Robert Alton

The Country Girl -- Grace Kelly received an Oscar for her brilliant portrayal of the wife, and Bing Crosby gave one of the most outstanding performances of his varied career as an alcoholic, guilt-ridden and has-been actor.

White Christmas -- After leaving the Army after W.W.II, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis team up to become a top song-and-dance act. Davis plays matchmaker and introduces Wallace to a pair of beautiful sisters (Betty and Judy) who also have a song-and-dance act. When Betty and Judy travel to a Vermont lodge to perform a Christmas show, Wallace and Davis follow, only to find their former commander, General Waverly, is the lodge owner. A series of romantic mix-ups ensue as the performers try to help the General.

A turn-of-the-century playboy courts a Salvation Army girl.

The last Astaire/Rogers movie, about a show-biz team divided by career ambitions, is also the duo's only color film. Highlights: Fred's Shoes with Wings on and the pair's They Can't Take That Away from Me.