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Frazier History Museum Highlights Kentucky Ties To 'White Christmas'

BKPKAM WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954) VERA ELLEN, DANNY KAYE, ROSEMARY CLOONEY, BING CROSBY WHC1 004CP
Moviestore collection Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo
BKPKAM WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954) VERA ELLEN, DANNY KAYE, ROSEMARY CLOONEY, BING CROSBY WHC1 004CP

It’s hard to imagine the holidays without the Bing Crosby classic “White Christmas” filling the air -- and his 1954 movie of the same name playing on television. This year, the Frazier History Museum is celebrating one of the film’s Kentucky connections: actress Rosemary Clooney.

Andy Treinen, the museum’s director of marketing, says many people in the state may be more familiar with her Kentucky-born nephew, George Clooney.

“But Rosemary Clooney was a Kentucky legend, an amazing talent, an amazing singer,” Treinen says. “And there is an entire generation of people who grew up absolutely worshiping the work she did and admiring her for her talent and her stardom.”

And Treinen says that generation of people want to share their memories of her with their children and grandchildren, which was one of the motivating factors in creating “White Christmas: The Exhibit.”

On loan from the Rosemary Clooney House in Augusta, Kentucky, “White Christmas: The Exhibit” includes authentic props from the film, the original sleigh, and several costumes – including the blue dresses Clooney and Vera-Ellen wore as they sang the iconic “Sisters.”

Museum guests will also learn trivia from the Christmas classic, including which of the four actors lip-synced during the film, never singing a single note; they can also discover which role Fred Astaire turned down in the film and how one of America’s great composers and writers, Irving Berlin, crafted a classic without the ability to read or write music.

“White Christmas: The Exhibit” will run from Nov. 17 through Jan. 8. There's more information here.