You are absolutely right. Three Coins in the Fountain winning over The Man That Got Away is an absolute travesty! Judy is magical in that performance and was robbed.
These two episodes are excellent! Between “White Christmas” and “Holiday Inn,” “Holiday Inn” is my favorite, because Astaire has been my idol since I was a child (about 50 years ago). Of course, that “Abraham” number is horrible in “Holiday Inn.” A little of Kaye goes a long way with me. 😉 Ernie Flatt would go on to be the dance director for the Carol Burnett show.
Your “a little Kaye” line just made Adam laugh so hard. (And we couldn’t agree more!) What a cool fact about Ernie Flatt, thanks for sharing!! Astaire is so wonderful in everything he does. He would have really elevated the dance numbers in “White Christmas” and it’s really a shame he didn’t want to do it.
Thank you for these wonderful episodes ! Taught me a few new things I hadn’t heard of before during production of White Christmas. As an avid Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen fan, I really enjoyed this video
The dancer you thought might be Fosse was Jimmy Thompson, who was the vocalist of the Beautiful Girl number in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, had small roles in SUMMER STOCK and THE BAND WAGON among others, and was the "male ingenue" of BRIGADOON (the young bridegroom), which was the most substantial role of his brief film career ('47 - '56) and went into production only days after WHITE CHRISTMAS wrapped. In any case, Fosse had already done featured roles in THE AFFAIRS OF DOBIE GILLIS, KISS ME KATE and GIVE A GIRL A BREAK at MGM in '53, so he wouldn't have turned up as a barely-seen background dancer in WHITE CHRISTMAS.
God, I LOVE it when someone …like you…actually knows what they’re talking about! Thanks for your knowledge and sharing it. I think these folks need to use you as an advisor/fact checker before they publish!
@@wadestevens5659 Awfully nice of you, Wade. Much appreciated, and kindness like yours is a great way to start the new year. All the best to you in '25 and beyond.
My favorite scenes in White Christmas were any dance scene with Vera Ellen. Vera Ellen seems to be doing all the heavy lifting with her very strenuous dancing. I wish you would have talked more about Vera Ellen. She had already been in several movies before White Christmas and she did an incredible job. It was strange that White Christmas was Vera Ellen's last big film. Without Vera Ellen i know I would not care too much for the movie. For me, Vera Ellen makes everyone else look fantastic.
My favourite Christmas movie is We're no Angels, with Humphrey Bogart. It came out a year after White Christmas, also directed by Michael Curtiz and filmed in VistaVision and Technicolor at Paramount.
Yes, that’s a great one! I recently saw We’re No Angels for the first time this past year, when we did a new 6K scan (from the VV negative) and digital transfer of it. I’m not sure how I had gone all these years without seeing it before but I thoroughly enjoyed it! -C
I love White Christmas because it is a great Hollywood make-believe escape. I remember first seeing it in the ‘70s and being astounded at how great the young and beautiful Rosemary Clooney was in it, as I had only ever seen her later in life when she was very different. Recently it has appeared very frequently and I can watch it pretty much whenever I want. One thing that jumped out at me from my first viewing: when Bing and Danny visit Novello’s to see the Haines sisters perform and the ladies do “Sisters”, when Curtiz cuts to Danny and Bing making comments during the song, there is a very 1950s-looking blonde lady sitting at a table behind Danny, smoking. Whenever Danny has a line, this woman is doing a very flashy French inhale on her cigarette. The edits and cuts happen very quickly, and she performs at least 3 inhales in quick succession that could only be an editing error (or intentional) since they would be impossible in real time. I always wondered what happened there.
You caught the outtake in the Mandy number that was used in the trailer. There’s at least one other outtake in the trailer. In Gee, I Wish I Was Back in the Army, when Vera-Ellen and Rosemary Clooney come out the reactions from Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby are very different in the film than they are in the trailer.
Michael Curtiz is a great subject! I have been contemplating an episode about his tempestuous relationship working with Errol Flynn. They did a lot of films together, and often got into fist fights on set. - A
According to Google ("Bob Fosse" + "White Christmas"): Yes, Bob Fosse was the uncredited choreographer for the 1954 musical White Christmas. Fosse's work on the film may be why some of the dance sequences are so memorable.
Since there are two misspellings in this video/comment, let's clarify. It's John Brascia, with an "r". ( And I knew about the drum.) Also, I've seen the film enough times to know that in the trailer, at 24:48, that snippet of the scene is from a different take than the one used in the final edit of the film. Finally, not Bob Fosse. A superficial resemblance at best.
So happy to have found you. Great stuff,enjoyable informative. I'm not really a big fan of this movie, I prefer Holiday Inn,as a film. Its a Christmas staple in my home. One thing about both movies is my infatuation with Vera and Marjorie.
Count Your Blessings is sort of a reworking of the song, Come to Holiday Inn from Holiday Inn. The music for the bridge (I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads…) is identical to the bridge in Holiday Inn (Just find yourself somebody who can set your heart a whirl).
I'm partial to Wonderful Life. I met Mr. Capra on Sunset and mistook him for a theatre owner from NY. After we said our goodbyes and I drove away and realized, THAT WAS CAPRA!
Vistavision was in the works by very early 1952. Paramount shot test footage at Ringling Brothers Sarasota, Florida headquarters when DeMille was in production on The Greatest Show on Earth. I’ve see the footage. It was stored in Paramount’s film library in the 1980s. Paramount engineers called the process the ‘Lazy Eight’ system. Problem with Vistavision was it used Eastman single-strip color negative. Both Shane & Greatest Show were filmed in three-strip Technicolor. That camera ran three b&w negatives.
Thanks for the info! Charlotte is always interested in all things VistaVision. I was checking through some camera reports at the Herrick Library the other day and saw that Hitchcock was doing a lot of VistaVision camera testing in late-1952 as well. Feel free to share anything else you may know about cameras, especially VistaVision, because we are always open to new knowledge!
Using Eastman color was not a major drawback, since everyone else in Hollywood was using Eastman color also. The Cinemascope films were using Eastman color. Eastman color was much cheaper and easier to use than three strip Technicolor. Very soon films that were labeled Technicolor were shot in Eastman color (Kodak's film technology) and processed in the Technicolor imbibition process for release; these had superior color quality compared to the same film processed in the conventional photo processing way. And Technicolor processed films had a big advantage for film preservation and longterm viability, since Technicolor produced 3 black and white negatives and preservation prints, as part of their processing. Black and white film is far more stable wutg image quality maintained longterm compared to Eastman color where the colors faded and degraded quickly. The various names used for color processes used from the early 50's on, were just different studios and/or labs putting brand names on Eastman color films they processed (Deluxe, Warner Color, etc.)
For a good holiday movie, try REMEMBER THE NIGHT. Also, try CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT. Both star the wonderful Barbara Stanwyck. THE BISHOP'S WIFE is worth a watch.
We have never seen REMEMBER THE NIGHT, but you had us at Barbara Stanwyck and Fred McMurray directed by Preston Sturges! CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT and THE BISHOP’S WIFE are both always on our Christmas list. Thanks for the recommendation! Write in with any more, we are always looking for new movies for our nightly double features.
At 11:47 no that's not Bob Fosse sadly. Although I do wish it was. Fosse had had a major featured role in MGM's "Give A Girl A Break" (1953) dancing duets with Debbie Reynolds - so I don't think he would have accepted a tiny role in the chorus of "White Christmas" as it would have been a step down for him.
Yes, it would be fun if it was him but we haven’t been able to find any record of him behind the scenes either. He’d be listed on the call sheets or payroll records but his name isn’t there. Very good point about the other films!
14:07 Great video! But I disagree that the two films (WC and Holiday Inn) only share two things in common. Mention needs to be made of the shared sets. For example, the reception area in H.I. was turned into the fire pit / sitting area in W.C.. The living room / staircase in H.I. was turned into the hotel reception area in W.C.. And of course the farmhouse exterior from H.I. was reused and the barn exterior was added to it in W.C..
Thanks! Listen closely, we never said it’s the “ONLY” things they have in common! The set sharing has been widely documented, but because Studios always reused sets, costumes, props, etc… and we had other stories to share, we didn’t end up keeping that story in our video. Thanks again for watching and for specific sharing the details here.
@@PerfDamagePodcast You're right, I should have listened closer, maybe AFTER having my morning coffee. 😉☕ And I am definitely looking forward to the Christmas season, one reason being the old movie house near me (built in 1928) always plays White Christmas each December, pairing it with Christmas decorations and carols played live on their theater organ. 😁 Do you two ever get to see this movie in a setting like that? (I highly recommend it! 😉)
White Christmas Christmas in Connecticut It Happened on Fifth Avenue It's a Wonderful Life Remember the Night A Christmas Carol 1938 The Shop Around the Corner Meet Me in St. Louise We're No Angels
A fact nobody asked for is called a “factoid”. And ALL of those in this of “Perf Damage” installment are terrific! And here’s a factoid of sorts… I’ll bet the two versions of the soundtrack album for “White Christmas happened after Paramount had unloaded KTLA to Gene Autry’s Golden West Broadcasters.
It’s been ages since either of us have seen those films and we are a little embarrassed to admit that we didn’t even remember them being Holiday movies! Now we can’t wait to check them out again. Thanks for the recommendations!
Watching your trivia section, it seems there may have been something else notable about Dean Jagger's appearance in the two films mentioned. Looks like they took his fake beard from "The Robe" and put it on top of his head for "White Christmas".
Haha!!!! Love this! 🤣 The new 4K disc of White Christmas really brings out the blueness of his Robe-wig in some spots. We did our best to tone it down, but left some blue in for the super-fans. -C
Interesting story. According to IMDB, Danny Kaye also received $200,000 for Hans Christian Andersen, which was released 2 years before White Christmas.
If you enjoyed the first two, we will have a follow up episode next week all about the 4K restoration that Charlotte worked on. So keep your eye out for that one. -A
I wish Donald O'Connor had done the picture. He and Vera-Ellen were so great together in "Call Me Madam" - Too bad they couldn't have waited for him to recover.
So is that guy Fosse? Could be. But the guy shown has a fuller face than him, and other old photos of Fosse during the WC era show him to be quite the thin young lad.
Here's a question for you that I've been curious about. Vista vision almost always used an optical soundtrack which was very sonically inferior to Magnetic soundtracks that most other movies and movie processes were using at the time. Paramount had pioneered magnetic sound and won an Academy Award for doing so in 1950. So why did they switch to inferior optical sound for Vista vision? It wasn't that Vista vision couldn't accommodate a magnetic stereo soundtrack. The Ten Commandments was released with a 6-track stereo magnetic soundtrack in first run theaters because DeMille insisted on it.
I wonder if it was because they thought 8 perf prints would become the norm, and that optical sound at twice the speed of ordinary 35mm prints would be twice as better?
My favorite dance and song was The Best things....probably due to the pink dress! My least favorite sadly was choreography! Best Movie, best actors, dancing, costumes so iconic and best ending ever! Both Jagger and Crosby born in 1903. By the way, when Bing kisses Rosemary Clooney, does it look a little uncomfortable and weird? Probably because she was so much younger than him.. BTW Charlotte, you are channeling Penny Marshall in looks in this video.
I know it's been mentioned to death, but no "It's a Wonderful Life" for a Christmas movie recommendation? For serious Christmas movies, I also like "Scrooge" (1970) - Albert Finney gives the BEST performance of any Scrooge IMO, he nails it. And ya gotta see Die Hard every Christmas! For comedy, I go with "Jingle All the Way", and if you like some laughs with a DUMB Christmas movie, go with the 1959 Mexican classic, simply called "Santa Claus", MST3K version! It's HILARIOUS!
If it's not Bob Fosse, then he has a twin brother out there! Also, I was wondering if y'all have any information as to why Vera-Ellen was so under-utilized in films.
That’s a good question about Vera-Ellen. I know she was married right after White Christmas was filmed, so maybe that’s why she somewhat disappeared for a few years but again, I’m really not sure. She’s so incredible to watch and she really makes everything look so effortless. It’s a shame she didn’t make more films. Happy to hear that you see the Fosse resemblance too. Hopefully one day the mystery will be solved!
I can't stop seeing this one extra (a redheaded female wearing a blue dress) who pops up periodically throughout the film! She's in the audience at 00;11;15, at the cast party at 01;25;09 & 01;27;52, "maybe" at the Carousel Club at 01;35;39 (wearing a black dress), and "maybe" in the audience (back of her head - under "Camera 1") at 01;42;45. Timings are off the film streaming on UA-cam Movies & TV - ua-cam.com/video/_iE5614fAoc/v-deo.htmlsi=WePBHKCwitJD9WkV
We love how rewarding movies like this are on repeat viewings. We especially love how the young ballerinas in the “White Christmas” number forget to smile. You can literally see when someone offscreen tells them to smile and they react. It is absolutely hilarious! Thanks for pointing out the redhead. We will keep an eye out for her on our next viewing.
If they couldn't get Danny Kaye to do that one dance scene, it should have been cut from the film or not even shot. Really, are any of these dances necessary to the plot?
Sorry but I don't think it's Bob Fosse. Interesting fact John basca was a choreographer for Donald O'Connor at Universal, perhaps that's how he got onto the movie White Christmas. Another interesting fact, Danny Kaye is wearing gray dance shoes in the best things happen while you're dancing number. That was to help the audience not look at his feet since they Blended in with the color of his pants him not being a real dancer.
Yes, I think that’s exactly why John Basca got hired on White Christmas. I’ve also heard the same about Danny’s wardrobe, but let’s be honest- no one is looking at Danny when he is dancing with Vera-Ellen! Sadly I do agree with you about it probably not being Fosse. The guy we highlighted in the film seems a bit too muscular to be him, but there is definitely a slight resemblance in the face. It’s just fun to imagine that he could be in there somewhere!
The matching shoes were clearly an idea of which the costume designer was fond. You'll notice matched shoes and pants on John Bracia in the Abraham number as well, and the chorus boys in the minstrel segment have green shoes matching their costumes.
The song that should have won the Oscar for '54 is "The Man That Got Away." Such a tragedy!
You are absolutely right. Three Coins in the Fountain winning over The Man That Got Away is an absolute travesty! Judy is magical in that performance and was robbed.
So true!
It's a fantastic song...so powerful the way Garland pushes it out...amazingly powerful.
These two episodes are excellent! Between “White Christmas” and “Holiday Inn,” “Holiday Inn” is my favorite, because Astaire has been my idol since I was a child (about 50 years ago). Of course, that “Abraham” number is horrible in “Holiday Inn.” A little of Kaye goes a long way with me. 😉 Ernie Flatt would go on to be the dance director for the Carol Burnett show.
Your “a little Kaye” line just made Adam laugh so hard. (And we couldn’t agree more!) What a cool fact about Ernie Flatt, thanks for sharing!! Astaire is so wonderful in everything he does. He would have really elevated the dance numbers in “White Christmas” and it’s really a shame he didn’t want to do it.
I love the women’s costumes. Especially Vera-Ellen’s dress in The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing. Gorgeous
Thank you for these wonderful episodes ! Taught me a few new things I hadn’t heard of before during production of White Christmas. As an avid Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen fan, I really enjoyed this video
We are glad you enjoyed it!
The dancer you thought might be Fosse was Jimmy Thompson, who was the vocalist of the Beautiful Girl number in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, had small roles in SUMMER STOCK and THE BAND WAGON among others, and was the "male ingenue" of BRIGADOON (the young bridegroom), which was the most substantial role of his brief film career ('47 - '56) and went into production only days after WHITE CHRISTMAS wrapped. In any case, Fosse had already done featured roles in THE AFFAIRS OF DOBIE GILLIS, KISS ME KATE and GIVE A GIRL A BREAK at MGM in '53, so he wouldn't have turned up as a barely-seen background dancer in WHITE CHRISTMAS.
Uh, ya - what HE said.
God, I LOVE it when someone …like you…actually knows what they’re talking about! Thanks for your knowledge and sharing it. I think these folks need to use you as an advisor/fact checker before they publish!
@@wadestevens5659 Awfully nice of you, Wade. Much appreciated, and kindness like yours is a great way to start the new year. All the best to you in '25 and beyond.
It was absolutely Fosse in the movie. Really good episodes. Loved all the trivia.
We think it is too, but we are still looking for conclusive evidence. Glad you enjoyed the episode.
My favorite scenes in White Christmas were any dance scene with Vera Ellen. Vera Ellen seems to be doing all the heavy lifting with her very strenuous dancing. I wish you would have talked more about Vera Ellen. She had already been in several movies before White Christmas and she did an incredible job. It was strange that White Christmas was Vera Ellen's last big film. Without Vera Ellen i know I would not care too much for the movie. For me, Vera Ellen makes everyone else look fantastic.
My favourite Christmas movie is We're no Angels, with Humphrey Bogart. It came out a year after White Christmas, also directed by Michael Curtiz and filmed in VistaVision and Technicolor at Paramount.
Yes, that’s a great one! I recently saw We’re No Angels for the first time this past year, when we did a new 6K scan (from the VV negative) and digital transfer of it. I’m not sure how I had gone all these years without seeing it before but I thoroughly enjoyed it!
-C
I love White Christmas because it is a great Hollywood make-believe escape. I remember first seeing it in the ‘70s and being astounded at how great the young and beautiful Rosemary Clooney was in it, as I had only ever seen her later in life when she was very different. Recently it has appeared very frequently and I can watch it pretty much whenever I want. One thing that jumped out at me from my first viewing: when Bing and Danny visit Novello’s to see the Haines sisters perform and the ladies do “Sisters”, when Curtiz cuts to Danny and Bing making comments during the song, there is a very 1950s-looking blonde lady sitting at a table behind Danny, smoking. Whenever Danny has a line, this woman is doing a very flashy French inhale on her cigarette. The edits and cuts happen very quickly, and she performs at least 3 inhales in quick succession that could only be an editing error (or intentional) since they would be impossible in real time. I always wondered what happened there.
Thank You two for your excellent work.
Excellent episode! Thoroughly enjoyed your inclusion of so much delicious trivia and fun-facts we've never had access to.
Glad you enjoyed it!
You caught the outtake in the Mandy number that was used in the trailer. There’s at least one other outtake in the trailer. In Gee, I Wish I Was Back in the Army, when Vera-Ellen and Rosemary Clooney come out the reactions from Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby are very different in the film than they are in the trailer.
None of my friends understand, but my favorite Christmas movie is "Desk Set" with Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracey.
25:14 When I count blessings, I become anything than sleepy
How about an episode about the director of White Christmas, Michael Curtiz?
Michael Curtiz is a great subject! I have been contemplating an episode about his tempestuous relationship working with Errol Flynn. They did a lot of films together, and often got into fist fights on set. - A
According to Google ("Bob Fosse" + "White Christmas"): Yes, Bob Fosse was the uncredited choreographer for the 1954 musical White Christmas. Fosse's work on the film may be why some of the dance sequences are so memorable.
Since there are two misspellings in this video/comment, let's clarify. It's John Brascia, with an "r". ( And I knew about the drum.) Also, I've seen the film enough times to know that in the trailer, at 24:48, that snippet of the scene is from a different take than the one used in the final edit of the film. Finally, not Bob Fosse. A superficial resemblance at best.
Definitely Bob Fosse in that scene!
So happy to have found you. Great stuff,enjoyable informative. I'm not really a big fan of this movie, I prefer Holiday Inn,as a film. Its a Christmas staple in my home. One thing about both movies is my infatuation with Vera and Marjorie.
My favorite scene is on the train singing Snow as a quartet 🎵! Trains? Snow? Quartets? who knows the reason (probably all three😂).
Count Your Blessings is sort of a reworking of the song, Come to Holiday Inn from Holiday Inn. The music for the bridge (I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads…) is identical to the bridge in Holiday Inn (Just find yourself somebody who can set your heart a whirl).
I'm partial to Wonderful Life. I met Mr. Capra on Sunset and mistook him for a theatre owner from NY. After we said our goodbyes and I drove away and realized, THAT WAS CAPRA!
Vistavision was in the works by very early 1952. Paramount shot test footage at Ringling Brothers Sarasota, Florida headquarters when DeMille was in production on The Greatest Show on Earth. I’ve see the footage. It was stored in Paramount’s film library in the 1980s. Paramount engineers called the process the ‘Lazy Eight’ system. Problem with Vistavision was it used Eastman single-strip color negative. Both Shane & Greatest Show were filmed in three-strip Technicolor. That camera ran three b&w negatives.
Thanks for the info! Charlotte is always interested in all things VistaVision. I was checking through some camera reports at the Herrick Library the other day and saw that Hitchcock was doing a lot of VistaVision camera testing in late-1952 as well. Feel free to share anything else you may know about cameras, especially VistaVision, because we are always open to new knowledge!
Using Eastman color was not a major drawback, since everyone else in Hollywood was using Eastman color also. The Cinemascope films were using Eastman color. Eastman color was much cheaper and easier to use than three strip Technicolor. Very soon films that were labeled Technicolor were shot in Eastman color (Kodak's film technology) and processed in the Technicolor imbibition process for release; these had superior color quality compared to the same film processed in the conventional photo processing way. And Technicolor processed films had a big advantage for film preservation and longterm viability, since Technicolor produced 3 black and white negatives and preservation prints, as part of their processing. Black and white film is far more stable wutg image quality maintained longterm compared to Eastman color where the colors faded and degraded quickly. The various names used for color processes used from the early 50's on, were just different studios and/or labs putting brand names on Eastman color films they processed (Deluxe, Warner Color, etc.)
For a good holiday movie, try REMEMBER THE NIGHT.
Also, try CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT. Both star the wonderful Barbara Stanwyck.
THE BISHOP'S WIFE is worth a watch.
We have never seen REMEMBER THE NIGHT, but you had us at Barbara Stanwyck and Fred McMurray directed by Preston Sturges! CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT and THE BISHOP’S WIFE are both always on our Christmas list. Thanks for the recommendation! Write in with any more, we are always looking for new movies for our nightly double features.
At 11:47 no that's not Bob Fosse sadly. Although I do wish it was. Fosse had had a major featured role in MGM's "Give A Girl A Break" (1953) dancing duets with Debbie Reynolds - so I don't think he would have accepted a tiny role in the chorus of "White Christmas" as it would have been a step down for him.
Yes, it would be fun if it was him but we haven’t been able to find any record of him behind the scenes either. He’d be listed on the call sheets or payroll records but his name isn’t there. Very good point about the other films!
Not Fosse, and I love White Christmas, and don't consider Christmas properly celebrated until I have seen White Christmas at least twice.
14:07 Great video! But I disagree that the two films (WC and Holiday Inn) only share two things in common. Mention needs to be made of the shared sets. For example, the reception area in H.I. was turned into the fire pit / sitting area in W.C.. The living room / staircase in H.I. was turned into the hotel reception area in W.C.. And of course the farmhouse exterior from H.I. was reused and the barn exterior was added to it in W.C..
Thanks! Listen closely, we never said it’s the “ONLY” things they have in common! The set sharing has been widely documented, but because Studios always reused sets, costumes, props, etc… and we had other stories to share, we didn’t end up keeping that story in our video. Thanks again for watching and for specific sharing the details here.
@@PerfDamagePodcast You're right, I should have listened closer, maybe AFTER having my morning coffee. 😉☕
And I am definitely looking forward to the Christmas season, one reason being the old movie house near me (built in 1928) always plays White Christmas each December, pairing it with Christmas decorations and carols played live on their theater organ. 😁
Do you two ever get to see this movie in a setting like that? (I highly recommend it! 😉)
Haha! No worries!
That sounds like so much fun! We don’t have anything like that near us, as least not that we’ve heard of.
27:36 musicless video
Perhaps worth noting that Ernie Flatt, the "dance-in", was the choreographer for The Carol Burnett Show.
Do you know what a “dance-in” is??
White Christmas
Christmas in Connecticut
It Happened on Fifth Avenue
It's a Wonderful Life
Remember the Night
A Christmas Carol 1938
The Shop Around the Corner
Meet Me in St. Louise
We're No Angels
Great list! We often augment the classics with modern classics like Die Hard and Home Alone. -A
A fact nobody asked for is called a “factoid”. And ALL of those in this of “Perf Damage” installment are terrific! And here’s a factoid of sorts… I’ll bet the two versions of the soundtrack album for “White Christmas happened after Paramount had unloaded KTLA to Gene Autry’s Golden West Broadcasters.
My favorite Christmas movies are Bell, Book and Candle and The World of Henry Orient. Besides White Christmas, of course.
It’s been ages since either of us have seen those films and we are a little embarrassed to admit that we didn’t even remember them being Holiday movies! Now we can’t wait to check them out again. Thanks for the recommendations!
@@PerfDamagePodcast They both take place during Christmas, but Christmas isn't the main plot. But they're both favorites of mine at Christmas.
My favorites too!
@@lottamiles5510 The Apartment, as well.
@@cherbibler3265 Yes!!
Watching your trivia section, it seems there may have been something else notable about Dean Jagger's appearance in the two films mentioned. Looks like they took his fake beard from "The Robe" and put it on top of his head for "White Christmas".
Haha!!!! Love this! 🤣
The new 4K disc of White Christmas really brings out the blueness of his Robe-wig in some spots. We did our best to tone it down, but left some blue in for the super-fans.
-C
❤
Interesting story. According to IMDB, Danny Kaye also received $200,000 for Hans Christian Andersen, which was released 2 years before White Christmas.
If you enjoyed the first two, we will have a follow up episode next week all about the 4K restoration that Charlotte worked on. So keep your eye out for that one. -A
Yep, Danny's favorite comeback for those $200 paychecks
musta been, "Hey, guys - at least I'm not asking a quarter million."
I wish Donald O'Connor had done the picture. He and Vera-Ellen were so great together in "Call Me Madam" - Too bad they couldn't have waited for him to recover.
We love Donald O’Connor! He would have made White Christmas a very different movie. You can tell that the dance sequences were designed for him.
So is that guy Fosse? Could be. But the guy shown has a fuller face than him,
and other old photos of Fosse during the WC era show him to be quite the thin young lad.
Yeah its fosse!
Here's a question for you that I've been curious about. Vista vision almost always used an optical soundtrack which was very sonically inferior to Magnetic soundtracks that most other movies and movie processes were using at the time. Paramount had pioneered magnetic sound and won an Academy Award for doing so in 1950. So why did they switch to inferior optical sound for Vista vision? It wasn't that Vista vision couldn't accommodate a magnetic stereo soundtrack. The Ten Commandments was released with a 6-track stereo magnetic soundtrack in first run theaters because DeMille insisted on it.
I’d be interested to hear where you sourced your information on DeMille and The Ten Commandments, as it doesn’t exactly match the information I have.
I wonder if it was because they thought 8 perf prints would become the norm, and that optical sound at twice the speed of ordinary 35mm prints would be twice as better?
My favorite dance and song was The Best things....probably due to the pink dress! My least favorite sadly was choreography! Best Movie, best actors, dancing, costumes so iconic and best ending ever! Both Jagger and Crosby born in 1903. By the way, when Bing kisses Rosemary Clooney, does it look a little uncomfortable and weird? Probably because she was so much younger than him.. BTW Charlotte, you are channeling Penny Marshall in looks in this video.
I know it's been mentioned to death, but no "It's a Wonderful Life" for a Christmas movie recommendation? For serious Christmas movies, I also like "Scrooge" (1970) - Albert Finney gives the BEST performance of any Scrooge IMO, he nails it. And ya gotta see Die Hard every Christmas! For comedy, I go with "Jingle All the Way", and if you like some laughs with a DUMB Christmas movie, go with the 1959 Mexican classic, simply called "Santa Claus", MST3K version! It's HILARIOUS!
If it's not Bob Fosse, then he has a twin brother out there! Also, I was wondering if y'all have any information as to why Vera-Ellen was so under-utilized in films.
That’s a good question about Vera-Ellen. I know she was married right after White Christmas was filmed, so maybe that’s why she somewhat disappeared for a few years but again, I’m really not sure. She’s so incredible to watch and she really makes everything look so effortless. It’s a shame she didn’t make more films.
Happy to hear that you see the Fosse resemblance too. Hopefully one day the mystery will be solved!
Vera-Ellen was suffering from anorexia and emotional illness or distress. I believe that's why her career trailed off very quickly.
I can't stop seeing this one extra (a redheaded female wearing a blue dress) who pops up periodically throughout the film! She's in the audience at 00;11;15, at the cast party at 01;25;09 & 01;27;52, "maybe" at the Carousel Club at 01;35;39 (wearing a black dress), and "maybe" in the audience (back of her head - under "Camera 1") at 01;42;45. Timings are off the film streaming on UA-cam Movies & TV - ua-cam.com/video/_iE5614fAoc/v-deo.htmlsi=WePBHKCwitJD9WkV
We love how rewarding movies like this are on repeat viewings. We especially love how the young ballerinas in the “White Christmas” number forget to smile. You can literally see when someone offscreen tells them to smile and they react. It is absolutely hilarious! Thanks for pointing out the redhead. We will keep an eye out for her on our next viewing.
You didn’t mention Barrie Chase who is obviously with the show but never appears in any of the staged numbers.
If they couldn't get Danny Kaye to do that one dance scene, it should have been cut from the film or not even shot. Really, are any of these dances necessary to the plot?
I don't understand the need to insert politics, while giving us such good information and triva.
Sorry but I don't think it's Bob Fosse. Interesting fact John basca was a choreographer for Donald O'Connor at Universal, perhaps that's how he got onto the movie White Christmas. Another interesting fact, Danny Kaye is wearing gray dance shoes in the best things happen while you're dancing number. That was to help the audience not look at his feet since they Blended in with the color of his pants him not being a real dancer.
Google voice typing gets capitals and a small letters all mixed up!
Yes, I think that’s exactly why John Basca got hired on White Christmas.
I’ve also heard the same about Danny’s wardrobe, but let’s be honest- no one is looking at Danny when he is dancing with Vera-Ellen!
Sadly I do agree with you about it probably not being Fosse. The guy we highlighted in the film seems a bit too muscular to be him, but there is definitely a slight resemblance in the face. It’s just fun to imagine that he could be in there somewhere!
Glad to get your reply. I'm new to your podcast and it's nice to know that you read and respond to people's comments.
The matching shoes were clearly an idea of which the costume designer was fond. You'll notice matched shoes and pants on John Bracia in the Abraham number as well, and the chorus boys in the minstrel segment have green shoes matching their costumes.
Sorry - that ain't Fosse. Fosse absolutely radiates joy when he dances - this guy looks a little unsure of himself, and he is a tad stiff.
You can tell it Was Fosse by the carton of cigarettes in his back pocket .