Search - Gus Levene, Joseph J. Lilley, Robert Emmett Dolan :: Holiday Inn & White Christmas - O.S.T.

What a Great Bargin!

AbeStreet | Mayfield Heights, OH United States | 10/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off let me say that I have not purchased this album/cd. I have however purchased the album/cd HOLIDAY INN (HI) and WHITE CHRISTMAS (WC) individually and this album/cd contains the exact same songs as the two individual albums/cd's.



I am a big fan of both movies and have loved these songs for years. The songs from HI have Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire performing them and they sound just like the songs from the film. Marjorie Reynolds who sang along with Crosby and Astaire in the film is not on the album and while it would have been nice to have her participate her absence does not hinder the listening experience. My personal favorite song is "You're Easy To Dance With". This song is not as easy to find as the more traditional songs such as "White Christmas", "Easter Parade" and "Happy Holiday" and makes the purchase of the cd worth the price by itself.



The songs from WC are the exact same songs from the WC album. The order has been slightly changed. On the Album the songs follow the order they were sung in the movie but on this album/cd a few songs were moved around. I prefer the songs in the order they appeared in the film but that's a minor flaw. Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Trudy Stevens (who voiced over Vera Ellen's voice for the movie) all participate in this album/cd but Rosemary Cloony is replaced by Peggy Lee. Rosemary Clooney could not participate due to contract issues between her label and the soundtracks label. While Rosemary Clooney is missed Peggy Lee fills in wonderfully. While I like every song from the WC movie I most enjoy the songs "Snow" and "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing".



Chances are if you like either one of these movies you will love this album/cd. All songs are by Irving Berlin and are great fun to sing to. I've noticed on the Amazon.com site for the WC album by itself that people are very fustrated that they can no longer purchase that album/cd. For those people this cd is just what they are looking for."

If you love the films, you'll love this disc

Pope | Wisconsin, United States | 12/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having read some of the negative reviews of this CD, I have decided to revise my review in response...



This disc contains recordings of songs from two of Irving Berlin's most loved film scores: HOLIDAY INN (1942) and WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954). I will concur with a previous reviewer who states that sound quality is not great, but what can you expect, considering these recordings are 62 and 50 years old, respectively, and I am forgiving enough to accept this in older recordings.



Concerning the WHITE CHRISTMAS selections:

I advise you that THIS IS NOT THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK ALBUM. THERE IS NO ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK ALBUM. THERE NEVER HAS BEEN. Both albums presented on this disc are STUDIO RECORDINGS of songs from the films that were released in conjunction with the films' original theatrical releases, as was the custom in the days before original soundtrack recordings became popular. For WHITE CHRISTMAS the male leads, Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, are here, but Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen are noticably absent, for different reasons. You see, the album rights were controlled by Decca, who released this album. Clooney, on the other hand, who was one of the most popular recording artists of the time, was under contract to Columbia Records which understandably would not allow her to appear on a competing label. Clooney did record her own WHITE CHRISTMAS album for Columbia Records... I discuss this later on. Clooney's lines are sung by Peggy Lee, and Vera-Ellen's vocals are done by Trudy Stevens (who dubbed her singing voice in the picture). Both ladies do commendable work.



Those who are expecting an "Original Soundtrack Recording" featuring all four stars singing the songs exactly as heard in the film will be sadly disappointed. No "original soundtrack album" exists for this film. None ever has. Of course I would love to see a genuine soundtrack album released, but I'm sure it isn't in the cards. In order to have a real music-only soundtrack album without sound effects or dialogue mixed in, original recording session masters would likely have to be used (because in this case there are no soundtrack album masters available, which is what record companies generally utilize for soundtrack releases). I'm sure that if any of these session master tapes have survived AT ALL, they would likely be in very poor condition, thus making a genuine original soundtrack CD highly unlikely (although I'm sure not impossible). Of course they could do what some others have done and just lift tracks directly from a print of the film, but then you have all the extra sound effects and dialogue that come with it, which really defeats the purpose of having a soundtrack album.



On a side note, Rosemary Clooney did record her own White Christmas album in 1954. It is currently available on the Collectables label (by arrangement with Columbia) paired with the soundtrack album of another Clooney film, RED GARTERS, both on the same disc. ASIN: B00005JIXP. Check that disc out as well, it's fabulous. Amazon does carry it.



If you can, I recommend getting this Holiday Inn/White Christmas album AND Clooney's White Christmas/Red Garters disc. You will then have all the WHITE CHRISTMAS songs you need!



I also encourage everyone to READ the reviews of a product before you buy it--see what those who have the product think about it, what they like, what they dislike, etc. Some of the disappointed reviewers of this disc would have known what to expect had they read all of the reviews by those of us who have experience with the product. It never hurts to do a little research--it may save you some big disappointments in the long run.

"

Rosemary Clooney missing ... arrangements not the usual!

Amy Mattey | PA USA | 11/22/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"
If you're a fan of either "Holiday Inn" or "White Christmas" you really, really should avoid this one. Its recording quality not only offers substandard "tin can" sound, but you won't find Rosemary Clooney on a single track from White Christmas.



This is not a soundtrack. It's a studio version of songs that sound familiar from the movies but were not performed this way on screen.



Disappointing to say the least, as me and mine are avid fans of these Christmas-themed films. The two stars I've placed here are generous, but I couldn't move down to one ... "hate" doesn't fit. I am, however, not keeping this CD. Too depressing and not at all what I hoped to hear.



If you're a true fan of the films, these recordings won't be what you hope to hear, either.



Good luck in finding the real thing!



"