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Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire star in Holiday Inn as a popular nightclub song-and-dance team. When his heart is broken by his girlfriend, Crosby decides to retire from the hustle-bustle of big city showbiz. He purchases a rustic New England farm and converts it to an inn, which he opens to the public (floor show and all) only on holidays. This barely logical plot device allows ample space for a steady flow of Irving Berlin holiday songs (including an incredible blackface number in honor of Lincoln's Birthday). Oddly enough, the most memorable song in the bunch, the Oscar-winning "White Christmas," is not offered as a production number but as a simple ballad sung by Crosby to an audience of one: leading lady Marjorie Reynolds. Fred Astaire's best moment is his Fourth of July firecracker dance. Ah, but what about the plot? Well, it seems that Astaire wants to make a film about Crosby's inn, starring their mutual discovery Reynolds. Bing briefly loses Reynolds to Astaire, but wins her back during the filming of a musical number on a Hollywood soundstage (eleven years earlier, Bing enjoyed a final clinch with Marion Davies under surprisingly similar conditions in Going Hollywood). As with most of Irving Berlin's "portfolio" musicals of the 1940s, the song highlights of Holiday Inn are too numerous to mention. This delightful film is far superior to its unofficial 1954 remake, White Christmas.
CONDITION: NEW Marked UPC
Actors: Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds, Virginia Dale, Walter Abel
Directors: Mark Sandrich
Writers: Claude Binyon
Producers: Mark Sandrich
Format: NTSC, Subtitled
Language: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles: French, Spanish
Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English
Region: Region A/1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 2
Rated:
NR
Not Rated
Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: October 24, 2017
Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2018
Run Time: 202 minutes
Cast & Crew
Bing Crosby Jim Hardy
Fred Astaire Ted Hanover
Virginia Dale Lila Dixon
Marjorie Reynolds Linda Mason
Walter Abel Danny Reid
Louise Beavers Mamie
Marek Windheim Francois
Jacques Vanaire Waiter
Judith Gibson Cigarette Girl
Shelby Bacon Vanderbilt
Joan Arnold Daphne
Edward Arnold Man
Oscar G. Hendrian Doorman
Reed Porter Director
Irving Bacon Gus
James Bell Dunbar
John Gallaudet Parker
Harry Barris Orchestra leader
Leon Belasco Flower Shop Owner
Karin [Katharine] Booth Hatcheck Girl
Laurie Douglas Girl
June Ealey Specialty dancer
Lynda Grey Girl
Bud Jamison Santa Claus
Kitty Kelly Drunk
Lora Lee Michel Girl
Barbara Slater Girl
David Tihmar Specialty dancer
Robert E. Homans Pop
Louise LaPlanche Girl
Ronnie Rondell Orchestra leader
Bob Locke Lorraine Dancer
Technical Credits
Mark Sandrich Director,Producer
Dave Abel Cinematographer
Roland Anderson Art Director
Irving Berlin Score Composer
Claude Binyon Screenwriter
Charles C. Coleman Asst. Director
Daniel Dare Choreography
Robert Emmett Dolan Score Composer,Musical Direction/Supervision
Hans Dreier Production Designer
Edith Head Costumes/Costume Designer
Ellsworth Hoagland Editor
Elmer Rice Screenwriter
Wally Westmore Makeup
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