Here We Come A Carolling: White Christmas

Hello & welcome to the finale of  Here We Come A Carolling.  My look at Christmas musicals.   Now, there are many more that I could look at and I may do that next year.   But today,  I am looking at what is perhaps the most iconic Christmas musical of all time, White Christmas.  And well, like a lot of the other musicals that I've looked at, I"m going to keep it simple as this musical is so good, that I don't want to spoil too much.  I don't care how old it is, it's one of the greatest musicals ever made.   And to paraphrase a quote from Stan Lee.  "Every musical is someone's first"    I won't skip over the plot completely but I'll just hit upon some key points.


The Plot



Something that I often forget about this movie is that it's a romantic comedy but the difference is that it's a good one compared to the modern romantic comedies that are put out nowadays.    The other thing that I've noticed is that my family really gravitates towards this movie and I think part of that comes from the military aspect of this movie as we see the movie open during a war in 1944.  We can how figure out, what war it is.   And  the movie flashes to ten years later as we follow Wallace and Davis (Crosby & Kaye)  as the movie flashes to ten years later, and you get a sense of their contraddire and more so, what they would do for their General.   This is perhaps, best displayed in the number, "What Can You Do with a General?"   While, this movie is great and has a lot of great moments,  I think  the song,"White Christmas"  has come to overshadow anything from this movie.   Which in a roundabout way makes sense as the song came first.   But once, you see the General, you understand the affection that Crosby and Kaye's characters have for him. As he is a good man.   


Now,  that's  just one aspect.  I also brought up the romantic comedy angle and that is also on full display after we meet The Haynes Sisters.   From Phil and Judy hooking up and scheming to get Bob and Betty together.  With the former falling for each other along the way.  There are even things such as misunderstanding that pop up.  But perhaps,  the key thing that is always brought up in regards to Bob and Betty's relationship is the idea of a knight on white horse coming into save the day.   It's mentioned twice in the movie and at the end is visualized as the gift that Betty puts in Bob's sack.   That knight on the white horse is the visual representation of their love. 

On the surface, putting the show may seem like the big story of the movie but if you dive deeper, you'll find the smaller things like the aforementioned knight build up to more important things.  Yes, the show is important and it is the best way that Wallace and Davis know how to show how much they care for the General.   This is a musical that is filled with great little moments and this may be a movie that is over 63 years old at this point but it's just one that is so good, that you need to let the experience wash over you and watch it for yourself.  In many regards,  White Christmas is the epitome of what I would call a feel good musical.    With that outta the way, let's move onto characters and thankfully, that won't take us too long.



Characters


Bob Wallace & Phil Davis played by Bing Crosby & Danny Kaye

I'm grouping the two together as Wallace and Davis would not work without one another and that is true of Crosby and Kaye.  They just play off each other so well in this movie, that for the entire time I watch the movie, I believe that they were an old Hollywood act.  Interestingly,  the first choice to Phil Davis was Fred Astaire, who starred in Holiday Inn with Crosby but he backed out of this movie after reading the script.  That does make for an interesting what could have been but at the same time, I am so happy with what we got as these two just play off each other so well. 


Betty and Judy Haynes played by  Rosemary Clooney & Vera-Ellen

Once again,  I'm putting The Haynes Sisters together as one would not work without the other here.  As Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen play it to where,  you can't help believe them as sisters. They have their ups and downs.  And mistakes are made such as Judy and Phil's phony engagement but in the end, you understand that they will always be there for one another.



Supporting Characters



General Waverly played by Dean Jagger

As I said up top in the plot section, General Waverly is shown to be a good man. He is very stoic and strong minded.  And you get the sense of respect that his men have for him during the number, "The Old Man".  And the symmetry of the movie using that song in the beginning and ending of the movie is a nice touch as it reinforces how much his men love him. 


Emma  played by Mary Wickes

Emma's an okay character that really only adds comic relief but she is a character that really didn't do a whole lot for me in the movie.


Susan Waverly played by Anne Whitfield

Susan as a character is at best, inoffensive.  She really doesn't add much to the overall movie other than being the General's granddaughter.   And that's fine as she's barely in the movie and there are points, I even forget she was part of the movie.  She's just a character that happens to be around.   




Let's move onto music. 



Music

Overture


This is one of the best overtures from a movie as it does a great job of getting you excited for the movie.




White Christmas



And of course, we open with this now classic number penned by Irving Berlin.  There is something beautiful about listening to Bing Crosby sing it as it just puts you in the Christmas spirit.   There's not much else that I can say about this number.


The Old Man




We've talked about this number at great length throughout this review and hearing it in the beginning of the movie, you get the sense that these men will stand by the General no matter what he does.   And you can't help but smile as you listen to this number.



Heat Wave/Let Me Sing and I'm Happy/Blue Skies



This medley is nothing more than a montage of showing the success that Wallace and Davis have obtained over the years and in that regard, it's a great number as it gets the point across without dragging it on.



Sisters


What an introduction to The Haynes Sisters.   In many regards, I think the best word to describe this number is vivacious.   Yes, it's an act but you know what The Haynes Sisters are doing with this number. 



The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing 



This dance number is just astonishing.   Easily, one of the movie's best moments as you can't help but look on at this gorgeous dance number.   The song is alright but the dancing is spectacular.



Sisters (Reprise)


This is one of the funniest moments in the movie, if not the funniest.  And from everything I've read, Danny Kaye could barely keep a straight face during this number.  And can you blame him.  This number is just so funny.



Snow


Interestingly, this song was originally written for another musical called "Call Me Madam" and was called "Free" but it was later dropped out of in-town tryouts and the lyrics were rewritten for this movie to fit a Christmas movie more than what it was originally.   And well, as a person that hates Snow,  I like this number quite a bit.    And the reprise is just as fun.  A small little joyous number.



Minstirel Number



This is probably my favorite number from the movie as it is just so fun and I love the Mr. Bones section. Yeah, it's corny but that's my type of humor.   Some might say that it's wrong to use this terminology and it's wrong at them looking back at days like this but you have to recall, when the movie came out. 



Mandy


Technically, Mandy is part of the Minstrel Number but the playlist had it seperate and it's another great number that really makes you feel like you are watching an old vaudeville show.     




Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep) 


This one has become a bit of a staple in my family.  And it is perhaps one of the best numbers in this musical but that's kinda silly to say as there are so many good numbers in this musical.   But one of the big reasons, this number works so well is that it gets to the heart of being thankful for what you have.  And that is a great sentiment for this time of year.



Choreography


I hate this number, it's my least favorite bit from the movie as this is the one number in the movie, where it feels like they just stop the movie straight for a musical number.   And it just doesn't feel like it gels with any of the other numbers in this movie. 


Abraham


This is a better dance number and I think I forget about this one as it's an instrumental piece but it is quite a sight to behold as you watch.



Love,  You Didn't Do Right By Me



This number is fascinating as it serves two purposes in the movie.  On the surface, it is just an number that Betty is singing in a club but as you listen to it in the context of her relationship with Bob, you come to the realization that this song conveys her feelings about their relationship.




What Can You do with a General?




We looked at this number thoroughly in the plot section as I brought up the admiration that Wallace and Davis have for the General and that comes back here as you can really hear how much the General means to Bob in this number. And to think, this is a song that wasn't originally written for this movie. It was originally written for an unproduced musical called Stars on My Shoulders.



The Old Man (Reprise)



Again, we talked about this in the plot and the beautiful symmetry of bringing this song back at the end of the movie.   As it furthers the point of how General Waverly's men care for him and would stand by him, no matter what.




Gee, I Wish I Was Back in The Army



This is probably my second least favorite number in the movie. It's not bad but I feel like it drags out the ending a bit.  It, at best just feels like a filler song. 




White Christmas (Finale) 



And we now come to the finale of this movie as we hear the title song.  And there's not much left that can be said about this number as it is just so joyous and happy.  And this is the best version of this song in my mind.   So, I'll leave you with it.



My Final Thoughts




This movie is a classic but you didn't need me to tell you that.   This is one of the greatest musicals ever made.  The fact that it's a Christmas movie is just a nice bonus.   There is nothing left I can say but Merry Christmas. 

The Nutcracker (1993)

Hello & welcome back to our Christmas musical celebration here. Today, we are doing something a bit different.  Let me ask you,  conjure up an image of a Christmas time ballet and what comes to mind?  You most likely answered The Nutcracker and you'd be right.  Alright, one more question,  think of a Macaulay Culkin Christmas movie and what do you think of?

You most likely thought of Home Alone, right?  Well, three years after this movie was released, Culkin would star in a filmed production of The Nutcracker released by Warner Brothers Family Entertainment.   And now unlike some other oddball adaptions based on The Nutcracker....

(You would not believe how weird that one gets), this is more just a straightforward production of the famed ballet featuring Culkin at the height of his popularity in the titular role.  Having said that,  I will still briefly lookover the plot.



Narration


Narrator - Kevin Kline


Kline provides narration for this movie and I'm two minds about this as this is a ballet and the dance should tell the story but the same time, this is aimed at a younger audience.   Now, there is something else that needs to be brought up in regards to the narration.  You see, Culkin had a bit of a showbiz dad and his dad did not want the narration in the movie as he thought it would take away from his son being in the movie.

Narration recorded by Kevin Kline was a last-minute addition that was heavily protested by Macaulay Culkin's father, Kit Culkin, who vowed that his son would do no publicity for the movie until the narration was dropped. Reluctantly, producer Arnon Milchan dropped the narration to appease the Culkins. Kit Culkin then returned with a list of other demands which so incensed Milchan that he reinstated Kline's narration, losing the use of the Culkins' publicity.

Yeah,  that isn't too shocking if you much about how Culkin grew up. 




The Plot




This 1993  film adaption of The Nutcracker is based on George Balanchine's staging of The Ghostbusters in which the characters of The Nutcracker/Prince and Marie (Clara in the original) are played by children.  So, the dancing isn't as rigorous as other productions of The Nutcracker.   


Now, the plot here is what you would expect from a production of The Nutcracker but there are just some odd decisions here and there.   Such as The Rat King having multiple heads.

And something else that was kind of odd was that after this big battle, Marie faints and her bed flies her to the other land.   And this is perhaps one of the big issues with this version of The Nutcracker as The Rat King is taken out so early and that, when they meet up with The Sugar Plum Fairy, it becomes nothing more than a dance party after The Prince tells The Sugar Plum Fairy, what happened and afterwards living candies perform.   So, that does make it feel a little slow. Though, I do like how it ends with Marie and The Prince flying off in a sleigh.

You may have noticed that I'm not going much in-depth here, even though I am covering certain aspects of the film.  And that's in part because this production of The Nutcracker is rather simplistic.





Cast


The large group of the dancers came from The New York City Ballet.  This was Culkin's only onscreen ballet role.  And I'm not going to go into much detail here once again as the dancers put on a decent performance, save for Culkin. Who,I must agree with other reviewers that it felt as though,he was just a guest star.




Music



Once again,   I am using a a YouTube playlist as that is the easiest way to find all the music here.   And unlike our other reviews,  I won't be covering all the music.  That is the one huge aspect that everyone knows from The Nutcracker.     The music here was brought to life by the New York City Music Orchestra and Conductor, David Zinman.




The music here is given the respect that it deserves and is not dumbed down or watered down for the younger audience watching this movie.   And it works as a way to introduce children to a piece of classical music. 




My Final Thoughts

This movie,when it came out didn't receive get very good reviews. It was mixed at best and I can understand that as while the music wasn't watered down,  you could see that with the material. Even still, I think that this works as a perfectly serviceable introduction to The Nutcracker.  It may not be the best adaption but I think it is fun for young kids and if nothing else,  the music is always great.   Peace!