Holiday Inn

Holiday Inn is rated Not Rated:

Three is definitely a crowd for Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire), Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby), and Lila Dixon (Virginia Dale). The song and dance team plans to split right after its last scheduled performance on Christmas Eve so Ted can pursue a solo career while Jim and Lila tie the knot and retire to a quiet country life.

Or at least that’s what Jim thinks. Unbeknownst to him, Lila hasn’t committed to hanging up her dancing shoes, or her engagement. Without even a decent apology, the fickle female follows Ted’s lead instead, and the two tango away to promises of limelight leaving Jim with a broken heart and an already purchased farm in Connecticut.

Jim tries to build a new life for himself, but quickly finds his romantic notions of a pastoral existence as exhausted as all the hard work and chores have made him. So the singer/songwriter hatches a plan that will let him enjoy the best of both worlds: Call his property the Holiday Inn, and host musical extravaganzas especially created to celebrate each annual occasion. With the refreshing prospect of only having to work fifteen days out of the year, Jim contacts his former showbiz buddies to see if they want in on the act.

Although not enthusiastic about his project, Ted and Lila’s manager, Danny Reed (Walter Able), does pass on Jim’s offer to an aspiring talent named Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds). She appears to be the perfect tonic for both Jim’s ailing heart and his budding business until fate interferes in the form of a jilted Ted. When the dejected dancer shows up on the Inn’s doorstep looking for a new partner, the all too familiar triangle develops again.

As in most Hollywood musicals, the plot is really only a clothesline on which to air song and dance routines. In this case the movie provides fourteen works by composer Irving Berlin that showcase American national holidays. Sung by the versatile Bing Crosby, some of the enduring tunes include In Your Easter Bonnet, Be Careful -- It’s My Heart, and of course White Christmas. Fred Astaire is best remembered in this film for his fabulous 4th of July performance where his tap dancing is accompanied by exploding firecrackers.

With the exception of both main characters smoking, and the use of alcohol to drown sorrows, this Christmas classic invites families to pull up a cozy chair and make themselves at home in the Holiday Inn.

In this movie, Jim is excited about the prospect of only having to work 15 days a year, and many of the dance numbers are portrayed as impromptu or ad-libbed. What part of showbiz 0x201Cwork0x201D does the movie fail to acknowledge or portray? In reality how long do you think it would take to create sequences like Fred Astaire’s firecracker tap dance? (According to an article on Turner Classic Movies the scene took two days and 38 takes 0x2013 and that’s not including the many rehearsal hours or years of dancing lessons.)

This film was made in 1942. How did the political climate of that time influence the depiction of the Independence Day celebration and Irving Berlin’s song Freedom?

What is considered 0x201Cpolitically correct0x201D constantly changes. Given the attitudes of today’s society, would the main characters be portrayed as smokers? How do you feel about the Lincoln’s Day performance where the white characters wear black makeup, and the lyrics use the term darkie?

Bing Crosby also starred in the 1954 remake of this film entitled… White Christmas (named after the signature song which appears in both movies.) If you love Hollywood musicals, then be sure to check out Singin’ in the Rain.