White Christmas (1954)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Norman Krasna (written by) &
Norman Panama (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

14 October 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

First and unforgettable picture in VISTAVISION

Plot:

A successful song-and-dance team become romantically involved with a sister act and team up to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general.

Plot Keywords:

General | Song And Dance | Vermont | Christmas | Sister Act

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Bing Crosby	...	Bob Wallace
Danny Kaye	...	Phil Davis
Rosemary Clooney	...	Betty Haynes
Vera-Ellen	...	Judy Haynes (as Vera Ellen)
Dean Jagger	...	Major General Thomas F. Waverly
Mary Wickes	...	Emma Allen
John Brascia	...	John
Anne Whitfield	...	Susan Waverly
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bea Allen	...	Assistant Dance Director (uncredited)
Joan Bayley	...	Assistant Dance Director (uncredited)
Mae Bruce	...	Lady in Depot (uncredited)
Tony Butala	...	Boy in Finale (uncredited)
Glen Cargyle	...	Jeep Driver (uncredited)
George Chakiris	...	Dancer in 'Mandy' and 'Love' numbers (uncredited)
Barrie Chase	...	Doris Lenz (uncredited)
Les Clark	...	Assistant Dance Director (uncredited)
Lorraine Crawford	...	Rita (uncredited)
Robert Crosson	...	Albert (uncredited)
Sayre Dearing	...	Ex-Staff Officer (uncredited)
Marcel De la Brosse	...	Carousel Club's Maitre d' (uncredited)
Mike Donovan	...	2nd Conductor (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Nightclub Dance Extra (uncredited)
Ernie Flatt	...	Assistant Dance Director (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Dance Floor Extra at Novello's (uncredited)
Gavin Gordon	...	General Harold G. Carlton (uncredited)
Johnny Grant	...	Ed Harrison (uncredited)
Percy Helton	...	Train Conductor (uncredited)
I. Stanford Jolley	...	Station Master (uncredited)
Richard Keene	...	Carousel Club's Stage Manager (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Ex-Soldier (uncredited)
Vivian Mason	...	Rehearsal Blonde (uncredited)
Peggy McKim	...	Extra at party (uncredited)
Leighton Noble	...	Bandleader (uncredited)
James Parnell	...	Sheriff (uncredited)
Joe Ploski	...	Ex-Soldier (uncredited)
Sig Ruman	...	Landlord (uncredited)
Richard Shannon	...	Joe, Adjutant Captain (uncredited)
Dick Stabile	...	Band Leader at the Carousel Club (uncredited)
Grady Sutton	...	Mr. Herring, General's Party Guest (uncredited)
Hal Taggart	...	Guest (uncredited)
Herb Vigran	...	Novello, Nightclub Manager (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Curtiz

Writing credits
Norman Krasna		(written by) &
Norman Panama		(written by) &
Melvin Frank		(written by)

Produced by
Robert Emmett Dolan	....	producer

Cinematography by
Loyal Griggs		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Frank Bracht

Art Direction by
Roland Anderson
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Grace Gregory

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
Andy Burkus	....	assistant production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John R. Coonan	....	assistant director (as John Coonan)

Art Department
Dorothea Holt	....	illustrator (uncredited)
Gene Lauritzen	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)

Sound Department
John Cope	....	sound recordist
Hugo Grenzbach	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
John P. Fulton	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Farciot Edouart	....	process photographer
Cliff Shirpser	....	assistant camera: Technicolor (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Richard Mueller	....	color consultant: Technicolor

Music Department
Robert Alton	....	dances and musical numbers staged by
Joseph J. Lilley	....	music arranger: vocal arrangements
Joseph J. Lilley	....	musical director
Troy Sanders	....	music associate
Van Cleave	....	music arranger: orchestral music
Gus Levene	....	composer: incidental music (uncredited)
Joseph J. Lilley	....	composer: incidental music (uncredited)
Bernard Mayers	....	composer: incidental music (uncredited)
Trudy Stevens	....	singing voice: Vera Ellen "White Christmas", "Sisters" "Gee I Wish I Was in the Army" and "Snow" (uncredited)
Van Cleave	....	composer: incidental music (uncredited)
Gloria Wood	....	background singer: Vera-Ellen (uncredited)

Other crew
Bob Fosse	....	choreographer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1954) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (1961) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1964) (USA) (TV)
• Paramount Home Video (1985) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Park Circus (2008) (UK) (theatrical) (re-issue)
• Paramount Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)

Runtime:

120 min | UK:115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording) | Perspecta Stereo (optical prints)

Certification:

Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL | Australia:G | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | Norway:7 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The photo that Vera-Ellen shows to Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye of her brother, Bennie, is actually a photo of Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Early in the film there is a scene from the control room for the Wallace and Davis radio show. An engineer is seen sitting in front of the audio mixing console, but the VU meters that would show the level of the audio being sent out are not moving.

Quotes:

Phil Davis: How can a guy *that* ugly have the nerve to have sisters?
Bob Wallace: Very brave parents.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Before the Storm (1991) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Snow

If this isn't the all-time great Christmas movie, it's pretty close!

Sorry, Jimmy! My apologies, Alistair! My all-time favorite Christmas was, is, and always will be, "White Christmas." First of all, there's that wonderful Irving Berlin score. "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" and "Sisters" have become standards, of course. But, towering above them all, is Bing Crosby's definitive performance of the beloved Christmas favorite that he practically owned. All the performances are top-drawer, what with Bing, Danny Kaye (In a role meant for Donald O'Connor), Rosie Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Dean Jagger, and Mary Wickes, who, as you can see here, was playing nasty old things even when she was a nasty young thing!

Corny, syrupy, kitsch. Perhaps it is all of that, to some. But, to unashamed sentimentalists like me, "White Christmas" will always be THE all-time great Christmas movie, particularly when viewed by the whole family, on Christmas Day, in front of the fireplace.

God bless Bing, Berlin, and company, for making a lot of Holidays that much happier, including those of the Sorrentino family!