White Christmas (1954)

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Norman Krasna (written by) &
Norman Panama (written by) ...

Release Date:

14 October 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

First and unforgettable picture in VISTAVISION

Plot:

A successful song-and-dance team become romantically involved with a sister act and team up to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general.

Plot Keywords:

Battle Of The Bulge | Tryout | Granddaughter | Diet | New York City

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Bing Crosby	...	Bob Wallace
Danny Kaye	...	Phil Davis
Rosemary Clooney	...	Betty Haynes
Vera-Ellen	...	Judy Haynes (as Vera Ellen)
Dean Jagger	...	Major General Thomas F. Waverly
Mary Wickes	...	Emma Allen
John Brascia	...	John
Anne Whitfield	...	Susan Waverly

Runtime:

120 min | UK:115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.50 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording) | Perspecta Stereo (optical prints)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | Norway:7 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Rosemary Clooney was not allowed to record her voice for the soundtrack album because it was being released by a record company (Decca) other than hers (Columbia). She was replaced on the soundtrack album by Peggy Lee.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Bob and Phil sit down in the club car, Bob puts a suitcase down beside the table. When he gets up to tell the Haynes sisters off, the suitcase is not there.

Quotes:

[Bob leaves to go make a phone call]
Phil Davis: [sighs] I don't know what's going on, but he has that Rodgers and Hammerstein look in his eyes.
Betty Haynes: Is that bad?
Phil Davis: Not bad, but always expensive.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Edith Head: The Paramount Years (2002) (V)

Soundtrack:

VistaVision Trademark Fanfare

Christmas classic set in Vermont ski lodge.

White Christmas is one of those movies you can just enjoy without having to think about why the characters act the way they do. The plot is very thin, and seems to be written just to hold the musical numbers together, but it makes for a very enjoyable movie indeed. Viewing this film has become a holiday tradition in my family, and it is great fun to quote memorable lines and sing along with Bing, Danny, Vera-Ellen, and of course, the incomparable Rosemary Clooney. We have a theater here in Austin that regularly shows classic films, and the year they screened White Christmas, there was a packed house, and everyone sang along with every song and yelled out lines, sort of like Rocky Horror Picture Show without the dressing up. White Christmas is just a fun movie, and I highly recommend it for holiday viewing. The Irving Berlin songs, the dance numbers, and yes, the "schmaltz" are just the right combination to put even the Grinchiest person in the Christmas spirit.