‘Holiday Inn’ (1942) Review

Holiday Inn Synopsis: 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.

Singer Jim Hardy is ready to put the daily entertaining grind behind him. He and his fiance, Lila, plan to retire from a nightly sing and dance routine with their partner, Ted Hanover, to move to a farm in Connecticut. However, plans change when Jim finds out that Lila and Ted have fallen in love and plan to take their act on the road.

Despondent, Jim moves to the farm alone but finds it more challenging to manage than he’d imagined. Plus, he misses entertaining. So Jim decides to turn the farm into Holiday Inn, an entertainment venue open solely on holidays.

He hires aspiring singer Linda Mason, and the two turn Holiday Inn into a success while falling in love. But a wrench is thrown into Jim’s life when Ted arrives, having been dumped by Lila for a Texan millionaire, and it seems as though history may repeat itself.

I’ve never seen Holiday Inn but was happy to mark it off my watchlist this year. While not a favorite, I did enjoy White Christmas (1954), and I learned that the song White Christmas was first sung in Holiday Inn, where it won the Oscar for Best Original Song. It was such a hit it eventually inspired the 1954 film, also starring Bing Crosby.

Honestly, I felt very underwhelmed by Holiday Inn. Yes, the dance numbers were entertaining – I had never seen Fred Astaire in anything before – but other than White Christmas, the songs were fairly forgettable. Not to mention what a pushover Jim was. His friend and partner, Ted, steals his fiance, and Jim doesn’t care much. Then Ted shows back up in his life to pull the same trick, and rather than tell him to buzz off, Jim tries to fool Ted by lying to him and Linda. It’s like, at some point, grow a backbone, Jim!

But this was also 1942, and these romantic musicals weren’t overly complicated. I also tried to remind myself that it was 1942 when the number Abraham was performed, complete with blackface. It was one of the most uncomfortable things I’ve ever seen, taking me completely out of the story. I’m not here to say it ruined the movie for me, but it didn’t endear it to me either.

That aside, I did find parts of the film entertaining, there were plenty of humorous moments, and Fred Astaire’s Fourth of July dance is fantastic, but the actual plot and romantic angle fell flat for me. Linda, played by Marjorie Reynolds, didn’t have much chemistry with Jim (Crosby) or Ted (Astaire), so I didn’t really care much who she ended up with.

I can understand why many people adore this movie, but I came away from it with the thought that it was “fine.” It’s not one I’ll likely watch again in the future.

Watched: 12.16.2023
Notable Song: White Christmas by Bing Crosby