Review of Holiday Inn (1942) by Eric H — 22 Dec 2014

I know that the time period of this film was not perfect. There were no Civil Rights acts or equality for women. A war was going on. But there is something pure about this. I wax nostalgic for a gentler form of entertainment.

I tire of the explicitness and gore of modern films. I get tired of the profanity and the scatology. That's why it's so nice to have a tradition of pleasant musicals and comedies from this era.

No, I wasn't alive at this time. It just seems that we had a better sense of basic decency. Boy, I sound like an old fogy. That said, this film stands on the strong shoulders of Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.

I realize how vapid the plot is. The silly grandstanding; the ridiculous posturing for a romantic involvement. But if all there was was the dance sequences and the production numbers, this film would still be a classic.

The premise is so outrageous, but it doesn't matter. The expense of those shows would have required those patrons to shell out about 500 dollars a ticket, considering there were so few of them. I also like Astaire's singing voice, which is often underrated.

It's a nice movie. Put it on your holiday plate.