Great movie..

I agree with the majority of the reviewers that this is a great movie to watch around Christmas. The Abe Lincoln song is, by today's standard, at the very least condescending and demeaning. I wouldn't go as far as racist since the song is suportive of Lincoln;s anti -slavery efforts.

on a personal note this movie takes me back to my granparents house, a beautiful home in upsate new york. When I hear Bing sinf it's like my grandparetns arer back alive and with me. Obvioulsy anything that can evoke such memories is a classic.

An interesting alternative if you've seen "White Christmas" too often...

If your holiday film viewing includes the movie "White Christmas," then you may enjoy this classic where the song "White Christmas" actually made its debut. The plot is a flimsy excuse for showcasing numerous Irving Berlin songs (many of them very forgettable) and a few Fred Astaire numbers, including the famous drunk dance in which he was, in fact, none too sober.

There is a fair amount of racial stereotyping, including a perfectly horrible number with Bing Crosby in blackface. Some of the songs are atrociously poor, to the point of being laughable. But for pure historic interest as the predecessor of the much lovelier movie "White Christmas," this is an interesting film to watch occasionally.

A heartwarming Christmas classic - including 'Abraham'

Most of the reviewers for this movie do a fine job of giving an accurate description of the plot of the film - it's lightweight, enjoyable holiday fare and Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas' alone is worth the price of admission. The focus of my review is essentially on the 'Abraham' musical number where all of the white performers are in 'blackface.'

In spite of a cultural understanding of 1940's Hollywood, I think we've been culturally conditioned to be offended by the 'Abraham' sequence and interpret it as racially insensitive. As a person in his mid-forties, I, of course, didn't grow up with this kind of entertainment and, as expected, it made me uncomfortable the first time I saw it. After several viewings, however, I began to realize several things - first, the performers are singing about the black emancipation set forth by Abraham Lincoln (a positive and sympathetic portrayal); secondly, it was, in part, a 'disguise' to hide Marjorie Reynold's character from discovery by Fred Astaire, and, most importantly, the performance doesn't attempt to ridicule ANYONE with the number.

I find it interesting that because of political correctness with regards to racial issues, several films from this period have yet to see the light of day in 21st century America. Many television broadcasts of 'Holiday Inn' delete the 'Abraham' sequence. Disney has NEVER released 'Song of the South" via VHS/DVD in this country - although they are only too happy to have it commercially available in Great Britain and Japan.

With regards to racial sensitivities, I look at entertainment today (by all races) and it's amazing to me how much of it I find truly offensive. Stand-up comedy is almost all vulgarity, much of it coming at the expense of ethnicity. Rap music thrives on vulgarity and proudly markets itself as such - without shame. The 'N' word, along with similar epithets, is used profusely in this music. I'm embarrassed almost every time I turn on the television during major network prime-time or see the musical 'acts' on late night television. This entertainment truly does offend the major populace in this country - yet we're led to believe that 60-year old movies represent some of the most 'offensive' entertainment in our history.

Please tell me - is today's popular entertainment truly LESS offensive than Bing Crosby putting black make-up on his face?