White Christmas is a truly unique film that transcends both time and numerous generations of families to remain popular today. Made in 1954 by Paramount Pictures Corporation, it is a time-honoured Christmas movie. However, to become a movie that is still enjoyed and talked about fifty years after its release, a film has to have far more than just one or two pleasant and enjoyable aspects. This can give a film some initial success but it will not launch it into a legendary position among other great films.
To become a truly memorable film, it must incorporate a mix of excellent acting performances from top actors of their time period, a well formulated plot that includes themes that viewers can initially relate to but then can find captivating and interesting as time goes by, new and different ideas at the time of its release and an outstanding musical soundtrack. White Christmas has all of these components integrated together to produce a film that is one for the ages.
The cast is a star studded lineup highlighted by Bing Crosby, who plays the role of Bob Wallace, Danny Kaye, who plays the roll of Phil Davis, Rosemary Clooney, who plays the role of Betty Haynes and Vera Ellen, who plays the role of Judy Haynes. The role of Phil Davis was originally intended for Fred Astaire but Kaye was cast for that part when Astaire was unavailable to take the roll.
Each of these actors were top stars during the 1950’s and had appeared in numerous successful films prior to the making of White Christmas. Crosby had acted numerous times with the man who was nearly his co-star for White Christmas, Fred Astaire. The two actors were in many popular song and dance movies including Blue Skies and Holiday Inn, two movies that had songs written for them appear in White Christmas. Some of Kaye’s major roles before White Christmas included The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) and Hans Christian Anderson (1952). Rosemary Clooney was a popular singer at the time of the making of White Christmas. Many people referred to her as the female version of Frank Sinatra. Vera Ellen was a dancer who had appeared in Broadway musicals as a child. One of her most popular movies was Three Little Words in which she acted alongside Fred Astaire.
There was clearly a great deal of talent and acting experience among the four main actors cast for White Christmas. After experiencing major success in many of their previous movies, these four talented actors came together and put forth masterful performances in White Christmas. With their performances, they were able to enhance the already rich plot to the point where viewers, or at least in my case, wish they could be a part of the story and life the lives of one of these four characters.
Bing Crosby’s character, Bob Wallace, is a well known and popular entertainer before the onset of World War Two. He participates in World War Two as a Captain and nearly loses his life after a wall collapsed as he was giving out orders to his unit of soldiers during an attack. Wallace, not noticing he was standing in grave danger, was picked up and carried to safety by Private Phil Davis, Danny Kaye’s character. During this tense scene, Davis throws himself and Wallace under a broken down truck to avoid falling debris; however, Davis suffers a gash to his arm in the exchange. Later that day, Wallace comes by the medical ward to thank Davis for saving his life. He tells him if there is ever anything he can do for Davis, do not hesitate to ask. As he is leaving, Davis mentions that he has written a song and wanted to know if Wallace would sing it with him. After being initially reluctant, he agrees after Davis begins to rub his injured arm hoping to make Wallace feel as though he needs to repay him in someway.
With that, the first theme of the movie is revealed. Guilt is light-heartedly used throughout the film by Davis as a tactic to get Wallace to go along with his idea. After the war, the two men joined up and became one of the most popular performance teams in show business. Davis was the easier going, free spirit and Wallace was the more serious of the two characters. Davis would always want to explore new possibilities or do things that were unplanned.
Guilt is used again in the film when Wallace and Davis are given the opportunity to produce a play. Wallace immediately refuses because he thinks it will be too expensive and they have too much work to do already. Davis begins rubbing his arm to cause his partner to feel guilty and eventually, Wallace gives in and agrees. Another example was when Wallace and Davis had met the Haynes sisters at a restaurant where they were performing. Davis, who made quick friends with Judy Haynes, discovered the two sisters were going to Vermont over Christmas to perform at a hotel. Hoping to spend more time with the sisters, Davis suggests he and Wallace accompany them to Vermont instead of going to New York as they had originally planned. Again, Wallace refuses but Davis does the arm rubbing bit and Wallace decides to go along.
Their personalities are somewhat indicative of the general feeling around American society during the 1950’s. World War Two had finally drawn to a conclusion in 1945. The military was beginning to demobilize and the men who were overseas participating in the war effort were all beginning to return home. Much in the way of technological advancements had been made during the war and they were beginning to filter into civilian life. Air Travel was becoming more reliable and television was becoming a fixture in the American home. People were eager to live well after the terrifying years they faced during World War Two. People were more free spirited and willing to try new and exciting things; however, many people were still very careful at the same time not too go overboard. The memory of the 1929 Stock Market Crash and the subsequent period of depression still loomed large in the minds of many. Wallace and Davis seem to portray these two trends in society throughout the film in their separate personalities.
Generally Davis is the carefree character and Wallace is the more serious, cost conscious character. At times, however, the two characters seem to switch spirits and we see Davis become the more cost conscious one. This is most noticeable when Wallace decides to bring the entire show to Vermont over the holidays. This is presumably a very expensive undertaking but Wallace has convinced himself this is what he wants to do. While he is on the phone working out a deal, Davis begs Wallace to tell him the cost. When Wallace finally finishes his phone conversation he replies to Davis by telling him the cost is somewhere between ouch and poing. Without making it the focus point of the film, White Christmas lends its stance on the results and outcomes of World War Two. Not surprisingly, the movie takes a very pro-American stance on the war. Throughout the movie, retired soldiers are often talked about and mentioned. They were made out to be very brave and courageous men, heroes for their effort in the war.
This is noticed throughout the film but most prominently near the end of the movie. Many of the soldiers who were in the unit under the command of General Tom Waverly came to the inn he now owned at the request of Bob Wallace as a tribute of their appreciation toward Waverly. The General and the other soldiers receive thunderous applause from their families and other guests at the inn. It is clear that the soldiers were thought very well of by all the people they came in contact with.
White Christmas has a plot that is extremely well thought out and organized by the writers. All of the subplots come together tremendously well at the end of the film leaving the viewer satisfied and likely pleased with the conclusion of the story.
The first quarter or so of the film is spent laying the foundation for the main plot by exploring two of the subplots that eventually all come together at the end of the film. The viewer first learns of the soldiers respect and care they feel toward General Waverly. Secondly, the viewer learns of Phil Davis’ interest in setting his performance partner, Bob Wallace, up with a girl because Davis thinks of Wallace as a “lonely, miserable, unhappy man.” This leads the two men to the inn of their former General after they decide to follow the Haynes sisters to the Columbia Inn, in Pinetree, Vermont where they were scheduled to perform over the Christmas holidays. From that point on, the main plot is revealed and the rest of the film is spent building on it.
After World War Two, there were a great deal of soldiers returning home from Europe looking for employment and a steady income. Six years earlier, many jobs were left vacant when men applied to serve over seas in the war effort. Upon returning, business owners were quick to hire men from the lower ranks of the military but for higher ranking officers, it was often more difficult to secure a good job. Understandably, business owners would feel uncomfortable hiring a general to work in an ordinary position like a clerk in a store. It would be more logical for a general to work as a head or vice-president of a company but there are just not very many positions like that available. Often higher ranking officers from the military were forced to start new businesses after the war as a source of generating an income of themselves and their families.
General Waverly had started a successful inn that did much of its business during the winter as skiing was a big attraction to get tourists to Vermont. During the particular winter that the movie takes place in, Vermont, a state that usually gets a great deal of snow, had gone a long time without any, which subsequently hurt the business owners in that area who depended on snow as a way of bringing in clientele. General Waverly’s inn was one of those businesses that were suffering due to the lack of snow. His I-make-a-deal, I-keep-a-deal, personality also did not help his situation. When the Haynes sisters offered to work for half salary to help him out, he refused to pay them anything less than what he had promised. This undoubtedly came from his background in the military, where high ranking officers often share the same set of morals on which they conduct themselves.
He needed some kind of financial assistance but was too proud to admit this fact. To help him, Wallace and Davis decided to bring their very successful show up to the inn hoping to attract business with their show’s popularity. While this was a great idea, it was only “half a great idea” to quote a line from the film. Wallace later goes on a variety show to make a pitch to his old unit from the military, the 151st Division, to come to the inn over the holidays to help out their general.
As the main plot is revealed, it is clear that another major theme of the film is generosity. Throughout the main plot, Wallace and Davis give practically everything they can to help their old General get people to come to his inn. To quote another line from the film, while on the Ed Harrison Variety Show, Bob Wallace says, “And remember folks, no one connected to the show is getting anything out of this, nothing at all, just a chance to give the greatest Christmas present he’s ever got to the greatest guy we’ll ever know.”
This theme adds to the “feel good” atmosphere of the film. It is not often that two people go out of there way to do as much for someone as Wallace and Davis did for General Waverly in this film. The fact that Wallace and Davis were so selfless in the way they attempted to and succeed in helping General Waverly is something that touches the viewers and really endears the characters to them. By the end of the film, the theme really lends to a warm-hearted, magical Christmas feel that leaves the viewer in a very relaxed and good state of mind. This is definitely one of the reasons for the films sustained popularity since its release fifty years ago.
In conclusion, White Christmas contains so many things that make it as popular as it was and remains today. It was enhanced by excellent acting performances. The plot was gripping and yet light-hearted allowing it to be enjoyed by all people and to stick with them as it became a Christmas tradition.
The movie also signifies a trend in society at the time that it was made. It accurately shows the feelings that were in the American society during the time following the end of World War Two.
For these reasons, this movie is one that truly will be remembered as a legendary film and is one that will most certainly continue being a Christmas tradition in many families.
