I cannot promise snow, but I can promise blue fans, intercepted phone calls, and enough Irving Berlin to warm up a Vermont barn. These 120 questions follow the movie from the 151st Division to that wonderfully timed final snowfall.
From the 151st Division to the Florida Floor Show
Q: During which war does White Christmas begin?
A: It begins during World War II.
Q: In what year does the opening sequence take place?
A: The opening Christmas Eve show takes place in 1944.
Q: Where are Bob Wallace and Phil Davis serving at the start?
A: They are serving with the 151st Division in Europe.
Q: What rank does Bob Wallace hold during the opening?
A: Bob is a captain.
Q: What rank does Phil Davis hold during the opening?
A: Phil is a private.
Q: What are Bob and Phil doing for the troops on Christmas Eve?
A: They are performing a makeshift holiday show near the front.
Q: Which song opens the soldiers’ Christmas show?
A: Bob sings White Christmas.
Q: Who is leaving command of the 151st Division?
A: Major General Thomas F. Waverly is being reassigned.
Q: What nickname do the soldiers use for General Waverly?
A: They affectionately call him the Old Man.
Q: Which song do the soldiers sing in Waverly’s honor?
A: They sing The Old Man.
Q: What interrupts the Christmas Eve entertainment?
A: An enemy air attack interrupts the show.
Q: Who pushes Bob out of danger during the attack?
A: Phil pulls Bob away from a collapsing wall.
Q: What happens to Phil while saving Bob?
A: Phil injures his arm.
Q: What promise does Phil press Bob to make after the rescue?
A: He wants Bob to form a performing partnership with him.
Q: Why does Bob initially agree to try a double act with Phil?
A: He feels indebted after Phil saved his life.
Q: What professional name does their act eventually use?
A: They become Wallace and Davis.
Q: What kind of career do Bob and Phil build after the war?
A: They become a successful song-and-dance team and theatrical producers.
Q: Which medley shows the rise of Wallace and Davis after the war?
A: The film uses a medley of Heat Wave, Let Me Sing and I’m Happy, and Blue Skies.
Q: Where are Bob and Phil performing when they receive Benny Haynes’s letter?
A: They are in Florida.
Q: Who is Benny Haynes?
A: He is a former army buddy of Bob and Phil and the brother of Betty and Judy.
Q: What does Benny ask Bob and Phil to do?
A: He asks them to watch his sisters’ nightclub act and offer advice.
Q: What stage name does Benny jokingly receive in Phil’s description?
A: Phil calls him Freckle-Faced Haynes, the dog-faced boy.
Q: Whose photograph is actually used as Benny Haynes in the movie?
A: A photo of Carl Switzer, known as Alfalfa from Our Gang, is used.
Q: What are Benny’s sisters named?
A: They are Betty and Judy Haynes.
Q: Which sister is older?
A: Betty is the older sister.
Q: What song do Betty and Judy perform in their nightclub act?
A: They perform Sisters.
Q: What are the Haynes sisters wearing during Sisters?
A: They wear matching blue dresses and carry large feather fans.
Q: Which Wallace and Davis partner is immediately drawn to Judy?
A: Phil is immediately interested in Judy.
Q: Which Haynes sister catches Bob’s attention?
A: Betty catches Bob’s attention.
Q: How does the club owner react when he discovers the sisters owe him money?
A: He threatens to have them arrested, turning one missed bill into a full musical emergency.
The Train to Vermont & Trouble at the Columbia Inn
Q: How do Bob and Phil help Betty and Judy escape the club owner?
A: They lend the sisters their train tickets and create a comic distraction.
Q: What costumes do Bob and Phil wear during that distraction?
A: They put on the sisters’ blue costumes and lip-sync Sisters.
Q: Why do Bob and Phil end up traveling to Vermont?
A: Phil secretly gives away their New York reservations and arranges for them to follow the sisters.
Q: What Vermont town are the Haynes sisters headed to?
A: They are headed to Pine Tree.
Q: What do all four performers sing on the train?
A: They sing Snow.
Q: What weather do they expect to find in Vermont?
A: They expect a postcard-worthy blanket of snow.
Q: What weather do they actually find at Pine Tree?
A: They find warm, snowless weather.
Q: What is the name of the Vermont resort in the film?
A: It is the Columbia Inn.
Q: Who owns the Columbia Inn?
A: General Waverly owns it.
Q: Why is the inn struggling financially?
A: An unusually warm winter has kept away the snow and the guests.
Q: Who is Emma Allen?
A: She is the inn’s capable housekeeper and switchboard operator.
Q: What habit makes Emma especially dangerous to private conversations?
A: She listens in on telephone calls.
Q: Who is Susan Waverly?
A: She is General Waverly’s granddaughter.
Q: What does Bob decide to do after learning about Waverly’s problem?
A: He plans to bring the company’s new show to the inn.
Q: Where had Bob and Phil originally planned to rehearse their new show?
A: They had planned to rehearse in New York.
Q: Why can the company move to Vermont so quickly?
A: The production is between engagements and needs rehearsal space.
Q: What does Bob hope the large production will do for the inn?
A: He hopes it will attract business and cheer General Waverly.
Q: What romantic plan are Phil and Judy quietly encouraging?
A: They want Bob and Betty to fall in love.
Q: Why does Betty become cautious about Bob?
A: She believes he may value publicity and business more than genuine kindness.
Q: What does Judy pretend has happened between her and Phil?
A: She pretends that they are engaged.
Q: Why does Judy fake an engagement?
A: She hopes Betty will stop delaying her own romance out of concern for Judy.
Q: Does Phil know about the fake engagement before Judy announces it?
A: No, and his face does a fine job of filing the complaint.
Q: How does Bob react to news of Phil and Judy’s supposed engagement?
A: He is surprised but supportive.
Q: What job does General Waverly try to obtain?
A: He tries to return to active military service.
Q: What response does Waverly receive from the Army?
A: His request to return to active duty is denied.
Q: Who intercepts the message about Waverly’s request?
A: Emma receives it at the inn.
Q: What concern does Waverly voice about civilian life?
A: He misses being needed and leading soldiers.
Q: What does Bob arrange to show Waverly that he is still remembered?
A: He arranges a reunion of former 151st Division soldiers.
Q: On what occasion will the reunion surprise take place?
A: It will happen on Christmas Eve during the show.
Q: What keeps Bob’s plan secret from Waverly?
A: The performers and inn staff coordinate it while pretending the evening is an ordinary production.
Songs, Romance & the Big Christmas Eve Finish
Q: Which television host does Bob contact for help?
A: He contacts Ed Harrison.
Q: What does Bob ask Ed Harrison to announce?
A: He asks Harrison to invite former 151st Division members to the Columbia Inn.
Q: What mistaken idea does Emma get from overhearing Bob’s call?
A: She thinks Bob plans to exploit Waverly’s troubles for a televised publicity stunt.
Q: Does Emma hear Bob reject the publicity angle?
A: No, she leaves the call before hearing him refuse it.
Q: Who tells Betty the incomplete version of Bob’s phone call?
A: Emma tells her.
Q: How does Betty respond to the misunderstanding?
A: She becomes cold toward Bob and later leaves for New York.
Q: Where does Betty begin performing after leaving Vermont?
A: She takes a solo engagement at the Carousel Club in New York.
Q: What song does Betty perform during her solo nightclub appearance?
A: She sings Love, You Didn’t Do Right by Me.
Q: Who visits Betty at the New York club?
A: Bob visits her.
Q: Does Bob immediately understand why Betty is upset?
A: No, because she does not clearly explain Emma’s misunderstanding.
Q: What quiet duet do Bob and Betty sing at the inn earlier in the story?
A: They sing Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep.
Q: What advice does Count Your Blessings offer?
A: It suggests thinking about blessings instead of worries when sleep will not come.
Q: Which song features Phil and Judy dancing together?
A: The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing features them.
Q: What elaborate production number celebrates old-fashioned show business?
A: The large Mandy number does.
Q: Which number contrasts modern dance with older theatrical styles?
A: Choreography makes that contrast.
Q: Who performs the lead in Choreography?
A: Danny Kaye as Phil Davis leads it.
Q: What song does Bob sing about Waverly’s difficult transition to civilian life?
A: He sings What Can You Do with a General?
Q: Which quartet number playfully remembers military life?
A: Gee, I Wish I Was Back in the Army does.
Q: What does Susan secretly want to do in the Christmas Eve show?
A: She wants to perform onstage.
Q: How does Bob persuade Betty to return to Vermont?
A: He tells her enough about the surprise to show that his intentions toward Waverly are honorable.
Q: Who gathers at the Columbia Inn on Christmas Eve?
A: Former members of the 151st Division gather there.
Q: How do the veterans greet General Waverly?
A: They stand together and honor him as their Old Man.
Q: What uniform does Waverly wear for the surprise gathering?
A: He wears his Army dress uniform.
Q: Which song is reprised as the soldiers honor Waverly?
A: The Old Man is reprised.
Q: What does Waverly tell the assembled veterans about civilian life?
A: He reminds them that they must keep moving forward and not live only in the past.
Q: What weather change finally occurs during the show?
A: Snow begins falling outside.
Q: How is the snowfall revealed to the audience inside the inn?
A: The doors behind the stage open to show snow covering the landscape.
Q: Which song closes the film?
A: The cast sings White Christmas.
Q: Which two couples are together at the ending?
A: Bob is with Betty, and Phil is with Judy.
Q: What happens to the Columbia Inn once the snow arrives?
A: Its holiday prospects brighten considerably, proving Vermont finally read the script.
Cast, Production & Hard White Christmas Trivia
Q: Who plays Bob Wallace?
A: Bing Crosby plays Bob Wallace.
Q: Who plays Phil Davis?
A: Danny Kaye plays Phil Davis.
Q: Who plays Betty Haynes?
A: Rosemary Clooney plays Betty Haynes.
Q: Who plays Judy Haynes?
A: Vera-Ellen plays Judy Haynes.
Q: Who plays General Waverly?
A: Dean Jagger plays General Waverly.
Q: Who plays Emma Allen?
A: Mary Wickes plays Emma Allen.
Q: Who plays Susan Waverly?
A: Anne Whitfield plays Susan.
Q: Who directed White Christmas?
A: Michael Curtiz directed it.
Q: Which studio produced and distributed the film?
A: Paramount Pictures produced and distributed it.
Q: In what year was White Christmas released?
A: It was released in 1954.
Q: On what date did White Christmas premiere in New York?
A: It premiered at Radio City Music Hall on October 14, 1954.
Q: Who wrote every song heard in White Christmas?
A: Irving Berlin wrote the songs.
Q: Had Bing Crosby sung White Christmas in a movie before 1954?
A: Yes, he introduced it in the 1942 film Holiday Inn.
Q: For which earlier movie did White Christmas win an Academy Award?
A: It won Best Original Song for Holiday Inn.
Q: Which White Christmas song received an Academy Award nomination?
A: Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep was nominated for Best Original Song.
Q: Who was originally expected to costar with Bing Crosby?
A: Fred Astaire was originally attached to the project.
Q: Which performer was considered after Fred Astaire left?
A: Donald O’Connor was set for the role before illness forced him out.
Q: Who ultimately replaced O’Connor as Phil Davis?
A: Danny Kaye took the role.
Q: Which screenwriters are credited on White Christmas?
A: Norman Krasna, Norman Panama, and Melvin Frank receive screenplay credit.
Q: Who produced White Christmas?
A: Robert Emmett Dolan produced it.
Q: What widescreen process debuted with White Christmas?
A: Paramount’s VistaVision process debuted with the film.
Q: How did VistaVision run 35 mm film through the camera?
A: It ran the film horizontally, using a larger image area for finer detail.
Q: Which color process was used for the movie?
A: The movie was filmed in Technicolor.
Q: Who served as the film’s principal cinematographer?
A: Loyal Griggs was the director of photography.
Q: Who choreographed the movie’s dances?
A: Robert Alton choreographed the film.
Q: Did Vera-Ellen sing all of Judy’s songs herself?
A: No, Trudy Stevens dubbed most of her singing.
Q: Whose voice is heard with Rosemary Clooney on the movie version of Sisters?
A: Trudy Stevens sings Judy’s part alongside Clooney.
Q: Who often danced opposite Vera-Ellen in the larger dance numbers?
A: John Brascia partnered her in several major numbers.
Q: Which future West Side Story Oscar winner appears as an uncredited dancer?
A: George Chakiris appears in the ensemble.
Q: What box-office distinction did White Christmas achieve in 1954?
A: It became the year’s highest-grossing film in the United States.
How Did You Score?
If you remembered the fake engagement and the name of Waverly’s inn, your annual rewatch is paying dividends. If you only remembered the blue-feather fans, honestly, the movie made sure you would.
Ellie Simons creates and edits Random Trivia. She researches trivia using primary and authoritative sources whenever possible and is currently reviewing the site's older trivia library for accuracy, clarity, and playability. Read more on the About page.
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