Why White Christmas is Awesome

Bloggers Note:  Full disclosure, a large portion of this post was featured at an earlier date on Life of Ando.  Just doing my part to be green and recycle.

My family and I watch the same slate of Christmas movies every year, and under the threat of actually having to eat figgy pudding, I'd probably say that White Christmas is my favorite.  Directed by Michael Curtiz--whose other director credits include Casablanca, Captain Blood, Yankee Doodle Dandy among many others--and with music penned by Irving Berlin, it's really the perfect blend of great music, good story, and 1950's camp.

Starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, and Dean Jagger, it's the story (in case for some reason you don't know) of a couple of song-and-dance men who join forces after WWII to become a celebrated musical team.  They get romantically involved with a pair of singing sisters on the lam for allegedly burning a whole in their dressing room carpet and together the four of them try to save their old General's Vermont inn from closing down.  Musical hijinx ensue.

I could go on, but we've all seen it.  And if you haven't, then let me ask you why you hate Christmas so much.  But, there are a hundred little things that make it so great, many you probably wouldn't notice until you've seen it 20 or 30 times.  Which, fortunately for you, I have.  So here are a few of the reasons, some obvious some less so, that make White Christmas awesome.

-- Bing’s dulcet tones

-- Bing’s army issue camouflage ascot and front line loafers

 -- The background dancers in the Mandy (tragically, this is the only clip available on YouTube; its the dance number only set to a Beck song for some unexplained reason) and Love You Didn’t Do Right By Me  numbers; pure comedy.

-- Vera-Ellen’s inhuman waistline.  It’s about as big around as a cereal bowl!

-- Why doesn't anyone call out Emma the housekeeper for her meddling that almost cost them the show, not to mention three relationships (Bob & Betty, Phil & Judy, Betty & Judy)?

-- The fact that General Waverly asks not to be called General and everyone continuing to call him that for the rest of the movie. 

-- Of course he might have made it more difficult on himself by insisting on talking in military parlance all the time:

 To Betty at the train station, “I can’t help but think this is a tactical error.”

To everyone immediately after telling them to keep the general part quiet, “Excuse me everyone, I’m on KP.”

To Emma after she sent both his suits to the dry cleaners, “I’ll have you court marshaled!”

 -- The Bing-isms: 

“Whoa, whoa, time, time, cut!”

“It’s a little dangerous putting those knights up on those bleached chargers.”

“I’m starting to play a little trombone here m’self.”

“Grab the cow.”

-- Irving Berlin’s tremendous songs.

-- Wallace and Davis assisting the Haynes sisters skip town on a warrant for their arrest.  Apparently none of them plan on returning to Florida anytime soon.

-- “Mutual I’m sure!”

-- Danny Kaye’s “small internal muscular hemorrhage” or “small compound fracture.”

-- The foreshadowing of Rosemary Clooney’s future weight gain in the “Back in the Army” number.

-- The General leaving one of his soldiers hanging with a phantom handshake.

-- I could go on and on.  Best Christmas movie ever!