Sometimes I really wish people could hear the random conversation that ends up on the editing floor after each filming of the Gush. This week’s riveting discussion: What hemisphere are we even in and which is longitude and which is latitude and what the heck is the opposite of the equator called??
We’re writers and movie gushers, not geography experts obviously. Although, Clay is a professor so he probably should know this stuff but TODAY’S HIS BIRTHDAY so he gets a pass.
None of that has anything to do with the movie we’re discussing this week, but aren’t you happy about the behind-the-scenes peek?
Anyway, this week we’re kicking off the Christmas season with a holiday favorite: White Christmas. We actually originally planned to watch Holiday Inn, but reversed course…although it wasn’t that much of a reverse since they’re practically the same movie. Some of the treats in this episode include:
- Which musical Clay found more bearable—Sound of Music or White Christmas
- How Melissa’s favorite scene has NOTHING to do with Bing Crosby undressing
- Which character we both just can’t stand
Have you seen White Christmas? Which do you like better–White Christmas or Holiday Inn?
p.s. As always, feel free to throw out suggestions for future flick picks. Miss a past Gush? Just take a little jaunt on over to our YouTube channel…
Comments 26
I’ve seen White Christmas (LOVE it) but am not sure if I ever saw Holiday Inn… although I think I do have a DVD copy of the latter. I’m pretty much the only one in my family who thinks it’s a “must” to watch the former every Christmas so I do thy to sneak in a viewing. It’s got great music, and of course I love the nostalgic feeling I get when watching it – as well as it’s tribute to the military.
Will be by to watch the video later. 🙂
Author
Well, you’re not missing out all that much by not seeing Holiday Inn because they’re SO similar. Bing Crosby is a little more depressed in Holiday Inn…and it’s in black and white…but other than that… 🙂
I like that you mentioned the nostalgic feeling you get when watching it. That’s always my experience too.
I don’t think I’ve seen either one. If I have it’s been so long ago I can’t remember. lol.I think It’s a Wonderful Life is my favorite.
Author
It’s a Wonderful Life is my favorite by miles as well, Pat.
I love White Christmas! Bing Crosby is so great, and the ending (sappy as it is) always makes me cry. =) But I’m sad that you guys hate Rosemary Clooney’s character so much! I don’t really have a problem with her character in this movie, and I love her voice. (I don’t think I’ve seen her in any other films. I read her autobiography Girl Singer earlier this year, and she had a really interesting but sad life.) To be honest, I’m not a Danny Kaye fan. I can put up with him in this movie (because I love it so much), but he’s not a favorite by any means. My least favorite scene in the whole film is the Choreography musical number…it’s so bizarre and awful! I know that’s sort of the point, but ew.
I love both of them, but if I had to choose, I think I like Holiday Inn better. Maybe because it’s more classy and less tacky, all of the different holiday songs are great, and Fred Astaire makes a much better duo with Bing than Danny Kaye does.
P.S. Keeping my fingers crossed for Christmas in Connecticut next time. =)
Author
Sorry for disliking Rosemary Clooney’s character! 🙂 She just annoys me so much. Like, in the end, when she gives Bing that toy horse and says something about the hero being back on white horse, I always want to say, “Bing never fell off it in the first place! He never did anything wrong! It was you, you crazy lady…”
I’m with you on the Choreography number. It goes on forever…
I just came across this fact on a random website, and it made me think of your discussion about White Christmas! I haven’t watched the DVD commentary, but apparently Rosemary Clooney is on it and this is what she had to say about the part where Betty is mad and leaves without telling anyone: “I always thought I overreacted to this. I mean, come on. Why didn’t she just ask him what was going on? Dummy!”
Ha. I guess she would have agreed with you two!
Author
Oh sweet! Thanks for sharing that, Kristin. I got teasingly taken to task by a friend for dissing Rosemary Clooney so I definitely should’ve been more clear in the vlog, I guess, about it being the character who needed a reworking. LOL! I’m glad Rosemary saw the ridiculousness of her character. 🙂
LOVE White Christmas! (I always fancied myself as one of the sisters! I could easily have worn those fancy frocks and danced my way to stardom! lol) I actually like White Christmas way better than Holiday Inn, but both are great. Rosemary Clooney’s decline was sad in later years.
Author
I think I like White Christmas better, as well, mostly because it has more humor in it than Holiday Inn. But I like Holiday Inn, too.
I love White Christmas! Just the musical numbers and dancing alone are worth watching it. 🙂
Author
Yay I’m glad you’ve seen this one, Linz. As the resident musical-lover, it would be sad if you hadn’t. 🙂
I had to go watch the Bowie and Bing duet again because it’s just so deliciously awful, I like Bowie and Bing so I thought I’d love it, and it’s so silly. If anyone should play a vampire it should be Bowie, he’s got such pointy teeth! (Bonus opinion there!)
And Rosemary didn’t annoy me, but the “just ask him!” thing was the writers’ fault, I disliked the writers, it’s their fault after all. They could have kept it and worked a little harder, maybe have her ask Danny Kaye point blank and him give a terribly easily misconstrued answer and that would have made it easier, I mean, his character could have easily lied thinking it was better that way.
But I actually like her song in that black velvet dress, I probably sing that one the most along with arm movements if nobody’s looking…..
And even though the songs didn’t move the story forward, it’s one of the better musicals where the songs “make sense” whereas with a Gene Kelly movie you always get the obligatory ridiculously long show off Gene Kelly’s art and overdramatic acting skills and “serious” ballet moves. Like the one at the end of An American in Paris is just too much to take. Seriously people, don’t give in to Gene’s dream sequences that take up 1/3 of a movie! I love Gene Kelly but don’t indulge him!
I could talk forever about this movie and Holiday Inn, but alas, I gotta go do some work. 🙂
Author
I still haven’t watched the Bing/Bowie dealio. I need to get on that.
You’re right–it really is the writers’ fault for doing the plot the way they did. It’s shoddy work building a romantic obstacle based solely on something ONE CONVERSATION could solve. They just made it super hard to like Rosemary Clooney–the way she just thinks the worst of Bing. Uncool.
I really like the picture in my head of you singing the black dress song, though! 🙂
Haha your Gene Kelly comments made me laugh. He does have some crazy long dance sequences. Although, no crazy long dance sequence will ever be as bad to me as the dream sequence in Oklahoma! I’d rather watch a drawn out Gene Kelly number any day than that one, which simultaneously freaks me out and puts me to sleep.
Uh oh. Are you gonna make me watch Oklahoma too?
Author
Because it’s your birthday and because we just did two musicals in a row and because I already promised you the first picks of 2014, no, I’m not going to make you watch Oklahoma.
Anytime soon, that is.
I had to watch again tonight since it’s been years. (I had a suspicion that what I wrote about Kaye’s character actually did happen and I sounded like I didn’t know what I was talking about–and they did do that) So I think the writer’s did the best they could for the misunderstanding thing now that I analyzed it while watching, but they failed to give her any real likeable quality. So therefore the misunderstanding made her seem terrible because there was nothing “good” about her character that was displayed that we could latch onto and want to root for her.
Author
Yeah, no likable quality is right. 🙂
Melissa, you shouldn’t go another Christmas without having seen this with your own eyes: http://youtu.be/DiXjbI3kRus
Author
Um I just took a break from writing to watch this and I’m so glad I did…because laughing gave me the energy to keep working for a few more hours. So thank you!
I kinda have mixed feelings about White Christmas. We watched it countless times growing up and I think I just got tired of it so while I don’t hate it I’m not always up for watching it. There are a bunch of funny lines though! Weirdly I think the one we quote the most is “without so much as a kiss my foot of have an apple!” yeah we’re pretty random. As for the Holiday Inn vs. White Christmas I’d say Holiday Inn. I didn’t watch it until probably 2008 and it was with my best friend. So I think the fact that I’ve seen it less and the happy memories surrounding my first time watching it help boost Holiday Inn up in my opinion! I’m kinda sad that you guys won’t be doing a gush on it since I was kinda looking forward too it….but oh well! This one was quite fun-lots of stuff I didn’t know!
Ok so we actually just watched this movie again tonight and I have to say I actually enjoyed it again! I think the break from seeing it was good!
Author
YAY I’m glad you rewatched it and enjoyed it! I have those movies, too, that I’ve watched so many times I just eventually tired of them. Some I can seem to watch forever…over and over…and I never get bored of them. Others seem to have an expiration point. 🙂
I like how you have a fun memory attached to your first Holiday Inn viewing. I have those movies and memories, too. Like Nacho Libre. Everyone else in the world thinks it’s beyond stupid. But I saw it in the theater with two of my favorite people near the end of what was a difficult season in my life. And watching that movie that night was like my first bout of REAL laughter in months. So to me, it’s like a super awesome, super happy movie that I love and will probably always love.
One of my favorite Christmas movies too:) And I loved RC, I just didn’t like how the writers wrote her part. Ummm….just ask a question…
Still, I watch it every year! I’m the only one in my house who does, and that’s ok with me:)
Author
Yeah, so many things in movies and life could be solved if people would just ask a question and not make assumptions. But you and others are right…I shouldn’t blame Rosemary. I should blame the writers. 🙂
I like White Christmas but my all-time favorite is Holiday Inn.