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Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Directed by	Mark Sandrich
Produced by	Mark Sandrich
Written by	Irving Berlin (idea) Elmer Rice (adaptation) Claude Binyon (screenplay)
Starring	Bing Crosby Fred Astaire Marjorie Reynolds
Music by	Irving Berlin
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	August 4, 1942 (U.S. release)
Running time	100 min.
Language	English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Holiday Inn is a 1942 film starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, which featured the music of Irving Berlin.

In May 1940, Irving Berlin signed an exclusive contract for Paramount Pictures to write songs for a film musical based on his idea of an inn that opened only on public holidays. The song that would eventually become "White Christmas" was originally conceived by Berlin on the set of the film Top Hat in 1935. He allegedly hummed the melody to Astaire and the film's director Mark Sandrich as a song possibility for a future Astaire-Ginger Rogers vehicle. Astaire loved the tune, but Sandrich passed on it. Berlin's assignment for Paramount was to write a song about each of the major holidays of the year. He found that writing a song about Christmas was the most challenging. When Crosby first heard Berlin play "White Christmas" in 1941 at the first rehearsals, he did not immediately recognise its full potential. He just said "I don't think we have any problems with that one, Irving."

Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire were the stars of Holiday Inn with support from Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale. Produced and directed by Mark Sandrich, filming took place between November 1941 and February 1942. Holiday Inn had its premiere at the New York Paramount Theatre in August 1942. It was a runaway success both in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, proving to be the highest grossing film musical up to that time. The big song had been expected to be "Be Careful, It's My Heart." While that song did very well, it was "White Christmas" that topped the charts in October 1942 and stayed there for eleven weeks. The film's success can also still be seen today in the name of the international hotel chain Holiday Inn, which was named after the film.

Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby) and Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire) are staples of the New York nightlife scene. On Christmas Eve, Hardy reveals to Ted his disillusionment with show business and that he has decided to run a farm in rural Connecticut. He also plans to marry Lila Dixon (Virginia Dale), a longtime part of his act. Unfortunately, Lila is not ready to stop performing and chooses to stay on as Ted's dancing partner. Jim, while heartbroken, follows through with his plan and bids the act goodbye.

One Christmas Eve later, Jim is back in New York. Farm life has proven difficult, requiring him to spend time in a sanatorium to calm his nerves. While recuperating, Jim has dreamed up a new use for his farm. He plans to turn it into an entertainment venue called "Holiday Inn", which will only open on holidays. Ted and his agent Danny Reed (Walter Abel) scoff at the plan, but wish him luck. Reed then leaves for a flight. Stopping off in the flower shop, Reed is accosted by employee Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds) who recognizes him as a talent agent and begs him for a chance in show business. He refers her to Holiday Inn and gives her a pass to Ted's club for the night.

The next morning, Christmas Day, Linda arrives at Holiday Inn. She meets only Jim, who is readying the place for New Year's Eve. They take to one another immediately and Jim introduces "White Christmas" to Linda, a song he would have performed had the inn been open that night. On New Year's Eve, Ted learns that Lila is leaving him for a Texas millionaire. He drinks heavily and heads out to Holiday Inn to talk with Jim. Ted arrives just as the clock strikes twelve. Linda, a main part of the night's show, spots him wandering aimlessly across the dance floor and remembers him from Christmas Eve. They dance, with Ted bringing down the house despite his inebriated state. Danny Reed arrives just as the dance ends. He is ecstatic that Ted has found a new partner. However, Ted remembers very little the next morning and is unaware of Linda's identity. Jim relates no information, as he is afraid that Ted will steer her away from the inn.

At the next performance, Lincoln's Birthday, Ted and Danny return to search for Linda. Jim is ready for them and decides to run the night's big musical number with blackface, trying to protect Linda's identity. While applying Linda's make-up, Jim asks if she will stay with him once she is not required to work on non-holidays. Linda takes this as a proposal. The schemes works, with Ted and Danny coming up empty. However, the pair will not give up and plan to be back for Valentine's Day. On Valentine's Day, Ted spots Linda rehearsing and launches into an impromptu dance with her. Now convinced that Linda was the girl from New Year's Eve, Ted demands that Jim think up a number for them to perform on the next holiday. Jim has little choice but to concede.

Washington's Birthday features Ted and Linda performing in period dress. However, Jim attempts to sabotage their dance by changing the band's tune every time the couple attempts to kiss. Afterwards, Ted asks Linda to join him as his new dance partner. Linda refuses, saying she has promised to stay at the inn and that she and Jim are to be married. When Ted talks to Jim of the marriage, Jim is surprised but tries to play it off. Ted is unconvinced and tells Danny he will continue to pursue Linda.

At Easter, Ted returns to the inn and asks Jim if he can remain in his shows, claiming he wants to experience "the true happiness you people have found here at the inn". Linda is charmed, but Jim is suspicious. These suspicions are confirmed on Independence Day when Jim overhears Ted and Danny discussing an offer Ted has received. Hollywood representatives will attend the night's show and determine if Ted and Linda are suitable for motion pictures. Desperate, Jim bribes hired hand Gus (Irving Bacon) to ensure that Linda does not arrive at the inn. Gus attempts to do so by driving the inn's car into a swollen creek. However, Linda is able to make her way to the inn. She finds that Ted has impressed with an improvised solo (he had rehearsed a double dance) and the opportunity stands. Irritated with Jim, she takes the offer and leaves for Hollywood.

The film resumes at Thanksgiving. The inn is closed and Jim is deeply depressed. His housekeeper Mamie (Louise Beavers) realizes just what is wrong and implores him to travel to California to win Linda back from Ted. He does so on Christmas Eve. Linda is filming the final scene for her movie, which details Holiday Inn. As she enters an exact recreation of Holiday Inn, Jim confronts her and is successful. Ted and Danny, having learned of Jim's plan, are too late to stop him. The film ends with the New Year's Eve celebration at Holiday Inn. Jim and Linda are prepared to stay together and run the inn. Ted is reunited with Lila, who has left the millionaire.

Crosby and Astaire teamed up again in 1946 in the movie Blue Skies which was another vehicle for Irving Berlin's songs. The success of the song "White Christmas" eventually led to another film based on the song, White Christmas, which was released in 1954 and starred Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen.

The movie Holiday Inn is not shown very often on either network or cable television, perhaps in part due to the song about Abraham Lincoln, Abraham, which was performed in blackface by Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds (although Turner Classic Movies has left the number intact during their screenings of the film for historical purposes). Some past network broadcasts of the movie have cut this musical number entirely.

• Holiday Inn at the Internet Movie Database
• Village Inn - the hotel actually featured as the Holiday Inn in the movie.