HOLIDAY INN Dances onto Bluray with its 75th Anniversary Edition!

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray and Digital in time for the holidays from director Mark Sandrich and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is the singing and dancing at the HOLIDAY INN.

Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby) has decided that his touring days are over when he buys a supper club called the Holiday Inn. Believing that girlfriend Lila Dixon (Virginia Dale) would be joining him, he is unaware that dancing co-partner Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire) is about to steal his gal.

Manager Danny Reed (Walter Abel) wants to keep things going with flowers when he meets Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds) who is ready to trade her florist talents for more musical ones. Reed sends him to Hardy at the Holiday Inn! Meeting once again, Jim and Linda discover that they work well together and the supper club becomes a hit.

Being happy together it isn’t going to last long when Ted is on the jilted end of Lila and visits his friend Jim. Having one to many holiday drinks, Ted ends up on the dance floor with Linda and the crowd loves it. Now he wants to find out who the mystery girl is and partner up again.

Imagine Ted’s surprise when he discovers that Linda and Jim are a couple. Since they aren’t officially together, Ted decides he is going to do what ever it takes to win the gal once again away from his friend.

Once again alone, it is Jim’s housekeeper Mamie (Louise Beavers) who gives him a straightening out by letting him know he needs to fight for the love of his life. Whether singing or dancing – it’s all about getting the girl!

Crosby as Jim wants nothing more than a simpler life running a supper club at an inn that is only open on holidays. Figuring this gives him the rest of the days to be creative and write more songs, he looks forward to it all. Of course there is the problem of girlfriend Lila having other plans. This is a smooth role for Crosby as the crooning love struck inn owner who only has eyes for Linda.

Astaire as Ted certainly has trouble keeping his hands on any girl let alone just one who can dance as well as he does. That aside, Astaire is fast if not light on his feet. Watching these two talented actors on the screen together is just fun and amazing.

Reynolds as Linda has dreams of singing and dancing her way into a better life. Finding joy in being part of the Holiday Inn, she is a tad upset when discovers that Jim isn’t being totally honest with her. Not a good way to go guys! She is lovely however and her singing - beautiful.

Dale as Lila is just as shifty as Ted which had me wondering how these two didn’t realize they are perfect for each other! Equally light on her feet with Astaire, she just glides across the screen in her ever so delightful costumes.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us all to experience and re-experience in our own home theatres. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

HOLIDAY INN is absolutely memorable in that I can recall watching this film with my mother time and time again on television. She could never get enough of Crosby’s crooning or Astaire’s dancing and it passed on to me.

This is also the film that brought the song White Christmas to the lips of each and every holiday after this 1942 classic. The song would bring artist Irving Berlin an Oscar for his wonderful work.

The Bluray includes both the black and white version as well as the color version of HOLIDAY INN. There is also a Bonus Disc of Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn: The Broadway Musical – a full length Broadway production based on the timeless classic film.

Additional Bonus Features are A Couple of Song and Dance Men: An intimate retrospective of Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire featuring and interview with Ava Astaire-McKenzie, All Singing, All Dancing: Experience the making of the unforgettable song and dance numbers, Coloring a Classic: Learn how the film was color designed to transform the black and white classic, Feature Commentary by Film Historian Ken Barnes, including Archive Audio Comments from Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby and John Scott Trotter, and Theatrical Trailer.

On Bluray for its 75^th Anniversary, HOLIDAY INN is fun, dazzling foot work and sweet songs in a film the likes of which we will never see again.

In the end – we are all dreaming of a White Christmas!