Song and Dance Men

Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire star in Holiday Inn (1942). Unlike the hotel chain that adopted the same name later on, this Holiday Inn is only open on holidays, all 15 or so of them. The inn creates a backdrop where people meet, fall in love, generate great misunderstandings and devise elaborate sabotage plans. All of this is woven into holiday celebrations. Since the central plot is based around holidays, the film skips from one holiday to the next to check in on the characters and see how relationships and shenanigans progress.


Director Mark Sandrich's style is apparent in the first minutes of the film by swiftly and efficiently presenting the characters and scenario. Very little is said, but all is understood. The first musical number presents the love triangle dynamic that sets the tone for the rest of the film. This sets the stage for the playful jealousy and vengefulness between Jim and Ted, the Crosby and Astaire characters respectively. It also hints toward the flighty nature of Lila's love. This creates a perfect opportunity for the two legends to face off using their own style. In sum, singing vs. dancing. They both are masters of their respective fields and no matter who comes out on top, the real winners are the spectators. Yes, I realize how cheesy that was.

The dance numbers are characterized by the ballroom and tap style that prevailed at the time. Ballroom is a style that continues to appear in later musicals, but loses steam against the more modern styles of dance. These dances matched with some fabulously festive Irving Berlin songs make for a delightful experience. The songs, to say the least, are creative, especially for holidays that aren't typically associated to traditional songs. Many songs would be noteworthy, but I particularly enjoyed the Thanksgiving song that weaves a sort of answering game with the bummed out Crosby character. The contradiction between the song that's playing and Crosby's answers are both funny and revealing of his charcater. This section also uses a cartoon turkey to reference the controversy that occured in 1941 about the date of Thanksgiving. In April, we hear "Easter Parade", a song that has already appeared in another film and will again appear in a later film of the same name. Another interesting bit of acting is Astaire's drunken dance. This scene is even more charming when one learns that Astaire drank 2 shots before starting and one additional shot every time they started a new take. To give an idea, the shot used in the film was the seventh take. Astaire retains his style and precision even after knocking back that many drinks. The dance during the "Be Careful, It's My Heart" number is interesting, in particular because of the symbolism of Astaire and Reynolds' characters jumping through the heart decoration and literally breaking Jim's heart.

The highly patriotic number on the 4th of July seems at first glance excessive. When looked at more closely, once realizes that while this film was being made, the Japanese bombed the United States. This created a need to include a pro-United States number in the film. Today, this segment is fine mainly because of the grounded every man image of Bing Crosby. Otherwise, this number could have felt really boastful or condescending. However, the montage of images of the military, the freedoms, etc, feels a little extravagant. This number is followed by the impressive and intricate firecraker dance which uses real firecrakers. This dance remains one of the most impressive in Astaire's career and certainly the most explosive.

Amongst all the songs, the most recognizable remains "White Christmas". This is indeed the first appearance of a song that is now a Christmas staple. Crosby sings it beautifully and with feeling. "White Christmas" was a hit beyond anyone's predictions and remains one of the top selling songs ever. Its popularity can be partly attributed to the war since the lyrics catered perfectly to the members of the army who found themselves so far away from home during Christmas.  


The Lincon's Birthday celebrations include the very controversial blackface number. This number includes some very stereotypical mannerisms, dialects and physical appearances. It reflects many tendancies that appeared in the ministrel shows still present in the culture at the time. This is of course extremely politically incorrect and many versions of the film, especially the televised ones, exclude this segment. It remains uncomfortable and shocking for some. However, as one watches it with the eyes of today, one must keep in mind the social and temperal context in which the film was made. Also, the scene is not simply tossed in; it is relevant to the plot which is motivated by Jim wanting to hide Linda from Ted. Cutting out this segment of the film is doing a diservice to history by pretending that it never happened instead of acknowledging that times have changed.

Though we have a tendancy to focus on the famous men in the film, it's important to highlight the women as well. Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale showcase great skills throughout the picture. Reynolds holds her own, especially in the dancing category, while rubbing elbows with such a talented cast.

DVD features include a look back at the career of Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. The interview is interesting, but feels somewhat awkward and scripted. The DVD offers another documentary, the trailer and a commentary track. Though it's often associated to Christmas, Holiday Inn is a year round great film to watch and witness the lengendary performing skills of Astaire and Crosby.