Holiday Inn

Holiday Inn
Released Date: April 4, 1943
Director: Mark Sandrich
Actors: Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds, Virginia Dale, Walter Abel, Louise Beavers, Irving Bacon, Marek Windheim, James Bell, John Gallaudet, Shelby Bacon, Joan Arnold, and Bob Crosby and His Orchestra

     Bing Crosby's beautiful voice and Fred Astaire's beautiful taps are a treat in this holiday classic. "White Christmas" being Bing Crosby's classic Christmas song was an Academy Award winner for Best Song, and also went on to be one of the biggest selling songs in history. Which is not surprising as it is well sung and well written. Crosby sang this song in four of his movies. Did you know that the set, and actor and composer were used twice. The set can be seen in White Christmas, with Bing Crosby as a main actor, with him singing White Christmas and Irving Berlin wrote songs for both films. You can also witness Fred Astaire doing a Drunk Tap in this movie, and guess what! He really was drunk. He had two drinks of bourbon before the first take was done, and then before every take after that he had one glass of bourbon. The take you saw in the movie was take SEVEN. Can you imagine, that would make it nine drinks of bourbon later and that makes it a real drunk dance. What a great day at work, huh? Can you imagine your boss asking you to have a drink before doing a task?

     Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby), Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire), and Lila Dixon (Virginia Dale) are a famous three man group. Jim and Lila are a couple, at least Jim thinks so. And he asks Lila to marry him and move to the country and live a life of lazy. Lila has other plans. To keep on touring and with her other man, Ted. Jim's heart is broken, but he goes ahead and moves to the country by himself. He no longer wants to tour and most importantly, he is done working all the time. But boy is he wrong that living on a farm equals a lazy life. He works and hard! Jim soon realizes that he can turn his old barn into a nightclub, and the catch? Only to be open on Holidays, all Holidays. And he wants to hire a few people to sing and dance with him. So Jim goes to New York to ask Ted and Lila to come see him when it opens, but then also asks his old manager Danny (Walter Abel) to find him some great acts. Danny ends up running into a girl at a flower shop and gives her Jim's card. Her name is Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds) and she ends up being an amazing girl and who happens to be what Jim needed. They quickly fall in love but all goes haywire when Ted the love blocker comes back into Jim's life. Will Linda leave Jim to go with Ted? There is promise with Ted, a life in Hollywood and Jim is just staying in the country. Find out by watching this Holiday classic today!!!

High Society

High Society
Released Date: July 17, 1956
Director: Charles Walters
Actors: Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly, Celeste Holm, John Lund, Louis Calhern, Sidney Blackmer, Louis Armstrong and his Band, Margalo Gillmore, and Lydia Reed

     Just like Katharine Hepburn, Grace Kelly played the part of Tracy Lord in the stage play of The Philadelphia Story. And then replayed the part on the big screen. Only this time, under a different name, High Society. The musical version has Bing Crosby as C.K. Dexter-Haven who was played by Cary Grant in The Philadelphia Story. Tracy Lord is played by Grace Kelly, Katharine Hepburn was in the standard version. Frank Sinatra plays Mike Connor, the wonderful James Stewart in the standard. And then we have Liz Imbrie who is played by Celeste Holm in the musical but then Ruth Hussey is in the standard version. Which do I prefer? Grace Kelly is my all time favorite actress, but I love Katharine Hepburn too. James Stewart is my all time favorite actor and I love Cary Grant. I'm not a huge fan of musicals but I do love High Society. Both are great and both deserve to be recognized. It is the same thing only in High Society there is singing. Otherwise it is the same movie. I love it!!! And I hope you rent both versions, or buy, whichever, you won't be disappointed.

     High Society starts off with a four minute overture with very fast and fun music. Letting you, the viewer know that you are in for a fast and fun ride throughout the entire movie. We then get to see the famous MGM lion and his famous roar too. I can tell from the start that I would love this film, I love Grace Kelly, the music is fun and happy, my favorite co-star from All About Eve, Celeste Holm's is in this, and the colorful background makes for a fun watch as well. Which is not surprising as the words, "Color by Technicolor" flash through the screen. Then the real beginning happens, with Louis Armstrong, playing himself, sings in his happy go lucky smile with his band on a bus. Singing the title of this movie "High Society." After the song ends, Mr. Armstrong says "end of song, beginning of story." We then see what is believed to be dejevu when you realize once again that this is the musical version of a movie you have seen before. With Tracy Lord (Grace Kelly) running about the house getting ready for her wedding with George Kittredge (John Lund). Tracy's sister, Caroline Lord (Lydia Reed) is again upset about Tracy's new choice for a husband, for she still thinks C.K. Dexter Haven (Bing Crosby) is the one for Tracy. You then realize that nothing could be more true when you meet Kittredge and see how serious he is. Tracy Lord is obviously a happy girl, full of life and wants nothing more than to get herself dirty outside. Riding horses or swimming, or falling to the ground in a playful manner. Mike Connor (Frank Sinatra) and Liz Imbrie (Celeste Holm) are in for a treat when Tracy and Caroline meet them for the first time. Mike and Liz are from a magazine, known as Spy Magazine, and want nothing more than some juicy gossip for their boss. But is the gossip worth the money they will recieve, or the fact that they get to stay with the magazine that Mike clearly is not happy with? Find out in this musical version of The Philadelphia Story. Is it as good as the original? I was happy by the end of it!!!