Irving Berlin‘s White Christmas (1954) is the romantic movie for Christmas that quite honestly inspired the genre of romantic Christmas movies. With crooner Bing Crosby sing his classic song White Christmas at the opening, the movie starts with an early flourish.
(Left to Right – Danny Kaye as Phil Davis, Dean Jagger as Major General Thomas F. Waverly and Bing Crosby as Bob Wallace in White Christmas).
The story of White Christmas begins with a clearly defined relationship among Major General Thomas F. Waverly, played by Dean Jagger, Bob Wallace, played by Bing Crosby, and Phil Davis as played by Danny Kaye. Waverly is set to retire to a Vermont inn that he acquired, which he tries to run like an army general. The larger story of the movie, in part, rests with helping the major general as a sign of affection from the military men he served as a leader.
(Left to Right – Bing Crosby as Bob Wallace, Vera Ellen as Judy Haynes, Danny Kaye as Phil Davis and Rosemary Clooney as Betty Haynes in White Christmas).
The romantic angle, which leads to a comedic angle through the movie, involves Davis trying to entice Wallace into an amorous relationship with a lady. That defines becomes Judy Haynes, sister to Betty Haynes, who happens to have a contract with her sister Betty at the very lodge run by the major general. Rosemary Clooney plays Betty Haynes while Vera Ellen plays her sister, Judy.
(Rosemary Clooney as Betty Haynes, left, and Mary Wickes as Emma Allen in White Christmas).
Mary Wickes plays Emma Allen, an employee of the Vermont inn and busy body. Emma plants some gossip and listens in to phone calls of people at the lodge, including information causes mischief by misunderstanding the context of what she hears.
(John Brascia as John, left, and Vera Ellen as Judy Haynes in White Christmas).
Meanwhile, the plans that Bob Wallace and Phil Davis have for helping their dear Major General includes staging shows at the inn where they happened upon the general and the singing and dancing sisters. Part of that includes Judy dancing with John, as played by John Brascia.
(Anne Whitfield as Susan Waverly in White Christmas).
Resolution comes to Vermont with Major General Thomas F. Waverly and his daughter Susan, played by Anne Whitfield, seeing the surprise prepared for the general, the inn, and the object of the romance properly laid by Phil Davis and Betty Haynes. The romantic comedy set against the backdrops of World War Two, Vermont, and Christmas comes to its resolution. The dancing and singing are appropriate to movie making of the era, maintaining a degree of charm that makes for a warm effect. I rate White Christmas at 3.75-stars on a scale of one-to-five.
Matt – Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Matt Lynn Digital 