A Very Vintage Christmas post #4
It's Saturday, December 8th, which means it's officially 17 days until Christmas!
White Christmas
1954
Starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen
During Christmas/wintertime of World War II, Captain Bob Wallace (Crosby) and Private Phil Davis (Kaye) are in the same regiment. Bob, a previous Broadway entertainer before entering the war, is putting on a Christmas Eve show for his troops when they are attacked. Bob almost dies when a wall falls over, but before it can crush him, Phil pulls him out of the way to safety, injuring his own arm in the process. As he is recovering, Phil, who is an aspiring entertainer, guilts Bob into the idea of teaming up after the war as an entertainment duo. Bob agrees in his moment of weakness, and the rest of their friendship often involves Phil trying to manipulate Bob by bringing up the fact that he once saved his life.
Bob is as good as his word, and he and Phil join up after the war and become immensely popular as musical entertainers. While they are touring in Miami, they receive a letter from an old acquaintance from the war asking them if they could audition his two sisters, who are musical performers themselves. They go to watch the girls perform, more out of common courtesy than anything else, but they are somewhat impressed. Phil can't help but notice that Bob, who can never seem to find a woman who catches his eye, is smitten by one of the sisters. Once they are done performing their number the two girls, Betty (Clooney) and Judy (Vera-Ellen), join Bob and Phil at their table. Phil automatically asks Judy to dance, so as to give Bob the chance to be alone with Betty and get to know her better. Things don't fare very well for the two of them, and they get into an argument shortly after they are left to their own devices. The other two, Phil and Judy, hit it off at once as they dance.
Phil soon discovers that the girls are in a bit of trouble. They are anxious to get out of Miami because their landlord is trying to have them arrested for destruction of property. Phil instantly wants to help them as soon as he learns of their troubles. So he convinces Bob to join in helping the girls escape out the back, and causing a diversion by performing in their place. Phil also gives the girls their train tickets, and they catch up with them later after Phil finally convinces Bob to travel with them to Vermont for the holidays.
They get to their destination, a lodge in Vermont, but are rather dismayed to see that there is no snow in sight and it is unseasonably warm. They also discover that the lodge is run by their old commanding officer, who is equally discouraged by the weather because it means bad business for the lodge, so chances are it will have to close.
Bob and Phil decide to call in all of their performing partners and cast mates, and eventually all of the guys from their old regiment as well, in order to put together a special Christmas broadcast as a surprise that will be guaranteed to bring business to the lodge. As they work on all of the plans and musical numbers, Bob and Betty start to fall for one another. They have some major bumps and setbacks along the way, but everything leads up to a successful performance of the Christmas special at the lodge on Christmas Eve, and it actually starts to snow.
White Christmas is another fantastic film to get you in the holiday spirit--it's a comedy and a musical and has a great reminder about giving to those who are in need.
Interestingly enough, the song White Christmas was written about ten years before the movie came out, yet it was written by Irving Berlin and Bing Crosby was the first singer to actually perform it in 1941. And, to this day, the version sung by Bing is the most popular and most well-known version of the song.
You can listen to it if you click on this link:
Also, here is a link to the official film trailer if you're interested:
And, as always, if you're interested in giving this as a gift to somebody this holiday season, then you can buy or price it here:
That is all for now, folks!
But please be sure to come back tomorrow and join us for another post.
And in the meantime, be sure to have yourselves a very merry, white, and A Very Vintage Christmas!
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