What a film, what a cast. I love hearing Rosemary Clooney reminisce and the film is even more terrific than I remember it from my childhood.

I had not seen White Christmas in many years and wanted to add it to my video library. Amazon offered the best price. Last night I settled down for the evening to watch White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. What a wonderful, good feeling movie! I throughly enjoyed the music, the story, and the beautiful scenery. I highly recommend this delightful movie. HN

This is one of my favorite movies. I asked for it for Christmas and no one got it for me so I had to get it myself. I wore out my VHS version. The product was inexpensive and came in a timely manor.

My husband waits every year for this movie to come on TV at Christmas time he just loves it. I watched it for the first time this year and fell into love with the movie myself. We are going to have our 2 boys watch it in a few years now 5 and 3 and make it part of our christmas every year. If you get the chance I really suggest watching it.

What's not to love about this movie? It makes me feel good every time I watch it.........

Fantastic movie! Bing was in his prime and the musical numbers are first rate!

its my favorite xmas movie of all times and it was hard to find anywhere but i knew i could find it on your web site

This is definitely a classic. Good acting, good music and a heart warming story.

Back in 1954, director Michael Curtiz (1886-1962, who won the Oscar for Best Director for the 1942 film "Casablanca") directed a musical that has become a beloved Yuletide classic for many people (myself included): "White Christmas". With the all-star cast of Bing Crosby (1903-1977), Danny Kay (1913-1987), Rosemary Clooney (1928-2002), Vera Ellen (1921-1981) and Mary Wickes (1910-1995), the film is often regarded as an updated remake of the 1942 classic "Holiday Inn", which also starred Bing Crosby and featured the same classic Yuletide song, "White Christmas". Though the two films do have many similarities (they're both musicals with lots of song and dance and they both have two main male characters), there are sufficient differences in their respective plots to make each film a unique viewing experience.

"White Christmas" begins on a World War II battlefield with soldiers performing a Christmas show for their fellow soldiers. The two starring soldiers are Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye). During the performance, all of the soldiers in attendance pay homage to their commander, General Thomas F. Waverly (Dean Jagger). The film then moves forward to its present day of 1954 where it finds Wallace & Davis as being very popular and successful on-stage song & dance performers. After one of their performances, they go to a nightclub where they a performance by two beautiful sisters: Betty Haynes (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy Haynes (Vera Ellen). Bob & Phil become infatuated with the pair (Phil more than Bob). They meet each other and Phil sneakily arranges for himself and Bob to go to Vermont, where the Haynes sisters are going, instead of their planned destination for their next performance. Bob isn't too happy initially with Phil's subterfuge, but relents and enjoys the trip with the Haynes sisters to the Vermont ski lodge. Sadly, when they arrive, there isn't any snow; but they quickly discover who owns the ski lodge: their former commander, the retired General Thomas F. Waverly, who is assisted by his daughter Anne Waverly (Anne Whitfield) and Emma Allen (Mary Wickes). The unfortunate lack of snow isn't very good for the ski lodges business, but Bob & Phil decide to help the retired general in the best way that they know.

Songs by Irving Berlin in "White Christmas" include many wonderful and catchy tunes as listed below. (Vera Ellen's singing was dubbed by Trudy Stevens.)

* "The Old Man/Gee I Wish I Was Back In The Army" (5 stars, performed by Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and chorus).
* "Sisters" (5+ stars, Rosemary Clooney, Trudy Stevens and chorus).
* "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing" (4 stars, Danny Kaye with the Skylarks & chorus.)
* "Snow" (5+ stars, Bing Crosby, Danny Kay, Rosemary Clooney, Trudy Stevens and chorus).
* "Blue Skies/Mandy" (4 stars, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and chorus.)
* "Choreography" (5 stars, Danny Kaye, the Skylarks & chorus.)
* "Count Your Blessings Instead Of Sheep" (5 stars, Bing Crosby.)
* "Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me" (5 stars, Rosemary Clooney.)
* "What Can You Do With The General" (5+ stars, Bing Crosby.)
* "White Christmas" (5+ stars, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Trudy Stevens & chorus.)

"White Christmas" has deservedly become an annual Yuletide classic that will be enjoyed by many generations to come. Overall, I rate the film with 5 out of 5 stars. Also on the DVD is an excellent commentary by Rosemary Clooney. Sadly, "White Christmas" was Vera Ellen's second-to-last film after she decided to retire from acting.

I received all four videos in a short period of time and in perfect condition. Thanks very much.

This movie is great, and came in record time.

It was a Christmas gift for my grandmother, and she was very surprised.
Thank you, Amazon!

Great classical Christmas movie. I really enjoy it, especially the songs. Great family movie.

The movie gets five stars, but I can't get used to this anamorphic widescreen version. The movie was restored several years ago and to me my VHS copy looks better than this one.

Great Irving Berlin score. The plot is simple but charming. Leaving the Army after W.W.II, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis team up to become a top song-and-dance act. Phil makes it his mission to find Wallace a wife. They meet a pair of beautiful sisters (Clooney and Ellen) who also have a song-and-dance act. Bob and Phil follow the sisters to a Vermont lodge, only to find their former commander, General Waverly, as the lodge owner. A series of romantic mix-ups ensue as the performers try to help the General. Many people think this is a remake of Bing's 1942 film, "Holiday Inn", but it really isn't. The only similarities are the song "White Chrismas" and the Vermont Inn is the remodeled Connecticut Inn used in "Holdiday Inn".

Bing is his usual charming self, complete with his jazz lingo ad libs and beautiful singing voice. Parts of his big hits "Blue Skies", "Heat Wave" have been added to the score.
A rather subdued Danny Kaye puts in one of his best performances. His singing is good and his dancing is ok.
Vera Ellen does some wonderful dance numbers. People rave about "Mandy" and "The Best Things Happen While Your Dancing" but take a look at "Abraham"- she's incredible!
Rosemary Clooney adds her near perfect voice and a commentary to this film.

This is a great family movie, especially if you watch it every year at Christmas time like we do. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye make a great team, Bing doing the singing (along with many trademark Crosby turns of phrase) and Danny doing the joking and some dancing. There's lots more to be said about the movie, of course: read IMDB or wikipedia.

The DVD version itself is ok. The biggest disappointment was in the special features. They have 2 theatrical trailers and an interview with Rosemary Clooney, which are ok. But the commentary track is, I hate to say, really bad. Basically it consists of Rosemary chuckling at different points in the movie. She reveals a few interesting tidbits, but by and large it's extremely disappointing. We were looking forward to lots of stories about the cast and crew, verification of trivia we had read, but simply got a few reminiscences about her and Bing Crosby and a bunch of chuckling. I'm enough of a die-hard fan of the movie that I watched the commentary all the way through, but my wife gave up part way through, it was so bad.

Regardless, it's well worth having the DVD version of this perennial Christmas favorite.

We have kept "White Christmas" in our collection since it first became available in VHS. When it came to DVD we had to buy it and get it into our DVD collection. It is a perenniel Christmas favorite for our family. This film was produced by Paramount Pictures, which was not particularly known for their musicals. But the music and production numbers are as good as any classic musical. This movie has the destinction of being the first film ever produced in the VistaVision process. This was an early motion picture High Fidelity medium. The frame had twice the resolving power of regular 35mm. I think that it would be appropriate for it to be released soon to HD DVD.

This is the greatest movie for an annual before Christmas get-together. I watch it every year with at least one of my daughters. I have even gotten my Husband to join in some years. Great Tradition for families!!

For me this movie is such a classic, you can not get any better than this! The music, lyrics, choreography, story line, it all is quite simply the best!!!

I would recommend this movie to everyone!

Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye) meet in the Army during World War II. Davis saves Wallace's life during an air raid and uses the incident to guilt his way into show business. It seems that Wallace was a famous singer before the war and can't say no to Davis who wants to become his partner. When the two encounter their old general at a Vermont inn, they hatch several convoluted schemes to help him out. It's all done in a lighthearted way and there are plenty of musical interludes.

Bing Crosby is perfect as Bob Wallace and Danny Kaye manages to hold his own for the most part. Kaye is certainly the better dancer and physical comic but his singing voice was exposed a time or two during the course of the film. The story is terrific for the first half or so, but gets into trouble when a misunderstanding causes a rift between Crosby and his would-be girlfriend. She is so bitter and judgmental toward him, giving him no chance to even explain what's really going on, that by the end I don't even want him to take her back. But most of the story is good fun even if it doesn't all make perfect sense. It's one of those movies that requires you to sit back and enjoy the silliness.

This movie is a Christmas classic and I watch it each year. The chemistry between Crosby and Kaye gives the movie great heart and the snappy patter is exceptionally sharp.

A great movie with a great cast and, of course, great music! Having said that, I must agree with another reviewer who feels the 'Choreography' number is out of place. Still, all in all, a wonderful way to spend an evening as Christmas approaches. I have the 2000 release DVD and had not intended to buy a newer version until it finally comes out in high-def, but I noticed that while the 2000 version has an aspect ratio of 1.85 this edition is 2.35. Perhaps now the entire letter written by Betty will be viewable onscreen instead of the bottom line being missing. I haven't had an opportunity to see it, so I don't know. As beautiful as the colors are in this movie, I can't wait to see it in full 1080 resolution on my big TV! I do hope it is released that way soon. I don't know whether HDDVD or BlueRay will win the war, but whichever format this movie is released in is the one I will buy.

Yes, I love How the Grinch Saved Christmas and The Christmas Carol and Home Alone. But this one has always been the favorite in my family. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye make a great team, the "sister act" provides the romantic angle and there are jokes (many of which are now family inside jokes), dancing and lots of singing! Not a very deep plot, but who cares? I hope this new DVD version will bring White Christmas a broader audience. Recommended for the whole family and particularly for those who like old musicals and snoooooow!

"White Christmas" opened in The Big Apple's (New York's) Radio City Music Hall in 1954 to record breaking crowds. With Irving Berlin's music and the song "White Christmas" already a huge success, this show was sure to be a winner! An unprecedented 6 weeks of rehearsal time was granted for making the movie before even shooting it, which ensured it's perfection.

The movie displays the superb singing and acting talents of super-crooner Bing Crosby, the multitalented singing, dancing, comedy talents of the extraordinary and unsurpassed Danny Kaye, the beautiful melodic voice and wonderful acting talents of Rosemary Clooney, and the sensational dancing and acting talents of Vera Ellen. Danny and Vera danced and sang their way through this movie together as a couple. What a talent combo! It should be noted that the sensational Vera Ellen only went on to make one more movie in 1957 before she retired from the silver screen. Also note that Vera is the only one whose singing voice was dubbed in because it was said that she couldn't sing, but she sure could dance enough to make up for it!

Paramount's famous designer Edith Head designed the costumes for the movie and the girls' gowns and dance costumes are absolutely stunning! Even the guys look great. You'll notice Danny Kaye with a grey-blue suit, with matching socks and shoes in a dance number that really accent an extension of the movement of his whole body all the way down to his feet.

The show begins on Christmas Eve, in Germany, 1944. In the midst of airplane gunfire and bombs falling from the sky, a USO-type show put on by Army Captain Bob Wallace (Bing) and Private Phil Davis (Danny) attempts to entertain their troop. Their commander is General Waverly, a Major General (a 2-star general), a really nice guy and they absolutely love him. Right after the show, Davis hurts his arm pushing Wallace out of way and milks it every time he wants something from Wallace. Davis uses the "how I hurt my arm saving your life" routine to get Wallace to include him in his show act after he gets out of the war and all through the picture. Hence, the act name "Wallace and Davis".

As Wallace and Davis are getting very well known in show biz, they meet the 2 sisters of an old army friend. You only see the guy's photo but I think it's a grown-up Alfalfa from the Little Rascals. The Hanes sisters are Betty (Rosemary) and Judy (Vera) Hanes. You first see them doing an act "Sisters" and the show soon takes a turn toward match-making. Davis and Judy decide to "help" Wallace and Betty get together. Davis figures that if he gets Wallace interested in a woman, Davis can have some down-time for himself.

The boys soon follow the girls to their gig for the holidays at The Columbia Inn, in Pine Tree, Vermont. They are surprised to see no snow AND the Inn owned by their friend, the now retired General Waverly. The General has sunk all his money into the Inn and there's no business, so Wallace and Davis decide to bring their whole New York show, cast and crew to Vermont to put on an extravaganza to help out the General's business.

The movie has TONS of great songs, sung by everyone except Vera. Vera gets a few notes in here and there, but, they are someone else's voice dubbed in. Songs include "Sisters," "White Christmas," Counting Your Blessings," "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing," (Song and dance), "Snow," "Mandy, There's A Minister Handy," "Gee I Wish I Was Back in the Army," and "Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me."

On a side note, the song "Sisters" brings back fond memories for me. A friend, Karen, and I worked together on the Training Staff for about 10 years and we had gotten to be really close friends, like sisters. Like most people today, we were overworked and underpaid. Whenever things got stressful at work, we would sometimes pop out of our cubicles, go arm in arm, and sing a few bars from that song. It always lightened up everybody's' load for a couple of minutes. So, whenever I hear that song, I always think of Karen. I'm sure the movie will trigger some memories for some of you, too.

On another side note, you may notice George Chakiris in the dance scenes. He was seen as a supporting dancer in many movies before appearing in "West Side Story". An interview with Rosemary Clooney from 2000 is also included in the special features.

The movie finale is superb, very heartwarming and very Christmassy! Of course, there is a happy ending. (Well, who wants to see an UN-happy ending?)

Can't imagine there is anybody on planet earth who has NOT seen this movie unless they have been in a coma since 1954 but just in case, this movie is absolutely FANTASTIC! It's a movie that you will likely watch over and over again through the years, certainly during the Christmas holidays.

Love the dresses the girls are wearing for the finale, too! I always said I was going to make myself one just like it and darn it I'm still gonna do it! I have to stop WAITING for the time to appear and just TAKE the time to do it!

Anyway, get the movie for yourself or give it as a Christmas gift.

This is by far one of my FAVORITE holiday movies. It is truely a classic movie that the entire family will be able to enjoy. Singing, dancing, romance and snow- what more could you ask for?? Snuggle in and enjoy this movie- it will warm your heart!

AS THE REVIEWER BEFORE ME STATED, I HAD BECOME SO USE TO THE FACT THAT PARAMOUNT DID GREAT REISSUE TRANSFERS[ FUNNY FACE, ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE- 60TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION,TO CATCH A THIEF...] THAT I SOLD MY FIRST WHITE CHRISTMAS EDITION, ASSUMING FOR A NEW DVD EDITION 7 YEARS LATER, NOT TO MENTION $5.00 TO $8.00 MORE IN COST, THIS WAS GOING TO BE THE SAME STORY....WHAT A LET DOWN...IT WOULD APPEAR TO BE THE SAME TRANSFER AS BEFORE....WHY REISSUE THIS AT CHRISTMAS TIME IF ITS GOING TO BE THE SAME TRANSFER AS BEFORE?...BUT HEY,I HAVE A NEW CARDBOARD SLIPCOVER...JUST NEXT TIME I WONT TAKE IT FOR GRANTED THAT ITS AN IMPROVMENT TILL AFTER THE REVIEWS...

This is a great Christmas and family classic. I love this movie and don't know of anyone personally who doesn't.

However, as a fan of this movie, I must comment that I'm happy to see this movie come out in a collection seperate from the dreaded label of "WIDESCREEN COLLECTION" that many Paramount movies possess. Why Paramount was doing that to all their movies is beyond me, but over the last few months, they've begun to stop.

However, this does not mean the DVD is a new release. This IS the exact same DVD release originally printed in 2000. The cover and slipcover are the only new features of this release. If you're like me who's anal retentive and wants to get a fresh crisp copy that's decorated only with words and art from the movie, this exchange may be worth the extra $10.00 or so, but only for that reason. If you already have the 2000 release and you're happy with it, this exchange would serve you no justice.

Recently, Paramount has offered us wonderful new DVD-issues of classics like To Catch a Thief and Funny Face, both shot in Vista-Vision, and now looking better than ever on home video thanks to Paramount using original camera materials for the transfers. Naturally, I expected that the same loving treatment would be given an old favorite like White Christmas, which was the first feature film shot in Paramount's superb wide-screen process called Vista-Vision.
Not so! This new "remaster" is just as dreary-looking as the older DVD. Grainy and soft with an unstable look and dull colors except in some brightly lit "performance" scenes. Also lots of dirt marks and scattered speckles, plus an ugly splice or two. And NO new extras! Where is the expected featurette about the Vista-Vision system - newly made or at least some old promotional reel taken from a shelf in the archives? A huge disappointment! And by the way, where are all the many beloved Paramount classics from the fifties and sixties that have not yet been released on DVD? Not a single title in sight for the coming months. Sad.