Trama

At an inn which is open only on holidays, a crooner and a hoofer vie for the affections of a beautiful up-and-coming performer.

Lovely Linda Mason has crooner Jim Hardy head over heels, but suave stepper Ted Hanover wants her for his new dance partner after femme fatale Lila Dixon gives him the brush. Jim's supper club, Holiday Inn, is the setting for the chase by Hanover and manager Danny Reed. The music's the thing.—Steve Fenwick <scf@w0x0f.com>

Jim Hardy, Lila Dixon and Ted Hanover are a popular New York nightclub song and dance act, Jim primarily the "song", Ted the "dance", and Lila the bridge between the two. Jim's plan to ditch it all so that he and Lila can get married and become Midville, Connecticut farmers hits a snag when Lila, who admits she falls in love easily, decides she and Ted also love each other, and that she wants to remain in the spotlight. Lila and Ted become a duo, both professionally and personally. After a year, Jim finds that he is not cut out to be a full-time farmer, but still likes the country life. So he decides he can have the best of both worlds by maintaining the farm, but opening it as an inn, only open as such for the fifteen holidays per year. Called Holiday Inn, it will feature holiday themed dinner shows written and starring Jim in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. Despite their auspicious initial meeting, Jim hires up and coming performer Linda Mason as the shows' leading lady, she who is happy for the break. Jim and Linda seem like they are falling for each other when Ted comes back into the picture after Lila falls in love with someone else and leaves him. Feeling that Linda may become another Lila in his and Ted's lives, especially as Ted's manager, Danny Reed, is pushing for Ted and Linda to be the next big thing in Hollywood, Jim does whatever he can to keep Linda away from Ted and away from Danny's big city show business manoeuvrings. Linda will have to decide what to do when she learns of the manipulation on both Jim and Ted's parts. Only the truth may eventually lead Linda to what she truly wants.—Huggo

Jim and Ted were part of a musical team but Jim has now retired to a farm. However, in due course, Jim finds that he is not cut out for farm life and decides to turn his farm into an entertainment centre, Holiday Inn. He meets and is smitten by Linda, and offers her a job in his musical routine, but Ted is also interested in her. Jim now does his best to keep Linda away from Ted.—grantss

Jim Hardy and Ted Hanover have been vaudeville partners for many years but when Ted announces that he and Jim's girlfriend, dancer Lila Dixon, are going to set off on their own, Jim decides the time has come to retire. He buys himself a farmhouse in New England and settles into the country life but soon realizes that he has an opportunity to do something special. He decides to open his inn to the public, but only on major holidays. Things are going well for him until his old partner Ted shows up and sets his sights on Jim's new friend, Linda Mason. The film introduced the song White Christmas.—garykmcd

Famous showbiz trio breaks up, as crooner Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby) plans to take his fiancée Lila Dixon (Virginia Dale) out to Connecticut to live on a farm and enjoy the lazy life. The problem is that suave dancer Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire) has stolen Lila from Jim and runs off with her to continue their showbiz careers. Farming does not prove as easy as Jim had hoped and after a year, he ends up having a nervous breakdown. In the sanitarium, Jim comes up with the idea to turn his old barn into a nightclub that is only open on holidays. Jim visits Ted and Lila in New York and tells his old agent Danny to send him any talented acts for his club. Danny encounters a young woman at a flower shop who is bent on a career as a dancer and singer. Her name is Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds), and he gives her tickets to a show and tells her to audition at Holiday Inn. At the show she meets Jim and both pretend to be more important than they really are. When she arrives in Connecticut they are surprised to be caught in their lies. Linda auditions and Jim agrees to let her star in his shows beginning with the upcoming New Year's Eve performance.

In the meantime, Lila leaves Ted for a Texas millionaire. This starts Ted to drinking, and sends him to his buddy who knows what it is to have the woman you love stolen away from you. When he arrives at the inn he is extremely drunk and ends up dancing with Linda. They dance an incredible improvised comic dance routine that is still a classic. Agent Danny arrives in time to see Linda's back as she walks up the stairs. In the morning when Ted wakes up, he can't remember anything about her but the way that she danced and he know he wants her to be his partner. He and Danny decide to come back to the club on Lincoln's birthday to scout for "the back of a woman they don't know."

Meanwhile, Jim has fallen in love with Linda, who can really sing and dance, and he offers her a life at the Inn, and sort of proposes to her. She agrees to stay with him at the Inn and is excited to be sort of engaged. Of course, Ted has also fallen in love with his mystery dance partner who he rediscovers on Valentine's day. He decides to stay at the inn and dance with Linda there. In an elaborate plan to get Linda away from the inn and Jim, Ted arranges for men from Hollywood to watch the 4th of July performance. Jim learns of this plot and decides to sabotage their routine by preventing Linda from arriving that day and inviting Lila, whose millionaire was not who she hoped he would be, to come in her place. In her attempts to get to the inn, Linda meets up with Lila and learns of Jim's plot. When she finally does arrive she is furious with Jim and in her anger agrees to leave with Ted for Hollywood.

Jim closes the inn and mopes around. His housekeeper gives him sage wisdom that sends him to Hollywood to get his woman back. He arrives on the day before Linda and Ted's wedding, and sneaks onto the set. Linda gradually picks up signs that he is there and when he finally reveals himself she joyously runs to meet him.

The movie culminates with a rewrite of the opening number in which we learn that Jim and Linda will be staying together at the Inn to sing and Ted will resume his dancing career with Lila.

Holiday Inn is a Christmas treasure that shows a simpler time in history in a warm and endearing light.