Thu 12/23 @ 7PM
Sure, you can watch those old Christmas classics all over your TV. But how often can you join The Musical Theater Project’s Bill Rudman for a no-holds-barred conversation about them in all their corny, heart-warming glory?
As part of TMTP’s Movies at Home, Rudman is taking on the Bing Crosby/Fred Astaire classic Holiday Inn, released in 1942, as families were missing their sons/brothers/husbands/fathers fighting overseas and those soldiers were missing their families. And America was ripe for a dose of nostalgia, with everyone “dreaming of a white Christmas/just like the ones I used to know.” That huge hit, still heard everywhere today, was one of 12 written by the great Irving Berlin especially for the film. The film was the year’s biggest hit, as a country at war was desperate for home and family.
In fact, the movie isn’t solely about Christmas; it’s about two star-crossed couples (with everyone happily paired in the end — given the genre, not a spoiler) and a romantic inn in rural Connecticut where the “action” takes place on holidays (Lincoln’s birthday, Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving), bookended by Christmas Eve and New Year’s.
First, go online and watch Rudman’s 10-minute intro in which he talks about the musical and the importance of that timeless song, sharing things to watch for. Then buy or rent the film (or find some other way to watch it) on YouTube, AppleTV, Amazon Prime or Google Play.
Finally, join Rudman and Nancy Meier on Zoom on Thursday December 23 @ 7PM for the post-film discussion. It’s free and open to all. You don’t have to pre-register.