Retro Review – White Christmas

Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday! I love singing along to Christmas music (I’ve already been listening to it since the radio station 93.9FM, the Holiday Lite, here in Chicago, started playing their Christmas songs!)  I love all of the colorful lights that decorate the houses and trees…and above all, I love the snow! The magical white sparkles that fall silently, covering everything in a beautiful blanket.  Who doesn’t dream of having a white Christmas?  It’s the one thing that makes Christmas time even more special and sentimental.

Irving Berlin’s classic White Christmas (1954) is a fabulous holiday musical that captures all the beautiful essence of Christmas.  Set after the war, two famous veteran musical talents Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, played by Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, follow a sister act, played by Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen, to a Vermont Inn in the hopes of finding love.  At the inn, which hasn’t seen snow since Thanksgiving, Bob and Phil learn that its owner is their beloved General who led them in the war.  The cozy inn and the General are now both in financial trouble.  In the event of  “helping out an old pal from the army,” and with the help of the sisters, Crosby and Kaye plan a Christmas Eve show to get the inn booked and back in business.  The Christmas act is a show stopper that comes with a holiday surprise.

This holiday musical is a classic in every sense of word.  Group acts with eye appealing choreography, to amazing single numbers, to famous duets…the music and dancing in White Christmas is memorable.  Not only is great to hear “White Christmas” several times in the movie, but it also debuts “Sisters” and “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep.”  Irving Berlin made a score for this musical that was meant to be unforgettable.

I also love this musical for its simple heart warming Christmas style.  Crosby and Kaye are continually “helping out pal(s) from the army.”  They go out of their way to make a General feel special and loved by calling on their loved ones and army buddies.  It’s a great sense of camaraderie and passion that drives the characters, and it leaves me feeling all warm and happy inside.

White Christmas is a holiday classic that I will continue to watch year round, with several extra viewings the closer we get to Christmas!  I love the beautiful singing and dancing and the idea of a heart-warming cozy inn that brings people together.  It’s a feel good musical that captures the love and heart of Christmas and gives any nostalgic girl her dream of a beautiful white snowy Christmas season!