The Best Things Happen While Youre Dancing Review
The Screen in Review; 'White Christmas' Bows at the Music Hall
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The Screen in Review; 'White Christmas' Bows at the Music Hall
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October 15, 1954
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Information technology was twelve years agone that Bing Crosby was in a place and a moving picture chosen "Vacation Inn," wherein he sang a little number tagged "White Christmas," written—as was all the music in that picture—by Irving Berlin. The occasion was happily historic, for a reason nosotros scarcely need call back: "White Christmas" and Mr. Crosby became similar "God Bless America" and Kate Smith—so much so, indeed, that the notion of starring Mr. Crosby in a film that would accept the title "White Christmas" was broached as long equally six years ago.Various obstructions beset it, but the purpose was ultimately achieved. "White Christmas," with Mr. Crosby, opened yesterday at the Music Hall. What'south more, it is in Technicolor and VistaVision, which is Paramount'southward new broad-screen device, and it has Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen in addition to its focal star. A new batch of Irving Berlin numbers comprises its musical score. Paramount, to put it simply, has done "White Christmas" up brown.Merely, oddly plenty, the confection is non so tasty as one might suppose. The flavoring is largely in the line-up and not in the output of the cooks. Everyone works hard at the business organization of singing, dancing and swell jokes, merely the stuff that they piece of work with is minor. It doesn't take the former inspiration and spark.For one thing, the credited scriptwriters—Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank—take shown very little imagination in putting together what is sometimes called the "book." They have hacked out a way of getting two teams of entertainers—a pair of celebrated male person hoofers and a singing sister act—to a ski lodge in New England (reminiscent of the Holiday Inn) which happens to exist run past the good old general of the outfit the fellows Were in during the war. And to show their appreciation of the good sometime general and the difficult circumstances he appears to exist in, they provide costless entertainment and telephone call in a large rally of comrades for the Christmas holidays.It is a routine accumulation of standard romance and sentiment, blessed by a few funny set-ups that are usually grabbed with nigh effect past Mr. Kaye. And the music of Mr. Berlir is a expert bit less than inspired Outside of the erstwhile "White Christmas," which is sung at the offset and the end, there are only a couple of numbers that have a measure of amuse. One of these is "Count Your Blessings," a vocal of reassurance that Mr. Crosby and Miss Clooney chant, and some other is "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing," which Mr. Kaye sings and to which he and Vera-Ellen cavort.Three numbers are given over to the adoration of generals and Army life, which seems non alone an extravagance but a reckless audacity. Even the sweet of Dean Jagger as the one-time general does not justify the expense. Someone's nostalgia for the state of war years and the U. S. O. tours has taken the show awry.Fortunately, the use of VistaVision, which is another process of projecting on a wide, flat screen, has made it possible to endow "White Christmas" with a fine pictorial quality. The colors on the large screen are rich and luminous, the images are clear and sharp, and rapid movements are got without blurring—or very petty—such as sometimes is seen on other large screens. Manager Michael Curtiz has fabricated his picture look good. It is also bad that it doesn't hit the eardrums and the funnybone with equal forcefulness.
WHITE CHRISTMAS, written by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank; directed by Michael Curtiz; music and lyrics by Irving Berlin; produced past Robert E. Dolan for Paramount Pictures. At the Radio Metropolis Music Hall.Bob Wallace . . . . . Bing CrosbyPhil Davis . . . . . Danny KayeBetty . . . . . Rosemary ClooneyJudy . . . . . Vera-EllenGeneral Waverly . . . . . Dean JaggerEmma . . . . . Mary WickesJoe . . . . . John BrasciaSusan . . . . . Anne WhitfieldAdjutant . . . . . Richard ShannonGeneral's Guest . . . . . Grady SuttonLandlord . . . . . Sig RumanAlbert . . . . . Robert Crosson
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/1954/10/15/archives/the-screen-in-review-white-christmas-bows-at-the-music-hall.html
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