Holiday Inn
Release date: 1942-01-01
Votes: 207
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
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.
Reviews
John Chard
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 McGinn
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.
Rob
Simply a must-watch at Christmas time. An Irving Berlin musical made in the forties. Yes, please!
Movie Recommendation
Going My Way1944-01-01Youthful Father Chuck O'Malley led a colorful life of sports, song, and romance before joining the Roman Catholic clergy. After being appointed to a run-down New York parish, O'Malley's worldly knowledge helps him connect with a gang of boys looking for direction, eventually winning over the aging, conventional Parish priest.More...
Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison1957-03-13A Roman Catholic nun and a hard-bitten US Marine are stranded together on a Japanese-occupied island in the South Pacific during World War II. Under constant threat of discovery by a ruthless enemy, they hide in a cave and forage for food together. Their forced companionship and the struggle for survival forge a powerful emotional bond between them.More...
How Sarah Got Her Wings2015-12-06Good Samaritan Sarah Fitzpatrick has a fatal accident just before Christmas, and finds herself in the lobby before the gates of Heaven. Certain that she will be let in, she is shocked to find that her name is not on the reservation list. However, she is granted the chance to return to Earth as an "angel in training" with the requirement to help a soul in need. Sarah has the 12 days before Christmas to secure her place on the list leaving her in the race for her after-life.More...
You'll Never Get Rich1941-09-25A Broadway choreographer gets drafted and coincidentally ends up in the same army base as the boyfriend of his object of affection.More...
Silk Stockings1957-06-28After three bumbling Soviet agents fail in their mission to retrieve a straying Soviet composer from Paris, the beautiful, ultra-serious Ninotchka is sent to complete their mission and to retrieve them. She starts out condemning the decadent West, but gradually falls under its spell—with the help of an American movie producer. A remake of Ninotchka (1939).More...
Angels in the Snow2015-11-22In Angels in the Snow, the affluent, yet troubled Montgomery family hits the road for a special Christmas in the mountains.More...
Carter & June2018-05-18A grifter indebted to a New Orleans gangster thinks he can make a killing and win back his money-troubled ex-lover with the help of a bank robbery already set to go down. The reunited lovers team up for the job, but get caught in a whirlwind of danger as the robbery turns deadly.More...
James Cagney: That Yankee Doodle Dandy1981-12-01During the filming of Ragtime, the 81-year old Cagney talks about his career. Cagney tells us about becoming a dancer and meeting his wife, his route from Broadway to Hollywood, the emergence of his tough-guy persona, and his post-war creations of insane characters.More...
Christmas in Connecticut1945-07-27While recovering in a hospital, war hero Jefferson Jones grows familiar with the "Diary of a Housewife" column written by Elizabeth Lane. Jeff's nurse arranges with Elizabeth's publisher, Alexander Yardley, for Jeff to spend the holiday at Elizabeth's bucolic Connecticut farm with her husband and child. But the column is a sham, so Elizabeth and her editor, Dudley Beecham, in fear of losing their jobs, hasten to set up the single, childless and entirely nondomestic Elizabeth on a country farm.More...
Scrooge1951-11-28Ebenezer Scrooge malcontentedly shuffles through life as a cruel, miserly businessman; until he is visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve who show him how his unhappy childhood and adult behavior has left him a selfish, lonely old man.More...
Surviving Christmas2004-09-21A wealthy executive, Drew Latham (Ben Affleck) has no close relationships and becomes nostalgic for his childhood home as Christmas approaches. When he visits the house and finds another family living there, he offers the residents, Tom Valco (James Gandolfini) and his wife, Christine (Catherine O'Hara), a large sum of money to pretend they are his parents. Soon Drew tests the couple's patience, and, when their daughter, Alicia (Christina Applegate), arrives, things get increasingly tense.More...
How to Marry a Millionaire1953-10-29Three women set out to find eligible millionaires to marry, but find true love in the process.More...
White Christmas1954-10-14Two talented song-and-dance men team up after the war to become one of the hottest acts in show business. In time they befriend and become romantically involved with the beautiful Haynes sisters who comprise a sister act.More...
The Red Shoes1948-09-06In this classic drama, Vicky Page is an aspiring ballerina torn between her dedication to dance and her desire to love. While her imperious instructor, Boris Lermontov, urges to her to forget anything but ballet, Vicky begins to fall for the charming young composer Julian Craster. Eventually Vicky, under great emotional stress, must choose to pursue either her art or her romance, a decision that carries serious consequences.More...
Fred Claus2007-11-09Fred Claus and Santa Claus have been estranged brothers for many years. Now Fred must reconcile his differences with his brother whom he believes overshadows him. When an efficiency expert assesses the workings at the North Pole and threatens to shut Santa down, Fred must help his brother to save Christmas.More...
Deck the Halls2006-11-22Determined to unseat Steve Finch's reign as the town's holiday season king, Buddy Hall plasters his house with so many decorative lights that it'll be visible from space! When their wives bond, and their kids follow suit, the two men only escalate their rivalry - and their decorating.More...
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!1966-12-18Bitter and hateful, the Grinch is irritated at the thought of a nearby village having a happy time celebrating Christmas. Disguised as Santa Claus, with his dog made to look like a reindeer, he decides to raid the village to steal all the Christmas things.More...
Sleepless in Seattle1993-06-24After the death of his mother, a young boy calls a radio station in an attempt to set his father up on a date. Talking about his father’s loneliness soon leads to a meeting with a young female journalist, who has flown to Seattle to write a story about the boy and his father.More...
Gandhi1982-12-01In the early years of the 20th century, Mohandas K. Gandhi, a British-trained lawyer, forsakes all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian independence. Faced with armed resistance from the British government, Gandhi adopts a policy of 'passive resistance', endeavouring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed.More...
Citizen Kane1941-04-17Newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane is taken from his mother as a boy and made the ward of a rich industrialist. As a result, every well-meaning, tyrannical or self-destructive move he makes for the rest of his life appears in some way to be a reaction to that deeply wounding event.More...
Similar Movies
A Hard Day's Night
1964-07-07Capturing John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in their electrifying element, 'A Hard Day's Night' is a wildly irreverent journey through this pastiche of a day in the life of The Beatles during 1964. The band have to use all their guile and wit to avoid the pursuing fans and press to reach their scheduled television performance, in spite of Paul's troublemaking grandfather and Ringo's arrest.Gentlemen Prefer Blon...
1953-07-14Lorelei Lee is a beautiful showgirl engaged to be married to the wealthy Gus Esmond, much to the disapproval of Gus' rich father, Esmond Sr., who thinks that Lorelei is just after his money. When Lorelei goes on a cruise accompanied only by her best friend, Dorothy Shaw, Esmond Sr. hires Ernie Malone, a private detective, to follow her and report any questionable behavior that would disqualify her from the marriage.Home Alone
1990-11-16Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister makes the most of the situation after his family unwittingly leaves him behind when they go on Christmas vacation. When thieves try to break into his home, he puts up a fight like no other.Home Alone 2: Lost in...
1992-11-15Instead of flying to Florida with his folks, Kevin ends up alone in New York, where he gets a hotel room with his dad's credit card—despite problems from a clerk and meddling bellboy. But when Kevin runs into his old nemeses, the Wet Bandits, he's determined to foil their plans to rob a toy store on Christmas Eve.Let There Be Light
2019-09-26Milan, a Slovak working in Germany as a bricklayer, returns home to celebrate Christmas with his wife and three children, one of whom appears to be involved in suspicious activities related to an extremist organization.Under the Boardwalk
2023-10-27Two crabs embark on an epic journey to get home after a storm sweeps them away. Their courage soon unites their families, paving the way for great summers to come.I Surrender Dear
1948-10-06Patty Nelson lands a job as a singer with orchestra leader Al Tyler, and tours with the band as "Patty Hart." Patty's father Russ is dismissed from his radio-station job, and the disc jockey selected to replace him is Al Tyler. Patty rushes home to keep Russ company on the air for the final few days, and Al wonders why she suddenly walked out on him. The new "Patty and Russ" radio show catches on, causing complications with Al and the radio-station bosses.Monsieur Hulot's Holi...
1953-02-25Monsieur Hulot, Jacques Tati’s endearing clown, takes a holiday at a seaside resort, where his presence provokes one catastrophe after another. Tati’s masterpiece of gentle slapstick is a series of effortlessly well-choreographed sight gags involving dogs, boats, and firecrackers; it was the first entry in the Hulot series and the film that launched its maker to international stardom.Aladdin
1992-11-25In the boorish city of Agrabah, kind-hearted street urchin Aladdin and Princess Jasmine fall in love, although she can only marry a prince. He and power-hungry Grand Vizier Jafar vie for a magic lamp that can fulfill their wishes.Moulin Rouge!
2001-05-18A celebration of love and creative inspiration takes place in the infamous, gaudy and glamorous Parisian nightclub, at the cusp of the 20th century. A young poet, who is plunged into the heady world of Moulin Rouge, begins a passionate affair with the club's most notorious and beautiful star.A Christmas Story
1983-11-18The comic mishaps and adventures of a young boy named Ralph, trying to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B. gun really is the perfect Christmas gift for the 1940s.Sleepless in Seattle
1993-06-24After the death of his mother, a young boy calls a radio station in an attempt to set his father up on a date. Talking about his father’s loneliness soon leads to a meeting with a young female journalist, who has flown to Seattle to write a story about the boy and his father.Singin' in the Rain
1952-04-10In 1927 Hollywood, a silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.Prem Nagar
1974-05-24Karan hires Lata as his secretary and asks her to move to one of his cottages with her family. However, things take a turn when she is accused of stealing a valuable necklace.Padmaavat
2018-01-25Rajputana, India, 13th century. The tyrannical usurper Alauddin Khilji, sultan of Delhi, becomes obsessed with Queen Padmavati, wife of King Ratan Singh of Mewar, and goes to great lengths to satisfy his greed for her.A Song for Miss Julie...
1945-02-19Two playwrights and a former burlesque queen travel to Louisiana to research a musical they're planning on a local Southern hero.Toy Story That Time F...
2014-12-02During a post-Christmas play date, the gang find themselves in uncharted territory when the coolest set of action figures ever turn out to be dangerously delusional. It's all up to Trixie, the triceratops, if the gang hopes to return to Bonnie's room in this Toy Story That Time Forgot.Sawan Ko Aane Do
1979-01-01Chandramukhi, the city educated daughter of the village zamindar returns to Ramnagar, a typical village. There she meets her childhood friend Birju aka Brij Mohan. He has a lovely voice and she encourages him to pursue singing. Eventually Brij and Chandramukhi fall in love, but Chandramukhi's father cuts it abruptly and sends her to Lucknow. A short while later Brij arrives at Lucknow. Gitanjali, Chandramukhi's friend, is thrilled by his voice and helps him get a job at Aakashvani through her father. Brij returns to Ramnagar to ask Chandramukhis hand in marriage but is once again rebuked. He returns and goes on to become a great singer in Mumbai with Gitanjali by his side. All through he yearns for Chandramukhi as she yearns for him. How he manages to marry her forms the rest of the story.Two Guys from Texas
1948-08-27Two vaudevillians on the run from crooks try to pass themselves off as cowboys.Edward Scissorhands
1990-12-07A small suburban town receives a visit from a castaway unfinished science experiment named Edward.