Holiday Inn

TCM's Alicia Malone introduces Holiday Inn, 1942.

Ben Mankiewicz introduces Holiday Inn, 1942.

Ben Mankiewicz introduces Holiday Inn, 1942.

Ben Mankiewicz introduces Holiday Inn, 1942.

Ben Mankiewicz introduces Holiday Inn, 1942.

Another Irving Berlin original for the film, Fred Astaire as Ted dances with Virginia Dale as Lila, in their popular New York night club act on Christmas Eve, in Holiday Inn, 1942, also starring Bing Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds.

The opening scenes have established that Lila Dixon (Virginia Dale) is torn between singer Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby) and dancer Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire), on what’s supposed to be the final appearance for their threesome, occasioning the fist Irving Berlin tune, in Holiday Inn, 1942.

Jim (Bing Crosby) at his chic holiday-only nightspot unveils his Valentine for Linda (Marjorie Reynolds), only to be usurped by ex-partner and romantic rival Ted (Fred Astaire), with an Irving Berlin tune that was initially a bigger hit than White Christmas, in Holiday Inn, 1942.

The first movie placement of what is widely seen as the best-selling single of all time, by Irving Berlin, here as a duet by night-club/innkeeper Bing Crosby, with Marjorie Reynolds, (her vocal dubbed by Martha Mears), as her audition, but not the recording on the record, in Holiday Inn, 1942.

"White Christmas" was written for this movie where Bing Crosby sings and Fred Astaire dances at the Holiday Inn (1942).