Caution: If you haven’t seen “White Christmas,” this post contains a spoiler.
In the movie White Christmas, Betty (Rosemary Clooney) is told by the Columbia Inn’s housekeeper, Emma (Mary Wickes), about Broadway show producer Bob’s (Bing Crosby) plans to capitalize on inn owner General Waverly’s (Dean Jagger) misfortunes (lack of patrons) by broadcasting the hit show that he (Bob) and his partner, Phil (Danny Kaye), have brought up to the inn (to draw visitors) on TV, playing up the “schmaltz” factor of the general’s situation and garnering tons of free publicity for Bob and Phil.
Got it?
Now, Betty is in love with Bob, and she becomes so disheartened with this plan that she runs back to NY, wanting to have nothing to do with him anymore.
Sad.
Only thing is, Emma found out about the plan by listening in on the phone conversation between Bob and TV variety show host Ed Harrison (Johnny Grant), but hung up before the end of the conversation, wherein Bob tells Ed that he’s not interested in putting the show on TV, he just wants to make a pitch to the general’s former troops to get as many of them as possible up to the inn for the Christmas Eve show (a huge injection into the inn’s revenue which would save the general from bankruptcy and make him very happy).
Gasp!
The entire plot twist is based on this “misunderstanding.” Betty takes hearsay as fact, doesn’t confront Bob about her feelings and blows up their whole relationship.
If only Betty hadn’t jumped to conclusions. If only she had understood the value of clear communication. If only she and her sister Judy (Vera Allen) — and all the characters — proactively nurtured it. But then we wouldn’t have this great holiday classic, would we?
White Christmas was produced in 1954; “White Christmas Syndrome” — assumptions, lack of communication and their repercussions — is still rampant enough today.
As a matter of fact, just last week I got a call from my boss about an initiative someone told him I was pushing. He was given misinformation, on many levels. Thankfully, he made the effort to get the story straight.
You can read the entire White Christmas storyline here. I’ll leave it up to you to draw the parallels between it and your own personal and business storylines.
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