‘White Christmas’ character inspired by President Eisenhower

By Ashley Pemberton

A central character in the classic film "White Christmas" was based on President Dwight D. Eisenhower, according to academics.

The festive favorite was released in 1954 after Irving Berlin approached Paramount to suggest making a movie based on his 1948 song of the same name.

But letters unearthed by experts at the University of Sheffield suggest the character Major General Tom Waverly was inspired by Berlin's fondness of the president.

The documents, held in the US Library of Congress, show how the songwriter admired the Republican president, who served from 1953 to 1961.

They reveal he wrote a musical about Eisenhower called Stars on my Shoulders, which depicted him as General Waverly, a retired general being persuaded to run for president.

It was never released, but songs from the musical and a repurposed General Waverly feature heavily in White Christmas.

The letters were unearthed by Professor Dominic Broomfield-McHugh, an expert in the history of Hollywood musicals, who scoured through the archives.

He said: "While we associate the movie White Christmas with the winter holidays, it’s really about how two former members of a regiment in the Second World War come to the rescue of their former general, who has retired and opened a hotel in New England.

"He is struggling in civilian life, so they use their fame as performers to pay tribute to the general and thereby draw attention to the hotel.

"Amidst the Santa costumes and snow, the heart of the film’s story is a tribute to general Dwight D Eisenhower."

Broomfield-McHugh says the letters suggest his admiration came from when Eisenhower served in the US Army during the Second World War.

He was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe and planned two major military campaigns, including the 1944 invasion of Normandy.

In February 1944, he visited the cast of a musical Berlin wrote for US Soldiers - This is the Army - as it toured to London.

Six years later, Berlin wrote to Mr Eisenhower to say: "I have never forgotten…that inspiring talk you gave to the boys backstage."

Broomfield-McHugh said: "That’s probably when he realized that Eisenhower had the oracy skills to make a great President.”

According to the documents, Berlin took part in a campaign to persuade Eisenhower to run for the US presidency, which Stars on my Shoulders was part of.

When Eisenhower decided to run for the presidency in early 1952, Berlin took part in a rally and donated three times to his campaign.

He also tweaked the words of the song to “I Like Ike”, which became his campaign song and slogan before he won the presidency in 1952.

In 1954, he awarded Berlin the Congressional Gold Medal – one of the two highest civilian honors in the US – in recognition of his contribution of patriotic songs to American life.

Three months later, White Christmas was released.

Prof Broomfield-McHugh added: “Given his participation in supporting Eisenhower’s election, can there be any doubt that the General Waverly of the film represented the General Eisenhower of the Oval Office?"