</ref> | |||
Bob calls Ed Harrison (]), an old army friend, now host of a successful variety show (intentionally similar to ]'s). When Bob wants to make a pitch on the show to all the men under the command of the General in the war, Harrison suggests they go all out and put the show on television, resulting in lots of free advertising for Wallace and Davis. Overhearing only this, the housekeeper, Emma Allen (]), tells Betty. Bob tells Ed that isn't the idea and that he only wishes to make a pitch to get as many people from their division to Pine Tree for the show on Christmas Eve. The misunderstanding causes Betty to leave for a job in New York, after Phil and Judy fake their engagement in the hope of bringing Betty and Bob closer together. | |||
] took place between September and December 1953. The film was the first to be shot using Paramount's new ] process, with color by ], and was one of the first to feature the ] directional sound system at limited engagements. | |||
All is set right when Betty sees Bob's pitch on the Ed Harrison show. She returns to Pine Tree just in time for the show on Christmas Eve. Believing all of his suits had been sent to the cleaners, General Waverly concludes that he'll have to appear in his old uniform. When the General enters the lodge where the show is to take place, he is greeted by his division and moments later is notified that snow is falling. | |||
===Casting=== | |||
In a memorable finale, Bob and Betty fall in love, as do Phil and Judy. The background of the set is removed to show the snow falling in Pine Tree. Everyone raises a glass, toasting, "May your days be merry and bright; and may all your Christmases be white." | |||
] | |||
''White Christmas'' was intended to reunite Crosby and Fred Astaire for their third ] showcase musical. Crosby and Astaire had previously co-starred in '']'' (1942) – where the song "White Christmas" first appeared – and '']'' (1946). Astaire declined the project after reading the script<ref name="fosse">{{cite web|last=Arnold|first=Jeremy|title=White Christmas|url=http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/148002%7C0/White-Christmas.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203070157/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/148002%7C0/White-Christmas.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 February 2012|publisher=TCM|access-date=8 January 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and asked to be released from his contract with Paramount.<ref name=tcmnotes /> Crosby also left the project shortly thereafter, to spend more time with his sons after the death of his wife, ].<ref name=tcmnotes>{{cite web |url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/95631/White-Christmas/notes.html |title=White Christmas (1954) - Notes - TCM.com |work=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> Near the end of January 1953, Crosby returned to the project, and ] was signed to replace Astaire.<ref name=tcmnotes /> Just before shooting was to begin, O'Connor had to drop out due to illness and was replaced by Danny Kaye, who asked for and received a salary of $200,000 and 10% of the gross.<ref name="fosse" /> Financially, the film was a partnership between Crosby (30%), Irving Berlin (30%), Paramount (30%), and Kaye (10%)<ref name=tcmnotes /><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Berlin Wants O'Connor For 'Show Biz'; Kaye Wants 200G Plus 10% of 'Xmas'|magazine=]|date=August 26, 1953|page=2|url=https://archive.org/details/variety191-1953-08/page/n195/mode/1up?view=theater|access-date=March 12, 2024|via=]}}</ref> | |||
Within the film, several soon-to-be famous performers appear. Dancer ] appears unbilled, as the character Doris Lenz ("Mutual, I'm sure!"). Future Oscar winner ] also appears<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/31640%7c58364/George-Chakiris/biography.html |title=Biography for George Chakiris |work=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> as one of the stone-faced, black-clad dancers surrounding Rosemary Clooney in "Love, You Didn't Do Right by Me". Ensemble dancer ] leads the dance troupe. Because there was no time for dance director ] to prepare Danny Kaye for all of the dance specialties, Brascia was pressed into service as Vera-Ellen's dancing partner throughout much of the movie, particularly in the "Mandy", "Choreography" and "Abraham" numbers. The photo Vera-Ellen shows of her brother Benny (the one Phil refers to as "Freckle-faced Haynes, the dog-faced boy") is actually a photo of ], who played Alfalfa in the '']'' film series, in an army field jacket and ]. | |||
==Songs== | |||
All songs were written by Irving Berlin. | |||
A scene from the film featuring Crosby and Kaye was broadcast the year after the film's release, on ] 1955, in the final episode of the ] TV show '']'' (1950–1955). | |||
*'']'' (Crosby) | |||
*''The Old Man'' (Crosby, Kaye, and Men's Chorus) | |||
*''Medley: Heat Wave/Let Me Sing and I'm Happy/Blue Skies'' (Crosby & Kaye) | |||
*''Sisters'' (Clooney & Stevens) | |||
*''The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing'' (Kaye & Stevens) | |||
*''Snow'' (Crosby, Kaye, Clooney & Stevens) | |||
*''Sisters (reprise)'' (Clooney & Stevens) | |||
*''Minstrel Number: I'd Rather See a Minstrel Show/Mister Bones/Mandy'' (Crosby, Kaye, Clooney, Stevens & Chorus) | |||
*'']'' (Crosby & Clooney) | |||
*''Choreography'' (Kaye) | |||
*''The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing (reprise)'' (Kaye & Chorus) | |||
*''Abraham'' (instrumental) | |||
*''Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me'' (Clooney) | |||
*''What Can You Do with a General?'' (Crosby) | |||
*''The Old Man (reprise)'' (Crosby & Men's Chorus) | |||
*''Gee, I Wish I Was Back in the Army'' (Crosby, Kaye, Clooney & Stevens) | |||
*''White Christmas (finale)'' (Crosby, Kaye, Clooney, Stevens & Chorus) | |||
Paramount reissued ''White Christmas'' in 1960 with an entirely new ad campaign, removing all references to VistaVision and stressing the glamorous show-business atmosphere. | |||
There are brief renditions of other Berlin songs ("Heat Wave", "Let Me Sing and I'm Happy" and "Blue Skies"). | |||
==Music== | |||
Berlin wrote "A Crooner - A Comic" for Crosby and his then-costar ] but when O'Connor left the project so did the song. | |||
* "]" (Crosby) | |||
* "The Old Man" (Crosby, Kaye, and Men's Chorus) | |||
* Medley: "]" / "Let Me Sing and I'm Happy" / "]" (Crosby & Kaye) | |||
* "]" (Clooney & Vera-Ellen) | |||
* "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing" (Kaye with Vera-Ellen) | |||
* "Sisters (reprise)" (]ed by Crosby and Kaye) | |||
* "Snow" (Crosby, Kaye, Clooney & Vera-Ellen) | |||
* Minstrel Number: "I'd Rather See a Minstrel Show" / "Mister Bones" / "]" (Crosby, Kaye, Clooney & Chorus) | |||
* "]" (Crosby & Clooney) | |||
* "Choreography" (Kaye) | |||
* "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing (reprise)" (Kaye & Chorus) | |||
* "Abraham" (instrumental) | |||
* "Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me" (Clooney) | |||
* "What Can You Do with a General?" (Crosby) | |||
* "The Old Man (reprise)" (Crosby & Men's Chorus) | |||
* "Gee, I Wish I Was Back in the Army" (Crosby, Kaye, Clooney & Vera-Ellen) | |||
* "White Christmas (finale)" (Crosby, Kaye, Clooney, Vera-Ellen & Chorus) | |||
All songs were written by ]. The centerpiece of the film is the ], first used in '']'', which won that film an ] for Best Original Song in 1942. In addition, "]" earned ''White Christmas'' its own Oscar nomination in the same category. | |||
The song, "What Can You Do with a General?", which ] calls Berlin's least memorable tune, was originally written for an unproduced project called '']''. | |||
The song "Snow" was originally written for '']'' with the title "Free", but was dropped in out-of-town tryouts. The melody and some of the words were kept, but the lyrics were changed to be more appropriate for a Christmas movie. For example, one of the lines of the original song is: | |||
==Errors and Inconsistencies== | |||
Several minor errors in editing and inconsistencies exist in the film, and can be noticed by anyone watching closely. For example, in the scene where Bob comes to see Phil in the hospital tent, Bob can be seen alternately sitting closer to and then further away from Phil, even though the camera switches viewpoints for only an instant -- while at the same time the truck with the red cross on it is visible in the background. In another apparent error in editing, when the general and his granddaughter take their first steps forward arm-in-arm during the final birthday celebration, the camera angle shifts, and you can see them step forward again from the original location. None of these errors or inconsistencies (and there are several others as well) detract from the film, but they are interesting to watch for, particularly for devoted fans of the movie. | |||
{{poemquote|Free – the only thing worth fighting for is to be free. | |||
Other Mistakes: | |||
Free – a different world you'd see if it were left to me.}} | |||
A composer's demo of the original song can be found on the CD ''Irving Sings Berlin''. | |||
*The two sisters are in their room backstage. One sister is holding a coffee pot and pours a cup of coffee, and then puts the coffee pot down. The camera cuts away and cuts back and now she is holding the coffee pot again. | |||
[[File:Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby in White Christmas trailer.jpg|thumb|267px|Rosemary Clooney as Betty Haynes | |||
*The pitcher of buttermilk and the tray of sandwiches move around sporadically in the ''Count Your Blessings'' scene in the inn. | |||
and Bing Crosby as Bob Wallace]]The song "What Can You Do with a General?" was originally written for an unproduced project called ''Stars on My Shoulders''. | |||
Trudy Stevens provided the singing voice for Vera-Ellen, including in "Sisters". (The first edition of Vera-Ellen's biography by David Soren made the mistake of suggesting that "perhaps" Clooney sang for Vera in "Sisters". The second edition of the biography corrected that error by adding this: "Appropriately, they sing "Sisters" with Rosemary Clooney actually dueting with Trudy Stabile (wife of popular bandleader ]), who sang under the stage name Trudy Stevens and who had been personally recommended for the dubbing part by Clooney. Originally, Gloria Wood was going to do Vera-Ellen's singing until Clooney intervened on behalf of her friend."<ref>{{cite book |last=Soren |first=David |title=Vera-Ellen: The Magic and the Mystery |year=2003 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aA4TAAAACAAJ |page=145 |publisher=Luminary Press |isbn=9781887664486}}</ref>) It was not possible to issue an "original soundtrack album" of the film, because ] controlled the soundtrack rights, but Clooney was under exclusive contract with ]. Consequently, each company issued a separate "soundtrack recording": Decca issuing '']'', while Columbia issued '']''. On the former, the song "Sisters" (as well as all of Clooney's vocal parts) was recorded by ], while on the latter, the song was sung by Clooney and her own sister, ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Discogs |url=http://www.discogs.com/Rosemary-Clooney-In-Songs-From-The-Paramount-Pictures-Production-Of-Irving-Berlins-White-Christmas/release/3615447 |website=Discogs.com |date=December 1954 |access-date=January 26, 2016}}</ref> | |||
*During the General's birthday scene, the camera follows him into the room, and the candles on the cake are lit. The camera angle changes to the left, and as he continues to walk, the candles are out. The camera angle shifts once more, and the candles are lit yet again. | |||
Berlin wrote "A Singer, A Dancer" for Crosby and his planned co-star ]; when Astaire became unavailable, Berlin re-wrote it as "A Crooner – A Comic" for Crosby and ], but when O'Connor left the project, so did the song. Another song written by Berlin for the film was "Sittin' in the Sun (Countin' My Money)" but because of delays in production Berlin decided to publish it independently.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Reynolds |first1=Fred |title=Road to Hollywood |publisher=John Joyce |location=Gateshead, UK |date=1986 |page=231}}</ref> Crosby and Kaye also recorded another Berlin song ("Santa Claus") for the opening WWII Christmas Eve-show scene, but it was not used in the final film. Their recording of the song survives, however, and can be found on the ] 7-CD set titled ''Come On-A My House''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Barnes & Noble |url=http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/come-on-a-my-house-rosemary-clooney/77878?ean=0790051589523 |website=Barnes & Noble |access-date=January 26, 2016}}</ref> | |||
*In the scene where Mary Wickes' character eavesdrops on Bing Crosby's phone call, her button-down blouse shows at one point that a button has come undone. Before and after that, all the buttons are fastened securely. | |||
==Reception== | |||
*On the train scene in the dinner, every time the camera angle changes, the salt & pepper shaker, the ashtray and other items move around on the table. | |||
===Box office=== | |||
''White Christmas'' earned $12 million in ] – equal to $140 million in 2024 – making it the ].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=1954 Boxoffice Champs |magazine=] |date=January 5, 1955 |page=59 |url=http://www.archive.org/stream/variety197-1955-01-05#page/n58/mode/1up |access-date=June 28, 2019 |via=]}}</ref> It was also the ] at the time,<ref>{{cite magazine |title='54 Dream Pic: 'White Xmas' |last=Arneel |first=Gene |magazine=Variety |date=January 5, 1955 |page=5 |url=http://www.archive.org/stream/variety197-1955-01-05#page/n4/mode/1up |access-date=June 28, 2019|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> and ranks among the top 100 popular movies of all time at the domestic box office when adjusted for inflation and the size of the population in its release year of 1954.<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 100 Movies 1927-2021 by Box Office Popularity|url=https://www.bestmoviesof.com/article/Top_100_Box_Office|website=Best Movies Of|access-date=2022-06-28}}</ref> Between the original release and subsequent revivals, the film grossed $30 million at the domestic box office.<ref name="numbers" /> | |||
===Critical response=== | |||
*When Bob and Phil accidentally open the sleeping car in which Betty and Judy are sleeping, it looks very different from the sleeping car they are in the next morning when Bob and Phil meet them. It is possible they changed trains overnight, but then if so, why would they have a sleeping car and be in their pajamas? | |||
{{RT prose|{{RT data|score}}|{{RT data|average}}|{{RT data|count}}|It may be too sweet for some, but this unabashedly sentimental holiday favorite is too cheerful to resist.}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1023543-white_christmas|title=White Christmas (1954)|website=]|publisher=]|access-date={{RT data|access date|df=iso}}}}{{RT data|edit}}</ref> {{Metacritic film prose|56|17|ref=y|access-date=December 9, 2023}} | |||
==Trivia== | |||
====Contemporary reception==== | |||
*Danny Kaye was actually the third choice to play Phil Davis. The first choice was Fred Astaire, followed by Donald O'Connor, who pulled out of the movie prior to its filming. | |||
*] of '']'' is one of the dancers in the ''Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me'' number. | |||
] of '']'' was not impressed: "the use of VistaVision, which is another process of projecting on a wide, flat screen, has made it possible to endow ''White Christmas'' with a fine pictorial quality. The colors on the big screen are rich and luminous, the images are clear and sharp, and rapid movements are got without blurring—or very little—such as sometimes is seen on other large screens. Director Michael Curtiz has made his picture look good. It is too bad that it doesn't hit the eardrums and the funnybone with equal force."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Crowther |first1=Bosley |title=The Screen in Review |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/10/15/archives/the-screen-in-review-white-christmas-bows-at-the-music-hall.html |date=October 15, 1954 |access-date=January 26, 2016 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> Kate Cameron of the '']'' gave the film four stars, writing that "given an Irving Berlin score, a sentimental and amusing book by Melvin Frank and the two Normans, Krasna and Panama, a cast headed by Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen, not to mention Dean Jagger, Mary Wickes and dancer John Brascia in the supporting roles, and a production all wrapped up in Technicolor, ''White Christmas'' adds up to first class entertainment. There is a lot of talent animating this VistaVision production and the principals work hard to catch the interest of the audience and hold it throughout. Bing and Danny are well teamed and, with Rosemary Clooney's considerable help, sing the tuneful Berlin numbers with verve. Vera-Ellen dances delightfully with Kaye and Brascia."<ref>{{cite news | |||
*] is the lead male dancer in most of the musical numbers opposite Vera-Ellen. He is billed credited as ''John'' in the credits. | |||
| last = Cameron | |||
*Vera-Ellen did not actually sing any of the songs for the movie. ] sang all her songs. | |||
| first = Kate | |||
*The TV camera in the Ed Harrison Show scene is a real classic RCA monochrome camera; the cameraman is hiding the telltale logo with his hand. The call sign on the camera was real as well -- it was that of Channel 4, NBC's (and therefore RCA's) station in New York, WNBT-TV which changed its call sign to WRCA-TV the year of the film's release. | |||
| date = October 15, 1954 | |||
*Some sites claim that the photo Vera-Ellen shows of her brother (the one Phil refers to as ''the dogface boy'') is actually a photo of Carl Switzer, who played ] in ], in an army field jacket and helmet liner. | |||
| title = Bing, Danny, Star in Film in VistaVision | |||
*Even though Judy is the younger Haynes sister, Rosemary Clooney was actually seven years younger than Vera-Ellen. | |||
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news/134488503/ | |||
*Much of the movie's dialogue -- particularly extended scenes with Bing Crosby -- was ad-libbed and improvised. | |||
| work = ] | |||
*The Pine Tree Inn may look familiar -- it was actually the remodeled set from the movie ''Holiday Inn'', which was set in Connecticut. | |||
| location = ] | |||
*Dean Jagger, ] ] as Major Harvey Stovall in ]. | |||
| access-date = November 2, 2023 | |||
*General Waverly's war time adjutant, ] Joe (Richard Shannon) continues to serve the General at the show in Vermont. He informs the General it is snowing. | |||
}}</ref> Philip K. Scheuer of the '']'' positively reviewed the film, describing it as a "great, big, physically glittering, two-hour Technicolor musical that sounds like a dream production with a dream cast."<ref>{{cite news |last=Scheuer |first=Philip K. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43185039/la-times-october-28/ |title='White Christmas' Delivers Brightly Hued Musical Package |work=Los Angeles Times |at=Part II, p. 8 |date=October 28, 1954 |access-date=December 8, 2022 |via=]}} {{Open access}}</ref> Dick Williams of the '']'' negatively reviewed the film, saying that it "suffers from an exceedingly lightweight story line engineered by the usually reliable team of Norman Panama and Melvin Frank plus Norman Krasna. It has so few humorous lines in It, that it is all co-stars Crosby and Danny Kaye can do to conjure up an occasional chuckle."<ref>{{cite news | |||
*A piece of the movie with Bob Wallace (Crosby) and Phil Davis (Kaye) was re-broadcast the year after the film's release, on ] ], in the final episode of the ] TV show '']'' (1950-1955). | |||
| last = Williams | |||
*The song ''Snow'' was composed by Irving Berlin, but originally was titled ''Free'', and had nothing at all to do with snow. It was written for '']''. The melody and some of the words were kept, but the lyrics were changed by Berlin into a song more appropriate for a Christmas movie. For example, one of the lines of the original song is ''Free -- the only thing worth fighting for is to be free. Free -- a different world you'd see if it were left to me.'' This song can be found on the CD ''Irving Sings Berlin'', and a song clip can be heard at | |||
| first = Dick | |||
| date = October 28, 1954 | |||
| title = Crosby, Kaye, Fail to Amuse | |||
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/los-angeles-mirror/134488560/ | |||
| work = ] | |||
| location = | |||
| access-date = November 2, 2023 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
William Brogdon of '']'' wrote: "''White Christmas'' should be a natural at the boxoffice, introducing as it does Paramount's new VistaVision system with such a hot combination as Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and an Irving Berlin score ... Crosby and Kaye, along with VV, keep the entertainment going in this fancifully staged Robert Emmett Dolan production, clicking so well the teaming should call for a repeat ... Certainly he has never had a more facile partner than Kaye against whom to bounce his misleading nonchalance."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Brogdon|first=William|url=https://archive.org/details/variety195-1954-09/page/n5/mode/1up|title=Film Reviews: White Christmas|magazine=]|date=September 1, 1954|page=6|issn=0042-2738|access-date=June 28, 2022|via=]}}</ref> '']'' wrote: "Although not sensational, ''White Christmas'' is a pleasing entertainment. There are, however, spots where it becomes quite slow and boresome, the slowness in the action being caused by the many rehearsals in preparation of the big show. On the whole the action is pleasing and it puts the spectator in a happy frame of mind. The Irving Berlin songs are, of course, an important part of the attraction, and all are tuneful."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/harrisonsreports00harr_2/page/n161/mode/2up|title='White Christmas' with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen|magazine=Harrison's Reports|pages=138–139|date=August 28, 1954|access-date=December 8, 2022|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> | |||
A user of the Mae Tinee pseudonym in the '']'' wrote that "Mr. Crosby seems a bit awkward at his romancing, but does all right with other chores. The music is pleasant, the stars likable, and while some may find it a bit on the sugary side, the family trade will undoubtedly find it an appetizing lollipop for a holiday treat."<ref>{{cite news | |||
| last = Tinee | |||
| first = Mae | |||
| date = November 5, 1954 | |||
| title = Crosby Film is as Light as Yule Bauble | |||
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune/134488519/ | |||
| work = ] | |||
| location = | |||
| access-date = November 2, 2023 | |||
}}</ref> Hortense Morton of the '']'' called it "a gay, extremely light-hearted picture—full of fun and frolic."<ref>{{cite news | |||
| last = Morton | |||
| first = Hortense | |||
| date = October 30, 1954 | |||
| title = 'White Christmas' Sparkles with Stars and VistaVision | |||
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner/134488588/ | |||
| work = ] | |||
| location = | |||
| access-date = November 2, 2023 | |||
}}</ref> Mildred Martin of '']'' wrote that "since so far as story went, ''Holiday Inn'' was no great shakes, there's not much point in comparing ''White Christmas'' unfavorably with its celluloid parent. Even so, the present script concocted by such ordinarily resourceful writers as Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank is thin to the point of emaciation, and dismally lacking in humor or freshness " but praised the VistaVision process.<ref>{{cite news | |||
| last = Martin | |||
| first = Mildred | |||
| date = October 27, 1954 | |||
| title = It's 'White Christmas' On Randolph Screen | |||
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer/134488639/ | |||
| work = ] | |||
| location = | |||
| access-date = November 2, 2023 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
Jack Karr of the '']'' remarked that "on this introductory offer Paramount spent a mint. It got Irving Berlin to add some new songs to a collection of his past favorites. It got Robert Emmett Dolan to stage the whole works, and Michael Curtiz to direct it. And it put the script into the hands of three top screen writers —Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank. With this latter team at work, it may be surprising that a screenplay of greater originality has not resulted."<ref>{{cite news | |||
| last = Karr | |||
| first = Jack | |||
| date = November 6, 1954 | |||
| title = Showplace | |||
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star/134488689/ | |||
| work = ] | |||
| location = | |||
| access-date = November 2, 2023 | |||
}}</ref> Walter O'Hearn of the '']'' said that "if this had been a Crosby-] enterprise, it could have been called ''Road to Vermont'' and then it might have been fun. As it is, the show opens on a wrong and mawkish military note and progresses to the usual plug for the Great Heart of Show Business (something I have heard about for years but have been unable to verify in fact)."<ref>{{cite news | |||
| last = O'Hearn | |||
| first = Walter | |||
| date = November 27, 1954 | |||
| title = Reviewing the Movies | |||
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-montreal-star/134488893/ | |||
| work = ] | |||
| location = | |||
| access-date = November 2, 2023 | |||
}}</ref> Harold Whitehead of the Montreal '']'' said that "it harks back nostalgically to a former type of musical extravaganza that Hollywood used to be so fond of turning out. Lately the Hollywood musicals have gone in, and successfully, for originality and artistry of a high order. ''White Christmas'', as is fitting for the season, uses ail the traditional props and story lines and leaves Messrs. Crosby and Kaye free to work their casual magic on the big screen. And work it they do."<ref>{{cite news | |||
| last = Whitehead | |||
| first = Harold | |||
| date = November 27, 1954 | |||
| title = On the Screen | |||
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-gazette/134488960/ | |||
| work = ] | |||
| location = | |||
| access-date = November 2, 2023 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
A review in '']'' magazine described the film as "a big fat yam of a picture richly candied with VistaVision (Paramount's answer to CinemaScope), Technicolor, tunes by Irving Berlin, massive production numbers, and big stars. Unfortunately, the yam is still a yam."<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,823619-2,00.html |title=Cinema: The New Pictures |magazine=Time |pages=86–87 |date=October 15, 1954 |access-date=December 8, 2022}}</ref> A review from ] in the Canadian magazine '']'' stated that "Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby at their best are funny enough together to deserve a sequel, although not all the production numbers in this big Irving Berlin musical are successful. Rosemary Clooney, Dean Jagger and Vera-Ellen are also on hand. The Technicolor camerawork, in the new VistaVision process, is uncommonly bright and pleasing."<ref>{{cite news | |||
| last = Glmour | |||
| first = Clyde | |||
| date = November 15, 1954 | |||
| title = MacLean's Movies | |||
| url = https://archive.org/details/Macleans-Magazine-1954-11-15/page/n19/mode/2up | |||
| work = ] | |||
| location = Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |||
| access-date = November 2, 2023 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
A review in '']'' wrote that "there is, on this evidence, nothing much wrong with VistaVision; the shape of its huge screen is in accordance with the normal picture seen by the human eye (it is high as well as wide and does not. therefore, look like a vast letter-box) and it gives a nice impression of depth. Alas, there is much wrong with the film itself : this " musical " is unfair both to Kaye and to Crosby, both of whom can be very funny when their script-writers permit."<ref>{{cite news | |||
| author =<!--not stated--> | |||
| title = A Hollywood 'Star-Vehicle' | |||
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian/134489054/ | |||
| work = ] | |||
| location = Manchester, England, United Kingdom | |||
| date = November 6, 1954 | |||
| access-date = November 2, 2023 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
====Later critiques==== | |||
As the film evolved to become a Christmas classic, critical analysis moved to the film's depictions of 1950s American culture. The ] Linda Mizejewski commented that, although the film invoked nostalgia for ] and homoerotic ]s, it also disavows both forms of entertainment as verboten due to changing cultural norms.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mizejewski |first=Linda |date= April 2008 |title=Minstrelsy and Wartime Buddies: Racial and Sexual Histories in White Christmas |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3200/JPFT.36.1.21-29 |journal=Journal of Popular Film and Television |language=en |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=21–29 |doi=10.3200/JPFT.36.1.21-29 |s2cid=191332157 |issn=0195-6051}}</ref> ], writing 64 years after the film's release, attributed the film's enduring popularity to its unabashed depictions of contemporary racism and sexism, serving to inspire viewers to continue press for cultural reform.<ref>{{Cite news | author-link = Monica Hesse|last=Hesse |first=Monica |date=2018-12-07 |title= How I learned to stop worrying and love 'White Christmas' |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-white-christmas/2018/12/06/046b97c4-f4f5-11e8-aeea-b85fd44449f5_story.html |access-date=2023-12-25 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> | |||
==Home media== | |||
''White Christmas'' was released on ] in 1986 and again in 1997. The first US ] release was in 2000. It was subsequently re-released in 2009, with a commensurate ] in 2010. The film was reissued in a 4-disc "Diamond Anniversary Edition" on October 14, 2014. This collection contains a Blu-ray with supplemental features, two DVDs with the film and an ] by Clooney, and a fourth disc of Christmas songs on ]. These songs are performed individually by Crosby, Clooney, and Kaye.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://dvdizzy.com/whitechristmas-diamond-pressrelease-1014.html |title=White Christmas: Diamond Anniversary Edition |via=DVDizzy |agency=Paramount Home Media Distribution |date=September 16, 2014 |access-date=December 8, 2022}}</ref> A "70th Anniversary" 4k UHD was released on November 4, 2024. | |||
==Stage adaptation== | |||
{{main|White Christmas (musical)}} | |||
A stage adaptation of the musical, titled ''Irving Berlin's White Christmas'' premiered in ] in 2004<ref>{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Kenneth |url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/118976.html |title=Merry and Bright? Producers Hope White Christmas Will Play Broadway This Year |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080628175017/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/118976.html |archive-date=June 28, 2008 |website=Playbill |date=June 25, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and has played in various venues in the United States, such as ], ], ], ] and ].<ref>{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Kenneth |url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/120079.html |title=White Christmas Will Make Broadway Debut in November, Playing to Early 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080808031455/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/120079.html |archive-date=August 8, 2008 |website=Playbill |date=August 4, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/sanfran/s550.html |title=Regional Reviews: San Francisco |website=Talkin' Broadway |date=November 14, 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Byrne |first=Terry |url=http://archive.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2007/11/30/white_christmas_returns_as_merry_and_bright_as_ever/ |title='White Christmas' returns as merry and bright as ever |work=The Boston Globe |date=November 30, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Kenneth |url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/96383.html |title=Snow in L.A.! Irving Berlin's White Christmas Begins Nov. 22 in City of Angels |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227065240/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/96383.html |archive-date=December 27, 2008 |website=Playbill |date=November 22, 2005 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Berlin musical comes to life: 'White Christmas' stays true to form |work=] |date=November 15, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Martin |first=Cristina |url=http://theatrelouisville.org/reviews2008/cm_whitechristmas.php |title=Irving Berlin's White Christmas |website=Theatre Louisville |date=November 17, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903123455/http://theatrelouisville.org/reviews2008/cm_whitechristmas.php |archive-date=September 3, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The musical played a limited engagement on ] at the ], from November 14, 2008, until January 4, 2009. The musical also toured the United Kingdom from 2006 to 2008. It then headed to the ] in ] from November 2010 to January 2011 after a successful earlier run in ], and continued in various cities with a London ] run at the end of 2014. | |||
==See also== | |||
* ] | |||
==References== | |||
{{Reflist}} | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
{{Commons category|White Christmas (film)}} | |||
* | |||
* {{IMDb title}} | |||
*: 30 second clips in QuickTime format | |||
* {{AFI film}} | |||
* {{TCMDb title}} | |||
* ''Variety'' August 4, 2008 | |||
* {{IBDB title|480731}} | |||
{{Irving Berlin}} | |||
*: European Premiere of the Stage show at The Mayflower Theatre Southampton 2006 | |||
{{Michael Curtiz}} | |||
*: Goofs and bloopers in the movie version of White Christmas] | |||
{{Norman Krasna}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 16:47, 24 December 2024
1954 film directed by Michael Curtiz
White Christmas | |
---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Michael Curtiz |
Written by | |
Produced by | Robert Emmett Dolan |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Loyal Griggs |
Edited by | Frank Bracht |
Music by | Gus Levene Joseph J. Lilley Van Cleave |
Production company | Paramount Pictures |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 120 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $2 million |
Box office | $30 million |
White Christmas is a 1954 American musical film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen. Filmed in Technicolor, it features the songs of Irving Berlin, including a new version of the title song, "White Christmas", introduced by Crosby in the 1942 film Holiday Inn.
Produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures, the film is notable for being the first to be released in VistaVision, a widescreen process developed by Paramount that entailed using twice the surface area of standard 35mm film; this large-area negative was also used to yield finer-grained standard-sized 35mm prints.
Plot
In Europe in 1944, at the height of World War II, Broadway star Captain Bob Wallace and aspiring performer Private Phil Davis entertain the 151st division with a Christmas Eve soldier's show. Major General Thomas F. Waverly, who has been reassigned, delivers an emotional farewell. Shortly after Waverly departs, enemy bombers attack. Phil is slightly wounded when he pulls Bob away from a collapsing wall. While recuperating in the camp infirmary, Phil suggests he and Bob form a double act; Bob dislikes the idea but feels obliged to try.
After the war, the two become famous as song-and-dance team Wallace & Davis. Success follows in nightclubs and radio, prompting Phil to pursue their producing musical shows for the Broadway stage. While the team performs in Florida, Bob receives a letter from an army buddy asking them to review his sisters' singing act at a nightclub there. The two watch the Haynes Sisters' act and meet elder sister Betty and younger sister Judy after the performance. Phil, wanting to marry off Bob, hopes he and Betty are mutually attracted. While Phil and Judy are dancing, Betty apologetically confesses to Bob that Judy actually wrote the letter. Bob humorously admires Judy's resourcefulness though Betty thinks he is being cynical.
Learning the sisters' landlord is falsely suing them for damages and has called the cops, Phil gives them his and Bob's train tickets to New York City. The group flees to the train station. The girls get Phil and Bob's sleeping compartment while the guys sit up all night in the club car, much to Bob's chagrin.
The girls persuade Phil and Bob to forgo New York and spend Christmas in Pine Tree, Vermont where they are booked as performers. In Vermont, they discover that the lack of snow is keeping tourists away. Arriving at the empty Columbia Inn, Bob and Phil are aghast to discover that General Waverly is the nearly bankrupt owner, having invested his pension and life savings. Phil and Bob decide to stage a large musical at the inn, hoping to attract guests. Betty and Judy are included with the other performers. Meanwhile, Betty and Bob's romance starts to bloom.
Later, Waverly tries to rejoin the army but is rejected. To cheer up the crestfallen general, Bob hatches a secret plan to reunite their old army regiment. He calls TV personality Ed Harrison (suggested by actual columnist and TV host Ed Sullivan) to ask his help. Ed's idea would exploit the general's misfortune on national television and give free publicity for Wallace & Davis. Bob strongly rejects his suggestion, insisting there is to be no personal advantage. Unfortunately, housekeeper Emma overhears only Harrison's end of the phone conversation and believes Bob is indeed exploiting the general's misfortune. She tells Betty, who rebuffs Bob. Her sudden distant coolness baffles him.
Phil and Judy stage a phony engagement, hoping it will release Betty from looking after Judy and thus reunite Betty and Bob. However, this backfires when Betty leaves for a solo singing gig in New York. When Phil and Judy confess the truth to Bob, he rushes to New York to tell Betty. They partially reconcile, but Bob runs into Harrison before he can fully explain everything to Betty. When Bob appears on Harrison's TV show to request the entire 151st division join him at Pine Tree to honor General Waverly, Betty realizes she misunderstood and behaved foolishly. She returns to Vermont to make amends and in time to join the show.
On Christmas Eve, the soldiers surprise General Waverly. During the performance, Betty and Bob reconcile, and Judy and Phil realize they are in love. As everyone sings "White Christmas", a thick snowfall at last blankets Vermont.
Cast
- Bing Crosby as Bob Wallace
- Danny Kaye as Phil Davis
- Rosemary Clooney as Betty Haynes
- Vera-Ellen as Judy Haynes
- Dean Jagger as Major General Tom Waverly
- Mary Wickes as Emma Allen
- John Brascia as John/Johnny, Judy Haynes' dance partner
- Anne Whitfield as Susan Waverly, granddaughter
- Johnny Grant as Ed Harrison
- Percy Helton as train conductor
- I. Stanford Jolley as railroad stationmaster
- Barrie Chase as Doris Lenz, showgirl
- George Chakiris as Betty Haynes' background dancer
- Sig Ruman as hotel landlord
- Grady Sutton as hopeful dancing partner
- Herb Vigran as Novello
- Leighton Noble as Novello's (Florida) bandleader (uncredited)
- Dick Stabile as Carousel Club bandleader (uncredited)
Production
Irving Berlin suggested a movie based on his song in 1948. Paramount put up the $2 million budget and only took 30% of the proceeds.
Norman Krasna had written the original story, which was intended for Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. When Astaire was ultimately replaced by Danny Kaye, comedy writers Melvin Frank and Norman Panama were hired to add special material for Kaye. Panama and Frank felt that Krasna's entire script needed rewriting, and director Michael Curtiz agreed. "It was a torturous eight weeks of rewriting", said Panama. Frank said that "writing that movie was the worst experience of my life. Norman Krasna was a talented man but ... it was the lousiest story I'd ever heard. It needed a brand new story, one that made sense." They rewrote the screenplay themselves at $5,000 a week.
Principal photography took place between September and December 1953. The film was the first to be shot using Paramount's new VistaVision process, with color by Technicolor, and was one of the first to feature the Perspecta directional sound system at limited engagements.
Casting
White Christmas was intended to reunite Crosby and Fred Astaire for their third Irving Berlin showcase musical. Crosby and Astaire had previously co-starred in Holiday Inn (1942) – where the song "White Christmas" first appeared – and Blue Skies (1946). Astaire declined the project after reading the script and asked to be released from his contract with Paramount. Crosby also left the project shortly thereafter, to spend more time with his sons after the death of his wife, Dixie Lee. Near the end of January 1953, Crosby returned to the project, and Donald O'Connor was signed to replace Astaire. Just before shooting was to begin, O'Connor had to drop out due to illness and was replaced by Danny Kaye, who asked for and received a salary of $200,000 and 10% of the gross. Financially, the film was a partnership between Crosby (30%), Irving Berlin (30%), Paramount (30%), and Kaye (10%)
Within the film, several soon-to-be famous performers appear. Dancer Barrie Chase appears unbilled, as the character Doris Lenz ("Mutual, I'm sure!"). Future Oscar winner George Chakiris also appears as one of the stone-faced, black-clad dancers surrounding Rosemary Clooney in "Love, You Didn't Do Right by Me". Ensemble dancer John Brascia leads the dance troupe. Because there was no time for dance director Robert Alton to prepare Danny Kaye for all of the dance specialties, Brascia was pressed into service as Vera-Ellen's dancing partner throughout much of the movie, particularly in the "Mandy", "Choreography" and "Abraham" numbers. The photo Vera-Ellen shows of her brother Benny (the one Phil refers to as "Freckle-faced Haynes, the dog-faced boy") is actually a photo of Carl Switzer, who played Alfalfa in the Our Gang film series, in an army field jacket and jeep cap.
A scene from the film featuring Crosby and Kaye was broadcast the year after the film's release, on Christmas Day 1955, in the final episode of the NBC TV show Colgate Comedy Hour (1950–1955).
Paramount reissued White Christmas in 1960 with an entirely new ad campaign, removing all references to VistaVision and stressing the glamorous show-business atmosphere.
Music
- "White Christmas" (Crosby)
- "The Old Man" (Crosby, Kaye, and Men's Chorus)
- Medley: "Heat Wave" / "Let Me Sing and I'm Happy" / "Blue Skies" (Crosby & Kaye)
- "Sisters" (Clooney & Vera-Ellen)
- "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing" (Kaye with Vera-Ellen)
- "Sisters (reprise)" (lip synced by Crosby and Kaye)
- "Snow" (Crosby, Kaye, Clooney & Vera-Ellen)
- Minstrel Number: "I'd Rather See a Minstrel Show" / "Mister Bones" / "Mandy" (Crosby, Kaye, Clooney & Chorus)
- "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" (Crosby & Clooney)
- "Choreography" (Kaye)
- "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing (reprise)" (Kaye & Chorus)
- "Abraham" (instrumental)
- "Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me" (Clooney)
- "What Can You Do with a General?" (Crosby)
- "The Old Man (reprise)" (Crosby & Men's Chorus)
- "Gee, I Wish I Was Back in the Army" (Crosby, Kaye, Clooney & Vera-Ellen)
- "White Christmas (finale)" (Crosby, Kaye, Clooney, Vera-Ellen & Chorus)
All songs were written by Irving Berlin. The centerpiece of the film is the title song, first used in Holiday Inn, which won that film an Oscar for Best Original Song in 1942. In addition, "Count Your Blessings" earned White Christmas its own Oscar nomination in the same category.
The song "Snow" was originally written for Call Me Madam with the title "Free", but was dropped in out-of-town tryouts. The melody and some of the words were kept, but the lyrics were changed to be more appropriate for a Christmas movie. For example, one of the lines of the original song is:
Free – the only thing worth fighting for is to be free.
Free – a different world you'd see if it were left to me.
A composer's demo of the original song can be found on the CD Irving Sings Berlin.
The song "What Can You Do with a General?" was originally written for an unproduced project called Stars on My Shoulders.
Trudy Stevens provided the singing voice for Vera-Ellen, including in "Sisters". (The first edition of Vera-Ellen's biography by David Soren made the mistake of suggesting that "perhaps" Clooney sang for Vera in "Sisters". The second edition of the biography corrected that error by adding this: "Appropriately, they sing "Sisters" with Rosemary Clooney actually dueting with Trudy Stabile (wife of popular bandleader Dick Stabile), who sang under the stage name Trudy Stevens and who had been personally recommended for the dubbing part by Clooney. Originally, Gloria Wood was going to do Vera-Ellen's singing until Clooney intervened on behalf of her friend.") It was not possible to issue an "original soundtrack album" of the film, because Decca Records controlled the soundtrack rights, but Clooney was under exclusive contract with Columbia Records. Consequently, each company issued a separate "soundtrack recording": Decca issuing Selections from Irving Berlin's White Christmas, while Columbia issued Irving Berlin's White Christmas. On the former, the song "Sisters" (as well as all of Clooney's vocal parts) was recorded by Peggy Lee, while on the latter, the song was sung by Clooney and her own sister, Betty.
Berlin wrote "A Singer, A Dancer" for Crosby and his planned co-star Fred Astaire; when Astaire became unavailable, Berlin re-wrote it as "A Crooner – A Comic" for Crosby and Donald O'Connor, but when O'Connor left the project, so did the song. Another song written by Berlin for the film was "Sittin' in the Sun (Countin' My Money)" but because of delays in production Berlin decided to publish it independently. Crosby and Kaye also recorded another Berlin song ("Santa Claus") for the opening WWII Christmas Eve-show scene, but it was not used in the final film. Their recording of the song survives, however, and can be found on the Bear Family Records 7-CD set titled Come On-A My House.
Reception
Box office
White Christmas earned $12 million in theatrical rentals – equal to $140 million in 2024 – making it the highest-grossing film of 1954. It was also the highest-grossing musical film at the time, and ranks among the top 100 popular movies of all time at the domestic box office when adjusted for inflation and the size of the population in its release year of 1954. Between the original release and subsequent revivals, the film grossed $30 million at the domestic box office.
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 76% of 45 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "It may be too sweet for some, but this unabashedly sentimental holiday favorite is too cheerful to resist." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 56 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
Contemporary reception
Bosley Crowther of The New York Times was not impressed: "the use of VistaVision, which is another process of projecting on a wide, flat screen, has made it possible to endow White Christmas with a fine pictorial quality. The colors on the big screen are rich and luminous, the images are clear and sharp, and rapid movements are got without blurring—or very little—such as sometimes is seen on other large screens. Director Michael Curtiz has made his picture look good. It is too bad that it doesn't hit the eardrums and the funnybone with equal force." Kate Cameron of the New York Daily News gave the film four stars, writing that "given an Irving Berlin score, a sentimental and amusing book by Melvin Frank and the two Normans, Krasna and Panama, a cast headed by Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen, not to mention Dean Jagger, Mary Wickes and dancer John Brascia in the supporting roles, and a production all wrapped up in Technicolor, White Christmas adds up to first class entertainment. There is a lot of talent animating this VistaVision production and the principals work hard to catch the interest of the audience and hold it throughout. Bing and Danny are well teamed and, with Rosemary Clooney's considerable help, sing the tuneful Berlin numbers with verve. Vera-Ellen dances delightfully with Kaye and Brascia." Philip K. Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times positively reviewed the film, describing it as a "great, big, physically glittering, two-hour Technicolor musical that sounds like a dream production with a dream cast." Dick Williams of the Los Angeles Mirror negatively reviewed the film, saying that it "suffers from an exceedingly lightweight story line engineered by the usually reliable team of Norman Panama and Melvin Frank plus Norman Krasna. It has so few humorous lines in It, that it is all co-stars Crosby and Danny Kaye can do to conjure up an occasional chuckle."
William Brogdon of Variety wrote: "White Christmas should be a natural at the boxoffice, introducing as it does Paramount's new VistaVision system with such a hot combination as Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and an Irving Berlin score ... Crosby and Kaye, along with VV, keep the entertainment going in this fancifully staged Robert Emmett Dolan production, clicking so well the teaming should call for a repeat ... Certainly he has never had a more facile partner than Kaye against whom to bounce his misleading nonchalance." Harrison's Reports wrote: "Although not sensational, White Christmas is a pleasing entertainment. There are, however, spots where it becomes quite slow and boresome, the slowness in the action being caused by the many rehearsals in preparation of the big show. On the whole the action is pleasing and it puts the spectator in a happy frame of mind. The Irving Berlin songs are, of course, an important part of the attraction, and all are tuneful."
A user of the Mae Tinee pseudonym in the Chicago Daily Tribune wrote that "Mr. Crosby seems a bit awkward at his romancing, but does all right with other chores. The music is pleasant, the stars likable, and while some may find it a bit on the sugary side, the family trade will undoubtedly find it an appetizing lollipop for a holiday treat." Hortense Morton of the San Francisco Examiner called it "a gay, extremely light-hearted picture—full of fun and frolic." Mildred Martin of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that "since so far as story went, Holiday Inn was no great shakes, there's not much point in comparing White Christmas unfavorably with its celluloid parent. Even so, the present script concocted by such ordinarily resourceful writers as Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank is thin to the point of emaciation, and dismally lacking in humor or freshness " but praised the VistaVision process.
Jack Karr of the Toronto Daily Star remarked that "on this introductory offer Paramount spent a mint. It got Irving Berlin to add some new songs to a collection of his past favorites. It got Robert Emmett Dolan to stage the whole works, and Michael Curtiz to direct it. And it put the script into the hands of three top screen writers —Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank. With this latter team at work, it may be surprising that a screenplay of greater originality has not resulted." Walter O'Hearn of the Montreal Star said that "if this had been a Crosby-Hope enterprise, it could have been called Road to Vermont and then it might have been fun. As it is, the show opens on a wrong and mawkish military note and progresses to the usual plug for the Great Heart of Show Business (something I have heard about for years but have been unable to verify in fact)." Harold Whitehead of the Montreal Gazette said that "it harks back nostalgically to a former type of musical extravaganza that Hollywood used to be so fond of turning out. Lately the Hollywood musicals have gone in, and successfully, for originality and artistry of a high order. White Christmas, as is fitting for the season, uses ail the traditional props and story lines and leaves Messrs. Crosby and Kaye free to work their casual magic on the big screen. And work it they do."
A review in Time magazine described the film as "a big fat yam of a picture richly candied with VistaVision (Paramount's answer to CinemaScope), Technicolor, tunes by Irving Berlin, massive production numbers, and big stars. Unfortunately, the yam is still a yam." A review from Clyde Gilmour in the Canadian magazine Maclean's stated that "Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby at their best are funny enough together to deserve a sequel, although not all the production numbers in this big Irving Berlin musical are successful. Rosemary Clooney, Dean Jagger and Vera-Ellen are also on hand. The Technicolor camerawork, in the new VistaVision process, is uncommonly bright and pleasing."
A review in The Guardian wrote that "there is, on this evidence, nothing much wrong with VistaVision; the shape of its huge screen is in accordance with the normal picture seen by the human eye (it is high as well as wide and does not. therefore, look like a vast letter-box) and it gives a nice impression of depth. Alas, there is much wrong with the film itself : this " musical " is unfair both to Kaye and to Crosby, both of whom can be very funny when their script-writers permit."
Later critiques
As the film evolved to become a Christmas classic, critical analysis moved to the film's depictions of 1950s American culture. The feminist film theorist Linda Mizejewski commented that, although the film invoked nostalgia for minstrel shows and homoerotic buddy films, it also disavows both forms of entertainment as verboten due to changing cultural norms. Monica Hesse, writing 64 years after the film's release, attributed the film's enduring popularity to its unabashed depictions of contemporary racism and sexism, serving to inspire viewers to continue press for cultural reform.
Home media
White Christmas was released on VHS in 1986 and again in 1997. The first US DVD release was in 2000. It was subsequently re-released in 2009, with a commensurate Blu-ray in 2010. The film was reissued in a 4-disc "Diamond Anniversary Edition" on October 14, 2014. This collection contains a Blu-ray with supplemental features, two DVDs with the film and an audio commentary by Clooney, and a fourth disc of Christmas songs on CD. These songs are performed individually by Crosby, Clooney, and Kaye. A "70th Anniversary" 4k UHD was released on November 4, 2024.
Stage adaptation
Main article: White Christmas (musical)A stage adaptation of the musical, titled Irving Berlin's White Christmas premiered in San Francisco in 2004 and has played in various venues in the United States, such as Boston, Buffalo, Los Angeles, Detroit and Louisville. The musical played a limited engagement on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre, from November 14, 2008, until January 4, 2009. The musical also toured the United Kingdom from 2006 to 2008. It then headed to the Sunderland Empire in Sunderland from November 2010 to January 2011 after a successful earlier run in Manchester, and continued in various cities with a London West End run at the end of 2014.
See also
References
- "WHITE CHRISTMAS (U)". British Board of Film Classification. September 13, 1954. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
- ^ Hood, Thomas (October 18, 1953). "'White Christmas': From Pop Tune to Picture". The New York Times. p. X5.
- ^ "Box Office Information for White Christmas". The Numbers. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
- Hart, Martin (1996). "The Development of VistaVision: Paramount Marches to a Different Drummer". Widescreen Museum. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
- HOLIDAY FILMS A GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PASTWilson, John M. Los Angeles Times 25 Dec 1984: h1.
- ^ Arnold, Jeremy. "White Christmas". TCM. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
- ^ "White Christmas (1954) - Notes - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies.
- "Berlin Wants O'Connor For 'Show Biz'; Kaye Wants 200G Plus 10% of 'Xmas'". Variety. August 26, 1953. p. 2. Retrieved March 12, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- "Biography for George Chakiris". Turner Classic Movies.
- Soren, David (2003). Vera-Ellen: The Magic and the Mystery. Luminary Press. p. 145. ISBN 9781887664486.
- "Discogs". Discogs.com. December 1954. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- Reynolds, Fred (1986). Road to Hollywood. Gateshead, UK: John Joyce. p. 231.
- "Barnes & Noble". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- "1954 Boxoffice Champs". Variety. January 5, 1955. p. 59. Retrieved June 28, 2019 – via Internet Archive.
- Arneel, Gene (January 5, 1955). "'54 Dream Pic: 'White Xmas'". Variety. p. 5. Retrieved June 28, 2019 – via Internet Archive.
- "Top 100 Movies 1927-2021 by Box Office Popularity". Best Movies Of. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- "White Christmas (1954)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- "White Christmas". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- Crowther, Bosley (October 15, 1954). "The Screen in Review". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- Cameron, Kate (October 15, 1954). "Bing, Danny, Star in Film in VistaVision". Daily News. New York City, New York. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- Scheuer, Philip K. (October 28, 1954). "'White Christmas' Delivers Brightly Hued Musical Package". Los Angeles Times. Part II, p. 8. Retrieved December 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Williams, Dick (October 28, 1954). "Crosby, Kaye, Fail to Amuse". Los Angeles Mirror. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- Brogdon, William (September 1, 1954). "Film Reviews: White Christmas". Variety. p. 6. ISSN 0042-2738. Retrieved June 28, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
- "'White Christmas' with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen". Harrison's Reports. August 28, 1954. pp. 138–139. Retrieved December 8, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
- Tinee, Mae (November 5, 1954). "Crosby Film is as Light as Yule Bauble". Chicago Daily Tribune. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- Morton, Hortense (October 30, 1954). "'White Christmas' Sparkles with Stars and VistaVision". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- Martin, Mildred (October 27, 1954). "It's 'White Christmas' On Randolph Screen". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- Karr, Jack (November 6, 1954). "Showplace". Toronto Daily Star. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- O'Hearn, Walter (November 27, 1954). "Reviewing the Movies". The Montreal Star. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- Whitehead, Harold (November 27, 1954). "On the Screen". The Gazette. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- "Cinema: The New Pictures". Time. October 15, 1954. pp. 86–87. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- Glmour, Clyde (November 15, 1954). "MacLean's Movies". Maclean's. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- "A Hollywood 'Star-Vehicle'". The Guardian. Manchester, England, United Kingdom. November 6, 1954. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- Mizejewski, Linda (April 2008). "Minstrelsy and Wartime Buddies: Racial and Sexual Histories in White Christmas". Journal of Popular Film and Television. 36 (1): 21–29. doi:10.3200/JPFT.36.1.21-29. ISSN 0195-6051. S2CID 191332157.
- Hesse, Monica (December 7, 2018). "How I learned to stop worrying and love 'White Christmas'". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- "White Christmas: Diamond Anniversary Edition" (Press release). Paramount Home Media Distribution. September 16, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2022 – via DVDizzy.
- Jones, Kenneth (June 25, 2008). "Merry and Bright? Producers Hope White Christmas Will Play Broadway This Year". Playbill. Archived from the original on June 28, 2008.
- Jones, Kenneth (August 4, 2008). "White Christmas Will Make Broadway Debut in November, Playing to Early 2009". Playbill. Archived from the original on August 8, 2008.
- "Regional Reviews: San Francisco". Talkin' Broadway. November 14, 2004.
- Byrne, Terry (November 30, 2007). "'White Christmas' returns as merry and bright as ever". The Boston Globe.
- Jones, Kenneth (November 22, 2005). "Snow in L.A.! Irving Berlin's White Christmas Begins Nov. 22 in City of Angels". Playbill. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008.
- "Berlin musical comes to life: 'White Christmas' stays true to form". Louisville Courier-Journal. November 15, 2008.
- Martin, Cristina (November 17, 2008). "Irving Berlin's White Christmas". Theatre Louisville. Archived from the original on September 3, 2009.
External links
- White Christmas at IMDb
- White Christmas at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- White Christmas at the TCM Movie Database
- "White Christmas heads to Marquis" Variety August 4, 2008
- White Christmas at the Internet Broadway Database
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