Holiday Inn (1942) User Reviews

great picture

[jel-12 · 8/10 · 20 November 2004]

In Holiday Inn it isn't Bing Crosby or Fred Astair that makes the movie outstanding, but rather the relatively unknown "B" movie star of the time, Marjorie Reynolds. As you watch this movie you can "feel" the mood that Marjorie is portraying at the time, just by the look on her face. For example, during the the "Easter" scene, her eyes and smiles say it all, you can see she is in love, and as she sings "White Christmas" at the end you can feel the sadness of her character - throughout the entire movie she says more with her facial expressions then the most popular movie stars do today in their entire careers... If you love truly good acting, Holiday Inn will make you smile and make you cry, it will bring back memories of a time when ladies could truly dance in high heel shoes, we don't see that type of dancing these days in movies. Picture quality, sound and special effects are not of primary importance in these kinds of films, these are the kind that rely on your own imagination and feelings, much in the way you do when you read a good book.

These older movies serve up so much good feelings they could be used to replace prescription meds for those feeling bad.

Stylish, funny romantic musical

[funkyfry · 7/10 · 3 August 2003]

They don't get much better than this: Astaire with the drop dead dancing cool, and Crosby with the honey crooning, both competing for the same gal. Crosby decides to let it all go and settle in the country, then on a whim realizes he can open his country house as a club open on holidays only. The girl he ends up drafting for the floor shows ends up being the love of his life, and the dancing partner Astaire has always been searching for.

Astaire, Crosby, and Reynolds have great chemistry together: I thought it quite convincing how Crosby's overprotective zeal scared Reynolds away for a while, and Astaire was very cool and believable as a kind of an inoffensive opportunist who exploits Crosby's passionate responses to whatever threat he perceives in Astaire.

Top it off with many of Irving Berlin's best classic tunes, performed in interesting interpretations, and you have a very good musical film.

Charming

[Kreme · 8/10 · 24 December 2004]

The source of the song "White Christmas" would be worth watching just for that, but in addition the movie has a bunch of wonderful dancing, and quite a lot of charming songs; "I'll Capture Your Heart Singing", "Come To Holiday Inn", "You're Easy to Dance With", "Oh How I Hate to Get up in the morning", "White Christmas", and "Happy Holiday" (all by Irving Berlin) are some of the highlights.

Anyone who is a fan of Crosby or Astaire will enjoy this movie. Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale play perfect foils for Crosby and Astaire, supporting them.

The plot, what there is of it, is just enough to hang enough Muscial numbers on to keep the movie running along apace.

Happy Holidays...Start with this movie.

[AbeStreet · 6 December 2002]

This film is good in so many ways. The song and dance numbers were all great. Teaming Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire was a great idea. These two played off each other so well that I can't imagine two other actors doing so well. Even Crosby and Hope wouldn't have done as well here. Marjorie Reynolds was a treat to look at but also had good chemistry with both Crosby and Astaire. The support cast was equally as good, Walter Abel as Danny Reed, Virginia Dale as Lila Dixon and Louise Beavers as Mamie gave solid performances.

The set was also beautiful. Obviously the Hollywood set of Holiday Inn at the end of the film that was supposed to be a reproduction of the real Holiday Inn in Connecticut is the same set used for both scenes. However it is such a realistic set that the viewer never suspects that the Connecticut scenes were filmed indoors. I think the fact that the film was in black and white helps in that respect. A color film may have actually looked more phoney.

The story is a simple one but well put together. I think many viewers can relate to guys trying to steal girls from one another, its a common enough practice today. The ending is a bit fairy tale like but then that is why so many probably like it. We get enough "reality" in our every day lives. It is nice to escape reality with a film like this.

Lastly, the black face scene during the Lincoln Day performance is offensive but it does not ruin the film. Of course a minstrel show today using black face would be unacceptable in today's environment but you can't hold a 1940's film to the same standards. I know some would like to have that scene removed from the film but I disagree. I am of African American decent and while I could view this film as a disgrace I accept it for what it is. Rather than try and obliterate scenes such as this from our film history I think they should be viewed as stepping stones to where African Americans are in film today. There may still be barriers that need to be broken through in the film world but considering where African Americans started we as a society should also take time to appreciate the accomplishments that have been achieved. Black face is out. Demeaning "yesum" roles are for the most part gone and now leading roles that portray African Americans in well to do positions in society are becoming more and more frequent. So while some of the film history regarding African Americans portrays them in a negative manner it is because of those actors and actresses were able to work in those roles and under those conditions that the modern day African American actors and actresses are able be seen in a more positive light. Ignoring the past roles ignores the actors and actresses that struggled through those times.

Don't mind the plot; it's the singing, dancing, songs and charm that count, and they're great

[Terrell-4 · 7/10 · 8 March 2008]

Few things are as enjoyable as watching the two old smoothies, Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, at the top of their game doing what they do best, and doing it better than anyone else. With Holiday Inn, make it three old smoothies: Crosby, Astaire and Irving Berlin. In fact, the only thing to get in the way of the movie is the plot. It's boy meets girl, boy loses girl to his best friend and partner. Repeat with another girl. Then bring back the first girl. Do another roundelay until boy and second girl and partner and first girl all have a happy ending.

What makes the movie work so well and is such a pleasure to watch, or course, is Crosby singing, Astaire dancing, and both doing their charming best with songs, some new, some old, by Irving Berlin. Berlin was one of the great American song writers who hit their peak from the late Twenties through the late Forties. Many of the cognoscenti sniff their noses at him as corny or just too popular. Berlin was, in fact, a highly skilled and immensely talented song writer. He wrote songs which were original, catchy, varied and inevitable...that rare quality in a song that hits a listener with a melody never heard before yet which seems as if each note could never have been placed in any other way. He also was a shrewd businessman. Holiday Inn is one of several movies Berlin personally pitched to Hollywood. The stories were never much, but Berlin would mix hits from his catalog and write new songs. In addition to Holiday Inn, think of There's No Business Like Show Business, Blue Skies, Alexander's Ragtime Band, This Is the Army and White Christmas. The genesis in each case was Berlin. They worked so well because Berlin could write hits in so many styles, lush and romantic, sad and romantic, waltzes, comedy numbers, ballads, syncopated struts, jazzy, patriotic, sentimental or bawdy. It's not for nothing that Cole Porter and Fred Astaire were close friends of his. Personally, I think he could write in more styles and yet keep his own personality intact than any of the great American songwriters except Richard Rodgers. Considering his competition included Gershwin, Porter, Kern and Rodgers, I realize that's quite a statement. If I were stranded on a desert island and could only listen -- over and over -- to the songs of one Broadway composer, Rodgers would be first choice. Berlin would be second.

In Holiday Inn, the idea is simple. Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby) leaves the team of Hardy and Hanover (Fred Astaire as Ted Hanover) to lead a lazy, country life on a Connecticut farm, far away from the incessant work of show business. He thinks he's going to marry the third member of the team, Lila Dixon (Virginia Dale). For those keeping score, she's girl number one. But Ted wins Lila, who is good natured up to the point where her ambition takes over, with promises of a bright dancing career. Later, Jim mets Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds) and gets the idea of turning his farm into Holiday Inn, a cozy, bucolic supper-club which will open only on holidays. But Lila has left Ted, Ted meets Linda, and...you get the idea.

From his catalog, Berlin provided major hits such as "Lazy" and "Easter Parade." Among the lesser known songs or songs written specifically for the movie are "You're Easy to Dance With," "Be Careful, It's My Heart" and a song that got off to a slow start but which turned into one of Berlin's powerhouse hits, "White Christmas." For Astaire fans, notable numbers include...

--"I'll Capture Her Heart Singing" - This starts the movie and introduces us to the team of Hardy and Hanover. It's jaunty, funny and perfectly matches, with tongue in cheek, the singing skills of Crosby and the dancing skills of Astaire.

--"You're Easy to Dance With" - Astaire and Virginia Dale do this number as a star supper- club number from their act. It's a smooth, fluid routine, part swing, part tap, that's sophisticated and perfectly executed.

--"Be Careful, It's My Heart" - The number starts out being sung by Crosby, then turns into one of those great, romantic wooing numbers by Astaire with Marjorie Reynolds. The conclusion is a knock out. Astaire and Reynolds sweep around behind a large valentine and, backlit so only their shadows show, pause and hold a classic pose in silhouette, then continue back to the dance floor. They sweep around again behind the valentine, but this time they leap through it toward us, tearing what had seemed a solid backdrop into paper shreds. It's highly dramatic and unexpected.

--"Say It With Firecrackers" - This turned out to be one of Astaire's most complicated dance numbers; it took 38 takes to get it right. He starts out with fast tapping and never lets up...then takes it higher by incorporating firecrackers and exploding torpedoes into the dance, pulling them from his pockets and hurling them on the polished dance floor, matching the explosions in perfect rhythm to his taps. It's quite a sight.

Holiday Inn has charm, first-class performances by Crosby and Astaire and memorable songs by Berlin. For those interested in the composer, I recommend As Thousands Cheer: The Life of Irving Berlin by Laurence Bergreen and The Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin by Robert Kimball.

Bing was a marketing genius.

[bkoganbing · 10/10 · 25 June 2004]

Finally Paramount gave Crosby a big budget musical and didn't rely on his charm and personality to carry the film. The budget went to hire such outside talent as Fred Astaire and Irving Berlin. And none of them disappoint.

In the first of two films Astaire and Crosby did together the characters are remarkably the same. Astaire is the elegant and charming show business professional who's ambitious for success. Crosby is the talented, but lazy partner who just wants a life of ease and comfort and not to work more than he has to. Small wonder that their double act broke up. But now enter a complication. They both get interested in the same girl who in this film is Marjorie Reynolds.

Crosby dreams up the idea of a nightclub/hotel called Holiday Inn where they only work on holidays. He wants Reynolds to help with the shows there. Astaire wants her for his act after his other girl partner Virginia Dale runs off with a millionaire. And the fun starts. Now since this was Crosby's home studio and he's first billed, just who do you think gets Reynolds in the end? As maid Louise Beavers put it, don't sit and mope because some slicker stole your gal.

Irving Berlin writes a majority of new songs to supplement a couple from his vast trunk of songs mostly about our holidays. By that time Berlin had extracted an agreement which became standard for all the films he wrote for. Not one note of non-Berlin music is ever heard in a score he writes. Just listen to this and just about any other film Berlin is associated with. Even music in the background is his.

The hit song in this was supposed to be Be Careful It's My Heart, the Valentine's Day song, sung by Crosby and danced to by Astaire and Reynolds. It did have a good deal of success. But the success of White Christmas was exponentially phenomenal. It netted Irving Berlin his one and only Academy Award and for Bing Crosby his number one item on vinyl. In fact everyone's number one item on vinyl.

I don't know if Bing Crosby ever set out to become the voice of Christmas, but if he did he was a marketing genius. If he's known and appreciated for anything with today's audience, it's for that. White Christmas became the first Yule song he was identified with although he had recorded some Christmas material before that. After this he started doing the holiday music in serious. Just think, along around Columbus Day, record companies even now reissue his Christmas stuff every year and his totals as largest selling recording artist in history grow once again. That's why the Beatles and Elvis, etc. don't have a prayer of overtaking him.

In fact White Christmas's initial success was so great that Decca wore out the original master putting out records to meet the demand. So in 1945, Decca got Bing, the Ken Darby Singers and John Scott Trotter to re-record it almost note for note. The original 78 had White Christmas with the flipside of Let's Start the New Year Right also from Holiday Inn. The newer version which most people hear has as it's flipside God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

I don't want to ignore Fred Astaire's contribution here. He does a nice comic turn with I Can't Tell a Lie, the Washington's birthday number where Crosby keeps changing the tempo to upset him and Reynolds. The Fourth of July yields a number for each. Reynolds is kept from the show by Bing's machinations and Astaire has to "improvise" something. He "improvises" Firecrackers and anyone who knows anything about Astaire knows how hard he worked to get that spontaneous feeling in his dancing. Bing sings The Song of Freedom, reminiscent of James Cagney's Grand Old Flag number from Yankee Doodle Dandy also out in 1942 and Song of Freedom is also reminiscent of what Paramount could have given Bing in the 1930s had they hired someone like Busby Berkeley to give Bing some of the production numbers that Dick Powell had at Warner Brothers.

So what more is there to say, but sit back and enjoy the fun.

What's there not to like?

[wisewebwoman · 7/10 · 26 December 2004]

This movie has so much and if you can make the chemistry thing the sparking between Bing and Fred and ignore the sidebar romances that don't quite grab you, then you will truly enjoy it. "White Christmas" - the first performance of the standard and it always grabs me. And I must have seen it fifty plus times. The dancing scene with Fred and the firecrackers, stupendous, incredible, how DID he do it?? Forget the blackface bits, slightly offensive, even considering the era. And the rah-rah-rah for WW2. Evocative of 1942 and FDR. Everything comes together beautifully down to the encore of "White Christmas" and Bing in the best of voice all through. Story is just about zero and no credibility - imagine an inn open fifteen days of the year with an enormous cast for the floor show (with full orchestra, no less). Bankrupt after the payroll for one holiday would be my guess :>). But lovely and nostalgic and worth watching over and over, just for the boys, Fred and Bing. 7 out of 10.

Holiday Inn - Truly Classic

[mcade · 9/10 · 12 September 2005]

I always feel that a true classic is either a film or a song that within a few feet of film or a few bars of a tune, you know exactly what the song or film is and in most cases the cast or artist who was involved with it.

This film, in my opinion, is no exception. The casting of this film (Bing Crosby as Jim Hardy and Fred Astaire as Ted Hanover) is pure genius. Both stars were really at their professional peaks at the time and they show it in this movie musical.

Both Marjorie Reynolds as Linda Mason and Virginia Dale as Lila Dixon were not as well known, but I feel they both more than proved themselves in holding their own against the talents of Astaire & Crosby.

The supporting cast were fine too. Louise Beavers as well as Walter Abel gave some comedic relief in their roles as Mamie & as Danny Reid.

The firecracker dance sequence with Astaire is well worth the price of admission alone! I also enjoyed the dancing sequence between Astaire & Dale during the "Your Easy to Dance With" number and between Astaire & Reynolds during the "Be Careful Its My Heart" number.

Truly a wonderful film despite the controversy surrounding the "Abraham" black face routine.

When I first saw this film, I never thought about it as being filmed to offend anyone, I just considered it was the only way to explain in the plot why Ted & Danny don't recognize Linda since Jim has been hiding her from them. I have never changed my feelings on this and still feel the same way some 35 years later after my original viewing.

Holiday Treat

[SonOfMoog · 7/10 · 24 December 2006]

This is not a Christmas picture; nor are its stars Crosby and Astaire. It is a movie for any holiday, though it will always be associated with Christmas, because it marks the debut of Irving Berlin's most memorable song, out of hundreds of memorable songs. White Christmas won an Oscar, and deservedly so, but this movie also features Berlin's Easter Parade, which I love as much, and other songs associated with Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, and Independence Day. Not as well known, but they are Berlin songs, so you know they are well done. The music is the real star of this picture.

One of the songs deserves special mention. It is titled Abraham, and is offered as a tribute to Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is celebrated, and it is sung in blackface. The song is usually excised when this movie is shown on television, out of fear of offending modern audiences with modern sensibilities about race. It doesn't seem fair somehow to apply those modern sensibilities to this movie. The song should be judged in the context of its times by those who lived through those times.

Crosby is in fine voice; Astaire is graceful and energetic, though an unconvincing drunk, and I enjoyed the performances of the women who had supporting roles: Virginia Dale and Marjorie Reynolds. Neither is a household name today, but both were fine in this movie, holding their own with their better known co-stars. Reynolds is particularly good singing White Christmas with Crosby. I do not wish to be seen as knocking the movie, White Christmas. It is a holiday staple, and rightly so, but truth of the matter is, this movie is better. It is on my must-see list every Christmas from now on. Highly recommended.

Holiday Inn is an uplifting and heartwarming remembrance that is a legend in its own right.

[budmassey · 10/10 · 28 November 2003]

In any endeavor there are greats, and there are legends. Bing Crosby crooned his way to the latter status years before this movie, and he is in fine voice here. It is such a shame that things like talent aren't present in music anymore, but if you want to remember it, this is a great vehicle. Irving Berlin, Crosby's long time friend, wrote magical numbers for the film, including the unforgettable White Christmas.

Fred Astaire gave a tour de force performance, singing, and, of course, dancing his way through this delightful piece in rare form. It is said that he worked so hard during rehearsals that he wasted away to 85 pounds by the time he filmed the firecracker number. He might just as well have been weightless, because he defies gravity with his every move.

Marjorie Reynolds was seriously outclassed in a role that was intended for Mary Martin, who probably could have improved the chemistry of the starring cast. Reynolds nevertheless does a creditable job, and Holiday Inn remains her finest hour.

Years later, Paramount undertook a vastly inferior remake entitled White Christmas, which failed to capture a fraction of the magic of Holiday Inn. Astaire was replaced with funny man Danny Kaye, and Rosemary Clooney gave it her torch song damndest, but it didn't gel. Holiday Inn has more wit, sincerity, charm and, despite being over a decade older, freshness. Holiday Inn is an uplifting and heartwarming remembrance that is a legend in its own right.

Great musical numbers, pretty pathetic story

[cherold · 6/10 · 28 December 2014]

There are some terrific songs in Holiday Inn, and some wonderful dance numbers. So good, in fact, that it's easy to just ignore how terrible the story is.

The truth is, Astaire and Crosby play remarkably unsavory characters. While supposedly friends, Astaire thinks nothing of stealing Crosby's fiancé at the beginning of the play, and later tries to take his subsequent girlfriend. Meanwhile Crosby shows his love through a series of tricks and manipulations designed to make sure his girl will never experience any success outside of what he bestows on her.

While you can argue, as some do, that the black-face sequences didn't seem nearly as creepy then as now, even Crosby's girl objects to his behavior during the film, and I don't think there was really any time when it was considered okay to steal someone's fiancé.

To make it weirder, there is little indication that either of them were more than mildly attached to either girl. Crosby's response to being jilted is a simple "oh well," and he seems to forgive Astaire quite promptly. Astaire seems to go after Crosby's women less because he likes them than because they're there.

Really, these are terrible, terrible people. And if there terribleness wasn't commented on at the time, it was not because it was considered acceptable behavior, but because the lead's personal charm and talent and Irving Berlin's classic songs seemed far more important than a typically inconsequential musical plot.

THE FILM EVEREST OF HOLIDAY MUSICALS

[Sunsphxsuns · 10/10 · 26 November 2018]

Holiday Inn (1942) directed by Mark Sandrich, stars a laid back, crooning Bing Crosby, and a suave, dancing Fred Astaire. Without question Holiday Inn is a genuine, universally admired classic film, specifically created to showcase music from composer Irving Berlin. The prolific Berlin wrote twelve original songs for Holiday Inn, with the best known being his mega hit tune, "White Christmas." Holiday Inn, in unsophisticated black and white, may arguably be the "Film Everest" of all musicals past and present. Indeed, the song, "White Christmas," is still one of the most recorded, played, and performed songs in music history.

The charming, straightforward plot, is quite simple. Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby) has decided he's had enough of show business, nightlife, and endless travel. Hardy then purchases a small farm in Midville, Connecticut, and though he feels he made the right decision to leave show biz for a life on the farm, this kind of rural retirement Nirvana doesn't last long. After a series of "farm failures," Hardy converts his project into a nightclub that is only open on holidays, and hence, "Holiday Inn." Hardy's novel concept is fairly simple: You work 15 days of the year (with some time thrown in for rehearsals, arranging music, setting up the proper holiday theme at the Inn), essentially doing the kind of things you truly enjoy. This is actually an ingenious concept when you stop and think about it, so much so that the real Holiday Inn chain of hotels was intentionally named after this film.

Hardy soon falls in love with aspiring actress Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds), who is also being aggressively pursued by dance celebrity Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire). Yeah, forget that Ted and Hardy are best friends, and forget that Ted has routinely stolen all of Hardy's former girlfriends. This is all about love, and this kind of subtle, "gentlemanly combat" means that the girl can only go to the winner. Bing, Astaire, and Reynolds become featured at the Inn where they perform heart thumping dance and song, the likes of which, will probably never be surpassed. Holiday Inn is a solid testimony to the kind of classic fare that a more artistic yet conventional Hollywood used to generate with apparent ease in the 1930s and 1940s.

Twelve years later, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen would team up for White Christmas (1954) in what would ironically become the "better known" perennial holiday film. And though this "loose remake" of Holiday Inn would be filmed in blazing Technicolor instead of stark black and white, and would again include a bevy of Irving Berlin hit compositions (with Bing reprising "White Christmas"), it lacks the essential cast chemistry and charm of its predecessor.

But Hollywood never stands still, and every now and then, we see flashing glimpses of that beautiful era in more contemporary musicals such as La La Land (2016). My personal hope is that film history will, at least in this genre, repeat itself, again . . . And again . . . And again.

"Well we were just looking for the back of a girl we don't know!"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 27 December 2009]

"Holiday Inn" and "White Christmas" stand side by side on my video shelf, and for the longest time, I kept confusing the two with each other. "Holiday Inn" offers the very first filmed performance of the popular song 'White Christmas', while the movie of the same name takes place at an inn. Both of course feature Bing Crosby and that incomparable voice of his, for my money perhaps the very best of all time. Each of the films has it's own proponents for which is the better of the two. If I had a proverbial gun to my head, I'd have to say that "Holiday Inn" holds up better in terms of story and continuity, even though both pictures have elements that defy credibility and have you going 'huh?' even while providing a boat load of entertainment.

It's a quick newspaper column story that caught my eye that probably sums up the Holiday Inn concept best - Bing's notion of refurbishing a Connecticut homestead into an entertainment venue for fifteen holidays per year is deemed a 'freak idea'. I doubt if the Bingster could make that idea work in real life, even if he and Fred Astaire headlined each show like they did here.

But in between the less believable moments, you do have some top shelf entertainment, among them Crosby's singing numbers, and some downright awesome footwork from Astaire. His Fourth of July tap-dance garners well deserved accolades, and I can't imagine a better drunken dance interpretation than the one he did with Marjorie Reynolds in his first appearance at the Inn. Bing and Reynolds in black-face - too garishly over the top by today's politically correct standards, but still important in depicting an earlier era dealing with themes of race and equality. Fortunately, the character of Mamie (Louise Beavers) and her two children was handled with respect and sincerity.

So depending on your disposition, "Holiday Inn" remains a respected movie in the tradition of your great Christmas classics, or just another picture to while away the time while waiting for Santa to arrive. Either way, you should catch it at least once to pay appreciation to Hollywood's golden era, well before holiday fare like "Bad Santa" threatened to leave it's mark on an ever jaded modern public.

Safe and amiable enough...

[hitchcockthelegend · 5/10 · 21 December 2008]

Jim Hardy retires from show business to become a farmer in New England. Once set up he finds that it's a life that is somewhat more demanding than he had first thought. Hitting on an idea that should make his life more fulfilling, he turns the farm into an Inn that only opens on public holidays. But things get complicated when Jim's old partner, Ted, turns up and sets his sights on Linda, Jim's gorgeous "friend", this holiday period may not be so happy after all.

Boasting great star power in the form of Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, Holiday Inn still feels short of the required genre excitement. There is no doubting the benefit here of having both the leading men's respective abilities on show, where Bing croons with the best of them and Fred of course dances with majestic grace. We get a firecracker sequence that's particularly memorable, but sadly the women of the piece are forgettable, while outside of the songs and dances the film drifts into almost sleepy auto pilot.

All those involved have done far better, that's for sure, but at least here we get to hear the first airing of the Academy Award winning song, White Christmas. The film is a favourite of many, certainly it is, yet it's just a very average picture and not one that under revisit scrutiny survives away from nostalgic glows. 5/10

A magical Inn that influenced a hotel chain.

[snake357 · 21 July 2003]

Everyone has a favourite Christmas movie. For some it's "A Christmas Carol", or "Miracle On 34th Street", perhaps "It's A Wonderful Life", or maybe "How The Grinch Stole Christmas". Even Bing's later "White Christmas" gets aired locally every Christmas Day, while "Holiday Inn" is far more obscure. Yet, this film is my favourite holiday season film. Made long before I was born, I saw it as a child & it had an influence on me. Perhaps the film is dated with its B&W war-time feel but that 1940's elegance is part of the charm. Returning to the "Inn" is like re-visiting old friends at a magical, mythical place. It's a treat to see a younger Bing Crosby (compared with his performance in "White Christmas")& Fred Astaire, as well as the beauty of Marjorie Reynolds. What may not be well known is that the film provided the inspiration for the name of the Holiday Inn chain of motels & hotels. A Memphis businessman named Kemmons Wilson planned a national chain of motels. He hired a draftsman to draw up the plans. It happened that the draftsman watched the movie while he was working, and he sketched the name of it at the top. Wilson saw it, liked it, and stuck with it. Holiday Inn was born & the first opened in August of 1952, some 10 years after the film.

Sure, not all the holidays are treated in the film. And the Independence Day segment contains some war-time "propaganda" with newsreel shots of McArthur, FDR, & military hardware. But this was the era when Hollywood went to war & stars did pitches to audiences to buy war bonds, etc. Yes, the black-face Al Jolson style "Abraham" number causes me to cringe a bit, but the tune is snappy, and the justification is in keeping with the plot as Bing tries to hide Marjorie Reynolds from Astaire. The supporting characters are also fine. There's "Gus" the cab driver for the Inn, whom Bing gives 10 bucks to take a detour to keep Reynold's away from the Inn the night the Hollywood men are there. Bing says for that kind of money Gus should take her by way of "Medicine Hat" (a prairie town in Canada). I also enjoy character actress Louise Beavers portrayal of "Mamie", the Inn's cook. She's not only a mother figure to her two charming kids, but also to her boss. During Thanksgiving, Bing mopes while Astaire & Reynolds are filming in Hollywood together. He puts on a recording of himself singing "I've Got Plenty To Be Thankful For", while he comically criticizes himself - even saying "you're flat". Mamie tells him that all he did was tricks to keep Miss Linda. He was never honest with her & instructs him to go to Hollywood & tell her how he feels. The song "White Christmas" became a huge hit with this movie. It's sung twice. The first time, Bing is teaching it to Reynolds on the piano & they sing a duet with his coaching. The second time, at the end, it's an unplanned duet. Reynolds is singing it on a sound stage "mock-up" of the Inn, once again at a piano. She finds that at the same spot in the song as Bing had done earlier, she picks up his pipe & rings bells on a tree. Then Bing begins to whistle in the wings. Her solo is interrupted as Bing then sings a line or two. The song isn't completed this time! In the later film, Bing sings the immortal song "just like the record". "Easter Parade" was another Irving Berlin hit from this movie. It would inspire another Astaire movie later with that title.

This is not a perfect film but it has been an inspiration to me (& to others). The Inn is timeless. I can always re-visit every year or so & the comedy, songs & dance are eternal. Styles change. If "Jim Hardy's" Holiday Inn had been a real place, it probably wouldn't survive. The resorts of the Catskills, such as those in "Dirty Dancing" fell to changing times. Jim probably would have had to have rock acts in the 1950's (or Rap in the 1990's)! But I can always go home to this Inn & know what kind of enertainment is on tap. And also enjoy Mamie's cooking!

Bing sings, Fred dances, and all is right with the world

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 29 December 2017]

Bing sings, Fred dances, and all is right with the world in this lively 1942 musical by Irving Berlin. HOLIDAY INN tells the tale of three characters holed up at the titular location, with a piano-playing Bing Crosby competing with a tap-dancing Fred Astaire for the affections of Marjorie Reynolds. There's some romance and there's a comedy of errors too, as well as lots of charisma from the two stars who repeatedly do their best to get the upper hand over their rival. Best of all are the songs, none greater than Bing's inimitable White Christmas which went on to be the most popular song of all time.

You shouldn't skate on ice as thin as this plot!...

[AlsExGal · 9/10 · 24 December 2018]

... but plot is not the point. It is pure escapist entertainment, which the homefront desperately needed in this first full year of wartime. Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby) and Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire) have a song and dance act that Jim retires from to go start an inn in Connecticut. After a year of this, Jim decides to convert the inn into a nightclub that is open only for holidays - 15 days a year. Put down your adding machines and forget trying to figure out the financial feasibility of this.

An unknown girl comes out to the inn (Marjorie Reynolds as Linda) looking for a career in entertainment and a job, and she and Jim begin to fall for each other. But then up pops Ted, and Jim is worried that history will repeat itself and Ted will steal his new girl. Ted is the sophisticated type, Jim is the homebody type. Linda is not sure which type she is. Let the rather predictable romantic triangle that at times becomes a rectangle begin. More importantly cue the Irving Berlin songs and the great singing and dancing.

Marjorie Reynolds just did not impress me, but it's not like she is awful either. She is just...there. But the back and forth between Fred and Bing is wonderful with Walter Abel as the agent lending great comic support.

Odd for a 1942 film, this one does not mention WWII once. The only reference to it at all is a little bit of film of production lines of wartime equipment being made during the Independence Day number.

And as for folks who dislike this movie for The Number That Shall Not Be Named, do take note that it is Louise Beavers' character that actually saves the day by getting Bing's character to come to his senses. I'll let you watch and find out what I mean. As for me, I highly recommend this. It's a great holiday film and a great feel good film.

a perfect holiday movie in honor of Americana heritage

[lasttimeisaw · 7/10 · 4 February 2017]

A vintage Crosby-Astaire musical directed by studio old hand Mark Sandrich, who is a stable purveyor of ace Astaire-Rogers collaborations, such as TOP HAT (1934), THE GAY Divorcée (1934) and SHALL WE DANCE (1937), and would sadly pass away from a heart attack at a young age of 44 in 1946.

HOLIDAY INN traverses through all sort of American holidays and starts with a triad of musical act - Jim (Crosby), Ted (Astaire) and Lila (Dale), embroils themselves into a love triangle, both Jim, an enchanting crooner and Ted, a magnificent hoofer, are smitten with Lila and she loves both (almost) equally, and in the eleventh hour she chooses Ted because a retired rural life with Jim isn't really what she craves for. Jim departs alone and beavers away in the countryside, eventually comes up with an idea of opening a holiday inn there which literally only opens during holidays, approximately 15 days a year, to entertain guests with specifically themed performances. Meanwhile Ted and Lila continue their hot streak as a dancing duo in high demand, but soon she abruptly jolts him to marry with a Texan millionaire. (As if that is what every showbiz gal wants!)

A disconsolate and well-oiled Ted arrives in the inn during one evening gathering and dances with Jim's protégée Linda (Reynolds), but cannot remember what she looks like the morning after, except that she is the new dancing partner he is intent on finding to revive his stalled career. To forestall a similar denouement as he loses Lila to Ted, Jim painstakingly tries to hide Linda from Ted and their agent Danny (Abel), the farcical trope, including one reactionary blackface act celebrating Lincoln's birthday, runs dry quickly and Linda is miffed by Jim's self-serving manoeuvre which doesn't trust her to make the decision and throws herself to Ted, then both go to Hollywood when a movie deal of transposing the story of Holiday Inn onto the celluloid is available. So it is up to Jim to win her back, in an old-fashioned, classic and romantic fashion just before Ted and Linda tight their knot.

Quintessentially a perfect holiday movie in honor of Americana heritage, HOLIDAY INN makes great play of the dualistic fun of Crosby's soul-soothing singing and Astaire's pyrotechnic tap-dancing, choreographed by Danny Dare, at the expense of the storyline, which ruefully takes a back seat.

Irving Berlin's WHITE Christmas, Crosby's signature song debuts here and is sung thrice, meanwhile Astaire's firecracker solo is an honest-to-goodness splendor to behold, along with his old soak dancing sequences, both Reynolds and Dale knuckle down the task of being a commensurate partner for him, but it is suffice to say they are no Ginger Rogers, although petticoat artistes are legitimately given the short end of the stick under the shadow of two male superstars of the time. Nevertheless, Louise Beavers' black housekeeper is permitted to hurl out an awakening speech to precipitate Jim into action is something we can only refer as "guilty compensation for racial stereotype".

A patriotic reverie at the point of WWII (Pearl Harbor attack happened when the film was in production), HOLIDAY INN wears better than its peers owing to its sheer exuberance of songs and dances, one just cannot badmouth it too harshly after such a lavish feast, however bland its backbone is.

Seasons Greetings

[lugonian · 10/10 · 24 December 2002]

HOLIDAY INN (Paramount, 1942), directed by Mark Sandrich, with adaptation by Elmer Rice, based on the idea by Irving Berlin, stars crooner Bing Crosby and dancer Fred Astaire for the first time (their second would be BLUE SKIES in 1946). In their best on-screen collaboration, they play a couple of song and dance men who vie for the affection of a female dancing partner. While the movie itself has been long associated with Christmas, hence the introduction to Irving Berlin's Academy Award winning tune of "White Christmas," HOLIDAY INN features songs for almost all holidays, however, this is the kind of movie that can be aired on television at anytime, whether it be Easter or Fourth of July, but it is that wonderful time of Christmas that has long become associated with the musical of HOLIDAY INN.

Opening and closing with a focus of a calendar, which is used throughout the film when centering around a certain holiday, the plot, set in a two year span, centers upon Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby) and Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire), friends and entertainers working at the Club Pierre in New York City with Lila Dixon (Virginia Dale) as the third party to the trio. Although Jim has plans on retiring from show business and spending the rest of his life on the farm with his future bride, Lila, the big surprise comes when Jim discovers Lila loves Ted and intends to marry him instead. So as Jim resides alone at his farm in Midville, Connecticut, he becomes lonely, and a year later, decides to combine the best of both worlds by turning his farmhouse into a night club opened only on holidays, leaving Jim "347 days in which to kick around in," appropriately calling it Holiday Inn. Jim later hires Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds), a former flower shop girl wanting a career in show business, as one of the entertainers at the inn. On New Year's Eve, Ted gets a "Dear John" letter from Lila that she has broken their engagement to marry a Texas millionaire instead. Depressed and later drunk, Ted comes to Jim's Holiday Inn where he unwittingly stumbles upon Linda on the dance floor and starts dancing with her, much to the pleasure of the patrons. Ted's agent Danny Reed (Water Abel), who has only seen the girl from the back, convinces Ted that this girl (whom he'd remember if he danced with her again) would make him a fine new dancing partner. Not wanting to lose another girl to Ted, Jim decides to keep him and Linda apart through various schemes, and after Ted and Linda do form a partnership, it appears that history is destined to repeat itself.

Aside from two guys and a girl theme, the score by Irving Berlin and performance by the two leading men make up for some of the weak spots. Songs include: "Happy Holidays" (sung briefly during opening credits); "I'll Capture Your Heart Singing/Dancing" (sung by Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire and Virginia Dale); "Lazy" (medley, sung by Crosby); "You're Easy to Dance With" (sung by Fred Astaire/danced by Astaire and Dale); "White Christmas" (sung by Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds); "Happy Holidays" (sung by Crosby, Reynolds and chorus); "Let's Start the New Year Right" (sung by Crosby); "Abraham" (sung by Crosby, Reynolds, Louise Beavers and chorus); "Be Careful, It's My Heart" (sung by Crosby/ danced by Astaire and Reynolds); "Washington's Birthday March (I Cannot Tell a Lie)" (sung by Astaire/ danced by Astaire and Reynolds); "Easter Parade" (sung by Crosby); "The Song of Freedom" (sung by Crosby/ firecracker dance by Astaire); "I've Got Plenty to Be Thankful For" (sung by Crosby); "White Christmas" (reprise by Reynolds and Crosby) and "I'll Capture Your Heart" (with Crosby, Astaire, Reynolds and Dale).

While HOLIDAY INN was intended to feature songs for all holidays of the year, some were obviously omitted, intentionally or unintentionally, including a song or a song to Memorial Day and Labor Day, yet a production number for Valentine's Day (February 14th) is hardly considered a holiday of any kind, but is included as part of a holiday number just the same. While Irving Berlin could write so many songs, it leaves one to wonder what he could have done with a song for Halloween Once upon a time, birthdays to two U.S. Presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, were national holidays. While Washington's birthday is currently celebrated as a day off in many states, Lincoln's birthday is no longer considered a time off from school or work. Since the 1970s, the production number, "Abraham," dedicated to Abe Lincoln, usually got deleted when aired on commercial television. Even the original 1979 motion picture soundtrack from Sunbeam Records included every song from the film except for "Abraham." The "Abraham" number was later restored when distributed to video cassette in the 1980s.

Also seen in the supporting cast consists of Louise Beavers Mamie, Jim's housekeeper; Irving Bacon as Gus; John Gallaudet as Mr. Parker; James Bell as Mr. Dunbar; and Shelby Bacon and Joan Arnold as Mamie's children, Vanderbilt and Daphne.

Aside from its annual revivals on commercial television on Christmas Eve, HOLIDAY INN has played on any given time on cable television's American Movie Classics from 1994 to 2000 to Turner Classic Movie where it premiered July 16, 2003. Having once aired on the Disney Channel in the 1990s, it eliminated the segment leading to the "Abraham" number. While HOLIDAY INN is a reflection of the times, it hasn't really aged a bit, making it a wonderful package to Holiday movies, improving every time it airs. At 101 minutes, the film goes by very quickly. Even with black and white photography, it's a very effective film, ranking it one of the best musicals to come out from the 1940s. In spite of their on screen rivalry, Crosby and Astaire make a fine twosome who'll capture your hearts singing and dancing. (***1/2).

decent comedy/musical

[disdressed12 · 6/10 · 20 December 2008]

i thought this was a fun little musical/comedy.there's a number of song and and numbers,most of which i liked.it Stars Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire as friends,who are also rivals when it comes to women.there's some amusing banter between the two,and Astaire is quite a dancer.Crosby is the singer,and his voice is of course pure silk.there is one segment in the movie which which is offensive, and frankly in poor taste,and could be considered racist,but i don't think it was deliberately done in malice.this segment wouldn't be included in any modern movie,but unfortunately,they did things different back then.for me,that's the only black mark on the movie.otherwise,i thought it was good.for me,Holiday Inn is a 6/10

Musical Treat

[nancyldraper · 9/10 · 29 December 2018]

Lots of fun. Great music (Irving Berlin), Great voice (Bing Crosby), wonderful dancing (Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds, Virginia Dale). This is one of my favourite classic song-and-dance seasonals. I give this film a 9 (superb) out of 10. {Musical}

Saga of a Holiday Resort

[richardchatten · 7/10 · 25 December 2019]

Best known these days as an answer in film quizzes, this slick entertainment reunites the star, director & cameraman of 'Top Hat' with a storyline that embraces quite a time frame, the inn of the title functioning as a proscenium upon which a succession of public holidays are celebrated in song & dance.

Great musical revue with a plot

[SimonJack · 10/10 · 14 December 2016]

What's not to like about this movie? "Holiday Inn" fits in many film genres -- comedy, musical, romance, drama and Christmas. It's one of the best efforts of Hollywood to make a musical revue with a plot. It succeeds marvelously in that and gives us some of the best song and dance routines of the day. The film is a showcase of Irving Berlin music, dancing by the greatest dancer of the silver screen (Fred Astaire), and singing by the top male singer of the early decades of filmdom (Bing Crosby).

Crosby and Astaire together are a sure fire combination for entertainment. Crosby plays Jim Hardy and Astaire plays Ted Hanover. While they dominate the film, a small supporting cast fills in the details, mostly in the plot aspects. Virginia Dale and Marjorie Reynolds are the romance interests of both Jim and Ted, as Lila Dixon and Linda Mason, respectively. They both dance very well with Astaire. Linda has some songs with Jim, but her voice is dubbed by Martha Mears. Walter Abel as Danny Reed, Louise Beavers as Mamie and Irving Bacon as Gus are nice window dressing in the plot mostly with comedy.

Astaire has two first time and exceptional dance numbers in this film. The first is the firecracker dance and the second is a soused Ted Hanover who gives a funny but superb drunken dance. Work on the film began before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and with its release to be early in the war, the studio added a patriotic number with some films clips.

Of course, Irving Berlin's music holds sway with this great piece of entertainment. The master composer wrote a dozen songs that were used for this film. Some were originals (i.e., "Happy Holiday" and "White Christmas"), and others were reprisals (i.e., "Easter Parade"). Most were recorded separately before being used in the film. If for no other reason, "Holiday Inn" will be remembered as the movie that brought "White Christmas" to a worldwide audience.

Crosby sang Berlin's "White Christmas" for its first ever performance on the radio broadcast of the Kraft Music Hall show of Christmas Day, 1941. He subsequently was the first to record the song, on May 29, 1942, for Decca Records. After "Holiday Inn" came out in August 1942, the song got worldwide attention. It was wildly popular among American GIs and others serving during World War II.

The history of that single song is interesting. No one at first thought of it as a sure-fire top hit song. Berlin and Crosby liked it, but they and the people at Paramount thought that the hit number of "Holiday Inn" would be, "Be Careful, It's My Heart." According to the Guinness World Records, Bing Crosby's rendition of "White Christmas" is the best-selling single song of all time. It had more than 100 million sold (by 2010). All versions of the song, including Crosby's, have sold more than 150 million copies. Guinness states that there are more than 500 versions of the song recorded in various languages.

Besides Bing Crosby, many other top singers have recorded "White Christmas" over time. They include: Frank Sinatra in 1944, Perry Como in 1947, Elvis Presley in 1957, Johnny Mathis in 1958, Andy Williams in 1963, Doris Day in 1964, Barbra Streisand in 1967, Tony Bennett in 1968, John Denver in 1975, Willie Nelson in 1979, Dolly Parton in 1984, Neil Diamond in 1992, Linda Ronstadt in 2000, Bette Midler in 2003, Dionne Warwick in 2004, and Ray Stevens in 2009,

"Holiday Inn" is a wonderful movie that the whole family should enjoy.

Underneath the cheesy script and mild controversy is a top notch musical with top stars and unforgettable musical numbers.

[Sir-Final_Thoughts-No_Review · 7/10 · 3 January 2023]

Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn. Its got the best A-list talent for a musical you could ask for in 1942. The immortal Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire still in the prime of a long and successful career, with wonderful supporting help from Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale who you couldn't do without. It also introduces the timeless christmas classic staple 'White Christmas' to the moviegoing audience for the first time (also the basis for the movie of the same name with Crosby a few years later). When it plays you'll absolutely revel in it, its calming and beautiful.

Holiday Inn as a title is appropriate because that's the backdrop that takes center stage here. Crosby retired from a song and dance routine tries his hand at farming but finds being lazy (a great number!) and not having to work a much better idea and remodels the farm into an inn literally open only on holidays; including Washington's birthday, Lincoln's birthday, Independence Day and of course Christmas! And to his closest friends surprise its a sold out hit with packed crowds and the excuse to throw out some showstopping musical numbers.

The music the main highlight of the movie here and the singing and dancing is incredible and at times literally (!) explosive. My favorite tunes of course the previously mentioned 'White Christmas' and 'Lazy' and also 'Be Careful, Its My Heart'.

The story is a bit corny and is the weakness of Holiday Inn. Its spins a romantic web between all 4 main characters that's dizzier than a 1940s film noir. Trying to keep up and make sense of it will just leave you in a bind. But it has alot of heart and a good dose of comedy, my highlight the maid Mamie and her two children, adorable little boy and girl, its always a howl when they appear.

As far as controversy, you may already know it has a musical number involving 'Blackface' which of course for the time period was general practice. Banned on broadcast TV its obviously offensive but it doesn't hurt the film in any way in my opinion. Just understand to seek out a censored version if that's not your taste. Other than its a good christmas musical worth watching for White Christmas of course and the talents of Crosby & Astaire and a talented supporting cast. For fans of the musicals of Irving Berlin as well!

a holiday musical

[rebeljenn · 5/10 · 22 December 2005]

'Holiday Inn' is not really a Christmas film, but it is a film about all holidays and the film that made 'White Christmas' a best-selling and popular song. This film is about a couple of dance/singing partners who fight over the girls in their lives. Bing Crosby's character decides to move out of New York City to a farm, and he turns this into an inn where they sing songs and dance on every holiday in the year, from Christmas to President's Day to Valentine's Day. It's a musical with plenty of song and dance with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, and it has a little bit of a love story in it too.

The highlight of this film is, of course, when Bing Crosby and the female lead sing 'White Christmas' in front of the piano and when the female lead then sings it herself at the end of the film, remembering these memories. This scene is done particularly well, but if you like musicals, then don't overlook this one. There is plenty of singing and dancing and a pretty good storyline to keep you interested. And, you must see the scenes where 'White Christmas' is sung.