A Bing Crosby Christmas

Starring:Bing Crosby, Kathryn Grant, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, David Bowie, Carol Burnett, John Byner, Roy Clark (II), Harry Crosby (II), Mary Crosby, Nathaniel Crosby, Jackie Gleason, Michael Landon, Mary Martin, Melba Moore, Connie Stevens, Twiggy, Bernadette Peters
Studio: Questar
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

A personal favourite
A Christmas Classic...
Holiday Favorite
last minute x-mas gift
One of the best Christmas movies

White Christmas
Starring: Bing Crosby , Danny Kaye , Rosemary Clooney , Vera-Ellen , and Dean Jagger
Director: Michael Curtiz
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
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Holiday Inn (Special Edition)
Going My Way/Holiday Inn
A Christmas Carol (Original B&W Version)

ASIN: B00004YNIX
Release Date: 2000-11-21

Amazon.com

This semi-remake of Holiday Inn (the first movie in which Irving Berlin's perennial, Oscar-winning holiday anthem was featured) doesn't have much of a story, but what it does have is choice: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, an all-Irving Berlin song score, classy direction by Hollywood vet Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, The Adventures of Robin Hood), VistaVision (the very first feature ever shot in that widescreen format), and ultrafestive Technicolor! Crosby and Kaye are song-and-dance men who hook up, romantically and professionally, with a "sister" act (Clooney and Vera-Ellen) to put on a Big Show to benefit the struggling ski-resort lodge run by the beloved old retired general (Dean Jagger) of their WWII Army outfit. Crosby is cool, Clooney is warm, Kaye is goofy, and Vera-Ellen is leggy. Songs include: "Sisters" (Crosby and Kaye do their own drag version, too), "Snow," "We'll Follow the Old Man," "Mandy," "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," and more. Christmas would be unthinkable without White Christmas. --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

A personal favourite.......2007-05-26

Firstly, I should disclose that I've never seen IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE - I was never able to catch it when I was a kid, nor as an adult. I watched White Christmas when I was 12, and was completely enchanted by it. Twenty years later, and it still a film that holds tremendous charm for me.

We live in such a selfish postmodernist cynical world - optimism and hope are in short supply, especially in a generation of adults raised on a narrow-minded pop-culture diet. Don't get me wrong, Star Wars is great, but every now and then I need a reminder that being kind to another human being isn't something to be sneered at. White Christmas is that film.

Bing Crosby is paired with Danny Kaye, which surprised me initially considering he's usually seen with Bob Hope. There's a different energy there, but it's no less fun to watch. Bing Crosby brings his wonderful voice, and Danny Kaye brings his humour and sense of fun. Perfect. Rosemary Clooney and Vera Lynn are wonderful as the Haines sisters. And Dean Jagger is very dignified as General Waverley. Mary Wickes is also fun to watch as the nosy Emma Allen. The only jarring note (for me) is an odd modern dance number right in the middle of the film. Whuh? That sequence hasn't at all dated well.

For me, this is the film that I try and watch every Christmas. And with its appearance on DVD, I finally (at last!) have a permanent copy of my favourite Christmas film! Isn't technology wonderful?

A Christmas Classic..........2007-05-21

White Christmas is a classic that should not be missed. The singing and dancing is amazing, with stellar performances by all four of the leads. The story itself is cute, and if the final scene doesn't bring a tear to your eye you are heartless. It is nostalgic, touching, and you should definitely add it to your holiday movie collection. This one is not to be missed!

Holiday Favorite.......2007-04-03

This is a holiday favorite in our house. However, we watch it even when the holiday is gone. I has amazing actors like Bing Crosby and his wonderful voice. The story is sweet and definatley a favorite. I love old movies and this one is on the top of my list.

last minute x-mas gift.......2007-03-08

it plays! works like a movie off the shelf, unbeatable price.

One of the best Christmas movies.......2007-01-22

One of the best Christmas movies. Our family has been decorating our Christmas Trees for over 20 years, and this is the movie that we watch each time. We needed to get it on DVD because the VCR version probably won't last much longer.

Average customer rating:

Bells Rung Sweetly
Movie was good...but......
Bells of St. Mary's
Bells of St. Mary's Review
The Miracle at St. Mary's

The Bells of St. Mary's
Starring: Bing Crosby , Ingrid Bergman , Henry Travers , William Gargan , and Ruth Donnelly
Director: Leo McCarey
Manufacturer: Republic Pictures
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ASIN: B0000EMYML
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Amazon.com essential video

The Bells of St. Mary's works much better for its battle of wills between a parish priest and a head nun than the dopey musical interludes that pepper it, but Bells is still a winning, emotionally satisfying film. This sequel to Going My Way has Father O'Malley (Bing Crosby) taking over the St. Mary's parochial school and finding himself at loggerheads with Sister Benedict (Ingrid Bergman, looking gorgeous even in a habit). There's a wonderful balance to all of this: O'Malley takes a more worldly approach to administration and is wrong just as many times as the nun is when she insists on a more biblical approach. About four subplots suffuse the film, including the story of a young charge from the wrong side of the tracks, and the deteriorating state of St. Mary's in the shadow of a brand-new building (the owner is played by the avuncular Henry Travers). A dear film. --Keith Simanton

Customer Reviews:

Bells Rung Sweetly.......2007-06-08

This version of the Bells of St. Mary is a clear, restored cut of the original version. Crosby and Bergman shine brightly in the staring roles of Fr. O'Malley and St. Bernadette. Leo McCarrey's script is a winner as is the supporting role played by Henry Travers.

A feel good movie for the whole family. So let those bells "Proudly ring out As we sing out Hail, Hail, Hail!"

Movie was good...but.............2007-05-20

I always have enjoyed this movie while growing up...was a holiday tardition along with Going My Way....

Unfortunetly..the seller sold me a black and white movie and not a colorized one..that was my only complaint..:(

Bells of St. Mary's.......2007-01-19

I loved watching this movie when I was a kid. I wanted to share it with my children too. My kids loved it. I thought it my not hold their interest, but they watched the whole thing. A true classic.

Bells of St. Mary's Review.......2007-01-15

This is a classic Bing Crosby "Father O'Malley" Movie. It is the original
black and white uncut movie. This classic movie has been shown on tv numerous times in several versions. It's a joy to see it in its original
form. It is the heart warming story of a new priest and a fiesty nun trying to save an old parish school in the 1940's.

The Miracle at St. Mary's.......2007-01-11

Father O'Malley arrives at the parish and learns the previous pastor had been taken away to "Shady Rest". [The lighting tells you this is a stage set.] He meets Sister Superior Benedict and the other nuns of the parish school. Earthly honors and rewards are not for them; they do God's work. The children recite the Pledge in the new fashion, hand over heart. The school has no playground; they had to sell it to raise money for repairs to the school. [The Great Depression.] Mr. Bogardus tells Father O'Malley that he wants their school; if they don't sell the Town Council will condemn it (eminent domain or zoning). A woman arranges for her daughter to be boarded at school; she needs special help. A new boy gets into trouble. What is the proper way to handle interpersonal conflicts? The Sisters visit a sporting goods store (remember them?) To gain knowledge on a non-scholastic subject. Father O'Malley helps a young girl with her homework.

Young Patricia's essay hints at help from an adult. Young Eddie has profited from his extra-curricular education. The Christmas play put on by first-graders shows elegant simplicity. Mr. Bogardus explains his need for their school property - his workers need parking for their cars (a comment on the return of prosperity). The Sisters tell Mr. Bogardus that they want him to donate his new building to their school! [The war time shortages of materials like glass are referenced.] The stress is harming Mr. Bogardus. A long-lost husband is reunited with his wife, and we hear another song. There is a question of school policy as to passing students who are not academic high performers. What is the purpose of schooling? Isn't it a means to an end, not an end in itself?

Mr. Bogardus suddenly turns over a new leaf, and donates his building to St. Mary's! It's a miracle. The doctor has bad news: Sister Benedict has TB in an early stage. [This diagnosis was often a death sentence before the 1950s.] She must be sent away for a rest cure, but she cannot be told to keep her spirits up and effect a cure. Patsy meets he reunited parents, and things will be different. Patsy graduates to move on to High School. [In earlier times those who finished Grammar School went to work at age 14; their education continued in the workplace.] Was life really so simple in those times? Ingrid Bergman shows her acting ability as Sister Benedict.

I remember another version of this film that may explain Mr. Bogardus' generosity. His plant was land-locked, even if he got a new parking lot. But if he was able to buy a large property outside of town he would have more than all the space he needed, and lower taxes too. No traffic problems either. So Father O'Malley arranged a deal that was a win for all concerned. The availability of plentiful food has put an end to TB in America. From about 1860 to 1950 it was the major cause of death in America. Did we end up with an epidemic of obesity? Its better to die of a heart attack at 60 than of TB at 30. Your results may vary.

Average customer rating:

Holiday Inn wish color was available
A True Classic
Holiday Inn
Finally a remastered version of this classic
Holiday Inn

Holiday Inn (Special Edition)
Starring: Bing Crosby , Fred Astaire , Marjorie Reynolds , Virginia Dale , and Walter Abel
Director: Mark Sandrich
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
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ASIN: B000I0QL82
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Amazon.com

In 1942, Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby teamed up at Der Bingle's Paramount Pictures for Holiday Inn, a black-and-white musical that proves more entertaining than Crosby's color semi-remake White Christmas in 1954. Astaire and Crosby play partner/rival song-and-dance men who compete for the hand of their performing partner, played by Virginia Dale. After Crosby loses, he moves to the Connecticut countryside where he creates a resort that is only open on holidays and puts on the shows with the help of Marjorie Reynolds. Dumped by Dale, Astaire makes a drunken arrival at the inn on New Year's Eve and dances with Reynolds. He decides she'll be his new partner, but doesn't remember what she looks like, setting off a frenzied search at every subsequent show while the once-bitten Crosby does his best to steer him off track. The theme gives Irving Berlin an excuse to craft or recycle a number of holiday-themed songs, such as (in the former category) "Washington's Birthday" or (in the latter) "Easter Parade." The most famous of the new material, of course, is "White Christmas," which became one of the bestselling songs of all time and the title song of Crosby's 1954 film. Astaire and Crosby also team up for "I'll Capture Her Heart," which playfully contrasts the stars' specialties, and Astaire's "It's So Easy to Dance with You" became one of the signature songs of his post-Ginger Rogers career. Astaire and Crosby teamed up again for Blue Skies in 1946. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Holiday Inn wish color was available.......2007-06-09

Great movie, I can't add much to the already positive reviews. although I wish a colorised version was available. I never would have said that 10 or more years ago. But Colorization has come a long way. For purists a dual black and white-color version would be awesome. See legend films if you think it can't or shouldn't be done.

A True Classic.......2007-04-08

Although I was not around during his peak of popularity, I am a huge fan of Bing Crosby. The first album I ever personally bought was a cassette of Bing Crosby's Christmas songs, and my respect for Bing carries over into this wonderful classic as he showcases both his acting and his singing.

This is one of those wholesome films that captures your heart right from the start. The characters are easy to relate to and the musical score that accompanies this is excellent. There is nothing vulgar about the film at all, making it a top pick for family viewing (or for any type of viewing, for that matter--who needs the awful junk that makes up 95% of Hollywood's output today?)

The film brings feelings of nostalgia to me despite the fact I am significantly younger than the film. It makes me feel as if I am a few years younger and makes me remember the Christmases of years past, all of which have their own special memories. They are vintage wine--the oldest ones get even better with age--and the movie is the glass to hold that metaphorical wine. I just watched it for the first time last Christmas but plan to make it a tradition. However, I should note that the movie is good at any time of the year--after all, there are other holidays featured in this film!

Holiday Inn.......2007-02-19

This reproduction of the original movie loses quite a bit due to sound quality. I had to continually turn up the sound and then turn it down again a few minutes later.

Finally a remastered version of this classic.......2007-02-05

Long overdue for restoration, so glad I could see something close to the original. This was long one of my favorite musicals: the plot is aptly sentimental, Bing's crooning is right on the mark, and Astaire's dance numbers were spectacular, great showcases for his unequalled talent. What's unfortunate is the blatant racism in some of the plot and most especially in at least one of the holiday production numbers (Lincoln's Birthday.) Of course this film was made in a different and clearly unenlightened era, but even as a non-African American I find some of the scenes painful and embarrassing. I still have to admit to the guilty pleasure of enjoying most of it. This really was Astaire's showpiece.

Holiday Inn.......2007-01-28

I found this movie to be a lighthearted feel good movie with a happy ending. Good for tradidional Christmas viewing or any other time of the year for that matter. This is a must see for anyone who enjoys music, dancing and comedy. As a classic oldie it definately stands the test of time and can hold it's own against any contempory offerings

Going My Way (Universal Cinema Classics)

Average customer rating:

A good science-fiction film
going my way
Classic Movie Fan
One For the Ages
A Happy View of Life

Going My Way (Universal Cinema Classics)
Starring: Bing Crosby , Barry Fitzgerald , Frank McHugh , James Brown (II) , and Gene Lockhart
Director: Leo McCarey
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000KJTGHO
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Amazon.com essential video

This irresistible Oscar winner from writer-director Leo McCarey (An Affair to Remember) stars Bing Crosby as a low-key, crooning priest who joins the parish of a no-nonsense but sweet old Irish man of the cloth (Barry Fitzgerald). While Bing turns local toughs into a choir, the elder priest worries over the church building fund and whether he'll get a chance to see his old mother back in Ireland before she dies. One would have to have a heart of stone not to be won over by this charmer, with a lovely ending guaranteed to make you bawl for a week. --Tom Keogh

Description

Winner of seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, the unforgettable classic Going My Way lights up the screen as it warms the heart. Best Actor winner Bing Crosby shines as Father O'Malley, a young priest new to an established but financially flailing parish. When his philosophies conflict with those of curmudgeonly Father Fitzgibbon (Best Supporting Actor winner Barry Fitzgerald), the result is a timeless story of patience, compromise and - just maybe - understanding. Featuring an all-new digitally remastered picture and filled with mesmerizing music including the Academy Award-winning song "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way exemplifies the silver screen at its golden best! "****! Hard to resist!" (Leonard Maltin)

Customer Reviews:

A good science-fiction film.......2007-05-22

Of course it's not a science film, though it is totally fiction. So much that all characters are unreal, impossible. Everybody is nice and candid (yes, even the old gossipy lady, why, there's no malice in her). The action flows like on clouds, at such an unpreoccupied pace that is so relaxing. This is the most remarkable thing about it: its lingering scenes and no hurry pace. Yes, as some one mentioned already, the chess scene is a good example of this style. Seinfeld fans might want to check if this is finally their ideal film: a film about nothing, where nothing happens... it's wonderful. But things do happen, but no one cares because it's mostly the feeling of being part in a dream that remains with you.

The story is simple enough (but so are Spielberg's -I mean, not like Antonioni, for example-), there are 2 Catholic priests, one old and one young. The bishop thinks that the old one (Barry Fitzgerald) needs to leave his place to Bing Crosby, who is much more "progressive" (in those times it didn't have the bad connotation it has now). But the main reason really is that the church is owing too much money to the bank; so, perhaps, a more "progressive" person (in the sense of one who cares more for the finances than others not so "progressive") might save the church (hopefully not by losing any soul). But this is not the story, at least in the surface. It's a nice and make-you-feel-good-by-going-to-church kind of movie. Nice to watch, especially at Christmas time.

going my way.......2007-05-08

this movie was a great alternative to ww 2 movies when i saw it as a boy.
its still a great movie and a good dvd. it has the elements that the church had at one time at the parish level. a closely knit congregation
woven by leaders called priests, not by someone who goes by his given name socially, and treats a parishioner as his equal not his spiritual leader. the same can be said about the bells of Saint Mary's.

Classic Movie Fan.......2007-04-05

This is one of my favorite all-time movies! This version is a brand new re-release (2007). Bing Crosby is outstanding and so is the music. A very touching story about a young Catholic Priest that is given the task of taking over a church from an older Priest that has been at the church for 45 years. This movie is a must buy for everyone!

One For the Ages.......2007-01-12

Some movies are simply beyond criticism. Despite having been written off in recent years by many mainstream critics - with much repeated, off-base allegations of over-sentimentality - this is one of them. It belongs in the pantheon of truly great films. The cynicism of the world we live in today no doubt prevents countless viewers (and critics) from looking beneath the placid surface of "Going My Way", but it's definitely worth the effort.

Part of this reluctance to delve may be due to the film's pastoral (no pun intended) ambience and relaxed pace, which could have inspired the producers of the Andy Griffith Show a few years later (check out the checker game scene). It takes its time, telling its story on its own terms, and this simply doesn't sit well with the majority of modern multi-taskers who've been fed a steady diet of breakneck action orgies, sophomoric sex comedies, and formulaic, artificial romantic comedies. But if you give it a chance and let it work its charms it will eventually win you over. To borrow a line from the film, it will "grow on you." Maybe not in the first viewing, maybe not even in the first few years...but eventually.

Its charms worked instantly on audiences in need of hope, inspiration, and a chuckle or two during the Second World War, making it a huge box office hit in 1944. It even won over critics of the day: James Agee stated that "Going My Way" "points the way to the great films which will be possible when Hollywood becomes aware of the richness and delight of human character for its own sake." It earned seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and a Best Actor Oscar for Bing Crosby (as Father Chuck O'Malley), who was starting his run as the #1 box office star for a record five consecutive years.

Not quite a comedy, not quite a drama, this slice-of-life piece gently sets an example of all generations helping one another, ultimately working together as one extended family. While only a couple of scenes take place at Christmastime, the whole film is basically an enactment of how one person can make a difference by helping his neighbor - one of the reasons for the first Christmas. That helpful, caring attitude is infectious to the point that disparate members of an urban neighborhood eventually come together as a community. The twist is in Father O'Malley's appealingly relaxed methods, which appear unorthodox to the staid, older, by-the-book (small "b") Father Fitzgibbon, providing the conflict of the main plotline.

Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald, Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner) has been the pastor of St. Dominic's Parish for forty-five years, and as the neighborhood around him has changed, his old school ways have become less effective. Gangs of unsupervised boys roam the streets getting into trouble (a real-life consequence of fathers fighting overseas and mothers working in war production plants during WWII), and the church is deeply in debt and about to be foreclosed on. The financial state of the church reflects the spiritually bankrupt community around it, and the physical structure itself will ultimately undergo a literal baptism by fire in order to be born again. In the meantime, young Father O'Malley is sent by the bishop to put things right, basically being assigned to take over for Fitzgibbon without letting the old man know it.

After assuming he's no longer needed, and having left in despair (only to be summarily returned by the local beat cop), the contrite Fitzgibbon eventually comes to understand and embrace O'Malley and his methods, and puts complete faith in the younger man. It all comes together in a delightfully subdued, justly celebrated scene in which the two men bond over a "wee drop of the creature", as Bing endearingly intones a couple of choruses of "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral" while sitting at the convalescing Fitzgibbon's bedside (!). When they came up with the term "screen chemistry" they must have had this scene in mind.

Sooner or later, nearly everyone in the film gives of themselves: young Ted Haines, the son of the banker who's foreclosing on the church, leaves his father's line of work to volunteer for military service; an opera star (Rise Stevens) auditions a Father O'Malley-penned song for a music publisher, the royalties of which it is hoped will raise badly needed funds for St. Dominic's; the members of a street gang provide their (previously unrealized) singing talents for the (also previously unrealized) church choir; even the greedy banker (Gene Lockhart) forgives the church its mortgage. All the giving is sparked by the efforts and example of O'Malley, whose ultimate gift is saved for a no-dry-eye-in-the-house ending, just before he leaves for another parish he's been called on to save.

Sentimental? Certainly. But every iota of moisture in every teardrop is earned, and one doesn't feel foolish blubbering like a fool.

That's partly due to the effortlessly smooth, confident persona Crosby projects in an immaculate performance, which is the perfect counterweight to the story's inherent sentiment. Bing's acting has often been dismissed as that of someone merely playing himself (perpetuated by the self-effacing Crosby), and his Oscar win has been attributed to the fact that much of the crop of `40s actors was away in the service (which was also maintained by Bing). But just watch him - he carries the movie, despite sharing scenes with a couple of the best scene-stealers in the business, Frank McHugh and especially Abbey Theatre alum Fitzgerald. Crosby's acting style appears modern in an era of now-antiquated theatrics. We look across the years at him and he seems familiar, contemporary.

He handles the role of a priest convincingly - a daunting task for the best of actors in any era - and almost casually, without the slightest hint of stiffness or self-consciousness. There is no trace of the sanctimoniuosness that frequently crept into Spencer Tracy's performances in the "Boys Town" films, and Pat O'Brien's in "Angels With Dirty Faces." Crosby's priest comes across as likeable guy, yet one who's just tough enough to deal with whatever situation is at hand - without having to use his fists. Perhaps the greatest tribute to his achievement is that young men in the 1940s and `50s actually joined the priesthood because of their having been inspired by the Father O'Malley of "Going My Way" and its sequel, "The Bells of St. Mary's".

"Going My Way's" Oscar winning writer-director Leo McCarey probably summed up his film best when he stated his storytelling philosophy: "I love when people laugh. I love when they cry, I like a story to say something, and I hope the audience feels happier leaving the theatre than when it came in." From where I'm sitting, "Going My Way" succeeds on all counts. If it doesn't for you, give it a chance. It just may grow on you.

A Happy View of Life.......2007-01-07

Saint Dominic's parish needs a new furnace, and is behind on its mortgage. The banker explains the business to his son, and why churches are poor risks. Father Charles O'Malley meets pastor Father Fitzgibbons under conditions that are not ideal, but humorous. "There is joy in giving, especially if its something you don't want." Father O'Malley came from East St. Louis; I wonder what it was like then? He is to become the man in charge to try to fix the parish problems. We see that their parishioners are also poor. Some boys are known to the police for getting into trouble. Father O'Malley tries to advise a teenage girl to stay at home, however humble it is. Some of the humor is dated. O'Malley works with the young boys to keep them off the street and out of trouble. [No mention of their home life, but you can read between the lines.] Fitzgibbons meets with the bishop, and learns what is planned for St. Dominic's.

The film shows a double-Decker bus. [I wonder when they stopped using them?] An old friend meets "Chuck" and we get a few minutes of an opera. Then Mrs. Quint reports on a neighbor, and Father O'Malley visits to check things out. Which way is she going? The film turns serous again when the banker visits the apartment to find his son. The younger generation seems so different today! Then the father learns why the son quit his job. Father O'Malley has written a song, and they try to promote it to the music industry. But this song does not meet their current needs. Another humorous song has commercial merit. [No one went broke by underestimating the public.] The collection brings in enough money to pay off the parish debts. All seems well. Who said "schmaltz" dozen't sell?

Later we see the priests playing golf. Father Fitzgibbons plans a long-delayed trip back home. But a disaster in the form of a church fire changes everything! More news brings financial aid, but Father O'Malley will be transferred to a new parish. And so the film ends with a happy ending, and a surprise for Father Fitzgibbons. The people in this film seem to have an incredible amount of luck for that time. There is a serious question in this story: which way are you going?

Average customer rating:

Bing Crosby Double Feature
A true Christmas Gem
Old-fashioned sentimentality at its best
Going My Way/Holiday Inn
Real Christmas

Going My Way/Holiday Inn
Starring: Bing Crosby , Barry Fitzgerald , Frank McHugh , James Brown (II) , and Gene Lockhart
Director: Leo McCarey , and Mark Sandrich
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

White Christmas
The Bells of St. Mary's
The Bishop's Wife
Christmas in Connecticut
Miracle on 34th Street (Special Edition)

ASIN: B00001TZ6P
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Amazon.com essential video

Going My Way
This irresistible Oscar winner from writer-director Leo McCarey (An Affair to Remember) stars Bing Crosby as a low-key, crooning priest who joins the parish of a no-nonsense but sweet old Irish man of the cloth (Barry Fitzgerald). While Bing turns local toughs into a choir, the elder priest worries over the church building fund and whether he'll get a chance to see his old mother back in Ireland before she dies. One would have to have a heart of stone not to be won over by this charmer, with a lovely ending guaranteed to make you bawl for a week. --Tom Keogh

Holiday Inn
This perennial, Christmas-season favorite from 1942 teamed Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire as entertainers (and rival suitors of Marjorie Reynolds) running an inn that is only open on holidays. It's a great excuse for lots of singing and dancing, seamlessly wrapped in a catchy story, and Astaire's frequent director Mark Sandrich (Top Hat, Shall We Dance) doesn't let us down. The Irving Berlin numbers (each one connected to a different holiday) are winners, with Crosby's warm performance of "White Christmas" a movie touchstone. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Bing Crosby Double Feature.......2007-06-22

Conceived from an idea by composer Irving Berlin, Mark Sandrich's "Holiday Inn" is a humorous, festive Crosby/Astaire musical that finds both performers in tip-top, toe-tapping form. Famous for introducing "White Christmas," the best-selling single of all time and an instant favorite with troops overseas, "Inn" is consistently tuneful and entertaining with a sublime Berlin score that covers not just Christmas, but all major holidays. Watch for the July 4th rave-up "Let's Say It With Firecrackers," one of many musical highlights.

A true Christmas Gem.......2006-12-27

Going My Way deservedly won 7 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Original Story. It is such a warm story written and directed by Leo McCarey (who also wrote Love Affair, Bells of St. Mary's and An Affair to Remember as well as directed the latter two).

The movie's warmth owed much to the wonderful performance of Barry Fitzgerald (Best Actor in a Supporting Role), as the lovable and respectable elderly Father Fitzgibbon, despite his old school of strict rules and hardships expected of a clergyman. And Bing Crosby(Best Actor), as Father O'Malley, came to rescue the old church with utmost regard of Father Fitzgibbon's delicate feeling. Bing Crosby's portrayal of a sensible, upright Father who enjoyed a close relationship with the younger generation was most impressive. The joyful and buoyant Father O'Dowd (Frank McHugh) provided the optimistic mood often needed to uplift the morale of the other two Fathers. The personal sacrifice made by Fitzgibbon, his longing to see his mother far away, the subplots of a radiant contralto of Metropolitan Opera Association (Rise Stevens) with a gold heart, the father and son money lenders, a naïve run away 18-year old (Jean Heather) all make a wonderful story.

In addition, there is much good music performed by Bing Crosby (Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ra, Silent Night, Swinging on a star - Best Original Music) and Rise Stevens (Ave Maria, Habanera of Carmen)with the Robert Mitchell Boychoir. There is just a right balance between the good Christmas spirit and delightful Christmas music. It leaves you adoring the kindness and integrity of these good characters while humming the beautful tones.

For a different kind of light and highly entertaining holiday treat, Holiday Inn must be the one. White Christmas sung by Bing Crosby, first solo followed by duet with Marjorie Reynolds, in the first half hour of the movie alone is a classic number not to be missed. However, the movie offers much more than meets the eye.

The idea of having a holiday inn which opened for 15 holidays throughout the year is ingenious. In no more natural setting can numbers be inserted at Christmas, Lincoln's birthday, Valentine's Day, Washington's birthday, Easter Parade, Independence Day as in this movie. The elegant and radiant Marjorie Reynolds sang beautifully with Bing Crosby and danced gracefully with Fred Astaire, so was Virginia Dale. Added to it the lively performance of the trio's agent (Walter Abel) and Bing Crosby's cook Mamie(Louise Beavers) with two cute child actors. This is such a warm and delightful holiday movie that one can enjoy all 100 minutes of singing and dancing.

Old-fashioned sentimentality at its best.......2006-03-19

(GOING MY WAY reviewed as a single feature on videocassette.)

We are in an entertainment age of rampant violence, language, and sexuality. On a recent Monday, I watched two tapes worth of HBO shows. I could actually feel my soul corroding from violence in the admittedly well acted THE SOPRANOS, very strong language in the beautifully designed DEADWOOD, and sex scenes with full nudity in the new BIG LOVE. They make me want to cancel my subscription to HBO and go back to bygone Hollywood on Turner Classic Movies.

Producer/director/co-writer Leo McCarey's GOING MY WAY (1944) won a whopping seven Oscars the same year as such powerhouses as DOUBLE INDEMNITY, LAURA, MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, and SINCE YOU WENT AWAY. It is a sweet and likeable movie. Not great art, but very pleasant and soul-restoring. We have Oscar winners Bing Crosby as progressive young Father O'Malley and Barry Fitzgerald as the aging conservative Father Fitzgibbon interacting at venerable St. Dominick's.

GOING MY WAY runs an overlong 126 minutes and is constructed as a series of interacting plot strands. G-rated juvenile delinquents become members of the church choir and (off-screen) go with Father O'Malley to a baseball game. They later sing a song for Rise Stevens (of the Metropolitan Opera) as Genevieve Linden. Father O'Malley was the first person to praise Genevieve, who in turn gives encouragement to the boys, who subsequently sing the lovely and Oscar-winning "Swinging on a Star."

Fitzgerald's Father Fitzgibbon is an endearing character who has a bottle of whiskey hilariously hidden inside a bookcase music box that plays "Toora, Loora, Loora" all the time. The same lovely, sentimental song figures prominently in the very poignant final scene. Watch Father Fitzgibbon's expression when he realizes he has eaten a stolen turkey (by two of the boys) at Thanksgiving. And watch him play golf with Father O'Malley and mistakenly, happily think he has gotten a really good score.

Then there is Carol (pretty Jean Heather), a runaway teenager who eventually marries a World War Two (1944 movie) soldier named Ted, whose father (Gene Lockhart) holds the mortgage on St. Dominick's. Lockhart does something nice with that mortage at Christmas time in the final reel. Ted asks dad to "look after Carol while [he is] away. She'll grow on you." On the sidelines is Frank McHugh, always fun, as Father O'Dowd.

I like GOING MY WAY quite a lot. It is very sentimental, but (to rewrite the final line of Preston Sturges' great 1941 SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS) there is a lot to be said for sentimentality and old-fashioned virtues in our frenzied and cynical computer age.

Going My Way/Holiday Inn.......2006-02-24

Going My Way is a wonderful movie. All the actors are great to watch. The story keeps your interest. I love listening to Bing
Crosby sing. His voice is so easy to listen to.

Holiday Inn is a wonderful entertaining movie. It's not only a musical, it has very funny parts in it. It's a wonderful Holiday or anytime movie. Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire are fabulous actors.

Real Christmas.......2006-02-24

Great idea to combine two clasics on one CD. They are as good as the first time I saw them and never lose their charm

The Ed Sullivan Show: A Classic Christmas

Average customer rating:

Surprisingly Wonderful
OK, Not Great

The Ed Sullivan Show: A Classic Christmas
Starring: Bing Crosby , Connie Francis , Johnny Mathis , Jim Henson's Muppets , and Diana Ross
Manufacturer: Sofa
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Bob Hope - Hope for the Holidays
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Holiday Greetings From The Ed Sullivan Show

ASIN: B0009VNCWS
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Description

Capture the warmth, joy and magic of the holiday season in "A Classic Christmas" from the Ed Sullivan Show. This one hour special features some of the biggest classic holiday song performers to date including Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis and Connie Francis. Share some festive family seasonal moments with group performances from Alvin & The Chipmunks and Rick Little. Enjoy a sing along with The Muppets, George Carlin and Brook Benton. This holiday special is a timely classic that brings the joy of the season into everyone's heart and home.

Customer Reviews:

Surprisingly Wonderful.......2005-12-26

Clip shows tend to bore me, but this one is creatively edited from years of Christmas Specials. These mostly color vignettes are a delight for those who remember the performers as well as younger folks who may not have been around.

True variety abounds with song, including a German children's choir that sings in English more perfect than one hears from many American choirs, and delightful comedy bits. This collection is a charmer.

The brief 47 minutes flys along with not a dull moment. Included is a clip from Bing Crosby's original movie rendition of "White Christmas" disolved into a live performance. Rich Little gives a classic remembrance of George Burns, Jack Benny and Ed Sullivan himself. (Sullivan, who visually projected as very tall, was in fact not tall and we briefly see that as he stands alongside Little.)

Connie Frances, who knew how to take the time to "sell" a song, is featured in a show Sullivan took to Cuba to entertain our troops. Ventriloquists, Sheri Lews and Senor Wences are there as well as a couple of classic Muppet performances and Alvin and the Chipmonks. Lots of notstalgia and chock full of legends: Count Basie, Mahalia Jackson, Johnny Mathis, The Supremes. Each vignette is brief but satisfying with a perfect flow from one piece to another.

A genuine time capsule, delighful and uplifting. Nicely done. I'm so impressed, I'm ordering multiple copies to give as stocking stuffers next year.

OK, Not Great.......2005-10-15

Best features: Quality of the clips is mostly good to excellent; same with the audio. It was good to see Bing Crosby singing portions of White Christmas. No lingering watermarks in the corner of the screen. Unexpected, delightful surprise: The Cowsills...this family could SING. Fun clip: Alvin and the Chipmonks.

Worst features: It's not an hour long, it's only 46 minutes. The scene menu is hard to figure out. Too many of the clips are just segments, not the entire act. Comedy acts?...boring and outdated. Joan Rivers singing. Rich Little doing imitations of people long dead (was it really necessary to include an impersonator??).

Bottom line: It's inexpensive, but on the boring side. It will definitely not be on my annual viewing list.

Average customer rating:

Bells Rung Sweetly
Movie was good...but......
Bells of St. Mary's
Bells of St. Mary's Review
The Miracle at St. Mary's

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White Christmas
The Bishop's Wife
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ASIN: 6305064520
Release Date: 1998-08-18

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Bells Rung Sweetly.......2007-06-08

Movie was good...but.............2007-05-20

Bells of St. Mary's.......2007-01-19

I loved watching this movie when I was a kid. I wanted to share it with my children too. My kids loved it. I thought it my not hold their interest, but they watched the whole thing. A true classic.

Bells of St. Mary's Review.......2007-01-15

The Miracle at St. Mary's.......2007-01-11

Average customer rating:

VINTAGE SINATRA
A Wonderful Christmas show
Happy Holidays with Bing & Frank
Wonderful, Vintage Christmas Memories
Misleading on run time.

Happy Holidays With Bing & Frank
Starring: Bing Crosby , and Frank Sinatra
Manufacturer: Hart Sharp Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00009QGEG
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Product Description

Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby join forces to celebrate th eholiday season for the first time on home video. Happy Holidays With Bing And Frank is a wonderful time travel through two eras - Victorian England and the hip 1950's. Songs include Jingle Bells, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, O Come All Ye Faithful and many more - inlcuding the all-time classic White Christmas. Rediscover a long lost, classic holiday special in all its colorful splendor, digitally remastered and brought to you for the first time on home video by Hart Sharp Video. Happy Holidays With Bing And Frank is a charming Christmas collectible that also marks Frank Sinatra's directorial debut.

DVD Bonus Features

Commentary track with: William Self, Bill Miller & Al Viola - (Producer of the Frank Sinatra Show, piano player and guitar player, respectively)
Q & A Session from the Museum of Television and Radio with William Self, Nancy Sinatra and Tina Sinatra
Photo Gallery containing never-before-seen pictures from the set
A reproduction Frank Sinatra Christmas Card inside each DVD package
Photo Gallery of Frank Sinatra's Christmas cards depicting his original paintings
Rare television public service announcements featuring Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby highlighting their charitable work
Interactive Menus

System Requirements:

Running Time 60 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

VINTAGE SINATRA.......2007-05-22

THIS WAS THE BEST LITTLE CHRISTMAS SHOW. I LOVE FRANK. THERES JUST NOBODY LIKE HIM AND HE AND BING TOGETHER AT CHRISTMAS IS SO WARM AND COZY. BUT THEN AGAIN I LOVE ANYTHING THAT SINATRA DID!!!!!! HE WAS TRULY AMAZING. AND JUST HEARING HIM SING THESE WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS SONGS FROM THE HEART, I TRULY KNOW HE IS SOMEWHERE WONDERFUL STILL SINGIN'. I LOVE YOU FRANK. ANGIE HAMBRIGHT

A Wonderful Christmas show.......2007-01-28

This is a wonderful Christmas show, its timeless, with 2 of our greatest singers.

Happy Holidays with Bing & Frank.......2007-01-19

Great show, and I received it before Christmas. Thanks

Wonderful, Vintage Christmas Memories.......2007-01-07

What a find! It's sad to think that this special was almost lost, but now it's here in COLOR. For those of you who grew up in the 1950's, it's a wonderful trip down memory lane to a simpler time. I do agree that Frank seems a little more tired than Bing, but both light up the screen with there take on some traditional Christmas carols. I give this 4 stars because, as it is so blatantly mentioned in the extras, the restoration job done on this film is horrible! But, I am at least thankful it exists and that we have the chance to enjoy it, even if it is not sparkling clear.
*Note* Careful observers will notice that a new copyright date has been digitally edited into the closing credits "MMI"

Misleading on run time........2006-12-12

The 25 minutes of Bing and Frank is good, not their best but good. The disk case states 90 minute running time and the Amazon site gives running time as 60 minutes. If you enjoy the majority of the disk being "bonus" materail it's fine. I feel it's a rip off.

Christmas with Bing Crosby and Kate Smith

Average customer rating:

B/W not color!

Christmas with Bing Crosby and Kate Smith
Starring: Crosby & Kate Smith
Manufacturer: PASSPORT VIDEO
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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A Bing Crosby Christmas

ASIN: B0002O76MY
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Description

The holidays just wouldn't be the holidays without Mr. White Christmas himself - Bing Crosby. His seemingly effortless, easygoing singing style and good humor made him an audience favorite for generations. In this rare episode of The Hollywood Palace, first telecast in 1966, der Bingle is joined by dancer Cyd Charisse, comedian Bob Newhart, the Crosby family, and Kate "God Bless America" Smith. Bing lends his smooth style to such favorites as The Christmas Waltz, Silver Bells, The Twelve Days of Christmas, Do You Hear What I Hear and, of course, White Christmas; Kate Smith belts out Christmas Eve In My Home Town and there's a special Crosby-Kate medley of catchy Christmas carols. Also included is a special bonus: The rare, 1954 live-television version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, starring Fredric March and Basil Rathbone! All in all, a special holiday treat!

Customer Reviews:

B/W not color!.......2006-10-14

Beware...this DVD is in Black & White, not color as advertised! It is a b/w kinescope of the 12/24/66 episode of ABC-tv's Hollywood Palace. The show originally aired in color.

Average customer rating:

Delightful content; terrible picture
A Bing Crosby Christmas
Bing was the best.
Brings cheery holiday happiness ANY time of the year
Christmas Like it Used to Be with 'Der Bingle'

A Bing Crosby Christmas
Starring: Bing Crosby , Kathryn Grant , Gene Kelly , Fred Astaire , and David Bowie
Manufacturer: Questar
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00004TWQ7
Release Date: 2000-07-25

Customer Reviews:

Delightful content; terrible picture.......2005-10-28

I dearly love old Christmas movies and television specials, which is why I was so very disappointed in the quality of this offering. Here was a chance to present the king of Christmas music and his warm and wonderful Christmas specials, but they blew it. This thing was obviously put together as a television special (probably for PBS) in the late 1970s or early 1980s with introductions by Katherine Crosby and Gene Kelly. Their segments are extremely dark, flat, grainy, fuzzy, and covered with dust and debris. But the worst is yet to come: most of the clips from the actual specials vary from somewhat to extremely blurry. NO attempt was made at restoration of these valuable old shows.

Such poor handling of his Christmas television legacy is a slap in the face to Bing and his family and an insult to people who have paid money for this THING--I can't call it anything else! All this is not to say that the presentation can't be enjoyed, but you'll have to train your eyes to look through the extreme fuzz and blur and let the music win you over. What could've been a visit to the wonderful Christmas television specials of yore (and it's a pity there's nothing like them on television today), turned into an opportunity for a video company to make a quick buck while not spending one red cent on quality. BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Bing Crosby Christmas.......2004-01-05

I was very dissapointed when I watched A Bing Crosby Christmas. There was very little of his old Christmas shows and a lot of stuff I didn't care to see. If I had wanted a biography on Bing Crosby I would have ordered a biography. I would send this DVD back if I could...don't waste your money on it.

Bing was the best........2003-11-28

This was a pretty good dvd but I too wish it had been longer and some of the scenes had not been cut short. It's definitely still worth the purchase. The Andy Williams best of Christmas dvd is also very enjoyable. Now I hope some studio will put together a King Family Christmas dvd (remember them with Tina Cole?)or the Boone Family holiday specials.

Brings cheery holiday happiness ANY time of the year.......2003-04-26

Truly, this DVD, along with White Christmas are two of our favorites. Mother, as she sinks into Alzheimer's induced dementia, ALWAYS is cheered by the great music, and the clips are wonderful to watch. It's great seeing Bing and Jackie Gleason singing "A couple of loafers"... the old-timers surely did make 'em right.

I *thoroughly* enjoy this DVD. The only sad part is that I'd love it to be longer... It's got everything -- the crooner is great. Now, I've got a list of the 70 Christmas songs he recorded, so you know what my next goal is!

Enjoy the movie. Oh, and I didn't find any chatting overpowering -- more informative. It felt like the shows, friendly, cheerful, and, some of the early TV programs appeared to be just folks (very very talented folks mind you) getting together to have a wonderful time and celebrate the holidays with us.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Like it Used to Be with 'Der Bingle'.......2002-01-13

The program on this DVD is basically a retrospective produced in the early 1990s for public television that was originally called "A Bing Crosby Christmas: Just Like the Ones You Used to Know" that was narrated by Gene Kelly and hosted by Bing's widow, Kathryn Crosby, who since went on to star in the Broadway version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "State Fair." The program itself features clips from fifteen of Bing's classic television specials, concentrating on the period from the early 1960s onwards when he included Kathryn and their three children in the programs. For those of us who grew up with these specials -- and they were a staple of every holiday season for Baby Boomers -- Bing's family can be seen growing up before our eyes. Yes, it does include the classic duet that Bing recorded with David Bowie of "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" that was taped a month before Bing's sudden death of a heart attack while playing golf in Spain in October of 1977. But it also includes clips with guest stars such as Fred Astaire, Mary Martin, Jackie Gleason, Carol Burnett and Bernadette Peters, among others, and of course, Bing closing as he always did, singing Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," heard here across several performances and key changes. The only down side of these clips is that most are heavily narrated over the music itself which limits their appeal over multiple viewings/listenings. The bonus features alone are more than worth the price of the disc, however, including an extended portion of a live Bing Christmas special from the mid-1950s that included Bing and Frank Sinatra having an hilarious, full-of-inside-jokes "sing-off" against one another, including Sinatra taking the Hope role in the title song to "The Road to Morocco" only to have Hope himself show up in protest. Louis Armstrong and Rosemary Clooney also make appearances. There are also some scratchy clips from "Holiday Inn," including Bing's first-ever introduction of "White Christmas" by a cozy late-night fire to Marjorie Reynolds, and "Bell's of St. Mary's" as well. There is also an amusing early sound short and Bing's first ever film appearance called "Blue of the Night" after his signature tune of the same name where Bing plays himself meeting a fan who claims to be engaged to him (she only knows his voice from the radio and doesn't know what he looks like) and includes an hilarious scene where Bing sings her to sleep pretending he has a portable radio and later has to convince an Irish cop (Bud Jamison, who played similar roles in Three Stooges shorts of the 1930s) that he really is Bing. "Well, if you are," says Jamison, "give us some of that whistling stuff to prove it." There is also a useful Bing bio and an accurate and thorough discography of every Christmas song Bing recorded during his long and memorable career. All in all, a fun collection for Bing fans as well as fans of Christmas. Come to think of it, isn't that just about everybody?

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