Holiday Inn

"WHAT A HOLIDAY!"

1942 1h 41m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 231

ComedyDramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Lovely Linda Mason has crooner Jim Hardy head over heels, but suave stepper Ted Hanover wants her for his new dance partner after fickle Lila Dixon gives him the brush. Jim's supper club, Holiday Inn, is the setting for the chase by Hanover and his manager.

“WHAT A HOLIDAY!”

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Cast

Bing Crosby
Jim Hardy
Fred Astaire
Ted Hanover
Marjorie Reynolds
Linda Mason
Virginia Dale
Lila Dixon
Walter Abel
Danny Reed
Louise Beavers
Mamie
Irving Bacon
Gus
Marek Windheim
Francois

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mark Sandrich
Writers: Claude Binyon, Irving Berlin
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

84 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mark Sandrich, shot by David Abel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Irving Berlin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ellsworth Hoagland shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire and Marjorie Reynolds carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "WHAT A HOLIDAY!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0034862 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mark Sandrich directs. David Abel behind the camera. Irving Berlin scores. Ellsworth Hoagland cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Mark Sandrich, shot by David Abel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Irving Berlin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Ellsworth Hoagland shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire and Marjorie Reynolds carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "WHAT A HOLIDAY!".
7IMDB entry: tt0034862 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 13 themes, including "new year's eve", "dancing", "holiday", "show business".

The technical file

Cinematography: David Abel
Original score: Irving Berlin
Editing: Ellsworth Hoagland
Costume design: Edith Head
Makeup / hair: Wally Westmore
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $3,750,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Holiday Inn (1942)

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Mark Sandrich

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-11-07
★ 5/10
Safe and amiable enough... Jim Hardy retires from show business to become a farmer in New England. Once set up he finds that it's a life that is somewhat more demanding than he had first thought. Hitting on an idea that should make his life more fulfilling, he turns the farm into an Inn that only opens on public holidays. But things get complicated when Jim's old partner, Ted, turns up and sets his sights on Linda, Jim's gorgeous "friend", this holiday period may not be so happy after all. Boasting great star power in the form of Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, Holiday Inn still feels short of the required genre excitement. There is no doubting the benefit here of having both the leading men's respective abilities on show, where Bing croons with the best of them and Fred of course dances with majestic grace. We get a firecracker sequence that's particularly memorable, but sadly the women of the piece are forgettable, while outside of the songs and dances the film drifts into almost sleepy auto pilot. All those involved have done far better, that's for sure, but at least here we get to hear the first airing of the Academy Award winning song, White Christmas. The film is a favourite of many, certainly it is, yet it's just a very average picture and not one that under revisit scrutiny survives away from nostalgic glows. 5/10
Peter McGinn2021-12-12
★ 6/10
A mildly entertaining movie if you don’t mind watching classics. There are witty and funny moments, but the romantic aspects aren’t very convincing. Perhaps this is how romance is with celebrities— no passion? No, I doubt that. The dance numbers aren’t up to Fed Astaire’s usual imaginative standard and a few of the songs about lesser holidays are rather lame. The sets are unconvincing- would a farmhouse really be this large? But this is picky stuff. If you don’t mind classic black and white films this is entertaining enough, especially if you are watching with friends or family, as it doesn’t require close viewing to stay caught up with the plot. I only wish it had a bit more real romance and less talking about romance.
Rob2023-05-09
★ 8/10
Simply a must-watch at Christmas time. An Irving Berlin musical made in the forties. Yes, please!