Sisters, Sisters, there were never such devoted sisters...
My own sister, Diane, used to sing this (sans the feathers). If you're a fan of the movie White Christmas, you know what I'm talking about.It being the season to be jolly and all, I got a copy of the Christmas classic from the library and watched it last night. Mr. Ginley took a pass, but he stayed in the other room and didn't make any comments, so it was a win-win for me.
I kept oggling at the costumes and marveling. Yes, I discovered, they were indeed designed by Edith Head.
The dancing was fun. Vera-Ellen was quite the hoofer. She even managed to recover from Danny Kaye tripping her once. I couldn't believe those legs. I don't think I've ever seen legs that loooonnnng. Fun fact: Back home in Cincinnati, Vera-Ellen used to carpool to dancing classes with Doris Day.
The real life ages of the actors were all off. Bing Crosby was old enough at that point to be Rosemary Clooney's dad. And although she played Vera-Ellen's older sister, Rosemary was actually several years younger in real life.
(Yes, the Google is an amazing thing.)
I do enjoy the fantasy of a classic song-and-dance musical. I can't think of any modern film that can compare. There's not much dancing and singing in movies anymore.
Unless you count Mama Mia. Which, sorry to any fans out there, I just couldn't get through (not even the first one).
I'll probably be watching a lot of other holiday flicks in the coming weeks, but I won't torture you with the details or fun facts.
But for now, I have two more tidbits. Bob Fosse was the choreographer for White Christmas. And they used a grown-up photo of Carl Switzer (aka "Alfalfa") for the photo of Benny Haynes, the sisters' brother.
Sorry, one more fun fact. Irving Berlin, the composer of the song White Christmas, was the only Oscar winner to open his own envelope at the awards ceremony. What was Berlin's acceptance speech?
"I'm glad to present the award. I've known him for a long time."
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