Holiday Inn is a 1942 American musical film directed by Mark Sandrich and starring Bing Crosby as Jim Hardy, Fred Astaire as Ted Hanover, Marjorie Reynolds as Linda Mason and Virginia Dale as Lila Dixon. With music by Irving Berlin, the composer wrote twelve songs specifically for the film, the best known being White Christmas. White Christmas later appeared in the film, White Christmas. It was neither a sequel to, nor a remake of Holiday Inn which is a persistent myth that continues to this day. Aside from both films starring Bing Crosby and featuring Irving Berlin scores, the plots and characters' names are completely different. Yet White Christmas was intended to reunite Crosby and Fred Astaire who had previously co-starred in the classic Holiday Inn. This, by some, was considered a partial remake. Astaire turned the project down after reading the script. Danny Kaye was given the part and therefore ended up dancing with Vera-Ellen for all time, on film, in White Christmas.
Holiday Inn was truly one of the great musicals to ever grace the silver screen. Between the great songs, the dance numbers and the chemistry between Bing and Fred, this film is really one of the all-time classics. What really makes it good is because it very much plays like a a great Broadway review that uses the different holidays as an excuse to display the individual talents of each of the film's stars. However, the film is most remembered for introducing one of the all- time classic songs to the world, White Christmas. Anyone who is a fan of Crosby and Astaire will enjoy this movie. Both stars were really at their professional peaks at the time and they show it in this movie musical.
The film's release date was September 4, 1942 with an estimated budget of $3,200,000. The 1942 film is set in a Connecticut inn that is only open on holidays. The movie, set in fictional Midwille was actually shot in California. The inn in the film was later revamped to be a Vermont inn in the movie, White Christmas.
Director Mark Sandrich originally wanted Ginger Rogers and Rita Hayworth as the female leads. However, executives at Paramount vetoed his idea since Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, two of the studio's highest-paid stars, were already co-starring in the movie. A colorized version of Holiday Inn was released by Universal on October 14, 2008.
The movie is famous for three things: It brought together three greats in the prime of their careers .. Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire and Irving Berlin. It inspired the name of the motel chain in 1952. And White Christmas became the most popular song ever written.
It's said that Berlin got the idea for the film after writing the song, Easter Parade for his 1933 show As Thousands Cheer.
It might not be a very practical mode of transportation especially on cold wintry days, but it sure looks romantic especially when a lovely farmhouse like this one is the destination! This film is best known for introducing us to the song, White Christmas by Bing Crosby and again, by Bing in the Christmas classic, White Christmas.
Happy Holidays from Holiday Inn
Be Safe.
Pat Locke
Maestro Muse
