“White Christmas” was created as a Bing Crosby-Fred Astaire vehicle.  (They’d made two very successful films in the 40’s - “Holiday Inn” and “Blue Skies.”)




Astaire didn’t like the script, so Donald O’Connor was hired.




O'Connor was deep into rehearsals with the exquisite Vera-Ellen for the Robert Alton-choreographed dance numbers when he was suddenly sidelined by a serious illness.

Paramount was desperate for a replacement.

Danny Kaye signed on, but not until he had held the studio up for $200,000 and 10% of the gross (an outrageous deal at the time).



Danny did many -- but not all -- of the dances planned for Donald O’Connor. 

Revisions had to be made. 

Which is why you have Danny Kaye in this number, doing his parody of Martha Graham:




and you have Vera-Ellen dancing primarily with specialty-dancer John Brascia:




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