25 Days of Christmas: Day Thirteen

White Christmas (1954)

"Well how do you like that? Not so much as a "kiss my foot" or "have an apple"." - Doris











They just don't make them like this anymore. This an excellent movie with an all star cast that could really do anything. Comedy, singing, dancing, drama... you name it they had it in spades.

Yes, it's a musical. Don't let that put you off of seeing it though because the story is just as compelling as the excellent music that fills it. We begin in the days of World War II. Two guys, Wallace and Davis, are brought together during an attack and after the war is over they team up to do a duo singing act that grows and grows until they are two of the biggest stars out there.

A chance encounter with the sisters of an old war buddy has them heading to Vermont to a down on it's luck ski resort in the middle of a season that has not brought any snow. Wallas and Davis decide to bring a brand new version of their hit show to the resort to help drum up business. The resort happens to be owned by a General they served under in the war. A General which they feel deserves to have a Christmas miracle.

I love the music and dance numbers in the film as well. They range from the very simple to the massive as we go from bombed out battle front to small train car to the grandeur of a broadway musical number being rehearsed for the big show. The tunes are catchy and fun to watch as each of the talented actors knows there way around a stage. Plus we get to hear Bing Crosby croon through the whole thing to finish with the best version of White Christmas there has ever been.

There is also the love story that unfolds between the Haynes sisters and Wallace and Davis. It feels natural and the guys and gals are paired off perfectly. It's not fun and games and musical numbers though. There is misunderstanding and drama that pulls everything apart at the last minute. But all turns out well as it's Christmas... the time of miracles.

I watched this movie a hundred times or more as I grew up as it was a favorite in my house. We all know the songs and can quote nearly the whole movie by heart. It's old fashioned movie making that makes it feel like Christmas each time I put it in.