Why did I wait this long to see an old holiday classic? Mainly because I assumed that it was a remake of Holiday Inn, which I had already seen and found, well, far from timeless. It did have the same lead actor and stand-out song, after all. But it'd be unusual for a non-international remake to come out only 12 years later, especially when censorship standards hadn't changed much. Further research assured me it was no sequel either.
Former Army comrades Bob (Bing Crosby) and Phil (Danny Kaye) are major stage musical producers but not content; Bob keeps working them harder than Phil deems comfortable. Phil's solution is to introduce Bob to prospective wives, even if Phil can't see himself with a wife of his own. When they attend a duo act, Phil is quickly smitten with Judy (Vera-Ellen) and thinks that Bob is into her protective elder sister, Betty (Rosemary Clooney), but the latter two face complications, thanks largely to Bob having developed a cynical attitude in show business. Regardless, between antics and Phil's manipulation, all four head to a Vermont town, hoping for, y'know, the title thing. The town is surprisingly warm and emptied out when they arrive, but genre savvy should tell you something.
As luck would have it, the men's former general Waverly (Dean Jagger) is their humble inn's struggling landlord. They hatch a plan to put on a big-budget, televised production right there for financial and moral support. Alas, some in the entertainment field would see fit to capitalize on Waverly's poor luck, and Betty gets the idea that Bob is one of them. Not even loyalty to Judy, who wants her to be with Bob, can keep her around for something that seedy. This being a romantic comedy, there is inadequate communication among parties for a long time.
In case you wonder how Phil keeps getting Bob to agree to things he doesn't like, Phil got injured saving Bob's life in World War II and won't let him forget it. Moments like that make me sympathize more with Bob. Nevertheless, Phil's plans do tend to work for the better...eventually.
Yes, many key elements herein are dated. Crosby's croon hasn't struck much of a chord in ages, Kaye's clowning is now hit and miss, we tend to expect a little more time for characters to fall in love, and the whole subgenre of musicals about plotless variety musicals is long gone. It's still a far cry from HI, with all that political incorrectness. One WC number even calls attention to the difference by extensively referencing minstrel shows but not depicting any blackface.
The 16 songs, all by Irving Berlin, are generally more decent than memorable. I barely recognized one or two other than the title song. The dances are about the same, occasionally impressive but not especially colorful. That's one thing to miss in the absence of Fred Astaire. All in all, they served mainly to pad two hours.
Oh, WC is certainly watchable. It sometimes amused me and never annoyed me, the plot works pretty well as '50s musicals go, and it's sweet without veering into outright sap like so many Christmas movies. Consider it for your late December viewings, with the caveat that it's not a must-see.
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