Holiday Inn is a 1942 gem which showcases the talents of both Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. It is a romantic musical to be enjoyed at any American holiday. It’s the old story about who is best to win a girl’s heart…a crooner who can dance or a dancer who can sing. Crosby and Astaire start off the film as part of a successful trio with Virginia Dale. Jim Hardy (Crosby) has plans to retire from the entertainment to run a little country hotel, his wants to start a more traditional life there with his partner Lila (Dale), but she isn’t done chasing her dreams in the entertainment world and chooses to stay with Ted Hanover (Astaire) instead. The trio breaks and Ted and Lila form a dancing duo.

Fast forward to December, Jim returns to the big city with an idea of turning his Country Inn into a holidays only venue for dinner and entertainment. He is laughed at by Ted and his agent, but the agent refers a girl Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds), who has been harassing him for work, to the Holiday Inn. The next day Jim introduces Linda (and the world) to Irving Berlin’s award winning song White Christmas. She is hired on and the place opens up for New Years’ celebrations.

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Meanwhile Ted gets dumped by Lila, who has found herself a millionaire. So he goes to see Jim at the Holiday Inn because he can relate. There he gets drunk and entertains the packed house, with Linda in tow. His agent thinks he has found a new partner, but he is too hungover to remember the previous nights events, and Jim, terrified of history repeating itself hides Linda from Ted and his agent. The film plays out in a game of cat and mouse where Jim falls in love again and does everything he can to keep his old friend and ex partner away from his girl.

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The Bells of St Mary’s stars Bing Crosby who is joined by Ingrid Bergman in the 1945 holiday classic, It was first released in December of that year. As for Christmas, the only link is a cute scene involving a children’s’ pageant. In it Bing Crosby reprises his award-winning role as the priest Father O’Malley. This black and white film has plenty of songs, as we’ve come to expect from Bing Crosby, but it also has a great story-line. The tale takes place in a run-down inner city school, run by nuns who are praying for a way to keep the school open and thereby keep the teachers and students together. The alternative is to bus some of the students elsewhere, with the poorer ones unable to attend the newer private school being put out entirely, while the nuns would be dispersed. Father O’Malley arrives to supervise the school and decide if it can be salvaged.

The Bells of St Mary’s, there is great chemistry between Ingrid Bergman’s character, Sister Mary Benedict and Bing Crosby’s Father O’Malley. The pair are at odds with how things should be run at the school, with Sister Mary being the experienced one and Father O’Malley being an astute judge of character, who seems to work his magic behind the scenes. As the movie is ending Sister Mary is being transferred away from her beloved school. She thinks it is done in spite because she wasn’t always the most cooperative with Father O’Malley, and struggles to remain calm, but in reality her saddened heart is for naught, as she is actually being moved for convalescence of a health condition. Just before she leaves, Father O’Malley reveals to her the reason for her transfer, unburdening her heart from her conflicted feelings.

The Bells of St Mary’s is twice linked (to my favorite film) “It’s a Wonderful Life”. First, it is the film shown on the marquee in Bedford Falls and secondly Henry Travers who plays George Bailey’s guardian angel, is in The Bell’s of St. Mary’s. His role is pivotal, first as a cantankerous industrialist who seems to dislike children and then as the hero of the film who’s generosity saves the school.

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White Christmas is a classic from Irving Berlin and he did entertainment like youngsters today have never seen. Long before video games and other consumer electronics, this is an old school Christmas musical which brings together Rosemary Clooney (George Clooney’s aunt), Bing Crosby, Vera Ellen and Danny Kaye. White Christmas is an uplifting and heartwarming romance filled with dance, comedy and music and it’s in color! Subplot to the romance, is a WWII military connection which is really about goodwill and the spirit of brotherly love and loyalty, a Christmas tradition once as strong as giving Thanks at Thanksgiving.

White Christmas covers two Christmases, first is during the war. Bing plays Captain Bob Wallace who is joined on stage by private Davis (played by Kaye) who hopes to break into real showbiz. Their beloved Major General has just received orders that his tour is done and the whole unit gives him a boisterous send off in song. Suddenly the gathering is broke up as they come under attack, Davis ends up knocking Wallace out of the way of a collapsing wall, saving his life, Wallace in gratitude promises to make him a performance partner when they get home.

The pair go on to be very successful, running an entire production house. They meet a pair of sisters who are also performers and are instantly attracted. The business minded older sister and Wallace but heads a little because they are so alike, while the younger pair plot to see them married. The four share a train north where they decide to go to Vermont together instead of NY in hopes to have a white Christmas. Their Vermont host is none other than the Major General who is about to lose his shirt because it’s a mild winter and his resort has no visitors for lack of snow. Wallace hatches a plot to attract tourists by bringing his whole production house up to the beautiful location while romantic hijinks ensue.

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